Your First Design

There are several ways to start a new design in Moda.

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Starting from a prompt

The most common way to start is by typing a description of what you want. From the Moda homepage:

1. Select a format category (Slides, PDF, Social, UI, or Research)
2. Optionally select a brand kit to apply your brand identity
3. Type your prompt: describe the content, style, and purpose of your design
4. Click Create

The AI agent will research, plan, and build your design. This typically takes 1–5 minutes for a multi-page slide deck, and less for simpler designs like a single social post.

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Tips for good prompts

Do:

• Be specific about the content, not just the style
• Include real information: company name, metrics, product details, audience
• Mention the number of slides or pages you want
• Describe the purpose and audience: “for a board meeting” or “for Instagram”

Don’t:

• Write one-word prompts like “pitch deck” with no context
• Leave out the subject matter: “make a nice presentation” gives the agent nothing to work with
• Over-specify visual details before the first draft: let the agent make layout decisions, then refine

Good examples:

• “Create a 5-slide pitch deck for a Series A fintech startup. Cover the problem (SMBs can’t access credit), our solution (AI underwriting), market size, traction (10K users, 40% MoM growth), and the ask ($5M raise).”
• “Design an Instagram carousel (5 slides) announcing a new coffee blend. Include the blend name, tasting notes (chocolate, cherry, citrus), price, and a CTA to order online.”
• “Make a one-page case study about how a logistics company reduced delivery times by 30% using our route optimization software. Include a customer quote and key metrics.”

Weak examples (and how to improve them):

• “Make a pitch deck” → Add what the company does, who the audience is, and what slides you want
• “Design something for social media” → Specify the platform, topic, and format (square post, story, carousel)
• “Create a beautiful presentation” → Describe the content and purpose; the agent handles the design

See the Prompting Guide for more examples by use case.

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Starting from a file

You can upload files to use as a starting point:

• PPTX: import an existing PowerPoint presentation
• PDF: import a PDF document
• Images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, SVG): use images as reference or content

The maximum file upload size is 250 MB. To start from a file, click the attachment button on the homepage prompt bar and upload your file along with a prompt describing what you want.

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Starting from a website

You can provide a URL and Moda will crawl the website to extract design elements, content, and style direction. This is useful for:

• Replicating the look and feel of an existing page
• Extracting content from a website into a presentation
• Using a website as style reference for your design

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What happens during generation

When you submit a prompt, the AI agent goes through several stages: You can watch this process happen in real time on the canvas. The agent’s progress and thinking are shown in the chat panel.

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Expected generation times

• Single social post or graphic: 30 seconds – 2 minutes
• Multi-page slide deck (5–10 slides): 2–5 minutes
• Complex documents or research-heavy designs: 3–7 minutes

If a design seems stuck for more than 10 minutes, try refreshing the page. Your work is auto-saved, so you won’t lose progress.

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After generation

Once the agent finishes, your design is fully editable on the canvas. You can:

• Ask the agent to refine: type follow-up instructions in the chat panel
• Edit manually: select and modify any element directly on the canvas
• Export: download as PDF, PowerPoint, PNG, or other formats

See The Canvas for a guide to editing your designs.