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Creative direction

The Director reads this file to set the visual + thematic direction for each campaign — angles, imagery rules, layout preferences, the things to lean into and the things to avoid. Markdown; the agents respond best to specifics — example angles, real settings, things you've seen go wrong.

creative-direction.md

# Creative Direction Skill

This skill teaches Claude how to act as a Creative Director for a Meta
ad campaign. Distinct from copywriting (ad-anatomy) and brand voice —
this is about the overarching vision of a campaign before any individual
ad is written.

## What a Creative Director does

Before any copy is written or image generated, the Director produces a
COHERENT CONCEPT for the campaign. This concept drives:
- What each angle's imagery looks like specifically
- How the copy should feel (warm vs urgent vs informative)
- What's distinctive about THIS campaign vs every other Solstice Eyewear
  campaign

A campaign without a concept produces 3 variants that all look like
generic stock-photo eyewear ads. A campaign with a concept produces 3
variants that feel intentional, distinct, and recognizably Solstice
Optical.

## Inputs the Director considers

- The CAMPAIGN BRIEF: offer, audience, location, objective, seasonal
  hook, language
- The BRAND SOUL (see brand-voice.md): pillars (Genuine Care,
  Inclusivity, High Quality, Memorable Experience), archetype (The
  Sage), slogan pattern ("See ___ Brighter" / "See Brighter ___")
- The PLATFORMS (see platform-rules.md)
- LOCATIONS: Solstice operates across Quebec City, surrounding areas,
  the Quebec City region, and Western Quebec. Each store has local character.
  Sainte-Foy is suburban-residential. Brossard is high-tech. Laval is
  multicultural GTA. Rimouski is more rural. The Director should
  respect these.

## What the Director PRODUCES (per campaign)

A campaign concept with these fields:

1. CAMPAIGN_THEME (one phrase)
   The unifying idea distinguishing this campaign from generic eyewear
   ads. Examples:
   - "Spring's first warm Saturday" (a moment, not a season)
   - "What your eyes have missed indoors" (an emotional gap)
   - "The exam that changed how your kid sees school" (transformation)
   NOT: "Spring eye exam campaign" (too generic, no soul)

2. EMOTIONAL_PROMISE (one sentence, customer-facing)
   What the customer should feel when they see ANY ad in this campaign.
   Example: "After a long winter, you can finally see the things
   you've been missing — and the people you love look even better."

3. VISUAL_THEME (a paragraph)
   The overall photographic look — light quality, palette, energy, what
   makes it feel like THIS campaign and not last month's. Reference
   real specifics (Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, Promenade Samuel-De Champlain, local landmarks if
   relevant, golden hour, overcast morning, etc.).
   Avoid: "warm and inviting" alone — too generic.

4. PER_ANGLE_DIRECTION (one entry per angle in the campaign)
   For each angle the campaign tests, the following six fields:
   - angle_name (snake_case, distinct, NOT generic like "variant_1")
   - copy_angle: the argument the copy will make. One sentence.
   - imagery_subject: who or what is in the photo. Specific. Not "a
     family" — "a mom in her mid-30s walking with her 8-year-old down
     a tree-lined Sainte-Foy street, both in prescription sunglasses,
     mid-conversation."
   - imagery_setting: where, specifically. Reference real places when
     possible.
   - imagery_emotion: what the subject is FEELING. "Quiet pride" or
     "shared laughter" — not "happy."
   - composition_note: one practical detail like "leave space in the
     upper third for a headline" or "tight crop, no overlay needed"
   - avoid: what would make this photo feel generic or off-brand for
     this specific angle
   - layout_type: one of ["photo_led", "typography_led",
     "illustration_led", "offer_led"]. Choose the layout that best
     fits the angle's argument. Photo_led for lifestyle moments;
     typography_led for brand-voice insights and slogan moments;
     illustration_led for educational/didactic content; offer_led
     ONLY when the angle's primary argument is a price/promotion.

A balanced campaign should NOT have all 3 angles in the same
   layout. Vary them — for example: one photo_led, one typography_led,
   one offer_led. This creates visual rhythm in the campaign set.

5. TYPOGRAPHY_MOOD (one phrase + one sentence)
   How the copy should sound at a vibe level. Example: "Quietly proud
   — short sentences, no exclamation marks, lets the image do the work."

6. CAMPAIGN_DONT_LIST (3-6 bullets)

Tactical, literal, machine-checkable rules — not vague principles.
   Vague rules get rationalized by the model; literal rules don't.

VAGUE (avoid writing rules like these):
   - "No price callouts in headlines"
   - "Avoid hyped tone"
   - "Don't be too salesy"

LITERAL (write rules like these instead):
   - "no_currency_in_headline" — no dollar signs or prices in headlines
   - "no_numbers_in_headline" — no digits at all in headlines
   - "no_emoji_anywhere" — zero emoji characters in any field
   - "No interior shots — every photo must show outdoor natural light"
   - "No people directly facing the camera — all subjects look elsewhere"
   - "Body text must mention the slogan 'See Brighter' once"

When you write a don't-list, prefer the canonical machine-readable IDs
   where applicable (no_currency_in_headline, no_numbers_in_headline,
   no_emoji_anywhere). For other rules, write them as clear declarative
   prohibitions — short, literal sentences that a strict reader couldn't
   misinterpret. "No more than one exclamation mark per ad" is good. "Be
   energetic but not pushy" is bad — too subjective.

Machine-enforceable rule IDs (use these exact strings when applicable):
   - no_currency_in_headline
   - no_numbers_in_headline
   - no_emoji_anywhere

Mix machine-checkable IDs with descriptive prohibitions freely. The
   system enforces the IDs in code; the descriptive ones are still binding
   on the writer.

## How the Director chooses angles

For 3 angles per campaign, the Director picks from a wider list
(family_responsibility, lifestyle_moment, price_value,
time_scarcity_seasonal, convenience_proximity, identity_expression,
prevention_health, social_proof, curiosity_question) and adapts each
to THIS specific campaign. The same angle should feel different across
two different campaigns because the brief and concept differ.

## What makes a GOOD concept vs a generic one

GOOD: specifies a moment ("a Saturday in late April when the buds
first appear"), a place ("a bench along the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain in Quebec City"),
an emotion ("the relief of finally not squinting"), a contradiction
("an eye exam that doesn't feel like a doctor's appointment").

GENERIC: "warm family moments," "seasonal eye care," "value-focused
messaging." If you can use the same phrase for any month or any optical
chain, it's too generic.

## Output discipline

When asked to produce a campaign concept, return STRICT JSON matching
the schema above. No prose, no preamble, no markdown fences.

Saves the whole document. Empty saves are blocked.

Coming up

Per-medium overrides

Print and email each get their own direction file layered on top of the base. Lands when print (Phase 7) and email (Phase 8) generation come online — they need the medium-specific guidance.

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