Creative direction and a moodboard. Then the piece, already reviewed.

Creative direction is a DFIRST skill that settles the idea before production: several directions to choose from, a moodboard, then the finished banner, motion piece or editorial page. Firsty, the DFIRST agent, has the result checked by a separate review, fixes only what that review points at in up to two rounds, and brings you any issue that is still open.

The review looks at the real result, every part of it
Your words and sourced facts stay exactly as given
Fixes touch only what the review pointed at

Works with

Examples. What you ask, what you get back.

A bold launch banner for ZESTA's summer cans, for commuters in Barcelona. Our line is Squeeze the day.

Three directions, each a different idea. Lucia picked Poolside court, the moodboard followed it, and the supplied line stayed word for word while Firsty's extra line was marked as a proposal.

DocumentCreative directions: ZESTA banner

Decision 1. Poolside court

Orange court, pool blue and cut citrus. The can is held up like a trophy.

2. Ice and peel

Close-ups of fruit and cold drops. Calm, almost no people.

3. Last metro home

Night light on the platform, a cold can in one hand. Urban and quiet.

Copy

Squeeze the day. (yours, kept as given)
Proposal Zero sugar, all zest.

A moodboard of oranges, pool water, an orange court, sunglasses, a smiling woman, lime, a towel, a palm and colour swatches — Moodboard: Poolside court

A 10-second motion piece for KINETRA's summer run challenge, for Instagram. You choose the direction.

Firsty chose the direction, made the film and had it reviewed. Two rounds fixed three points; the fourth, the end card's timing, waits for Tom to decide.

DocumentReview: KINETRA summer challenge, 10 s

Direction

Every mile counts. A counter runs up as the runner crosses the city. Chosen by Firsty, as you asked.

Round 1

Done The logo was cut off at 0:08 in 9:16. Moved inside the safe area.
Done The date on screen said 1 June; the brief says 3 June. Changed to the brief.

Round 2

Done The sole looked purple in the evening shot. Colour matched to the packshot.

Open For you

The end card holds for 1.2 seconds. The review finds it too short to read; holding it longer shortens the run. Your call.

outputs/kinetra-summer-challenge/film-9x16.mp4brief.md

An editorial page about MAREA's polarised lenses for our journal. You choose the direction.

Firsty chose Water and light and built the page in it. The review read every section; the lens facts stayed exactly as in MAREA's product sheet, and Sara approved the two proposed lines.

marea.example/journal/water-and-light

MAREA

Light is the whole point.

How we make lenses for long days on the water, and what polarised really changes.

Read the story

What polarised does

It cuts the glare that bounces off water and wet roads.

Why category 3

Dark enough for a bright beach, still clear on the drive home.

Where the colour comes from

Warm brown lenses that keep blues and greens true.

Lens facts: marea-costa-product-sheet.pdf. Two lines marked as proposals, approved by Sara.

How it goes. The same steps every time.

Firsty follows the skill’s steps in order and stops where the choice is yours. Nothing paid starts without your yes.

1
Firsty reads your brief and materials, and researches what helps
2
Firsty proposes creative directions, each with a different idea
You pick the direction, unless you let Firsty decide
3
Firsty builds a moodboard and makes the banner, film or page
4
Firsty gets an independent review of the finished piece
5
Firsty fixes what the review finds, in up to two rounds
You decide when an issue is still open after the fixes

Done when

The review looks at the real result, every part of it
Your words and sourced facts stay exactly as given
Fixes touch only what the review pointed at
Suggested copy is clearly marked as a proposal

At a glance.

What Creative direction needs from you and what it hands back.

You bring: A brief for a banner, a motion piece or an editorial page: goal, audience, channels and language, plus any copy, must-haves and things to leave out.
Who decides: You choose the direction, or hand that choice to Firsty. How much you delegate, and your budget, set how often it stops to ask.
You get: The finished piece opened on your board with its file path, the direction it follows, the reviewer's reading and any point still open.
Your copy: Lines you supply and facts with a source are used word for word. Anything Firsty writes is labelled as a proposal.
The review: A separate review of the real result, then up to two rounds of fixes. What stays open after that comes to you.

Part of this skill. Each task also has its own page.

When you ask for one of these on its own, Firsty runs it with this skill.

Moodboard Give a creative direction a visual language.

Questions people ask.

About Creative direction and how it fits the rest of DFIRST.

What is creative direction in advertising?

It is the one idea that decides how a piece looks, sounds and feels before anyone makes it: the mood, the colours, the kind of pictures and the tone of the words. With a clear direction, a banner, a film and a page look like they belong to the same campaign.

How do I make a moodboard with AI?

Ask for a creative direction and pick one of the proposals. Firsty builds a moodboard for that direction from your brief and materials, then uses it to make the piece. For a moodboard on its own, the AI moodboard generator makes one collage from a written direction.

Who reviews the finished piece?

A separate review, not the step that made it. It looks at the real result, every frame or section of it, and lists what is off. Firsty then fixes only those points, in up to two rounds. If something is still open after that, you decide whether it stays.

Can Firsty choose the direction for me?

Yes. Say you want Firsty to choose and it picks the direction itself. The more you delegate and the clearer your budget, the fewer times it stops to ask; with less, it checks with you at each choice. Either way, the review runs before the piece reaches you.

Can it make a long film or a full website?

This skill makes three kinds of piece: a banner, a motion piece or an editorial page. For a product film with sound, use Brand film. For a landing page built around one action, with a footnote for every claim, use Site builder.

See all 27 skills