BoardSnap is an iOS app that reads whiteboard art direction sessions and turns style words, composition rules, visual references, and do/don't examples into a structured creative direction document.
Art direction happens on whiteboards. The creative director writes style words, draws rough composition sketches, marks what's in and what's out, and pins reference images. The session produces a clear direction — for everyone in the room.
For the designers who weren't in the room, the direction is whatever gets communicated secondhand. Usually a quick Slack message or a hasty brief document that misses the visual specifics that were communicated through drawings and gestures.
The art direction whiteboard is the source. BoardSnap reads it directly.
Write the adjectives that define the visual direction in one section: clean, editorial, warm, technical, irreverent. Antonyms help too: 'not corporate, not startup-generic.' BoardSnap reads both as direction parameters.
Rough compositional sketches — where the subject sits, how type relates to image, negative space decisions. Label each sketch with the rule it demonstrates. Labels are what BoardSnap captures.
Write 'DO:' and 'DON'T:' headers. List specific visual choices under each. This is the most actionable section and the clearest input for BoardSnap.
Color swatches with hex codes or paint names, type pairing decisions, scale relationships. Write them explicitly — 'Headline: bold serif. Body: light sans. No decorative fonts.' BoardSnap reads typography notes as specific direction.
If you're referencing specific brands or works, write them by name: 'Reference: Glossier's editorial photography.' Named references appear in the BoardSnap output and can be looked up by team members who weren't in the room.
One snap. BoardSnap produces a creative direction document: style words, composition rules, do/don't guidance, color and type notes, and named references. Share it with the full creative team immediately.
A structured art direction document: style word palette (adjectives and anti-examples), composition rules, do/don't guidance, color direction (with specific values where written), typography direction, and named visual references. The document is clear enough for a designer who wasn't in the room to execute without a follow-up call.
A creative director's sixty-minute art direction session for a product campaign. BoardSnap captured twelve style words, four composition rules, a do/don't list with eight items each, and five named visual references. The document went directly to three freelance designers.
Early-stage brand direction for a new product. The art direction whiteboard established the visual territory before any design work started. BoardSnap's document was pinned in the brand project as the foundational reference.
BoardSnap reads text adjacent to color swatches — hex codes, paint names, Pantone references. It doesn't process the actual color visually. Write the color value next to the swatch and BoardSnap captures it precisely.
Write the reference by name or description on the board. BoardSnap captures the named references. Physical images themselves aren't read — but named references like 'Reference: Diane Arbus photography style' are fully captured and actionable.
Yes. Product art direction — component visual language, interaction animation principles, icon style — works exactly the same way. The section structure (style words, do/don't, specifics) applies to any visual domain.
Yes — and it's especially useful. When brand context is set in the project, BoardSnap frames the direction document in terms of your existing brand, not generic art direction language. Useful for keeping direction internally consistent.
Snap the board, ship the action items in ten seconds.