# Preset: one-pagers **Last updated:** 2026-05-17 | **Verified:** research/03-prompt-patterns-intent-presets.md Evidence grade: Community-only — Anthropic publishes no per-preset prompt patterns for this preset as of 2026-05-16. Anthropic names `one-pagers` in the launch enumeration at `https://anthropic.com/news/claude-design-anthropic-labs` but does not publish a dedicated tutorial, support article, or canonical prompt set for it. The patterns below come from community practitioners — Substack walkthroughs, blog posts, newsletter pieces — with full attribution. Treat them as field-tested but not Anthropic-authoritative. --- ## (a) What this preset is Anthropic launch post one-sentence description: a one-pager is a single-screen artifact for memos, summaries, leave-behinds, executive briefs, or single-page deliverables. The destination is typically PDF or print. Distinguishing properties: - Single page — no multi-screen navigation, no scrolling sections that imply continuation - High information density compared to a slide - Self-contained narrative — reader does not need surrounding context - Often delivered as a leave-behind after a meeting or as a one-shot brief --- ## (b) Why Anthropic published no per-preset guidance The launch enumeration treats one-pagers as a destination shape rather than a generation mode requiring distinct prompt patterns. The Goal / Layout / Content / Audience framework (`../01-prompt-fundamentals.md` Layer 1) and the five-layer stack apply directly — Layout becomes single-page structure, Content becomes the dense information payload, Audience tightens the tone. Community practitioners have converged on patterns that constrain the one-pager preset more tightly than the generic stack does (Sections c and d). --- ## (c) Community patterns ### Word-count cap per block Community pattern from `https://sagnikbhattacharya.com/blog/claude-design` (cited in `research/03`): cap the word count per layout block in the brief. The mechanism — Claude Design defaults to verbose prose when block content is unspecified, and one-pagers fail when any block runs long. The convergent caps from community practice: - Title block: 8 words max - Subtitle: 15 words max - Body paragraph: 60 words max - Bullet item: 12 words max - Callout box: 25 words max Brief the caps explicitly in the prompt — the model otherwise produces blocks 2-3x longer than the operator wants. ### Above-the-fold density limit Community pattern from `https://newsletter.victordibia.com` (cited in `research/03`): cap the number of distinct elements visible in the top half of the one-pager. Convergent limits: - Maximum 5 distinct visual elements above the fold (counting title, subtitle, one body block, one visual, one callout = 5) - Maximum 3 colour roles visible above the fold (typically: ink for title, fg for body, accent for one emphasis) - Maximum 2 typographic weights above the fold (typically 700 title, 500 body) The brief encodes these as explicit constraints: ``` Above the fold (top half of the page), no more than 5 distinct visual elements, no more than 3 color roles, no more than 2 typographic weights. Density below the fold can scale up. ``` ### Real-data injection over lorem ipsum Same pattern as `designs.md` and `prototypes.md`: use realistic placeholder content. For one-pagers specifically, this matters more — a one-pager is typically read once and discarded; if the content reads as placeholder, it loses the reader. --- ## (d) Critical caveats ### Density-versus-readability trade-off One-pagers are constrained by physical reading mechanics — the operator can pack a lot into one page, but each element added reduces the reader's attention to every other element. The brief should weight density-vs-readability explicitly: ``` Optimise for the reader's ability to extract the takeaway in 30 seconds of scanning. If a block requires more than 30 seconds of focused reading to extract the takeaway, it does not belong on this one-pager. ``` ### Export to PDF preserves layout; export to other formats may not PDF is the canonical one-pager export. HTML standalone works. PPTX is awkward for one-pagers (PPTX assumes deck format, not single-page format). Code-handoff is rare for one-pagers but works. ### Anthropic AI-slop avoid-list still applies Layer 3 negative constraints (`../01-prompt-fundamentals.md`) apply with full force on one-pagers — the dense information context does not exempt the artifact from the avoid-list. Inter, Roboto, Arial, purple gradients on white, generic-modern defaults all degrade the one-pager. --- ## (e) One worked prompt — layers 1 + 3 composed (Layer 2a is preset-optional) Goal: an executive one-pager summarizing a project's Q1 status, audience is VP of Engineering. ``` Goal: A single-page executive summary of the platform team's Q1 2026 delivery, reliability, and Q2 themes. Designed to be scanned in 30 seconds and absorbed in 3 minutes. Layout: Single-page A4 portrait. Top quarter: title + headline takeaway + 3 KPI numbers in a row. Middle half: 3 short body paragraphs (one per: delivery, reliability, Q2 themes). Bottom quarter: callout box with the one explicit ask + signature/contact block. Content: Real KPI numbers (% completion, MTTR minutes, uptime %); real body content (no lorem ipsum); explicit ask is one sentence; contact block names the person + email Audience: VP of Engineering, scanning between meetings, needs the takeaway and one ask, will dive into details only if the takeaway warrants it Word-count caps (community pattern from https://sagnikbhattacharya.com/blog/claude-design): - Title block: 8 words max - Subtitle / headline takeaway: 15 words max - Body paragraph: 60 words max - Bullet item: 12 words max - Callout box: 25 words max Above-the-fold density limit (community pattern from https://newsletter.victordibia.com): - Maximum 5 distinct visual elements above the fold - Maximum 3 color roles visible above the fold - Maximum 2 typographic weights above the fold Aesthetic family: editorial-confident — terse, signal-dense, no flourish Color palette (CSS hex): --color-bg: #FAFAF8 --color-surface: #FFFFFF --color-muted: #6B6B6B --color-fg: #2A2A2A --color-ink: #0A0A0A --color-accent: #3D5C8A Typography: Söhne or Inter Variable; modular scale 1.250; weight palette 500 body / 700 headings Corner radius: 4px on the callout box only; rest is flat Motion: none (one-pager is static) Density: dense (8mm margins, 4mm gutters) Surface: flat — no shadows Negative constraints — do not produce any of: - Inter, Roboto, Arial, or Space Grotesk as primary typeface - Purple gradients on white backgrounds - Card-style metric tiles with shadows - Centered-title-and-subtitle generic header - Pulse / breathing animations (this is a static one-pager) - Generic "executive summary template" defaults Optimise for the reader's ability to extract the takeaway in 30 seconds of scanning. If a block requires more than 30 seconds of focused reading to extract the takeaway, it does not belong on this one-pager. ``` Expected follow-up turns: 1. Turn 2: tighten word counts if any block ran over cap 2. Turn 3: refine callout-box positioning if it competes with the headline takeaway 3. Turn 4+: Tweak panel for spacing scale and density adjustments 4. Export to PDF; visual-audit at 100% zoom and at print size --- ## Sources - `https://anthropic.com/news/claude-design-anthropic-labs` — preset enumeration, one-sentence description - `https://support.claude.com/en/articles/14604416-get-started-with-claude-design` — GLCA framework (composed in this preset) - `https://sagnikbhattacharya.com/blog/claude-design` — community pattern for word-count caps per block - `https://newsletter.victordibia.com` — community pattern for above-the-fold density limits - `https://claude.com/blog/improving-frontend-design-through-skills` — AI-slop avoid-list (composed) - `https://github.com/anthropics/skills/skills/frontend-design/SKILL.md` — Design-Thinking Framework reference Re-research trigger: Anthropic publishing a dedicated tutorial for one-pagers; community word-count caps drifting; new one-pager-specific community pattern emerging.