What you’ll make
A short CLAUDE.md and one brief you can find again in a fresh session.
Where did we put the image that’s approved for email?
A language flashcard shop makes a landing page, then an email
Say your French travel flashcard page is done and you need the email that sends the sample. Save the logo, sample link, and the words you want to reuse where Claude can find them on the next job.
The first email draft uses a screenshot I’d only approved for the site. I’ll record where that screenshot can go before I run the brief again.
Where to start
CLAUDE.md
- Read DESIGN.md for type and button wording. Use the finished flashcard page as a reference.
- Open assets/index.md for approved files, then find the brief named in the task.
- Follow release-checks.md and open the sample link.
Where the correction goes
assets/index.md
- wordmark.png · Approved for web and email.
- flashcards-preview.png · Website preview only.
- For the email, use wordmark.png and link to the sample named in the brief.
What I’d check again
briefs/sample-email.md
- Subject says ‘Your French travel flashcard sample.’
- Email uses wordmark.png and the button says ‘Download the sample.’
- The button opens french-travel-sample.pdf.
Before you start
- Pick a project folder and one finished piece you’d be happy to use as an example. Save a second brief for later.
- Find the logo, type, images, and feedback you refer to every time. Check which artwork you can use on the site, in email, or anywhere else you publish.
Gather the files you keep reaching for
Choose one project folder and an upcoming task. Find the design rules, approved artwork, and one finished example. Write down where each file lives.
Put the map at the top of the project
Open the folder in your editor. Save a short CLAUDE.md at the project root, or add these directions to the existing one. Point to the design rules, asset notes, and the folder for current briefs.
Save one brief with a finish you can check
Give the task its own brief. Write what you want back, which assets it can use, and what the reader should be able to do with it.
For a French travel flashcard email, I write the subject and link destination in briefs/sample-email.md. I record the approved wordmark in the asset notes.
The brief points to french-travel-sample.pdf and calls the button ‘Download the sample.’ The instructions tell Claude where to find the approved image.
Try the brief in a fresh session
Open Claude Code in the project folder and ask it to read the brief and name the rules and artwork it plans to use. Open the listed files yourself. Fix one incorrect path or usage note and try again.
- Open the brief and rules from the paths Claude names.
- Match the proposed image to the asset usage note.
- Open the sample link or confirm the exact target file.
Optional: Give the next brief a fresh session
Add a second brief and point it to the artwork and rules you want Claude to use. Open a fresh session and see whether it finds the right brief without a reminder.
Give the files we use again a home
Start with a finished piece and its files to get a short CLAUDE.md and a map of where everything belongs.
Here’s my project [folder or file list], one finished piece [link or file], and the feedback I repeat [examples]. Suggest a short CLAUDE.md for the root that points to the shared design rules, asset index, references, current brief, and release checks. Show the proposed paths and who should update each file. Turn a couple of recurring decisions into rules someone can apply, with a passing example for each. For the artwork, list exact filenames and where I’ve approved them for use. Leave unknown permissions for me to confirm. Keep the deadline and one-off copy in the current brief. Show how I can check that the paths resolve and that a fresh session loads the intended instructions. Flag missing files and conflicting rules. Keep this as a proposal before changing or moving anything.
Save the correction I keep making
Paste a repeated correction and a passing example to find the one file where it belongs.
I keep correcting [repeated problem]. Here’s a result that got it right [example] and where the related guidance lives now [paths or excerpts]. Tell me when this rule should apply and whether it belongs in DESIGN.md, the asset index, the release checks, or just this brief. Give me the exact wording to add or replace, with a passing example and one check I can run. If another rule already covers it, point to that line and suggest updating it in place. If you need more than this one brief to tell whether it repeats, say what to compare.
Try the next brief from a fresh session
Open the project with a second brief to see which files Claude finds and whether it makes the same choices you would.
Start in [project folder] with [second brief]. Before drafting, show me the instruction paths you read, the applicable design rules, and the exact artwork you picked with its usage note. Ask me about anything required that you can’t find or confirm. Then draft [deliverable] and run the release checks you can. Record what you verified and what I need to try myself, such as opening the final download link. If you had to guess or found two instructions that disagree, point to the one file I should inspect and give me a short retest for the same brief.
Optional worksheet: Design workspace worksheet
Fill this in as you go. Keep this page open while you work. Reloading it clears your answers.
Troubleshooting
Why is Claude following a different rule?
Check the folder you opened and look under Memory files in /context all. If two of your project files give different directions, decide which rule applies and update the files that disagree.
What if the files are getting hard to read?
Look at the last two briefs and see which shared rules you used. Move one-off notes into the briefs. Combine repeats and mark old examples before you take them out of the active list.