6 main points about the implementation of AI by designers in working with brands
The benefits and risks of working with AI in the age of brands
Technology has always been the driving force behind great inventions and breakthroughs in human history. As creators, we live in one of the most exciting eras, where technological progress is constantly making huge strides forward. However, the development of artificial intelligence is one of the most anticipated technological developments.
Nowadays, artificial intelligence is the main topic for discussions based on misconceptions and endless questions about the goals and consequences of creating AI.
But despite all the inconsistency and complexity of some issues, we are still using it more and more in our work.
What “buns” does this give the brand regarding the design component?
Speed
When you have many processes and need to produce a result or design solution quickly, sometimes speed is essential here. With artificial intelligence, you can get some fast, primary direction and, based on it, adapt and improve your design solution. Most importantly, you have been given a quick foundation to work with.
This has helped us in our projects as well. For example, when we were developing a comic for the KFC brand, the prototypes generated by Midjourney served as the basis for creating characters. This significantly accelerated the work and allowed the artist to rely on AI-generated images when creating characters.
Now, a lot of agencies are actively implementing this practice. This led to the formation of such a service as Express Design, where the client is quickly provided with an exciting solution created by the joint efforts of AI and the designer. It is fast, simplifies the work, and gives a high-quality result with proper handling and direction.
Moreover, it allows you to quickly solve routine tasks and concentrate more on creativity.
“The designer can spend the time saved on more meaningful tasks.”
Experience design and user experience
Now, AI is actively used to bring the user experience to a new level, as today, more and more brands put the consumer at the center of their semantic postulates. Because of this, the audience is increasingly likely to meet excessive demands. They are very selective and skeptical. Therefore, the task of the brand today is to provide the maximum consumer experience at all points of contact — and it does not matter whether it is a website, a service in a store, or the experience of buying from the brand.
It is to improve the consumer experience and greater personalization that AI is now being used more and more often. For example, have you seen this remarkable and inspiring board on Pinterest? It was created using AI-driven content discovery technology.
They use algorithms to analyze consumer habits, preferences, and interactions to provide maximum feed personalization. This analysis helps to create a content feed that matches the tastes of each platform user. This aims to inspire users with ideas, products, and content that evoke a response, leading to increased engagement and time spent on the platform. You can read more about AI-Driven Content Discovery in this study.
Is creativity at a new level?
Undoubtedly, AI helps to make, for example, many variants of the same design and to do it quickly. Moreover, with proper query construction, you can get a lot of quite creative variations. This is especially important when making several innovative concepts for one person is necessary, and at the same time, they should be distinct. This lets you approach the problem from different angles and suggest an exciting idea.
Designers Andrea A. Trabucco-Campos and Martin Azambuja (Vernacular) became interested in the available tools. They created Artificial Typography, a project and book born out of curiosity about artificial intelligence. They have also recently implemented artificial intelligence tools in the early project development and research stages.
“ChatGPT is a great tool for providing generalized information from a client based on data that exists on the Internet (which is usually a lot).”
Data-driven
Thanks to AI, it’s cool that design decisions can now be based on data. This allows you to create exciting projects based on analytics and have a more profound message. Today, design should be not only emotional but also feasible, adaptive, and functional.
It has become much easier to create such systems using artificial intelligence.
What is meant by data-driven design in the industry?
This can be analyzed using the example of Pentagram. The agency’s designers worked with Artolution to identify and create datasets that would help describe the scale and scope of projects, including their size, duration, and the topics they address, such as peace-building, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
As a result of painstaking work, an interactive map was created, which is made in the form of a timeline. It has a winding path, which suggests that social projects are part of a movement taking place around the world.
This is an excellent example of how artificial intelligence can help classify and visualize data. It’s also about speed, simplifying the system’s building, and creating a “map” of signs and symbols that are the basis for data design.
But no matter how happy we are about AI’s positive aspects, several risks can negatively affect the development and application of this technology in work.
The risk of degradation, as well as the legal aspect
There is a lot of debate about whether AI will become an ally or an enemy of the industry. So far, designers are actively and increasingly using AI in their work, but there is one big BUT. Today, people who understand almost nothing about this technology use artificial intelligence to create real things. This increases the risk of reducing the quality due to ignorance and inexperience.
Moreover, if a person is not experienced in using AI, it may remind you of the exam where you are sitting, but another person decides it for you while telling you the answers. And if you “mindlessly copy” without understanding the essence of the matter, the result may be of poor quality because you did not create it without diving into the subject’s heart.
Another important aspect is the legal one. This issue is critical to regulate and currently needs to be held in legislation. It is vital to understand that a solution created with the help of AI can be used for commercial purposes. At the same time, it is essential to mention that the solution was created using AI since artificial intelligence is partially the author of the result of intellectual activity.
When transferring the rights to the client, if, for example, this work was done for the brand, it is worth mentioning the work process and what percentage of the contribution was made by AI. Suppose this was used only as a hint in generating ideas and was not used in the final result, then okay. If the result is the AI’s work, it should be indicated in the references and authorship.
“It’s also a good tool to check if any visual concepts have been used before and to do some kind of legal work.”
Ethical issues
Recently, a trend has started in TikTok, where people create their LinkedIn profile images using AI technologies. The results are fantastic! But, there is also a downside to the coin. The fictionality of the character, the facet of reality and reality, can serve as a wake-up call for the industry to start thinking about the social and ethical consequences of artificial intelligence.
Imagine you are a worker and look at a person’s profile; you see his image. The catch is that since this photo is generated using AI traits, a person’s appearance can be distorted or improved to such an extent that it will no longer seem real. Or it will be a highly idealized picture.
So, it is in the design industry. Designers can apply solutions by creating images or other brand solutions that will be presented as reality, even though it is not. An unreal picture creates false impressions, often leading to incorrect/distorted perceptions. This is dangerous because it can mislead the consumer.
Let’s summarize the outcomes.
What conclusions can be drawn?
AI is the most potent tool that can play into the hands and become a dangerous tool in the industry, mainly if it is used by people unknowingly (education in this industry is more important than ever).
Yes, there is no denying that there is a future behind this: this saves time, develops creative thinking, and helps to create a variety of variations of solutions — in general, it makes life easier in our industry in many ways.
However, it is essential to remember that AI is just an addition to our creativity and work, not a substitute. Therefore, it is worth using this technology as a tool and skillfully handling it while remembering that, after all, the person and the company are behind the final product, responsible for its uniqueness, and make the final decisions.
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