Illustrated Conference Talk Outline

Problem/Feature Description

A speaker has been accepted to give a 45-minute keynote about "The Arc of AI" at DevOpsDays Amsterdam 2026. The talk traces the history of developer tool adoption panics — from IDEs to Stack Overflow to AI agents — and argues that each wave follows the same pattern: panic, adoption, normalization. The central metaphor is a "personnel evaluation form" that humanity fills out for each new tool, deciding whether to trust it as a teammate.

The speaker wants AI-generated illustrations for this talk — not stock photos or screenshots, but a cohesive visual identity where every slide feels like a page from the same artifact. They've already chosen a retro technical manual style during the architecture phase: every slide looks like a page from a declassified government field manual, with deadpan clinical labeling and vintage technical illustration.

Using the vault data and illustration decisions provided below, create a complete illustrated presentation outline. The outline should have a cohesive visual style applied across all slides, with AI-generated illustration prompts that maintain visual consistency throughout the deck. Follow the skill's conventions for how illustrated outlines are structured — including how the style is anchored, how per-slide illustration metadata is organized, and how prompts reference the shared style definition.

Output Specification

Produce the following file:

1. presentation-outline.md — A complete illustrated presentation outline

Input Files

The following files are provided as inputs. Extract them before beginning.

=============== FILE: inputs/vault/rhetoric-style-summary.md ===============

Rhetoric & Style Summary — Alex Chen

Last updated: 2026-03-15

Section 1: Presentation Modes

Mode A: "The Provocateur" — Problem-diagnosis-solution. Heavy memes, audience interaction, humor as persuasion. ~1.4 slides/min. Humor: heavy. Mode C: "The Co-Narrator" — Co-presented talks. Alternating deep dives. ~1.2 slides/min. Humor: moderate.

Section 2: Opening Patterns

Opens with provocative claims or audience polls. Delayed self-intro (brief bio slide 3, fuller bio mid-talk).

Section 4: Humor & Wit

Self-deprecating, meme cascades, callback humor, pop-culture references (sci-fi heavy). Running gags across talks.

Section 6: Closing Patterns

Three-part close: 3 numbered summary points, CTA, social handles. Callbacks to opening.

Section 7: Verbal Signatures

"is not a thing", "right?", "okay so", "full stop", "with love", "raise your hand if"

Section 13: Slide Design & Visual Style

Default template: comic-book halftone backgrounds (purple, red, yellow, green, salmon, blue, orange). Multiplication sign bullets. Footer always present.

Cross-talk visual evolution: Default is comic-book halftone for Mode A talks. Terminal/hacker aesthetic used for agent-focused talks (3 instances). BTTF retro-futurism used for co-presented talks with co-presenter Simon (2 instances). Each departure was content-driven — the visual style reinforced the talk's framing device.

Section 15: Areas for Improvement

• Rushes closing section (6/18 talks)
• Meme accretion in Act 1 (4/18 talks)

Section 16: Speaker-Confirmed Intent

• Comic-book halftone is the default, departures are deliberate and content-driven
• On-slide profanity: never
• Three-point close: non-negotiable
• Visual style should reinforce the talk's central metaphor, not be decorative =============== END OF FILE ===============

=============== FILE: inputs/vault/speaker-profile.json =============== { "schema_version": 1, "generated_date": "2026-03-15", "talks_analyzed": 18, "speaker": { "name": "Alex Chen", "handle": "@alexchen", "website": "alexchen.dev", "shownotes_url_pattern": "alexchen.dev/{slug}" }, "infrastructure": { "template_pptx_path": "/templates/alex-template.pptx", "presentation_file_convention": "{pptx_source_dir}/{conference}/{year}/{talk-slug}/" }, "presentation_modes": [ {"id": "a", "name": "The Provocateur", "description": "Problem-diagnosis-solution with heavy memes", "when_to_use": "Culture/process talks, myth-busting", "slide_density_per_min": 1.4, "humor_register": "heavy"}, {"id": "c", "name": "The Co-Narrator", "description": "Co-presented alternating deep dives", "when_to_use": "Co-presented talks, broad scope topics", "slide_density_per_min": 1.2, "humor_register": "moderate"} ], "design_rules": { "background_color_strategy": "random_non_repeating", "footer": {"always_present": true, "pattern": "@alexchen | #{conference} | #{topic} | alexchen.dev"}, "slide_numbers": "never", "default_bullet_symbol": "multiplication_sign" }, "rhetoric_defaults": { "default_duration_minutes": 45, "modular_design": true, "three_part_close": true, "on_slide_profanity": "never_default" }, "confirmed_intents": [ {"pattern": "comic_book_default", "intent": "deliberate", "rule": "Departures from comic-book halftone must be content-driven"}, {"pattern": "three_point_close", "intent": "deliberate", "rule": "Always exactly three summary points"}, {"pattern": "on_slide_profanity", "intent": "deliberate", "rule": "Never on slides"} ], "guardrail_sources": { "slide_budgets": [{"duration_min": 45, "max_slides": 70, "slides_per_min": 1.5}], "act1_ratio_limits": [{"duration_range": "45 min", "max_percent": 45}] }, "visual_style_history": { "default_illustration_style": "comic_book_halftone", "default_image_source": "meme", "style_departures": [ { "style": "terminal_hacker", "trigger": "agent-focused talks (topic-driven)", "talks": ["2025-agent-workflows.md", "2025-ai-agents-production.md", "2026-agent-evals.md"], "description": "Green-on-black terminal aesthetic with monospace fonts and command-line screenshots." }, { "style": "bttf_retro_futurism", "trigger": "co-presented talks with Simon (co-presenter-driven)", "talks": ["2025-ai-native-dev-part1.md", "2026-ai-native-dev-part2.md"], "description": "Back to the Future retro-futurism: neon outlines, DeLorean motifs, 1980s sci-fi aesthetic." } ], "mode_visual_profiles": [ {"mode_id": "a", "typical_style": "comic_book_halftone", "image_source_mix": "meme-heavy with occasional screenshots"}, {"mode_id": "c", "typical_style": "varies by co-presenter", "image_source_mix": "mixed"} ], "evolution_notes": "Style departures started in 2025. Each departure was a deliberate visual reinforcement of the talk's framing device.", "confirmed_visual_intents": [ {"pattern": "style_departure", "intent": "deliberate", "rule": "Visual departures must be justified by the talk's central metaphor or framing device"} ] } } =============== END OF FILE ===============

=============== FILE: inputs/vault/slide-design-spec.md ===============

Slide Design Spec — Alex Chen

Background pool: purple (#5B2C6F), red (#C0392B), yellow (#F1C40F), green (#27AE60), salmon (#E8A0BF), blue (#2980B9), orange (#E67E22). Strategy: random non-repeating. White/black for full-bleed image slides only. Footer: @alexchen | #{conference} | #{topic} | alexchen.dev. Always present. 16pt Arial. Bullet: multiplication sign. Slide numbers: never. =============== END OF FILE ===============

=============== FILE: inputs/illustration-decisions.md ===============

Phase 2 Illustration Decisions (already approved)

Style Choice

Retro Technical Manual — every slide looks like a page from a vintage U.S. Military technical manual or declassified government field guide. Detailed technical pen-and-ink line-art diagrams. Aged parchment background with foxing and tea-staining. Blue-ink leader lines and deadpan callout labels. The "personnel evaluation form" thread becomes a literal bureaucratic form filling in across the talk.

Model

gemini-2.0-flash-preview-image-generation

Visual Continuity

• Sequential figure numbering: "FIG. 1", "FIG. 2", etc.
• The "Personnel Evaluation Form" appears first in slide 3 (partially filled), returns mid-talk (more fields filled), and appears complete in the closing
• Deadpan military callout labels on every illustration
• Footer stamp style: "CLASSIFIED — FOR CONFERENCE USE ONLY" =============== END OF FILE ===============