Building an Agentic System for On-Brand Social Carousels

Simon Scrapes2026-05-27go watch the original →

the gist

The author demonstrates an agentic workflow that automates high-quality, brand-consistent social media carousels by combining deep research, a structured visual identity system, and human-in-the-loop editing.

The Breakthrough

The author replaces generic AI-generated carousel production with an agentic system that enforces a strict visual identity and brand voice, moving from raw inputs to platform-ready, editable assets in minutes.

What Actually Worked

Visual Identity Tokens: The system creates a configuration file that stores brand-specific typography, color palettes, and layout rules, which are then enforced across every slide to ensure consistency while allowing for layout variation.
Multi-Source Research: The agent uses a trending research skill to scrape Reddit, X, and the web for real-time discussions, ensuring the carousel content is based on current trends rather than hallucinated data.
Designer Sub-Agent: A dedicated sub-agent builds a visual inventory of logos, photos, and screenshots, then stress-tests the hero slide hook and outlines the narrative arc before generating the final visuals.
Human-in-the-Loop Review: The system generates a 95% complete draft, including a LinkedIn/Instagram preview, which the user reviews for value before final export.
Canva Magic Layers Integration: The final output is designed to be imported into Canva using the Magic Layers feature, converting AI-generated images into editable layers for final manual adjustments.

Context

Most AI-generated carousels fail because they lack visual hierarchy and brand continuity, leading to low engagement. The author built this system to solve the time-consuming nature of manual design while avoiding the generic look of standard AI tools. By treating design as a system of enforced rules rather than a series of prompts, the workflow allows creators to produce high-quality content at scale without sacrificing brand identity.

Notable Quotes

"The fix isn't just making better prompts. It's having a visual identity and giving that system one source of truth for what on-brand actually means."
"You want the same fonts, the same accent colors, the same layout grids, because audiences are going to follow your brand, but they're going to get bored if every single layout is exactly the same."