Let’s explore the creative potential of these new A.I tools! Award-winning designer Chris Do engages in an insightful discussion with Brian Sykes, A.I Tools Expert, about groundbreaking AI capabilities for art and design. Brian provides an inspiring tour of AI image generation platforms like Midjourney, showing how features like generative image filling can help artists expand their creative expression.
Gen-AI for Creative Professionals
Exploring the World of Generative AI with Design Veteran Brian Sykes
In a recent fascinating YouTube interview, Chris Do of The Future sat down with me (Brian Sykes), an industry veteran with 27+ years in design, branding, and advertising. We embarked on a journey exploring the myriad possibilities and controversies surrounding generative AI tools.
The Human Touch in AI
I begin the video interview by emphasizing the human element in AI, noting that AI tools, regardless of their power, take on the color and personality of their creator. There’s still a distinct human touch that AI can’t quite replicate, and it’s these nuances that set creators apart.
The Pivot to AI
My story, like many during the Covid pandemic, was one of challenge and adaptation. Having lost a significant portion of my business, I took the opportunity to pivot, diving deep into the world of AI. This wasn’t just a leap of faith; it was a revelation of the boundless creative horizons AI tools could offer.
Teaching Generative AI
I was not content with just using AI; I embarked on a mission to teach others. Realizing the void in proper resources about this burgeoning tech, I wrote and produced the “AI Explorer” series books, focusing on sharing the creative process behind working with tools like Midjourney, Dall-E, Stable Diffusion, and more.
Generative AI for Images
I took Chris and the audience on a tour of the most powerful image-generating AI tools available:
- Midjourney: The most popular and visually powerful tool, Midjourney is an essential tool for creatives, albeit currently requiring Discord to function.
- Stable Diffusion (SDXL 1.0): The latest iteration of this platform produces exceptionally high-quality images. The platform leverages Discord as a training ground for its application.
- Leonardo AI: An underdog that’s been delivering exceptional results. It allows creators to generate between one to eight images in one render set. The platform’s remarkable image quality stems from its roots in Stable Diffusion’s backend.
- Lexica: While other platforms focus on photo-realism, Lexica offers a unique illustrative style. It’s perfect for those seeking an alternative, more graphic approach to image generation.
- Pixel Cut: This application allows for importing images and seamlessly integrating them into various scenes. Brian exemplifies this by showcasing a brand mashup between Starbucks and Audubon, using Pixel Cut to create a unique visual representation of this unlikely duo.
In a detailed exploration, I sought to shed light on the modern intersection of artificial intelligence and creative design. The discussion revolves around using AI, primarily ChatGPT and associated tools, in the creative process, highlighting their transformative potential in the domains of branding, ideation, design, and advertising.
Segment 1: AI as a Creative Partner
First 10-minutes
I posit AI not as a replacement but as a creative partner. With tools like ChatGPT, one can brainstorm, refine ideas, and even generate content, making the design process more efficient. ChatGPT’s ability to understand context enables it to assist in building brand narratives and stories, serving as a valuable assistant in the ideation phase.
Segment 2: Brand Attributes & Voice
10 – 20 minute marks
ChatGPT’s prowess is evident in its capacity to assimilate and process information, much like a human collaborator. By providing it with a list of brand attributes, it can generate brand identity, voice, and positioning elements. It can then further be tasked to select subsets of these attributes and provide reasoning, effectively crafting a brand’s tone and identity. Such capabilities underscore its potential in brand strategization.
Segment 3: Ideation & Ad Concepts
20 – 30 minute marks
Venturing into advertising, I introduced the concept of “Ad House Cards,” a deck of creative techniques. By feeding these techniques into ChatGPT, one can derive creative ad concepts based on set criteria, demonstrating the tool’s potential in ad ideation. These concepts can be further detailed into storyboards, aiding the visualization of marketing campaigns.
Segment 4: Photoshop & Image Edits
30 minute mark to the end
The conversation extends into AI’s role in image editing using tools like Photoshop beta. Simple tasks like adding elements, changing backgrounds, or even creating a brand-new visual narrative become straightforward. Brian’s experimentation with various image edits underscores the vast possibilities when combining AI with traditional design software.
Throughout the segments, Brian consistently emphasizes AI as a tool that can be harnessed to enhance the creative process rather than overshadow it. It’s about synergy – blending human intuition with machine precision. As AI evolves, its role in the creative space, as Brian demonstrates, is bound to expand, offering endless opportunities for designers, brand strategists, and advertisers.
In conclusion, while the AI tools are impressive, hopefully it’s evident from the conversation that the creator’s individuality and unique touch remain irreplaceable. AI isn’t replacing the creator but rather amplifying their potential.