Prompt Construction

Prompt File Format

Each prompt file uses YAML frontmatter + content:

---
illustration_id: 01
type: infographic
style: blueprint
references:                    # ⚠️ ONLY if files EXIST in references/ directory
  - ref_id: 01
    filename: 01-ref-diagram.png
    usage: direct              # direct | style | palette
---

[Type-specific template content below...]

⚠️ CRITICAL - When to include references field:

Reference Usage Types (only when file exists):

If no reference file but style/palette extracted verbally, append directly to prompt body:

COLORS (from reference):
- Primary: #E8756D coral
- Secondary: #7ECFC0 mint
...

STYLE (from reference):
- Clean lines, minimal shadows
- Gradient backgrounds
...

Default Composition Requirements

Apply to ALL prompts by default:

Add to ALL prompts:

Clean composition with generous white space. Simple or no background. Main elements centered or positioned by content needs.

Color Specification Rules

Colors in prompts use hex codes for rendering guidance only — they tell the model which colors to use, NOT what text to display.

⚠️ CRITICAL: Image generation models sometimes render color names and hex values as visible text labels in the image (e.g., painting "Macaron Blue #A8D8EA" as a label). This must be prevented.

Add to ALL prompts that contain a COLORS section:

Color values (#hex) and color names are rendering guidance only — do NOT display color names, hex codes, or palette labels as visible text in the image.

Character Rendering

When depicting people:

Add to ALL prompts with human figures:

Human figures: simplified stylized silhouettes or symbolic representations, not photorealistic.

Text in Illustrations

Add to prompts with text:

Text should be large and prominent with handwritten-style fonts. Keep minimal, focus on keywords.

Principles

Good prompts must include:

1. Layout Structure First: Describe composition, zones, flow direction
2. Specific Data/Labels: Use actual numbers, terms from article
3. Visual Relationships: How elements connect
4. Semantic Colors: Meaning-based color choices (red=warning, green=efficient)
5. Style Characteristics: Line treatment, texture, mood
6. Aspect Ratio: End with ratio and complexity level

Type-Specific Templates

Infographic

[Title] - Data Visualization

Layout: [grid/radial/hierarchical]

ZONES:
- Zone 1: [data point with specific values]
- Zone 2: [comparison with metrics]
- Zone 3: [summary/conclusion]

LABELS: [specific numbers, percentages, terms from article]
COLORS: [semantic color mapping]
STYLE: [style characteristics]
ASPECT: 16:9

Infographic + sketch-notes + macaron palette (default / hand-drawn-edu preset):

Single-page hand-drawn educational infographic in a clean presentation style.
Warm cream paper background, black hand-drawn lines with slight wobble, soft
pastel color blocks. Feels simple, friendly, and easy to understand at a glance.
Diagram-style visuals ONLY — no realistic or photographic images.

PALETTE: macaron — soft pastel blocks on warm cream
COLORS: Warm Cream background (#F5F0E8); Black (#1A1A1A) for ALL lines, text,
        arrows, and doodles; section fills in Light Blue (#A8D8EA), Mint Green
        (#B5E5CF), Lavender (#D5C6E0), Peach (#FFD5C2); Coral Red (#E8655A)
        sparingly for one or two emphasis points only.

LAYOUT (top → bottom):
- TOP: Bold hand-lettered title, oversized, slightly wobbly, with an optional
       decorative underline or small doodle.
- MIDDLE: 2–6 rounded-rectangle info boxes arranged in a clean grid, row, or
          radial pattern. Each box = one section, one pastel fill color, one
          simple icon or sketchy cartoon element, one short keyword/phrase.
          Hand-drawn arrows connect related zones.
- BOTTOM: One short hand-lettered takeaway sentence summarizing the main idea.

ELEMENTS: Rounded info boxes with clear sectioning, wavy/straight hand-drawn
          arrows with small inline labels, simple icons and sketchy cartoon
          elements (stick figures, tools, objects), small doodle decorations
          (stars, sparkles, underlines, dots, asterisks) used sparingly.

STYLE: Minimal, well-organized, airy. Color fills don't completely fill
       outlines (slight "hand-painted" overshoot). ALL text hand-lettered —
       no computer fonts. Short labels and keywords only, never long
       paragraphs. Generous white space between sections.

Infographic + vector-illustration:

Flat vector illustration infographic. Clean black outlines on all elements.
COLORS: Cream background (#F5F0E6), Coral Red (#E07A5F), Mint Green (#81B29A), Mustard Yellow (#F2CC8F)
ELEMENTS: Geometric simplified icons, no gradients, playful decorative elements (dots, stars)

Infographic + vector-illustration + warm palette:

Flat vector illustration infographic. Clean black outlines on all elements.
PALETTE OVERRIDE (warm): Warm-only color palette, no cool colors.
COLORS: Soft Peach background (#FFECD2), Warm Orange (#ED8936),
        Terracotta (#C05621), Golden Yellow (#F6AD55), Deep Brown (#744210)
ELEMENTS: Geometric simplified icons, no gradients, rounded corners,
          modular card layout, consistent icon style

Scene

[Title] - Atmospheric Scene

FOCAL POINT: [main subject]
ATMOSPHERE: [lighting, mood, environment]
MOOD: [emotion to convey]
COLOR TEMPERATURE: [warm/cool/neutral]
STYLE: [style characteristics]
ASPECT: 16:9

Flowchart

[Title] - Process Flow

Layout: [left-right/top-down/circular]

STEPS:
1. [Step name] - [brief description]
2. [Step name] - [brief description]
...

CONNECTIONS: [arrow types, decision points]
STYLE: [style characteristics]
ASPECT: 16:9

Flowchart + vector-illustration:

Flat vector flowchart with bold arrows and geometric step containers.
COLORS: Cream background (#F5F0E6), steps in Coral/Mint/Mustard, black outlines
ELEMENTS: Rounded rectangles, thick arrows, simple icons per step

Flowchart + sketch-notes + macaron palette:

Hand-drawn educational flowchart on warm cream paper. Slight wobble on all lines.
PALETTE: macaron — soft pastel color blocks
COLORS: Warm Cream background (#F5F0E8), zone fills in Macaron Blue (#A8D8EA),
        Lavender (#D5C6E0), Mint (#B5E5CF), Coral Red (#E8655A) for emphasis
ELEMENTS: Rounded cards with dashed/solid borders, wavy hand-drawn arrows with labels,
          simple stick-figure characters, doodle decorations (stars, underlines)
STYLE: Color fills don't completely fill outlines, hand-drawn lettering, generous white space

Flowchart + ink-notes + mono-ink palette:

Professional hand-drawn visual-note flowchart on pure white. Black ink line work
with slight wobble, à la Mike Rohde sketchnoting.
PALETTE: mono-ink — black ink dominant, sparse semantic accents
COLORS: Pure White background (#FFFFFF), Near Black (#1A1A1A) for all lines,
        text, and figures; Coral Red (#E8655A) only for risk/emphasis,
        Muted Teal (#5FA8A8) only for positive/solution states
ELEMENTS: Left-to-right stage boxes with rounded-rect frames, wavy hand-drawn
          arrows between stages, simple stick-figure characters with role
          labels above (e.g., "ML Engineer", "Team Lead"), dashed-border box
          for future/empty stage, small doodle icons per stage
STYLE: Hand-lettered titles (bold, oversized), handwritten stage labels and
        annotations, generous white space, bottom tagline summarizing takeaway

Comparison

[Title] - Comparison View

LEFT SIDE - [Option A]:
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]

RIGHT SIDE - [Option B]:
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]

DIVIDER: [visual separator]
STYLE: [style characteristics]
ASPECT: 16:9

Comparison + vector-illustration:

Flat vector comparison with split layout. Clear visual separation.
COLORS: Left side Coral (#E07A5F), Right side Mint (#81B29A), cream background
ELEMENTS: Bold icons, black outlines, centered divider line

Comparison + vector-illustration + warm palette:

Flat vector comparison with split layout. Clear visual separation.
PALETTE OVERRIDE (warm): Warm-only color palette, no cool colors.
COLORS: Left side Warm Orange (#ED8936), Right side Terracotta (#C05621),
        Soft Peach background (#FFECD2), Deep Brown (#744210) accents
ELEMENTS: Bold icons, black outlines, centered divider line

Comparison + ink-notes + mono-ink palette (Before/After, Traditional vs New):

Professional hand-drawn sketchnote comparison on pure white. Black ink line work
with slight wobble, à la Mike Rohde sketchnoting.
PALETTE: mono-ink — black ink dominant, sparse semantic accents
COLORS: Pure White background (#FFFFFF), Near Black (#1A1A1A) for all outlines,
        text, figures, arrows; Coral Red (#E8655A) reserved for risks/gaps
        (left/Before side); Muted Teal (#5FA8A8) reserved for positives
        (right/After side). Color accents under 10% of canvas.
LAYOUT: Left | Right split with vertical hand-drawn divider. Hand-lettered
        "Before" label (top-left) and "After" label (top-right).
LEFT SIDE: Stick figure(s) with role label above, speech bubble showing the
           pain point, bulleted pain-point list in handwritten text.
RIGHT SIDE: Stick figure(s) showing the new state, bulleted improvement list,
            small positive-action icons.
BRIDGE: Curved hand-drawn "mindset shift" arrow bridging left → right with
        small inline label describing the shift.
BOTTOM: Single-line hand-lettered tagline summarizing the takeaway.
STYLE: Hand-lettered headings (bold, oversized), handwritten body annotations,
        generous white space, no computer fonts, no gradients, no shadows.

Framework

[Title] - Conceptual Framework

STRUCTURE: [hierarchical/network/matrix]

NODES:
- [Concept 1] - [role]
- [Concept 2] - [role]

RELATIONSHIPS: [how nodes connect]
STYLE: [style characteristics]
ASPECT: 16:9

Framework + vector-illustration:

Flat vector framework diagram with geometric nodes and bold connectors.
COLORS: Cream background (#F5F0E6), nodes in Coral/Mint/Mustard/Blue, black outlines
ELEMENTS: Rounded rectangles or circles for nodes, thick connecting lines

Framework + vector-illustration + warm palette:

Flat vector framework diagram with geometric nodes and bold connectors.
PALETTE OVERRIDE (warm): Warm-only color palette, no cool colors.
COLORS: Soft Peach background (#FFECD2), nodes in Warm Orange (#ED8936),
        Terracotta (#C05621), Golden Yellow (#F6AD55), black outlines
ELEMENTS: Rounded rectangles or circles for nodes, thick connecting lines

Framework + ink-notes + mono-ink palette (command center, OS analogy):

Professional hand-drawn sketchnote framework on pure white. Black ink line work
with slight wobble, à la Mike Rohde sketchnoting.
PALETTE: mono-ink — black ink dominant, sparse semantic accents
COLORS: Pure White background (#FFFFFF), Near Black (#1A1A1A) for all lines,
        text, figures; Dusty Lavender (#9B8AB5) for neutral category tags only;
        Coral Red (#E8655A) for emphasis sparingly. Color accents under 10%.
STRUCTURE: Central rounded-rectangle frame as "the system" with hand-lettered
           title inside. Inner layer of labeled sub-components (node labels
           above each). Outer layer of feeder arrows from stick-figure
           operators/users with role labels.
ELEMENTS: Stick figures at the edges with role tags ("Team Lead", "Operator"),
          wavy hand-drawn connector arrows with small inline labels, small
          doodle icons per component, dashed-border placeholder(s) for
          future/empty capabilities.
BOTTOM: Single-line hand-lettered tagline.
STYLE: Hand-lettered headings, handwritten annotations, generous white space,
        no computer fonts, no gradients.

Timeline

[Title] - Chronological View

DIRECTION: [horizontal/vertical]

EVENTS:
- [Date/Period 1]: [milestone]
- [Date/Period 2]: [milestone]

MARKERS: [visual indicators]
STYLE: [style characteristics]
ASPECT: 16:9

Screen-Print Style Override

When style: screen-print, replace standard style instructions with:

Screen print / silkscreen poster art. Flat color blocks, NO gradients.
COLORS: 2-5 colors maximum. [Choose from style palette or duotone pair]
TEXTURE: Halftone dot patterns, slight color layer misregistration, paper grain
COMPOSITION: Bold silhouettes, geometric framing, negative space as storytelling element
FIGURES: Silhouettes only, no detailed faces, stencil-cut edges
TYPOGRAPHY: Bold condensed sans-serif integrated into composition (not overlaid)

Scene + screen-print:

Conceptual poster scene. Single symbolic focal point, NOT literal illustration.
COLORS: Duotone pair (e.g., Burnt Orange #E8751A + Deep Teal #0A6E6E) on Off-Black #121212
COMPOSITION: Centered silhouette or geometric frame, 60%+ negative space
TEXTURE: Halftone dots, paper grain, slight print misregistration

Comparison + screen-print:

Split poster composition. Each side dominated by one color from duotone pair.
LEFT: [Color A] side with silhouette/icon for [Option A]
RIGHT: [Color B] side with silhouette/icon for [Option B]
DIVIDER: Geometric shape or negative space boundary
TEXTURE: Halftone transitions between sides

Palette Override

When a palette is specified (via --palette or preset), it overrides the style's default colors:

1. Read style file → get rendering rules (Visual Elements, Style Rules, line treatment)
2. Read palette file (palettes/<palette>.md) → get Colors + Background
3. Palette Colors replace style's default Color Palette in prompt
4. Palette Background replaces style's Background color (keep style's texture description)
5. Build prompt: style rendering instructions + palette colors

Prompt frontmatter includes palette when specified:

---
illustration_id: 01
type: infographic
style: vector-illustration
palette: macaron
---

Example: vector-illustration + macaron palette:

Flat vector illustration infographic. Clean black outlines on all elements.
PALETTE: macaron — soft pastel color blocks
COLORS: Warm Cream background (#F5F0E8), Macaron Blue (#A8D8EA), Mint (#B5E5CF),
        Lavender (#D5C6E0), Peach (#FFD5C2), Coral Red (#E8655A) for emphasis
ELEMENTS: Geometric simplified icons, no gradients, playful decorative elements

When no palette is specified, use the style's built-in Color Palette as before.

What to Avoid

• Vague descriptions ("a nice image")
• Literal metaphor illustrations
• Missing concrete labels/annotations
• Generic decorative elements

Watermark Integration

If watermark enabled in preferences, append:

Include a subtle watermark "[content]" positioned at [position].