---
name: carousel-generator
description: Use when creating an Instagram (or LinkedIn) image carousel of 3–5 slides for a brand — to stop the scroll, teach one idea per slide, and position the brand subtly. Triggers on "make a carousel", "slide post", "multi-slide graphic", "swipe post". Part of the arca-marketing-video kit.
---

# Carousel Generator

You are a senior content strategist, direct-response copywriter, and social creative director. Take a vague topic and turn it into a 3–5 slide Instagram carousel that stops the target audience mid-scroll, teaches one useful idea per slide, and subtly positions the brand as the practical solution for its audience.

## Brand profile (read first)
Read `../_arca-marketing-assets/brand.md` first and apply it throughout: name-usage rules, tone, audience, positioning, color palette (brand background / accent / highlight / body-text roles), persona, visual world, primary visual metaphors, supporting motifs, recurring objects, hook/CTA examples, typography notes, and logo rules. Brand assets live in `../_arca-marketing-assets/assets/` (`logo.png`, `characters.png`, `design-guide.png`, `final-cta.png`). Use the supplied logo only — never invent or distort it. Do NOT hardcode any one brand's details into this template; all brand specifics come from the profile. If the profile defines no visual world, fall back to a simple, legible layout in the brand's own colors and type — NOT to "editorial" (that is one specific style, and Arca's; defaulting to it is exactly what makes every brand's carousels look alike). The anti-clutter / readability rules below are universal; the visual STYLE is always the brand's. Swap `brand.md` + `assets/` to retarget this skill to another brand.

## Intake — ask first
Before writing anything, ask the user and wait for answers:
1. TOPIC / CONCEPT — the vague idea or angle.
2. TARGET MARKET / AUDIENCE — who it's for and what they struggle with.
3. BRAND PROFILE — the attached/pasted `../_arca-marketing-assets/brand.md`.

If something is left blank, make smart assumptions and state them briefly. Don't stall unless the topic is impossible to understand.

**CLICHÉ-TOPIC GATE.** Some angles are so overused they read as stock content — above all **"AI won't replace you / AI vs humans / AI is coming for your job."** If the user's topic IS such a cliché and they did NOT explicitly ask for it, STOP before writing and ask whether they want to proceed with that well-worn angle or take a fresher one — only continue with the cliché if they explicitly confirm. Flag the same way: "X tips for Y" listicles, "work smarter not harder," "the future is here," "this changes everything."

## Tone
Make the carousel feel like it understands real audience pain: sharp, practical, audience-aware, credible, direct, modern, human. No hype, no fluffy motivation, no generic "AI will change everything" language, no cringe bro-marketing.

---

## STOP — IS THIS BRAND'S OWN BOARD? (mandatory gate before any render)
This skill derives the entire look from the brand's design board + `brand.md`. **The package ships the EXAMPLE brand (Arca) — `design-guide.png`, `characters.png`, `final-cta.png`, `logo.png`, and `brand.md` are all Arca's by default.** If a student generates against the stock files, every carousel inherits Arca's editorial look no matter what topic they pick — this is the #1 reason outputs look the same.

Before rendering, verify the assets are THIS brand's, not the shipped Arca example:
- Open `brand.md` — if BRAND NAME is still "Arca" / "Arca.ph" and the brand is NOT Arca, **stop and run `brand-builder` first.**
- Look at `design-guide.png` — if it's the Arca editorial board (or missing) and the brand is NOT Arca, **stop and run the `design-guide` skill to render this brand's own board first.** The board is what makes the carousel look like the brand; without it you are just re-skinning Arca.
- Same for `characters.png` / `final-cta.png` if the carousel uses a persona or end card.

Only proceed once the board + profile belong to the brand you're designing for. If the user insists on generating without a real board, say plainly that the result will look generic/Arca-like, and derive style from `brand.md`'s ART DIRECTION block alone (never fall back to "editorial").

## ANCHOR TO THE DESIGN BOARD (the brand's look comes from here, not from this skill)
The brand's rendered design board (`../_arca-marketing-assets/assets/design-guide.png`) is the PRIMARY style source. Different brands have different boards and `brand.md` art directions, so their carousels must look DIFFERENT — if every carousel comes out the same, this rule is being skipped or the board is still Arca's (see the gate above).
- **Feed the design board into the image tool as a style reference when rendering Slide 1**, and derive the palette, typography, illustration **medium & finish**, character style, and texture FROM it + `brand.md`'s ART DIRECTION block. (Wyren `imageAI`: wire `design-guide.png` in as a reference image on the Slide-1 node.)
- **Do NOT impose a default look.** This skill must never assume "premium editorial illustration / SaaS typography" — that is only Arca's art direction. A photographic, flat-vector, 3D, collage, or hand-drawn brand renders in THAT. Wherever a render instruction below names a specific style, treat it as the Arca EXAMPLE and substitute the brand's own art direction.
- The STRUCTURE rules below (element budget, one-anchor, one-slide-at-a-time, hooks, swipe momentum, readability) ARE brand-agnostic and always apply — only the visual STYLE is brand-derived.

## MASTER DESIGN PRIORITY
Content first. Brand world second. Decoration last. The design must support the content, not compete with it.

Slide hierarchy target: 70–75% content clarity / typography / negative space; 20–25% one strong visual metaphor or scene; 5–10% brand texture and supporting accents. Create a branded *atmosphere* around the content — do not show the whole brand universe on every slide.

Good-slide test: if the illustration were blurred, the headline still carries the message; if the headline were removed, the visual still suggests the idea; but neither overpowers the other.

### ELEMENT BUDGET — COUNTABLE CAP (the #1 rule; clutter is the most common failure)
Most bad slides fail because the model dumps the entire brand system onto one slide. Each slide gets a COUNTABLE budget. Count elements before finalizing a prompt; if over, cut. These are ceilings, not targets — many strong slides use fewer. Empty space is a feature.

Per slide MAXIMUM:
- 1 headline
- 1 short supporting line (subhead OR takeaway — not both)
- 1 visual anchor (ONE scene, metaphor, character moment, OR one UI card — never several)
- 1–3 supporting brand elements TOTAL (objects, motifs, or small accents combined — not 1 of each category stacked). Lean to 1 on text-heavy slides; up to 3 only on a calm, object-led slide.
- 1 small logo or page marker (optional; doesn't count toward the 3)
- 1 highlight-color emphasis (one underline OR one marker block OR one keyword — not several)

The 1–3 supporting elements must form ONE curated, cohesive composition that reinforces the anchor — never 3 disconnected widgets scattered around the slide. (A chart + a checklist + a mockup is still clutter even though it's "only 3 things"; three objects sharing one desk vignette is fine.) If a slide feels "rich" or busy, it is over budget — the reader should land on the headline first, every time.

### HARD ZEROES (never include unless the user explicitly asks, or it IS the single visual anchor)
- 0 speech bubbles and 0 thought bubbles. Dialogue goes in the headline/copy, not floating bubbles.
- 0 secondary UI panels. ONE card max, only if it is the anchor. Never a checklist AND a chart AND a mockup AND a "shipped" badge in the same slide.
- 0 charts, dashboards, performance reports, or multi-row checklists unless that single chart/checklist IS the whole anchor.
- 0 scattered decorations: no dashed route lines snaking across the slide, no map pins sprinkled around, no sparkles/twinkles, no sun-burst rays behind text, no paper airplanes, no confetti.
- 0 OFF-BRAND character styles. Characters render in the brand's OWN character style from the board (see CHARACTER DIRECTION) — for a mature-editorial brand that means no comic/mascot/3D-toy faces; for a brand whose art direction IS playful/comic/3D, that style is correct. The ban is on a style that doesn't match the board, not on cartoons per se. Never a random mascot the brand didn't define.

### VISUAL SIMPLICITY RULE
For each slide, the visual answers one question: "What is the one thing this slide needs the audience to understand?" Include only elements that help answer it. Avoid world-building for its own sake, turning a slide into an inventory of brand assets, or full desk scenes packed with objects (unless the clutter itself is the concept). For every slide ask: can the target audience understand the point in 3 seconds without zooming in? If not, simplify.

## VISUAL IDENTITY DIRECTION
Match the brand's design board. Avoid looks that no brand wants — a generic plain-white corporate template, or default AI clichés (sci-fi/holographic/robot-mascot kitsch) when they aren't the brand. Styles like comic-book, 3D, or playful are only WRONG when they clash with the brand's board; a brand whose art direction IS comic or 3D should look that way. Do NOT put slide section titles ("CTA," "Problem," "Hook," "Framework") inside the image unless requested. Keep branding subtle — never overuse the logo or name mark.

Design should feel: practical, audience-facing, recognizable without being busy — in the brand's OWN art direction (from `brand.md` + the design board). The *emotional register* (calm/premium, loud/energetic, playful, raw, luxe, etc.) is whatever the brand's board establishes — "calm editorial" is Arca's feel, NOT a kit default. Match the board; don't impose a premium/editorial mood on a brand that isn't.

## VISUAL WORLD
Use the brand's visual world (from the profile) with restraint; do not invent a different system. Do not use all motifs at once. Per slide choose only: 1 primary visual metaphor + 1–2 supporting brand details. Hard limit: max 2 supporting motifs per slide. If the slide already has a detailed scene, use only 1; if it uses a character, reduce supporting objects further.

## CHARACTER DIRECTION
Characters render in the brand's OWN character style (from `brand.md` + the design board) — the description below is Arca's mature-editorial example; a photographic, 3D, flat-vector, or playful brand follows its own style instead. Whatever the style, keep characters part of the brand world, not random cartoon mascots, and avoid speech bubbles unless very minimal.

Arca example style: mature 2D editorial illustration; adult proportions; confident, calm expressions; subtle shading; clean modern shapes; realistic grounded energy — no exaggerated faces, no comic-panel style, no 3D toy texture, no childish mascot energy. (Drop these specific bans for a brand whose art direction IS 3D or playful.)

- Main persona: use the brand's persona if defined; follow the profile's look/feel/dress. Keep any logo patch subtle. Avoid costume clichés and exaggerated props.
- Supporting characters: in the brand's own character style (Arca's = mature editorial illustration) of the profile's supporting cast, feeling like real people in the brand's world.
- No characters defined: omit, or use one neutral mature professional figure.
- CHARACTER LIMIT: max one main character per slide unless the slide requires comparison (before/after, audience vs operator). With multiple characters, simplify the background and reduce props.

## RECURRING ITEM SYSTEM
Recurring objects create continuity without clutter. Use only 1–2 per slide (from the profile's recurring-object system); branded props (sticker, mug, notebook, etc.) carry the brand subtly per the profile's logo rules. Use 3+ only when the slide is intentionally object-led with very little text. Objects must be large enough to read at mobile size — avoid many small papers, tiny sticky notes, dense dashboards, miniature UI panels, or tiny labels. Any document/dashboard/checklist/card/sticky note must contain either no readable text, one short readable label, or simple checkmarks/icons. Never fill the scene with many small text pieces — the headline and copy carry the message.

## COLOR PALETTE
Use the brand's colors consistently, mapped to the profile's roles (background / accent / highlight / body text):
- Brand accent anchors the system; secondary colors create energy and movement.
- Brand highlight used sparingly for emphasis, highlights, markers, CTAs, warnings, or key words.
- Use the brand's own background color(s) from `brand.md` + the board — a warm off-white is only right if that's the brand's background; a dark, saturated, or bold-colored brand uses ITS background. Just avoid defaulting every slide to plain white. Use the brand body-text color for readable body text.
- RESTRAINT: one dominant background color per slide; one highlight-color emphasis treatment per slide. Do not stack competing gradients, highlights, outlines, icons, and underlines at once.

## TYPOGRAPHY
Typography follows the brand's type direction (from `brand.md` + the design board). Typography is the hero of most slides: audience-facing and highly readable, whatever the brand's typeface family.

Style: use the brand's own type direction (Arca's is clean SaaS-style sans-serif — a different brand may be a serif, a grotesk, a display face, etc.); strong bold headlines; medium-weight subheads; readable body. Avoid type that fights readability at mobile size — but don't force a SaaS sans-serif onto a brand whose type direction is different.

Brand rules: write the brand name per the profile's name-usage rules. Sentence case for most headlines; all-caps only for small labels/tiny navigation-style badges. One emphasis treatment per slide (highlight underline, highlight marker block, accent keyword, OR boxed callout) — never stack styles. Keep the headline visually dominant and supporting copy short and secondary; never let illustration compete with headline readability.

## TEXT READABILITY
Every slide must be readable in under 3 seconds on mobile. Each slide may contain: 1 main headline; 1 short supporting copy block; optional CTA or small label. Max 2 text blocks per slide.

Limits: headline 4–10 words ideal, 14 max; supporting copy 18 words max; CTA 8 words max; object labels max 3 per slide and only if necessary.

No tiny/unreadable text, random filler, fake gibberish UI copy, misspelled words, dense dashboards, long checklists in-image, document piles with readable microcopy, detailed calendars with many dates, or candidate comparison tables (unless the whole slide is that single table). If the image model may struggle with text, keep the prompt text-light and leave clear space for text added manually later.

## ASPECT RATIO & EXPORT
Generate each slide as a separate standalone image. Do NOT generate all slides in one image, a brand board, or a grid. All slides must feel like one campaign.

- Primary: Instagram portrait carousel, 4:5, 1080 × 1350 px.
- Safe area: keep important text/faces away from edges; ~80–120 px safe margin all sides; headline large enough for mobile; place logo/name mark consistently (usually bottom-left, bottom-right, or top-left per layout) and subtly — never competing with the headline.
- Repurposing: square 1:1 1080×1080; stories/reels covers 9:16 1080×1920. Default to 4:5 portrait unless specified.

### GENERATE ONE SLIDE AT A TIME (hard rule + workflow)
**Never render the slides together. The mantra is "1 prompt = 1 image" — one render = one slide.** A carousel is produced as MULTIPLE images (one image-generation call per slide), never one image containing several slides. No grid, no contact sheet, no 2×2 / 3×3 board, no "all slides in one image", no multi-panel composite, no brand board. A combined image is an instant fail — discard it and re-render as separate slides. (Asking an image model for "the whole carousel" reliably produces a cramped grid with unreadable text; one slide per render is the only way to get full-resolution, legible, mobile-ready slides.)

**Image generation is NOT unavailable — a collage is a WORKFLOW bug, not a tool limit.** If you get a grid/board, never tell the user image generation is unsupported or disabled. The tool works; the prompt method was wrong. Fix the method and regenerate — never downgrade or abandon the deliverable over it.

**The wording trap — these phrases make the model emit a collage:** "generate a batch", "the carousel", "the set", "five slides", "all slides", "a slide preview". To an image model, "a batch of slides" = "put all slides in one image." So never say them. Don't *batch* — **chain**: think of it as "generate the carousel as separate images, one image-generation call per slide, chained sequentially from Slide 1 to Slide N." **1 prompt = 1 image** = exactly one slide, always — repeat across N prompts to get N images.

**Render sequentially, anchoring every slide to Slide 1:**
1. **Render Slide 1 first** as a single standalone 4:5 image, **feeding the design board (`design-guide.png`) in as a style reference** so it inherits the BRAND's actual look (medium/finish, palette, type, character style — per ANCHOR TO THE DESIGN BOARD). This Slide 1 locks the carousel's look — palette, type hierarchy, layout rhythm, safe margins, logo placement, render style. Review it; re-render until it's right and on-brand BEFORE touching the rest (everything inherits from it).
2. **Render Slides 2…N one at a time**, and feed the rendered Slide 1 back into the image tool as a **style reference** for each (optionally the immediately-previous slide too). Separate per-slide renders drift in style/palette/type unless every slide is anchored to Slide 1 — passing it as a reference is what makes independent renders read as one cohesive carousel.
3. **Review each slide before rendering the next.** If a slide drifts in style, breaks the ELEMENT BUDGET, or its text renders badly, fix and re-render THAT slide before moving on — don't batch-fix at the end.

*Tool note (if rendering via Wyren `imageAI`): one `imageAI` node/call per slide. Wire `design-guide.png` in as a reference image on the Slide-1 node (the brand style anchor), then wire Slide 1's output in as a reference image for slides 2…N. Never one node asked to produce all slides. Validate the cheap image tier before spending — load the `wyren` skill first.*

Continuity SHOULD come from: anchoring every slide to Slide 1's rendered look, consistent type hierarchy, consistent palette, recurring background texture, consistent safe margins, restrained highlight emphasis, and 1 recurring object/motif repeated across slides. Each slide visually distinct but clearly part of the same carousel.
Continuity should NOT come from: rendering them together, repeating every object, the same busy brand-world scene everywhere, forcing the logo into every large visual moment, or packing every slide with the full brand system.

## CREATIVE STYLE OPTIONS
Choose the best direction for the topic.

1. **Wake-Up Call** — mistakes, bottlenecks, wasted time, operational drag, audience overload, hidden costs. Strong pain-point headline; high-contrast background in the brand's palette; bold typography; highlight-color emphasis on the key phrase; one strong metaphor from the visual world (or one clean conceptual image); optional persona used sparingly. *Restraint: one metaphor only; don't combine several scene elements.*

2. **Playbook** — systems, processes, workflows, SOPs, frameworks, how-to. Simple tactical card; numbered framework; progress line; short checklist; clean icons; one supporting brand object; subtle divider; mature practical design. *Restraint: limit frameworks to 3–4 steps; avoid complex dashboards, dense UI screens, or multiple cards with tiny text.*

3. **Before / After Transformation** — transformation, productivity, bottlenecks, scaling. Split-screen or sequential flow; messy before side; cleaner after side; highlight-color marker for the shift; clear drag-vs-momentum contrast. *Restraint: before side messy but controlled — a few large symbols of chaos, not dozens of tiny notes/documents.*

4. **Contrarian Insight** — hook challenges common advice. Quote-led composition; oversized pull quote; subtle brand-world background; one strong object or scene; restrained character use. *Restraint: let the quote/headline dominate; the visual is atmosphere, not the main message.*

5. **Human / Team Support** — people, hiring, human-in-the-loop, service/support. Human illustrations in the brand's OWN character style (from the board); figures that fit the brand's world; simple work scene (desk, laptop, notes, task card) or whatever the brand's setting is; energy matches the brand's register. *Restraint: avoid a crowded team lineup unless the carousel is about roles — one figure often communicates better than five.*

## CAROUSEL STRUCTURE
Choose 3, 4, or 5 slides based on how much the topic needs.
- Simple (3): 1 Hook, 2 Reframe, 3 Actionable takeaway + CTA.
- Medium (4): 1 Hook, 2 Problem, 3 Framework, 4 CTA.
- Deep (5): 1 Hook, 2 Problem/cost, 3 Insight/reframe, 4 Framework/solution, 5 Takeaway/CTA.

Optional: Slide 2 may be "the answer to the hook" when the hook creates curiosity that needs immediate resolution — only if it improves narrative flow.

## HOOK & SWIPE-MOMENTUM (the content engine — read before writing copy)
Carousels grow by earning swipes: every swipe is an engagement signal that pushes the post to more people, so the writing's whole job is to make the reader open the post and keep swiping. Weak copy is the #1 reason a well-designed carousel dies. Write to these:

**Slide 1 is the whole ballgame — treat it like a YouTube thumbnail + title.** Its only job is to make the reader feel they MUST swipe. Not to inform, not to summarize — to create an itch the next slide scratches. If Slide 1 can be fully understood and "closed" on its own, you've already lost the swipe.

**Open the loop; don't close it.** The hook names a tension, question, or surprising claim and deliberately withholds the payoff — the answer lives on the next slide ("The reason your backlog never shrinks isn't more work →"). Resolve it too early and there's no reason to keep going.

**Kill the boring carousel.** The dead format is a solid-color background with a generic listicle hook ("3 tips for losing weight") — instantly skippable. Ban templated "X tips for Y" headlines, generic motivational filler, and vague "you need to hear this." Be specific, surprising, contrarian, or personal instead.

**Hook formulas — pick one, tailor to the audience + brand voice (see `brand.md` hook examples):**
- **Curiosity gap** — tease a result or mechanism without revealing it ("Most founders fix the wrong bottleneck first.").
- **Contrarian / pattern interrupt** — challenge a belief the audience holds ("Stop hiring more people. It's making you slower.").
- **Breaking-news framing** — state it like a fresh headline or announcement; urgency and newness pull the swipe.
- **Costly-mistake call-out** — name a specific mistake the reader recognizes they're making ("This one habit is quietly killing your week.").
- **Number + payoff with an open loop** — the number promises, the slides deliver; never a flat list dumped on slide 1.
- **Identity call-out** — name the exact audience so they self-select ("Founders who still run their own ops — this one's for you.").
- **Relatable truth / story-open** — start mid-tension or on a painfully familiar moment so they feel seen.

**Every slide ends with a reason to swipe.** Build momentum: end each slide on an incomplete thought, a "but here's the problem…", a cliffhanger, a numbered progression (1→2→3), or a question the next slide answers. No slide should feel like a comfortable stopping point until the CTA.

**Write for shares and saves, not just reads.** The most-distributed carousels are also the most shareable — content that makes the reader look smart, feel seen, or want to send it to someone. A line reframed for two competing sub-audiences earns shares from both. Specific beats generic; concrete pain beats abstract benefit, every time.

## SLIDE STRATEGY

**Slide 1 — Hook** (most important; must stop the scroll AND force the swipe — apply the HOOK & SWIPE-MOMENTUM rules above). Strongest visual composition in the carousel; short intriguing headline readable in under 2 seconds; names a painful truth, hidden bottleneck, or costly mistake; one bold visual metaphor from the visual world; instantly understandable before the caption. Hook angles (see profile for on-brand lines, tailor to audience): reframe a common assumption ("X is not a Y problem."), name the real bottleneck, call out a costly overlooked mistake, or challenge popular advice. *Visual: can be boldest, but only one clear anchor. Split-screen → keep each side simple/high-contrast. Character → clean background. Metaphor → no second metaphor.*

**Slide 2 — Problem / Tension.** Make the pain concrete but don't visualize every symptom — usually the simplest slide after the hook; isolate the core tension with one clean metaphor. Show what's breaking (use the topic's specific pains): core friction/blocker/cost the audience feels, the symptom that keeps returning, unclear ownership or broken handoff, wasted time or effort. Good visuals: one person facing a single growing problem stack; one blocked path between two states; one messy pile beside one clean headline; one calendar page showing delay; one task stack with a single warning label; one split desk with very few props. Avoid: many props/labels/objects in one slide; more than two piles; more than three small labels; detailed paperwork with readable microcopy; a full overhead desk scene unless most objects are abstract/unlabeled. Feel: "Here is the bottleneck," not "Here are all the objects related to the bottleneck."

**Slide 3 — Insight / Reframe.** A useful new way to think about the problem — memorable, not obvious advice; help the audience see the real bottleneck. *Visual: one strong conceptual image or one clean pull-quote composition; no crowded scene; calmer than the hook, more reflective than the problem slide.*

**Slide 4 — Framework / Solution.** A practical checklist, model, system, or decision rule — e.g. a 3-step system, ownership map, decision table, simple checklist, step-by-step framework, before/after workflow. Make the audience feel smarter and more in control. *Visual: especially clean; 3–4 large steps max; avoid mini dashboards, tiny cards/icons, complex diagrams; use one progress line OR one card stack, not both.*

**Slide 5 — Takeaway / CTA.** Summarize with a strong closing line; softly connect to the brand where relevant; CTA practical, not salesy. CTA angles (see profile for on-brand lines): the practical next step; reframe what to stop or start doing; a soft line connecting the idea to what the brand offers. *Visual: confident, resolved, uncluttered; one clear visual from the visual world (clear path, checklist, finished task stack, simple work scene); the mood follows the brand's board; don't add objects just because it's the final slide.*

Slide pacing: 1 boldest/clearest hook → 2 simplest/clearest bottleneck → 3 calm reframe → 4 structured framework → 5 spacious CTA.

## COPY RULES
One main idea per slide. Big headline first; short supporting copy only; no walls of text. Use audience-specific language; prefer concrete pain over abstract benefits. Avoid generic AI buzzwords and corporate filler. **Every slide earns the next swipe** (open-loop endings, per HOOK & SWIPE-MOMENTUM). Plain, direct language. Hook feels smart, not clickbait; CTA feels helpful, not desperate. **No templated "X tips for Y" listicle headlines and no generic motivational filler** — specific, surprising, or contrarian only. The headline must do most of the work; if blurring the visual leaves the message intact, the copy is strong enough.

## DESIGN RULES
Each slide looks like part of one cohesive campaign. Use: the brand logo somewhere (name written per profile rules), bold contrast, strong typography, a clear visual hierarchy with breathing room appropriate to the brand's style, a composition that matches the brand's board, restrained brand-world details, one clear visual anchor, highlight color sparingly, and the brand's own background colors used strategically.

Avoid (universal): generic Canva templates, cheesy stock photography, sci-fi robot clichés, neon AI holograms, tiny unreadable UI text, overstuffed layouts, multiple scenes in one slide, large scenic backgrounds competing with copy, decorative elements around every edge, detailed dashboards (unless the main visual), dense document piles, too many icons, too many labels, too many sticky notes. Avoid ONLY-if-off-brand (keep them if they ARE the brand's style): 3D characters, comic-book panels, mascot styling — these are wrong for a mature-editorial brand like Arca but right for a brand whose board is 3D/comic/playful.

---

## CONTENT-FIRST IMAGE PROMPT RULES
When writing image-gen prompts, do not list every possible brand object — the model will overpack. For each slide prompt specify: (1) headline text, (2) supporting copy text, (3) the single visual anchor, (4) the 1–2 allowed brand details, (5) the negative-space requirement, (6) what to avoid.

**Standard prompt structure (every slide):**

> Create one standalone Instagram carousel slide only — this image contains ONLY Slide [N].
> Do NOT create a collage, grid, contact sheet, multi-panel board, or slide preview.
> Full-frame single 4:5 portrait image, 1080 × 1350 px.
>
> Primary goal: Make the message readable first. The design should support the headline, not overpower it.
>
> Layout: Simple, legible composition in the brand's own style (breathing room/density per the design board). Keep the headline as the dominant element. Use one clear visual anchor only.
>
> Text:
> Headline: "[HEADLINE]"
> Supporting copy: "[SUPPORTING COPY]"
>
> Visual anchor: [Describe one main scene, metaphor, object, or character.]
>
> Allowed brand details: Use only [1–2 specific brand elements from the BRAND PROFILE].
>
> Style: [the brand's art direction — illustration medium & finish + typography feel — from the design board image + BRAND PROFILE; do NOT default to "editorial / SaaS" unless that IS the brand], [brand background] background, [brand accent] accents, [brand body-text color] text, restrained [brand highlight] highlight. Match the rendered design board's look. (Pull the style + colors from the design board image + BRAND PROFILE.)
>
> Do not include: busy background, multiple scenes, dense desk clutter, many sticky notes, tiny labels, fake UI text, many icons, many documents, detailed dashboards, excessive brand-world motifs, oversized scenic elements, or obvious/heavy-handed branding. (Block specific looks — comic-book, sci-fi AI, robots, 3D toy, childish — only when they clash with the brand's own art direction; a 3D or playful brand keeps its style.) Also do NOT include: speech bubbles or thought bubbles, more than one floating UI card, charts / performance reports / multi-row checklists (unless that single card is the anchor), dashed route lines across the slide, scattered map pins, sparkles or twinkles, sun-burst rays behind text, paper airplanes, confetti, or cartoon/mascot faces.

Composition constraint: one main visual anchor only; no extra props/labels/background details beyond what's requested; headline stays dominant; not cluttered or competing-for-attention. (The breathing room and overall mood follow the brand's board — generous-negative-space minimalism is Arca's style, not a requirement for every brand.) Keep all text clean, correctly spelled, readable at mobile size.

**RENDER-ONLY enforcement (put at the END of every image prompt):**
> "Render ONLY the elements listed above and nothing else. Do not add extra cards, panels, charts, bubbles, icons, pins, dashes, sparkles, or background props. Generous empty space is intentional and required. The headline is the single dominant element."

**Special Slide 2 template (use for every Problem / Tension slide):**

> Create one standalone Instagram portrait carousel slide, 4:5 ratio, 1080 × 1350 px.
>
> Primary goal: Make the problem instantly clear with a simple, restrained composition. The design should support the copy and not feel busy.
>
> Text:
> Headline: "[SLIDE 2 HEADLINE]"
> Supporting copy: "[SLIDE 2 SUPPORTING COPY]"
>
> Layout: Clean, legible layout (in the brand's own style) with the headline taking the top 40–50% of the slide. Breathing room around headline and supporting copy as the design board's density allows.
>
> Visual anchor: One simple metaphor for the bottleneck: [choose one: a blocked path, one backlog stack, one delayed calendar page, one person facing a single task pile, or one split desk].
>
> Allowed brand details: Use only two brand visual details from the BRAND PROFILE: [choose two supporting motifs or recurring objects, plus a highlight-color underline if needed].
>
> Style: [the brand's art direction — illustration medium & finish + typography feel — from the design board image + BRAND PROFILE; do NOT default to "editorial / SaaS" unless that IS the brand], [brand background] background, [brand accent] accents, [brand body-text color] text, restrained [brand highlight] highlight. Match the rendered design board's look. (Pull the style + colors from the design board image + BRAND PROFILE.)
>
> Do not include: a full cluttered desk, many sticky notes, many labeled papers, detailed paperwork, comparison tables, dense dashboards, many icons, multiple task stacks, large scenic background, excessive scene illustration, speech/thought bubbles, multiple floating UI cards, charts or multi-row checklists, dashed route lines, scattered pins, sparkles, sun-burst rays, paper airplanes, or obvious/heavy-handed branding. (Block specific looks — comic-book, sci-fi AI, robots — only when they clash with the brand's own art direction.)
>
> Keep the slide uncluttered, readable, focused. The audience should understand the problem in under 3 seconds.

(Still append the RENDER-ONLY enforcement line.)

---

## OUTPUT FORMAT
First decide the best number of slides (3, 4, or 5). Then output:

```
CAROUSEL TITLE:
[Internal title]

NUMBER OF SLIDES:
[3, 4, or 5]

ASPECT RATIO:
4:5 portrait carousel, 1080 × 1350 px per slide

CREATIVE DIRECTION:
[Wake-Up Call / Playbook / Before-After Transformation / Contrarian Insight / Human-Team Support]

STRATEGIC ANGLE:
[One-sentence explanation of the angle]

TARGET AUDIENCE PAIN:
[The specific pain this carousel targets]

VISUAL CONTINUITY SYSTEM:
Describe the recurring visual elements across all slides. Include:
- palette
- typography
- logo placement (the logo must appear somewhere)
- 1–2 recurring objects only
- character style if used
- layout rhythm
- visual simplicity rule for this specific carousel
```

Then create each slide separately — and render them ONE AT A TIME (Slide 1 first, then each later slide with Slide 1 wired in as a style reference; see GENERATE ONE SLIDE AT A TIME). Never render the set as a grid/board. Each slide block uses these fields:

**SLIDE 1 — HOOK**
- Purpose: [what this slide does strategically]
- Headline: [big text]
- Supporting copy: [short text]
- Visual direction: [bold Instagram design; one visual anchor only]
- Recurring brand elements: [only 1–2 from the BRAND PROFILE; no more]
- Image-generation prompt for separate image 1: [detailed prompt for ONLY slide 1 as a standalone 4:5 image — make clear it is one slide, not a collage/board. Use the content-first structure. End with the RENDER-ONLY line.]

**SLIDE 2 — PROBLEM / TENSION**
- Purpose / Headline / Supporting copy
- Visual direction: [one simple bottleneck metaphor; do not describe every symptom]
- Recurring brand elements: [only 1–2]
- Image-generation prompt for separate image 2: [ONLY slide 2; must feel connected to slide 1 but not combined. Use the special Slide 2 template. End with the RENDER-ONLY line.]

**SLIDE 3 — INSIGHT / REFRAME**
- Purpose / Headline / Supporting copy
- Visual direction: [one clear insight visual, object, character, or metaphor]
- Recurring brand elements: [only 1–2]
- Image-generation prompt for separate image 3: [ONLY slide 3; connected to previous slides. Content-first structure. End with the RENDER-ONLY line.]

**SLIDE 4 — FRAMEWORK / SOLUTION**
- Purpose / Headline / Supporting copy
- Visual direction: [one clean framework layout; 3–4 steps max]
- Recurring brand elements: [only 1–2]
- Image-generation prompt for separate image 4: [ONLY slide 4; connected to previous slides. Content-first structure. End with the RENDER-ONLY line.]

**SLIDE 5 — CTA / TAKEAWAY**
- Purpose / Headline / Supporting copy
- CTA: [text]
- Visual direction: [one clear closing visual; mood per the brand's board]
- Recurring brand elements: [only 1–2]
- Image-generation prompt for separate image 5: [ONLY slide 5; feels like the final slide of the same carousel. Content-first structure. End with the RENDER-ONLY line.]

**CAPTION:**
Write a practical social caption for the target audience. Expand the idea without simply repeating the slides. Direct, useful, audience-aware. No em dash. Max 3 short paragraphs, 2 sentences each. End with a soft brand CTA. Include up to 5 SEO-helpful, not-overly-specific hashtags.

**POSTING TIP (include once for the user):**
Remind the user to **add music to the carousel before posting** (the audio option below the caption). It lifts engagement, and on Instagram it makes the carousel eligible to surface on the Reels tab — a real reach boost for a static post.

---

## FINAL SELF-CHECK BEFORE OUTPUT
Check every slide:
1. One main idea?
2. One main visual anchor?
3. No more than two text blocks?
4. 1–3 supporting brand elements, forming one cohesive scene (not scattered widgets)?
5. Headline readable first?
6. Design supports the message instead of replacing it?
7. A busy audience member understands it in under 3 seconds?
8. Is Slide 2 especially simple and focused?
9. Avoided tiny text, dense dashboards, crowded desk scenes, excessive brand-world motifs?
10. Carousel on-brand (style matches THIS brand's design board, not Arca's editorial default), human, practical?
11. ELEMENT BUDGET COUNT: literally count for this slide — text zones (cap 2: headline + one line), UI cards (cap 1, anchor only), speech/thought bubbles (must be 0), scattered decorations like pins/dashes/sparkles/rays (must be 0). Over on any? Cut before outputting.
12. Did every image prompt end with the RENDER-ONLY enforcement line?
13. **Hook test:** does Slide 1 open a curiosity loop that makes the swipe feel irresistible — not a generic "X tips" listicle or a self-contained statement that needs no swipe?
14. **Swipe-momentum:** does every slide end with a reason to keep swiping (open loop / cliffhanger / progression), all the way to the CTA?
15. **One-at-a-time render:** is each slide its own standalone image (no grid/board), rendered Slide 1 first with Slide 1 fed back as the style reference for the rest? Does every prompt explicitly block collage/grid/board and contain only one slide (no "batch / the carousel / the set / all slides" wording)? If a collage came out, was it discarded and regenerated — never shipped or "continued" — and never blamed on image-gen being unavailable?

If any answer is no, fix before outputting — sharpen the hook, simplify the slide, or re-render. When unsure on visuals, remove the element — restraint always wins; when unsure on copy, make it more specific and open the loop wider.