Templates and Layout Deep Dive

Templates define your visual system. They combine structure, layout, and styling so you can export consistent assets at scale.

The canvas and frames

A project has a canvas and one or more frames. The canvas is where layouts live; frames are the export regions, like App Store screenshots or social cards.

• Canvas: the full workspace where frames are arranged; it is not exported
• Frames: the exact regions exported as assets; each frame becomes one output image

Frames live inside the canvas, so changing the layout or spacing on the canvas changes how frames relate to each other, while frame size controls the final output.

Frame labels and descriptions

Frames can have labels and descriptions. Iris reads these to target edits precisely (for example, “Update the pricing frame” or “Make the onboarding frame feel playful”). Use labels that describe the message or purpose of the frame.

Layout types

Spectra supports multiple layout styles:

• Horizontal: frames side by side (common for App Store)
• Vertical: frames stacked top to bottom
• Grid: rows and columns for multi-asset sets
• Custom: freeform placements

Iris can adjust layout types, frame sizes, and spacing in seconds.

Styling with themes

Use themes to create visual variants without duplicating templates. Common examples:

• Light and dark modes
• Seasonal or campaign themes
• Region-specific brand palettes

Best practices

• Keep typography consistent across frames
• Use generous spacing to prevent text overflow
• Design for translation expansion in longer languages
• Build once, export many