Claude design: making on-brand visuals with Gradiently

Claude design work changes when Claude can use a real design tool. On its own, Claude can suggest headlines and describe a layout. Connected to Gradiently through MCP, it can make the design itself: pick a Mark, lay out your words in your brand, produce the sizes you need and hand you a link to an editable design in the Studio. You describe; it builds; you finish.

This guide walks through what that looks like in practice, what to ask for and how to keep the connection safe. If MCP is new to you, start with what is MCP.

What Claude can do in Gradiently

Once connected, Claude sees Gradiently's tools and chooses the right one for each request. You talk normally; it translates your words into actions.

Behind the scenes, requests to design go to the Designer, Gradiently's own AI, which reads your brand profile and your Mark before it composes, then reviews its own layout for margins, collisions and contrast. Working with the Designer covers what it can and can't do.

How to connect Claude to Gradiently

1. 1

   Create a key

   In Gradiently, open Settings, then API and agents. Name the key after where you'll use it, such as Claude Code, and choose what it can do. Only workspace owners and admins can create keys.

2. 2

   Copy it once

   The key is shown a single time. Save it in a password manager.

3. 3

   Add the server to Claude

   Point your Claude client at https://gradiently.design/api/mcp, sending the key as a Bearer token. The exact place to add it differs between Claude apps; the developer docs cover each.

4. 4

   Ask for something small

   Try "list my designs" or "find a Mark in warm orange" to confirm the connection before bigger requests.

# Claude Code: add Gradiently as a remote MCP server
# (set GRADIENTLY_API_KEY in your environment first; don't paste the key into shared files)
claude mcp add --transport http gradiently https://gradiently.design/api/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $GRADIENTLY_API_KEY"

Connecting an AI assistant has plain-language setup for other MCP clients too.

A walkthrough: one announcement, three formats

Say you run a small bar and want to announce late openings. Here is the whole job as a conversation. First: "Make an Instagram story announcing that we're open until midnight on Fridays, starting this week. Keep it calm, not shouty." Claude asks Gradiently's designer, which reads your brand, uses your Mark and returns a link. You open it and like it, but want a different line, so you say: "Change the small line to Kitchen open until eleven." Then: "Make a square post and an X header from it."

Three formats, one look, a few minutes. Each is a normal design in your workspace, so you can nudge a heading or swap a photo in the Studio before exporting. One look, every size explains how copies are laid out for each format.

How to ask Claude for better designs

• Fill in your brand kit first. Logos, colours, fonts, who the brand is for and how it sounds. The designer reads it before every design. See setting up your brand kit.
• Name the format. Story, square post, X header, YouTube thumbnail. Each is laid out differently.
• Give the real words. Dates, prices and names, exactly as they should appear.
• Say the order. What should people read first, second and third.
• Edit, don't restart. Ask for one change at a time to a design you mostly like.

Keeping the connection safe

Claude can do only what its key allows. Choose the smallest set of permissions for what you want: reading and creating designs and searching Marks covers most design work. Leave claiming off unless you specifically want Claude to claim Marks for you. Publishing a share link is always an explicit step, and designs you haven't shared stay private. A key never transfers a Mark's ownership to anyone.

Claude and Gradiently each do what they are good at: Claude understands what you mean, Gradiently holds your brand and does the careful layout, and you make the final call. For the bigger picture of working this way, read an AI brand identity workflow.