Your First Design

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

Starting from a prompt

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

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

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.

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.

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

What happens during generation

When you submit a prompt, the AI agent goes through several stages:

Research: the agent may search the web, analyze uploaded files, or review your brand kit
Planning: the agent outlines the structure and content of the design
Building: the agent creates elements on the canvas (shapes, text, images, layouts)
Refinement: the agent may iterate on the design, adjusting styling and layout

You can watch this process happen in real time on the canvas. The agent's progress and thinking are shown in the chat panel.

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.

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.