6am/Design system/Create images with AI

Section reviewNeeds work1 met · 1 to improve · 1 to review

What is in place, what needs improving, and what still needs a closer look. Each status refers only to the criterion below; it is not approval of the whole section.

Implementation inventory · 2026-09-08 · v0.7.0 · Brand approval not recorded

Meets criterion
A brief carries the brand rules and production requirements.
The local builder combines scene, format, references and production guidance.
View supporting material ↗
Needs work
Provider outputs have been compared against the same brief.
Produce a controlled sample set and record visual quality, corrections and suitability.
Awaiting review
Generated images pass a human review before use.
Apply the image checklist to each selected output and record the reviewer and permitted use.

View all reviews · JSON ↗

Read-only record. Updates are versioned with the design system; copying a brief does not change a status.

Image direction / Create with AI

The tool generates. We set the direction.

Describe the scene, choose the format and take a consistent brief to your tool. This organization’s photography rules accompany every request.

Describe the scene.

Start from an example

Who appears? (required)

What are they doing? (required)

Where does it happen? (required)

Format

Space for text

Tool

Starting point

Live brief · 0.7.0

Take it to your tool.

Use the brief to generate an image or guide an edit with references. Describe what to preserve and what to change. Check the visual identity in the result, even when reference images are supplied.

Suggested prompt

Create an editorial photograph for 6am. Photographic visual language: a fictional photorealistic scene, not a claim of documentary evidence. No drawing, painting, vector illustration, collage or 3D render.

Intent: Show the work of people who keep the economy moving. People in action, familiar places and situations a business owner would recognize from their day.

Person: a maintenance professional. Action: checking the completed work with a customer. Setting: a well-kept small workshop with everyday tools.

Framing: 16:9 aspect ratio. Place the subject on the opposite side and leave calm visual space on the left for text added later.

Show someone doing something specific: preparing an order, helping a customer or checking a job. Technology supports the work; it does not need to be the subject of the photograph.

Choose natural gestures, attentive expressions and diversity that fits the setting. Avoid smiles directed at the camera and immaculate teams in generic offices.

Use believable ambient light or controlled flash. Preserve skin, materials, texture and the energy of the scene. Avoid plastic skin, artificial glow and cinematic grading without purpose.

Preserve the real colors of the workplace, clothing, food and products. The image does not need to match the brand palette. Reserve duotone for occasional editorial use. Add logos and text later during layout, using the official files.

Preparing a dish, serving a customer, packing an order or checking a repair. Choose a specific moment with a clear gesture and a visible purpose.

Use eye-level, medium and close views that connect people, hands, tools and customers. Let the workplace give context; a camera-facing portrait is not the default.

Keep the colors of clothing, food, products and interiors. Use believable ambient light or controlled flash, with clear contrast and texture. The setting does not need to match the brand palette.

Use photographic detail, real-world proportions and believable optics. Exclude drawings, painting, vector art, collage, 3D renders and stylized skin. If generated with AI, keep the photographic appearance and identify its synthetic origin.

Use ambient light or controlled flash consistent with the setting. Keep skin and materials recognizable, with clear contrast and shadow detail. Avoid blown highlights and exaggerated cinematic grading.

Adjust exposure and white balance before stylizing. Preserve skin tones and product colors. Lime may appear in a real detail without tinting the entire scene.

Keep texture and small imperfections. Avoid skin smoothing, sharpening halos and crushed shadows that hide the action.

Combine photos with compatible light and color temperature. Alternate wide shots, medium shots and details. A sequence should feel like one story.

Compare formats before choosing a photo. The face, gesture and tool must remain legible. Adjust the focal point for each layout; do not rely on an automatic center crop.

Avoid: Staged handshakes, folded arms and stock-photo smiles. Floating interfaces, holograms and robots as shortcuts for technology. Inconsistent hands, tools, products or procedures. Illegible text, invented logos, excessive effects and backgrounds that compete for attention.

No text, CTA, watermark or new logos. The official logo will be applied later during layout.

Draft. Review the scene and result before publishing.

This builder prepares text and a production record. It does not generate images or send data to the provider. Answers are not saved when you leave the page.

Tool documentation ↗

Guidance checked on 2026-09-07. Set the aspect ratio in the tool as well.

From brief to approved image.

Start with the story, channel and crop; then choose the tool.
Use only suitable, authorized references and record their origin. To reproduce a real person, record their permission.
Generate the photograph without headlines, CTAs or new logos. Add text and branding in the final composition.
Compare variations using the same brief and record the model and its settings when available. Do not promise identical reproduction across providers.
Review the image, crop and finished piece. A correct prompt does not guarantee an approved result.
Keep the original and final version with the source, brief, review and intended use.

The result needs a review too.

Check the image on its own and in the finished piece. The brief’s JSON reserves fields for the file, origin, model, references, permissions, alt text, focal point and review. They start empty and should be completed during production.

Does the scene communicate the brief’s intent without needing an explanatory caption?
Do people, anatomy, tools and procedures make sense?
Are light, skin and materials consistent? Are there invented logos or text?
Does the crop work on mobile and preserve the focal point? Will text have enough contrast?
Is the origin recorded correctly, and are the references authorized for this use?
Has a responsible person reviewed the final file before publication?

Read the rules in JSON View photography direction