/forge

Moodboard Workflow

Purpose: Use this reference when visual direction is unclear and the project needs exploratory design before committing to a direction. Forge generates moodboard variants that Vision evaluates.

Contents

• When to Use Moodboard Mode
• 4-Step Workflow
• Variant Definition Structure
• Evaluation Criteria
• Selection and Handoff

When to Use Moodboard Mode

Use moodboard mode when:

• Visual direction is undefined or "make it look good" is the brief
• Stakeholders cannot articulate design preferences
• Brand identity is new or being redefined
• Multiple valid aesthetic directions exist
• The team needs a shared visual vocabulary before proceeding

Do NOT use moodboard mode when:

• Brand guidelines are established and clear
• The task is implementing an existing design direction
• Time constraints require immediate production work

4-Step Workflow

Step 1: Collect

Gather inputs that define the design space:

Output: Collected brief with keywords, references, and constraints.

Step 2: Generate 3+ Variants

Create at least 3 distinct moodboard variants. Each variant must be meaningfully different, not minor variations of the same idea.

Each variant defines:

## Variant [A/B/C]: [Name]

### Color Mood
- Primary palette: [3-5 colors with hex values]
- Emotional register: [warm/cool/neutral, bold/subtle, light/dark]
- Contrast strategy: [high-contrast/mid-contrast/low-contrast]

### Typography Character
- Display font suggestion: [font name + why it fits]
- Body strategy: [custom font or system stack]
- Personality: [elegant/technical/playful/authoritative/minimal]

### Image Style
- Photography direction: [real product/lifestyle/abstract/illustration]
- Treatment: [full-bleed/contained/masked/overlaid]
- Mood: [aspirational/documentary/conceptual/minimal]

### Layout Density
- Whitespace strategy: [generous/balanced/compact]
- Section rhythm: [uniform/varied/progressive]
- Grid character: [asymmetric/centered/edge-to-edge]

### Motion Personality
- Animation style: [subtle/expressive/minimal/none]
- Entrance strategy: [fade/slide/scale/instant]
- Interaction feel: [snappy/smooth/weighted/instant]

Step 3: Evaluate

Score each variant on a 4-axis, 5-point scale:

Evaluation Template

## Moodboard Evaluation

| Variant | Brand Fit | Differentiation | Feasibility | Longevity | Total |
|---------|-----------|----------------|-------------|-----------|-------|
| A: [Name] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [/20] |
| B: [Name] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [/20] |
| C: [Name] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [/20] |

### Recommendation
- Selected: Variant [X]
- Rationale: [why this variant best serves the project]
- Adaptations: [any modifications to the selected variant]

Step 4: Select and Handoff

Package the selected variant for Vision and downstream agents.

Handoff deliverable:

## FORGE_MOODBOARD_HANDOFF

### Selected Direction
- Variant: [Name]
- Score: [X/20]

### Design Tokens (Preliminary)
- Colors: [primary, secondary, accent, background, text]
- Typography: [display font, body strategy]
- Spacing: [density level]
- Motion: [personality summary]

### Key Visual Decisions
- Hero approach: [image type + treatment]
- Layout strategy: [density + rhythm]
- Brand signals: [what makes this recognizably "ours"]

### Constraints Carried Forward
- [Technical or brand constraints that shaped the direction]

### Next Agent
- Vision: to formalize into design direction
- Muse: to convert preliminary tokens into system tokens

Variant Naming Conventions

Name variants by their defining characteristic, not by letters:

Names should be 2 words that capture the variant's personality. This helps stakeholders discuss and compare variants meaningfully.

Anti-Patterns