How does this skill help with color selection?

It identifies 'color clusters' where most competitors congregate (like the common 'blue problem' in tech) and helps you find unclaimed color territories.

What is an Only-ness statement?

It is a strategic template that tests if your brand is the only one in its category that provides a specific benefit to a specific audience, ensuring true differentiation.

When should I use the Zig vs Zag framework?

Use it when deciding whether to follow category conventions (Zig) to build trust, or break them (Zag) to stand out in a visually homogeneous market.

What is a competitive visual audit?

A competitive visual audit is a systematic analysis of how competitors use visual elements like color, typography, and imagery to help a brand identify unique 'white space' and differentiate itself.

Competitive Visual Audit

Name: Competitive Visual Audit
Author: mike-coulbourn

bymike-coulbourn

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Design Tools

Conducts strategic visual brand audits to identify competitive differentiation and design opportunities through professional frameworks.

About

This skill empowers developers and designers to perform professional-grade competitive visual analysis directly within Claude. By leveraging established frameworks like Marty Neumeier’s 'Good/Different' chart and the 'Only-ness' statement, it helps identify market 'white space' in color, typography, and imagery. It is particularly useful during the early stages of visual identity work, allowing teams to make data-driven decisions on when to follow category conventions and when to 'zag' for radical differentiation.

Key Features

Automated visual differentiation frameworks like Zig vs Zag decision-making
Strategic 'Only-ness' statement generation to validate unique value propositions
3 GitHub stars
Competitive color and typography audit matrices to identify market gaps
Perceptual mapping tools to visualize brand positioning relative to competitors
Direct research-to-design bridging to convert audit insights into visual directions

Use Cases

Defining a unique brand color palette that avoids industry 'color clusters'
Conducting a comprehensive visual landscape analysis for a new product launch
Crafting a visual identity that intentionally differentiates from established competitors

About

Key Features

Automated visual differentiation frameworks like Zig vs Zag decision-making
Strategic 'Only-ness' statement generation to validate unique value propositions
3 GitHub stars
Competitive color and typography audit matrices to identify market gaps
Perceptual mapping tools to visualize brand positioning relative to competitors
Direct research-to-design bridging to convert audit insights into visual directions

Use Cases

Defining a unique brand color palette that avoids industry 'color clusters'
Conducting a comprehensive visual landscape analysis for a new product launch
Crafting a visual identity that intentionally differentiates from established competitors