Ant Design — Design Language Assistant
A knowledge base + working method for Ant Design (antd)'s design language: not just what the rules are, but why they exist (the design-science and psychology beneath them) and how they compare to other systems. Use it to teach, apply, critique, or theme interfaces.
Ant Design is an enterprise-grade (B-side / productivity) design system. Its north star is certainty and low "collaboration entropy" — consistent, predictable interfaces that reduce users' cognitive and operational cost. Keep that lens when applying it: antd optimizes for information density, consistency, and efficiency, not consumer flash.
Four design values (the soul)
| Value | 中文 | Meaning | Rooted in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural | 自然 | Interactions follow human intuition & nature's order; reduce unnecessary thinking. | Mental models, affordances, Gestalt |
| Certain | 确定性 | Consistent rules → designers make fewer ad-hoc choices, users relearn nothing. | Jakob's Law, consistency, cognitive load |
| Meaningful | 意义感 | Every interface serves the user's goal and gives meaningful feedback. | Goal-gradient, feedback, peak-end |
| Growing | 生长性 | The system + the product evolve together; design scales as a living system. | Design tokens, modularity, systems thinking |
Ten design principles
CRAP / Gestalt foundations → Proximity · Alignment · Contrast · Repetition.
Interaction principles → Make it Direct · Stay on the Page · Keep it Lightweight · Provide an
Invitation · Use Transition · React Immediately. Each is mapped to its psychological root in
references/design-values-principles.md.
How to use this skill
Pick the mode that matches the request:
- Learn / explain — answer "what does antd say about X / why" using
references/. Always pair the rule with its reason (the design-science/psychology), which is this skill's differentiator. - Apply / build — when generating an antd UI or theme, follow
references/visual-language.md(exact specs) andreferences/design-tokens.md(v5 tokens +ConfigProvidercode). Useassets/theme.example.tsas a starting theme. - Critique / review — audit a screen against
assets/review-checklist.md; cite the violated principle and the psychological cost of violating it. - Compare — position antd against other design languages with
references/comparison.mdand give a "which to choose" recommendation.
Quick facts (v5)
- Primary / brand:
#1677FF(Daybreak Blue). Functional: success#52C41A, warning#FAAD14, error#FF4D4F, info#1677FF. Palettes are 10 steps (index 1–10, primary at 6) from an algorithm. - Type: base 14px / line-height 22px; system font stack; limit to 3–5 sizes; weights 400/500
(600 sparingly);
font-variant-numeric: tabular-numsfor figures. - Layout: 8px base grid, spacing in multiples of 8; 24-column grid; 1440px design canvas.
- Tokens: Seed (
colorPrimary,borderRadius: 6,fontSize: 14,sizeUnit: 4…) → Map → Alias; three algorithms:defaultAlgorithm,darkAlgorithm,compactAlgorithm(combinable).
Files in this skill
| Path | Read it when you need… |
|---|---|
references/design-values-principles.md |
The 4 values + 10 principles in depth, each mapped to the design-science/psychology law it expresses. |
references/visual-language.md |
Exact visual specs: color system & palettes, typography scale, 8px layout & 24-grid, icons, motion, shadow/elevation, radius, dark mode. |
references/design-tokens.md |
The v5 token architecture (seed/map/alias), the three algorithms, and how to theme via ConfigProvider + theme (with code). |
references/psychology-design-science.md |
The "why" toolbox: Gestalt, CRAP, ~15 UX laws, Norman's principles, cognitive-load theory, color & contrast science — with how each maps to antd. |
references/comparison.md |
Ant Design vs Material Design, Apple HIG, Fluent, Carbon, and Chinese peers (Arco / TDesign / Semi / Element Plus) — philosophy, visuals, and a decision guide. |
assets/review-checklist.md |
A practical UI audit checklist: rule → principle → psychological reason, for design reviews. |
assets/theme.example.ts |
A ready ConfigProvider theme (brand color, light/dark/compact, component tokens) to copy. |
Working rule
When you state an antd rule, always give its reason — the Gestalt/CRAP/UX-law/Norman/cognitive principle behind it. "Antd uses 8px spacing" is trivia; "antd uses an 8px rhythm because consistent spacing leverages the Gestalt law of common region/proximity to group related controls and lowers extraneous cognitive load" is the assistant's value. That pairing is the whole point of this skill.
