Pick a visual direction before generating any creative. Produces 3-6 named, distinct visual directions (e.g. premium minimal, bold maximalist, lifestyle/editorial, retro, techno-brutalist) with rationale + sample prompts, then generates one reference image per direction so the user can choose.
SkillScore63Maintained
Automatic
◆Design & UX Review pack
Last verified 8/6/2026
What it changes
Passed 15 of 24 test cases with the skill, and 7 of 24 without it.
Without skill29%
With skill63%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Include fails-when scenarios for all proposed directions.
Include wins-when and fails-when scenarios for every proposed direction.
Limit reference images or prompt stubs to exactly one per visual direction.
and 6 more in the full report
10 fixed5 passed either way7 still failing2 broke
Pass-rate lift
+33 pp
Tokens
+32%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-4%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/6/2026v115 of 24 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 10 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 10
Prompt
We spent $10k on a final campaign render for our running shoe, but there is a glare on the sole. Should we run a full creative exploration workflow to pick a new visual direction, or just fix the render?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Advise using image polish workflows rather than re-running visual direction exploration.
Passed
Passed
Identify that creative exploration is intended for locking visual directions prior to final rendering.
Missed
Passed
case-23 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/6/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md71 linessingle file
Creative — Explore (Visual Direction)
Converge on ONE visual direction before spending generation budget on variations. Picking a direction early is the single highest-leverage creative decision — everything downstream (scenes, shots, ads, polish) inherits it. Never jump straight to final assets without a locked direction.
When to use
Starting a new brand, campaign, or product visual from scratch.
The user has a product but no agreed "look".
Stakeholders disagree on aesthetic and you need concrete options to react to.
Before creative-scene, creative-shot, creative-ads-explorer, or creative-offer when no direction is locked.
When NOT to use
A direction/brand guide already exists → skip to the asset skills.
You only need to finish one already-chosen image → creative-polish.
The user wants team-wide mood alignment with territories → creative-moodboard (broader than this).
Inputs to gather (ask only what's missing)
Product / brand + what it does, in one line.
Audience + the feeling it should evoke (trust? excitement? calm?).
Hard constraints: locked colors, logo, fonts, explicit do-nots.
Medium: web hero, paid ad, packaging, social, app store.
If the user can't answer "what feeling", propose 2-3 candidate feelings and let them pick — don't stall.
Workflow
Diverge on directions. Propose 3-6 named directions. Each must differ in organizing principle, not just palette. For each: name, one-line vibe, palette, typography feel, photographic/illustration style, when it wins, when it fails.
Write a reusable prompt stub per direction, structured scene/backdrop → subject → details → constraints. This stub is the DNA that downstream skills reuse for consistency.
Generate ONE reference image per direction with your image-generation tool (any text-to-image backend: DALL·E, Imagen, FLUX, SD, Midjourney). Keep it small/fast (1024x1024). Save to ./creative/explore/<direction>.png.
Present side by side with the rationale table. Make a recommendation tied to the audience + medium.
Lock one (or fuse two). Hand the locked direction + prompt stub to the next skill.
Worked example
Request: "We sell a $180 ceramic pour-over kettle. Need a look for the site hero."
## Direction A — "Quiet Luxury"
vibe: restrained, gallery-like, lets the object breathe
palette: bone white / warm grey / single matte-black accent
type: high-contrast serif display + grotesk body
style: soft north-window light, shallow DOF, seamless backdrop
wins when: price is the message (premium, trust-first)
fails when: audience is young/playful — reads cold