Systematically direct creative campaigns with proven style templates, color psychology frameworks, and platform-specific best practices for digital marketing.

What This Skill Does

The Challenge: Creative direction requires balancing brand identity, audience preferences, platform requirements, and trend awareness. Most teams lack systematic frameworks for creative decisions.

The Solution: Creativity skill provides 55 creative style templates with copy-ready keywords, color psychology frameworks, voiceover style guidance, music trends, and 2025-2026 visual design trends. Includes platform-specific specs and creative brief templates.

Activation

Implicit: Activates when agents discuss creative direction, campaign concepts, visual styles, or content design.

Explicit: Activate via prompt:

Activate creativity skill to [describe task]

Capabilities

1. Creative Style Selection

55 pre-defined styles with keywords, color palettes, and platform suitability.

Style Categories:

• Premium/Luxury: Clean Minimalist, Quiet Luxury, Dark Moody Cinematic
• Tech/SaaS: Futuristic Sci-Fi, Gradient Smooth, Bold Geometric
• Youth/Gen Z: Raw Unpolished, Humor, Nostalgic 90s, Neon Cyber
• Wellness/Organic: Earthy Natural, Emotional Storytelling, Pastel Soft
• B2B/Finance: Authoritative Expert, Data Visualization, Formal Professional
• Community: User-Generated, Conversational Casual, Behind-the-Scenes

Style Catalog:

• Part 1: references/creative-styles-part1.md (Styles 1-25)
• Part 2: references/creative-styles-part2.md (Styles 26-55)

2. Color Psychology Framework

Color meanings, combinations, and emotional associations.

Key Stats:

• Color drives 85% of purchase decisions
• +80% brand recognition with consistent colors
• Blue = trust (used by 33% of top brands)
• Red = urgency (increases heart rate 12%)

Color Guide: references/color-psychology.md

3. Platform-Specific Creative Specs

Aspect ratios, duration, and style notes by platform.

Platform Specs:

Full Specs: Platform specs referenced in social-media skill

Prerequisites

• Brand guidelines (to verify alignment)
• Campaign goals and target audience
• Budget constraints (impacts production complexity)

Configuration

No configuration needed. Skill provides creative frameworks and reference docs.

Optional: Save campaign-specific creative briefs in assets/briefs/ for reuse.

Best Practices

1. Authenticity Beats Polish 92% of consumers prefer authentic content over polished ads. Prioritize real over perfect.

2. Design for Sound-Off First 80% of social videos viewed with sound off. Add captions and visual storytelling.

3. Hook in First 3 Seconds Average attention span: 8 seconds. Lead with problem or promise immediately.

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: TikTok Ad Creative Brief

Scenario: Create creative direction for TikTok product launch ad.

Workflow:

1. Select style: “Raw Unpolished” (fits TikTok authenticity)
2. Platform specs: 9
   vertical, 15-30 seconds
3. Color palette: Brand colors + trending (check TikTok Creative Center)
4. Voice-over: Conversational, acceptable Gen Z slang
5. Music: Trending sound (check TikTok library)
6. Hook: Product benefit in first 3 seconds
7. CTA: “Link in bio” or “Shop now”

Output: Creative brief with style references, technical specs, and production notes.

Use Case 2: Brand Refresh Visual Direction

Scenario: Modernize visual identity while maintaining brand recognition.

Workflow:

1. Review current brand (what works, what’s outdated)
2. Research trends: references/visual-trends.md (2025-2026 trends)
3. Select 2-3 compatible styles (e.g., Minimalist Clean + Bold Typography + Gradient accents)
4. Define color evolution (keep primary colors, update secondaries)
5. Create mood board with style references
6. Document in brand guidelines update

Output: Visual direction document with before/after comparisons and rollout roadmap.

Troubleshooting

Issue: Creative feels generic, undifferentiated Solution: Layer 2-3 styles (e.g., Minimalist + Neon accents + Hand-drawn elements). Unique combinations create memorable brands.

Issue: Low engagement despite following best practices Solution: Test creative variations (3-5). What works for others may not work for your audience. A/B test continuously.

Issue: Creative doesn’t align with brand guidelines Solution: Use brand-guidelines skill to extract brand context. Include in creative brief to ensure alignment.

Related Skills

• Brand Guidelines - Brand alignment and validation
• AI Multimodal - Generate creative content with Imagen 4
• AI Artist - Prompt engineering for imagery
• Social Media - Platform-specific creative requirements

Related Commands

• /design/good - Generate creative brief
• /design/screenshot - Analyze design screenshots
• /design/video - Plan video creative