What Does Hallmark Preserve During a Redesign? A Technical Breakdown

Hallmark preserves copy intent, factual content, information architecture, brand colors/fonts, primary CTA, and route ownership while rebuilding only the visual and interaction layers.

When you run hallmark redesign on a codebase, the tool follows a strict non-destructive implementation rule that protects your product's core identity. According to the Nutlope/hallmark source code, this preservation policy is explicitly defined in skills/hallmark/references/verbs/redesign.md and applied consistently across all redesign operations.

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The Five Core Elements Hallmark Preserves

The redesign verb documentation in skills/hallmark/references/verbs/redesign.md enumerates exactly what survives the transformation:

Copy Intent and Factual Content

Hallmark retains the exact wording of your copy unless you explicitly request a rewrite. The source specifies this at lines 36-38: the semantic meaning and factual claims remain intact, ensuring your product's voice doesn't drift during visual updates.

Information Architecture

The set and rough ordering of sections stay unchanged. Your page's structural flow—what information appears where—remains stable even as the presentation layer gets rebuilt.

Branding Assets

Any brand colors and fonts you've already defined are left untouched. This protection extends to the broader skill-level policy in skills/hallmark/SKILL.md (lines 170-172), which preserves the font stack, colour palette, and spacing scale across all verbs unless overridden.

Primary Action

The main CTA—its purpose and target—survives the redesign. Hallmark may restyle the button or change how it reveals, but what it does and where it leads remains constant.

Route and Component Boundaries

Existing file-level routing and component ownership are maintained. Hallmark will not delete production files or reorganize your codebase structure without explicit authorization.

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What Hallmark Actually Replaces

The same redesign.md file (lines 5-9) establishes the boundary of Hallmark's work: "Hallmark redesigns visual and interaction layers. It does not delete production files by default."

Specifically, Hallmark generates:

• New structural fingerprint (macrostructure)
• Fresh component voice (styling approach)
• Updated reveal pattern (interaction choreography)

These replacements give your page a modern feel while the preserved elements anchor it to your established product identity.

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Running a Preservation-Aware Redesign

Basic Command (Maximum Preservation)

# Preserves all five core elements automatically

hallmark redesign ./src/pages/hero.tsx

Expected output note:

Preserved: copy intent, IA, brand colours/fonts, primary CTA, route ownership.
Replaced: structural fingerprint (new macrostructure), component voice, reveal pattern.

Redesign With Mood (Preservation Still Active)

# Applies a luxury tone without touching protected elements

hallmark redesign ./src/pages/hero.tsx --mood luxury

The --mood flag adjusts aesthetic direction—spacing density, animation personality, color temperature—while the preservation policy remains fully enforced.

Override: Full Rebuild Mode

# Explicitly authorizes deletion of routes/components

hallmark redesign ./src/pages/hero.tsx --force-delete

This flag triggers confirmation prompts before removing files, as documented in redesign.md lines 41-42. Without it, Hallmark defaults to safe, non-destructive behavior.

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Source Files Defining Preservation Policy

File	Relevant Content
skills/hallmark/references/verbs/redesign.md	Detailed preservation list, replacement scope, and --force-delete semantics
skills/hallmark/SKILL.md	Global defaults for fonts, colors, and spacing across all verbs
site/_tests/verbs/redesign/notes.md	Concrete test verification of preserved items
site/_tests/verbs/redesign/README.md	Expected outcome specifications for redesign runs

These files collectively implement Hallmark's architectural contract—the guarantee that hallmark redesign modernizes presentation without collateral damage to content or structure.

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Summary

• Hallmark preserves copy, IA, brand assets, primary CTA, and route ownership during every redesign
• The non-destructive rule is the default; destructive changes require --force-delete
• Visual and interaction layers are the only guaranteed replacements
• Policy definitions live in skills/hallmark/references/verbs/redesign.md and skills/hallmark/SKILL.md

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Hallmark rewrite my marketing copy during a redesign?

No. According to skills/hallmark/references/verbs/redesign.md lines 36-38, Hallmark preserves copy intent and factual content exactly as written. You must explicitly request copy changes through a separate verb or flag.

Will my brand colors and typography survive a redesign?

Yes. Both the redesign-specific documentation and the global skill definition in skills/hallmark/SKILL.md (lines 170-172) protect your font stack, color palette, and spacing scale unless you explicitly override them.

Can Hallmark delete my files during a redesign?

Only with explicit authorization. The non-destructive implementation rule prevents deletion by default. The --force-delete flag exists for rare cases requiring full rebuilds, and Hallmark will prompt for confirmation before acting.

What's the difference between preserved "information architecture" and replaced "structural fingerprint"?

Information architecture means which sections exist and their relative order. Structural fingerprint refers to the DOM hierarchy, grid systems, and layout mechanics that visually organize that content. Hallmark keeps your content's organization but rebuilds how it's visually structured and animated.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}