Mad Duck — Image Generation Prompt Guide

Use this file as the base prompt for future Mad Duck illustrations, project covers and article images.

The visual identity is always:

black-and-white editorial imagery + a black duck + exactly one intentional yellow accent.

Master prompt

Create a high-resolution editorial image for the Mad Duck technology workshop.

The central recurring character is a black duck with a mischievous, confident, slightly aggressive personality. The duck may wear practical workwear, sunglasses, a jacket, helmet, or technical equipment depending on the scene.

Visual style:

• predominantly black and white;
• gritty independent engineering magazine;
• underground technical zine;
• bold ink illustration mixed with documentary photography;
• xerox / photocopy texture;
• screen-print texture;
• halftone grain;
• rough black ink;
• imperfect paper texture;
• high contrast;
• strong silhouettes;
• realistic but stylized;
• slightly absurd, intelligent humor;
• editorial composition;
• not cute;
• not glossy;
• not 3D;
• not generic AI art.

Important color rule:

The entire image must remain monochrome except for exactly ONE yellow detail.

Use a saturated print yellow close to #FFD400.

The yellow element must be a real object or meaningful visual detail in the scene, such as:

• one helmet;
• one sunglasses lens/reflection;
• one scarf;
• one cable;
• one sign;
• one tool;
• one flower;
• one sticker;
• one small light source.

Do not scatter yellow around the image. Do not add secondary accent colors.

Composition:

• cinematic but graphic;
• strong negative space where useful;
• asymmetry is welcome;
• cropped editorial framing;
• suitable for website hero/project/article artwork;
• readable at both desktop and card size;
• avoid tiny visual clutter.

Texture:

• analog print;
• newspaper;
• rough grain;
• slightly distressed edges;
• imperfect ink coverage;
• visible halftone where appropriate.

Mood:

• independent;
• clever;
• technical;
• rebellious;
• dry humor;
• practical rather than futuristic.

Avoid:

• Disney-like duck characters;
• DuckTales resemblance;
• Pixar;
• soft children’s illustration;
• anime;
• glossy 3D rendering;
• cyberpunk neon;
• gradients;
• purple, cyan, red or blue accents;
• generic startup illustration;
• clean corporate vector art;
• excessive sci-fi holograms;
• cute mascot proportions.

No text inside the image unless explicitly requested.

Short reusable prompt

Black-and-white gritty editorial illustration/photo-collage for Mad Duck: a mischievous black duck in an independent engineering/workshop scene, high-contrast ink, xerox, halftone, newspaper grain, rough print texture, asymmetric composition, technical and slightly punk mood. Exactly one object/detail is bright yellow #FFD400; everything else stays monochrome. No other colors, no gradients, no glossy 3D, no cute/cartoon Disney look, no generic AI-startup aesthetic.

Scene template

Replace the variables in brackets:

Create a high-resolution Mad Duck editorial image about [TOPIC].

Scene: [SCENE DESCRIPTION].

The black Mad Duck character is [ACTION / POSE].

The single yellow accent is [ONE YELLOW OBJECT].

Everything else is strict black, white and grayscale.

Style: underground engineering magazine, gritty monochrome documentary photo + ink illustration, xerox, halftone, screen print, rough paper texture, strong contrast, asymmetrical editorial composition, smart dry humor.

No text. No other colors. No gradients. No glossy 3D. No Disney/Pixar/cartoon mascot aesthetic.

Example — AI agents

Create a high-resolution Mad Duck editorial image about autonomous AI agents.

A black duck in dark workwear stands in front of a chaotic wall of terminals, diagrams and printed test results, checking whether an autonomous agent actually completed its task. The duck looks skeptical and confident.

The single yellow accent is one small warning sticker attached to the terminal.

Everything else is monochrome.

Style: black-and-white engineering zine, documentary photography mixed with rough ink illustration, xerox grain, halftone, screen-print texture, strong blacks, imperfect paper, editorial crop, dry humor.

No text, no additional colors, no gradients, no glossy 3D.

Example — Konstruktor

Create a high-resolution Mad Duck editorial image about an autonomous engineering system called Konstruktor.

A black duck wearing construction workwear stands on a half-built industrial structure, holding a large technical blueprint and inspecting the work like a Soviet-era chief engineer.

The single yellow accent is the duck’s construction helmet.

Everything else is black, white and grayscale.

Style: brutal editorial photography, industrial Soviet construction atmosphere, rough ink, xerox, halftone, newspaper grain, screen print, asymmetric framing, intelligent humor.

No text, no other colors.

Example — Hardware / ESP32 / greenhouse

Create a high-resolution Mad Duck editorial image about an AI-controlled greenhouse.

A black duck engineer stands outside a small greenhouse filled with sensors, cables and simple embedded hardware. The mood is practical and slightly absurd rather than futuristic.

The single yellow accent is one cable connected to an ESP32 device.

Everything else is monochrome.

Style: documentary rural engineering photography mixed with hand-inked illustration, photocopy grain, halftone, high contrast, rough paper, independent tech magazine.

No text, no extra colors, no glossy futuristic UI.

Aspect ratio guidance

Use depending on placement:

• Hero: 16:9 or 3:2
• Project card: 4:3
• Article card: 3:2
• Portrait mascot: 4:5
• Social preview / OG: 1.91:1

Generate at the highest practical resolution and crop afterward rather than generating tiny source images.

Consistency checklist

Before accepting an image:

• Is the duck black?
• Is the image visually monochrome?
• Is there exactly one yellow accent?
• Is the yellow meaningful rather than decorative noise?
• Does the image look printed/editorial rather than polished digital art?
• Is it free of blue/purple/red accent contamination?
• Does it avoid cute Disney/Pixar styling?
• Does it fit an independent engineering workshop?
• Does it still work when shown small on a website card?

If not, regenerate.