Consulting Article Illustrator

Use the selected workspace and its existing content bundle. Load DESIGN.md and brand/GUIDE.md; an explicit client/artist identity wins. Stage the self-contained brand package with node <installed-skill>/brand/materialize.mjs <output-directory>.

Approved article image system

• Thumbnail, images/image1.<ext>: one bold focal illustration and a large, short text hook, usually 3–6 words. Choose any approved Recoup background color to suit the concept; blue is not required. Text and illustration must both contrast clearly against the background and read at 160px wide. Use color, scale and composition to earn attention. No body copy or repeated footer.
• Inline figures, images/image2.<ext> onward: simple illustrations on pure white #FFFFFF backgrounds. Keep object fills white by default, forest/ink outlines, blue connections and small lime accents. No pale-blue panels, tinted backgrounds or elaborate scenes. One useful concept per figure, with only the short labels needed to understand it.
• Headlines: required on the thumbnail; optional on inline figures. Do not repeat the surrounding article heading inside every illustration. When multiple titles work together, reading only those titles in order must tell the complete story. This never requires a headline on every asset.
• Wordmark: omit repeated Recoup wordmarks from individual illustrations. Use the exact supplied mark only where collection-level identification is useful. Never generate a logo.

Use the workspace or existing bundle's delivery format for <ext> (for example WebP or PNG). Preserve existing WebP paths; do not reintroduce PNG duplicates. Render intermediates and original provider downloads belong in the dated work folder. Retain compact selected artwork with the bundle, and keep original provider URLs/hashes separate from converted source hashes.

Workflow

1. Read the edited article. Plan a thumbnail above its first line and roughly one useful inline figure per major section (usually at most 4–6 figures). Omit redundant pictures. Draft the thumbnail hook and any optional figure titles together before designing. Keep claims faithful to the article.
2. Read references/prompt-kit.md and inspect the actual approved reference from brand/finals.json. Borrow relevant illustration language; keep the inline background white even when a reference uses another surface. Use the thumbnail's selected Recoup field and contrast deliberately.
3. Create or reuse work/YYYY-MM-DD-<task-name>/ and pass that exact work folder to recoup-internal-consulting-higgsfield for all downloads and render intermediates. Use it for the thumbnail artwork and simple inline illustrations. Check the live model, preview cost before each paid generation, and retain exact prompts and job IDs. Generate artwork without text or logos, leaving room for the intended editable text. If an exact chart or data diagram requires deterministic geometry, author that diagram in HTML/SVG. Report unavailable provider access; do not silently substitute a different generator.
4. Use recoup-internal-consulting-graphics to add editable text and export each composition. Follow its thumbnail recipe for image1. Use exact DM Sans for the hook and labels; mono only for short indices. The generation preview is source artwork, not the finished thumbnail: the final export must include the text hook. Present the composed final image for approval.
5. Review the thumbnail at full size and 160px wide: readable hook, clear focal illustration, strong foreground/background contrast, safe crop and no clutter. Review inline figures at article width: white background, useful relationship, minimal labels, correct spelling, no unnecessary headline or wordmark. Check loaded fonts, clipping and overflow. If multiple titles work together, read them alone in sequence to verify the narrative.
6. Save images/image1.<ext> above the first line, then image2.<ext> onward in reading order, with descriptive alt text. Keep editable sources, selected generated artwork, generation records and brand.lock.json with the bundle. Temporary generation files belong in the workspace's dated work/YYYY-MM-DD-<task-name>/ folder; reuse it when continuing the task.

Scheduled runs

recoup-internal-consulting-nightly-content passes the selected brand, reference IDs, output folder and these separate thumbnail/inline requirements. Use its configured Higgsfield access; report unavailable access or rendering and stage the article without claiming missing images exist. Never auto-publish.

Historical samples

samples/flow.png, compare.png and cycle.png preserve the previous whiteboard identity. They can help explain simple figure structure; they are not current palette, typography or branding authorities. Use the current brand package and the approved article image system above.