Step 1 · Pick a direction from one image

The first step isn't generating the deck. It's using Image Mode to produce one reference image holding four to six different visual directions side by side, so you can choose before you commit.

Why an image first

Because most people can't name the style they want.

You may know you dislike the current version without being able to say whether you're after Swiss typography, neo-brutalism, glassmorphism, a cyberpunk dashboard, editorial magazine layout, or a clean investor-deck look. Adjectives don't help here — "make it feel premium" means a different picture in every head.

One image with the options side by side turns that into a multiple-choice question. You point at one.

The prompt

I'm preparing a presentation about [TOPIC].

Audience:
[AUDIENCE]

Goal of the presentation:
[GOAL / DECISION / CORE ARGUMENT]

Generate ONE reference image showing several possible visual styles
for this deck.

Requirements:
1. Four to six clearly distinct directions in a single composition.
2. Each direction rendered as the cover or key slide of the same deck.
3. The directions must genuinely differ in layout, type, colour,
   texture, and visual language.
4. Do not build the full deck yet.
5. Do not produce separate images — put every option in one image so
   I can compare them.
6. Label each option with a short style name, e.g. Swiss editorial,
   neo-brutalist, glassmorphism, cinematic technology, data magazine,
   product launch.

Content to reflect:
[5–10 key points, or the slide order from step 0]

The image exists to help me choose the final deck style.

Three constraints you can't drop

"One image." Separate images mean you're looking at them one at a time, not comparing. Comparison is the whole point.

"The cover of the same deck." Every direction carries the same content, so the only variable left is the visual language. Otherwise you're comparing content.

"Do not build the full deck yet." As always: unblocked, it will just go ahead.

How to choose

Not the prettiest one. The one that best supports the message.

If the deck needs	Choose a style that feels
Trust, strategy, enterprise credibility	Clean, structured, restrained, editorial
Energy, community, product momentum	Bold, vivid, high contrast, expressive
Technical depth, data, research	Grid-based, modular, information-dense
Futuristic AI or developer tooling	Digital, layered, code-inspired, cinematic

A startup pitch needs clarity and confidence. A research talk needs structure and data density. A community talk can carry more personality. Pick one style for all three and at least two will feel wrong.

Let it help you choose

When you're torn, hand the image back:

Here is the reference image with the style directions.

Topic: [TOPIC]
Audience: [AUDIENCE]
The conclusion I want them to reach: [CONCLUSION]

Compare the options and recommend one. Evaluate each on:
1. Whether it supports the message.
2. Whether it fits this audience.
3. Whether it can carry a full deck, not just a cover.
4. Whether it leaves room for text, charts, screenshots, and logos.

Do not generate the deck yet. Help me pick one direction and say why.

The fourth criterion is the one people forget. Some styles make a stunning cover and then collapse on a body slide, because the decoration has eaten all the space the text needed.

Before you move on

• [ ] Exactly one image came back
• [ ] Four to six directions, genuinely different from each other
• [ ] Each one labelled
• [ ] At least one makes you think "yes, that register"
• [ ] You can picture what a body slide in that style looks like

If the last one fails, regenerate, or ask it to expand the chosen direction into two or three more slides so you can see.

Where it goes wrong

Trap	How it shows	Fix
Several images	You're reviewing, not comparing	Keep the "one image" lines
Six near-identical options	Same palette, six layouts	Demand differences in layout, texture, and type
Choosing the flashiest	Body slides fall apart	Go back to the table and choose by message
No content supplied	Pure decoration comes back	Paste in the key points from step 0

Next

Step 2 · Structure before design — the direction is settled, and it's still not time to build the deck.