presentation-factory-design-layout

name	presentation-factory-design-layout
description	Layout decisions for a deck. Picks templates from the 25-template catalog per slide, sets visual hierarchy, enforces density discipline (informational vs presentational), and runs the four checks (swap, squint, signature, token) before slide composition. Called by Draft after content is authored, before Compose renders HTML. The skill that turns "here's what the slide says" into "here's how the slide looks."
type	skill
plugin	presentation-factory
tags	["type/skill","plugin/presentation-factory","scope/specialty","topic/design"]
status	active

Goal

Take authored content and decide how each slide is laid out. Pick the right template. Set the visual hierarchy. Enforce density per style. Run the four checks before composition.

When to invoke

• End of Draft stage, after presentation-factory-content-author finishes 10_Content.md
• Before presentation-factory-slide-composer renders HTML
• When the user says "this slide feels wrong" or "swap the layout" mid-Compose

Required context

references/presentation-factory-foundations.md (the 25-template catalog plus the two-styles guidance) and references/presentation-factory-templates.md (full per-template specs).

The 25-template catalog (cite from foundations)

Family	Templates
Openers & closers	title, section-divider, agenda, thank-you, contact
Content layouts	one-col-text, two-col-text-image, three-col, image-led, pull-quote, big-stat, eyebrow-headline-body, list-with-icons, two-col-text-text
Data & diagrams	chart, table, framework-2x2, process-3-stage, comparison, timeline
Specialty	team-bios, case-study, pricing, roadmap, before-after

Template selection logic

For each slide, the content's intent maps to a template family:

Slide intent	First-choice template	Fallback
Opening / title	title	(no fallback; titles are titles)
Section change	section-divider	eyebrow-headline-body if quieter feel needed
Audience hook (narrative open)	eyebrow-headline-body	image-led
Three numbers / market context	three-col	big-stat (single hero stat)
Single headline number with context	big-stat	eyebrow-headline-body
Architecture or framework	image-led (with overlay diagram)	framework-2x2
Before/after comparison	comparison	two-col-text-text
Process or workflow over time	timeline or process-3-stage	comparison
Customer story	case-study	pull-quote
Quote alone	pull-quote	eyebrow-headline-body
2 to 4 ideas, structured	three-col (if 3) or list-with-icons	two-col-text-text (if 2)
5 to 6 ideas	list-with-icons	Consider splitting to 2 slides
7+ ideas	Split into multiple slides. Refuse to render.
Data with numbers	chart (with inline SVG via the composer)	table
Live tabular data	table	chart
Approach + CTA close	contact	eyebrow-headline-body with CTA
Thank-you / Q&A	thank-you	contact

Visual hierarchy decisions

For each slide, define:

1. Focal point — the one element your eye should land on first. Usually the title, sometimes a stat or image. Mark it in the template's data-focal="primary" slot.
2. Reading order — the sequence your eye follows after the focal point. Top-to-bottom, left-to-right by default. Override only when the visual demands it (case studies often go image → stat → quote).
3. Negative space — minimum 20% of the slide stays empty (presentational) or 12% (informational). Density above the limit fails the squint check.
4. Color hits — at most 2 brand-primary color uses per slide. More than that and the eye doesn't know where to land.

Density discipline

Per style, slide density limits:

Style	Words per slide (max)	Bullets (max)	Stats per slide (max)	Images per slide (max)
Presentational	50	5	3	2
Informational	120	7	4	3

If a slide exceeds the limit, the skill flags it and proposes a split.

The four checks

Run these before sending content to the composer. Each check produces pass/fail with a specific finding.

1. The swap check

"If I swapped this slide's brand for a competitor's brand, would the slide still look distinctively Slalom (or the chosen brand)?"

• Pass: Lora italic titles, gradient strip, Slalom Sans body, branded color hits
• Fail: Generic sans-serif headline, no italic emphasis, default Tailwind feel

2. The squint check

"Squint at the slide. Is the focal hierarchy clear within 1 second?"

• Pass: One element dominates; secondary elements support; no visual ties
• Fail: Multiple equal-weight elements competing; eye doesn't land

3. The signature check

"Does this slide carry the deck's signature move?"

• Pass: At least one <em> italic emphasis in the title; consistent eyebrow color; consistent footer chrome
• Fail: Plain title, mismatched eyebrow, inconsistent footer

4. The token check

"Are all colors, fonts, and spacing drawn from tokens.css?"

• Pass: No hex values in slide HTML other than via var(--token-name); no font-family: Inter unless DXP brand; no inline padding values outside the spacing scale
• Fail: Hardcoded hex; off-brand font; one-off spacing values

Workflow

1. Read 10_Content.md. For each slide:
   • Identify the slide intent (the speaker's purpose for the slide)
   • Apply the template selection logic
   • Record the template choice in 10_Content.md under each slide as template: [name]
2. Set the visual hierarchy:
   • Identify the focal point per slide
   • Confirm density is within style limits
   • Flag any slide that exceeds and propose a split
3. Run the four checks against the content + chosen template (pre-composition)
4. Surface findings to the user before Compose proceeds
5. Save the layout plan to WIP/[deck]/15_Layout_Plan.md

Output

• 10_Content.md updated with template: field per slide
• WIP/[deck]/15_Layout_Plan.md with per-slide template choice, focal point, density rating, and the four-checks result
• A list of any slides that need to be split (density over limit)

Anti-patterns

• Don't default to three-col for everything. The AI default is feature-card grids; refuse the temptation.
• Don't pick list-with-icons for fewer than 3 items. Use two-col-text-text instead.
• Don't pick chart if the data is conceptual (no real numbers). Use framework-2x2 or process-3-stage.
• Don't override the focal-point rule. One focal point per slide. Multiple focals = no focal.
• Don't allow informational layouts in a presentational deck (or vice versa). Style was locked at Frame.