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Approach

I don't begin with the tool. I begin with the human.

Tools change every few months. People don't change that fast. So before I teach anyone a new way to work, I want to understand how they already work, what pressures they're under, and what they're capable of.

This page explains the thinking behind that, and the methods I use to put it into practice.

The [Hu]man Element mark: Hu, Human, 1.618
  • READING THE MARK
  • HuThe human, as an essential creative element.
  • 1The power of one individual.
  • ∞Unlimited creative potential.
  • 1.618The Golden Ratio: balance, proportion and beauty. The meeting of logic and imagination that informs how I approach creativity and technology.

A familiar situation

The team gets the new tools. The training goes well. Three weeks later, under deadline, everyone is back to the old way of working.

It's tempting to blame the tool, or the training. Usually, it's neither. It's human, and once you can name what's happening, you can work with it instead of against it.

YOU RECOGNIZE A FORCE · FORCE 09Default BehaviorUnder pressure, humans revert to what is practiced rather than what is intended.
YOU USE A RULE · RULE 02The Habit HookIf you want a behavior to stick, attach it to something you already do. An existing routine becomes the cue.

New tools and processes that aren't attached to current workflows rarely last. When they don't mesh, we revert quickly. We might see the coolest thing ever, but in practice, humans are more creatures of habit than arbiters of time-saving processes.

So instead of more training, the new practice gets built into a step the team already takes every day, and practiced there until it's what they do under pressure too.

The philosophy underneath everything

The [Hu]man Element

A map of the human responsibilities we must retain and the human tendencies we must account for, especially as technology amplifies both.

It shapes my teaching, speaking, AI LAB, branding and strategy work, and it reaches well beyond AI: identity, agency, judgment, motivation, adaptation, resistance, communication and purpose. AI just makes these dynamics easier to see, because it amplifies whatever intent, habits, strengths and dysfunction are already there.

TIER ONE · THE CORE

16 Human FORCES

The diagnostic layer: the conditions and pressures that help explain why behavior happens.

You recognize a Force.

TIER TWO · THE MECHANICS

16 Human RULES

The operational layer: practical mechanics and levers that guide action, communication, learning and recovery.

You use a Rule.

The two tiers developed independently. They aren't matched pairs: one situation may involve several Forces and call for several Rules.

THE FRAMEWORK AT A GLANCEIn orange: the two at work in the situation above

16 Forces · four Structural Cores

STRUCTURAL CORE IIdentity & Belonging

  1. 01Identity Anchors
  2. 02Belonging Bias
  3. 03Meaning-Making
  4. 04Mortality Awareness
STRUCTURAL CORE IIChange & Adaptation

  1. 05Complexity Threshold
  2. 06Change Tolerance
  3. 07Permission Structures
  4. 08Reconciliation Cost
STRUCTURAL CORE IIIMomentum & Inertia

  1. 09Default Behavior
  2. 10Momentum Loops
  3. 11Resistance Reflexes
  4. 12Debt Accumulation
STRUCTURAL CORE IVFracture & Sabotage

  1. 13Conflict Avoidance
  2. 14Motivational Currency
  3. 15Shame Spirals
  4. 16Moral Injury

16 Rules · four sets of mechanics

MECHANICS IFoundational Mechanics

  1. 01The Container Principle
  2. 02The Habit Hook
  3. 03The Attention Reservoir
  4. 04The Neuro Loop
MECHANICS IITranslation & Communication

  1. 05Visual-Verbal Divide
  2. 06The Mirror Gap
  3. 07The Bite-Size Brain
  4. 08The Reflection Loop
MECHANICS IIIDirection, Purpose & Creative Momentum

  1. 09The Intention Signal
  2. 10The Destination Vector
  3. 11Context Compass
  4. 12Protective Shift
MECHANICS IVFracture Response

  1. 13The Shadow Payoff
  2. 14The Return Ledger
  3. 15The Identity Load
  4. 16Fracture Threshold
The definitions, and how Forces and Rules work together, are where the real value lives.I share the full framework in person: through keynotes, team engagements and AI LAB.
Bring it to your teamExplore AI LAB →

The [Hu]man Element is © Brian Sykes. Its Forces and Rules are observations and working principles from my teaching practice, not a clinically validated assessment or diagnostic instrument.

What working together feels like

Understand. Discover. Return.

This is a simple way to describe the experience, not another framework to memorize.

01 →UnderstandInvestigate the person's work, strengths, habits, needs and constraints.
02 →DiscoverUse purposeful challenges and practice to reveal possibilities and develop capabilities.
03 ↺ReturnBring discoveries into real work, evaluate their usefulness, and refine the approach.
The [Hu]man Element informs every stage· how I understand people, and how I design the work

Methods you'll hear me name

Different tools for different jobs.

They aren't steps in a fixed sequence. Each one does a particular job, and I reach for whichever the work calls for.

FOR DESIGNING LEARNING

Learning through unfamiliar contexts

First I understand how someone normally works. Then I give them a related challenge in an unfamiliar context, so they can explore without being constrained or distracted by familiar habits. They investigate, make real decisions, build new capabilities, and bring what they discover back into their actual work.

I call this UCDI: Unconventional Contextualization in Design Innovation.

Each step of how a learner works through the problem matters more than the generated output.

The seven stages of UCDI
  1. Unconventional Problem Solving. A real-world problem placed in an unconventional context, with challenges that defy traditional norms.
  2. Research & Exploration. AI-assisted research into the unfamiliar context, to deepen understanding and generate novel ideas.
  3. Innovative Conceptualization. Imaginative thinking toward solutions that are original and right for the context.
  4. AI Driven Creativity. Text-to-image and other AI tools for initial visual creation and ideation.
  5. Integration with Conventional Tools. Blending AI-generated solutions with established design tools and techniques.
  6. Context-Driven Design Application. Applying design principles so the work resonates with its specific setting.
  7. Reflective & Analytical Presentation. Documenting and presenting each step. Explaining what you did reinforces it.
FOR DECIDING WHAT AI IS FOR

AMP and RAMP

AMP extends strengths you already possess. RAMP helps you develop into new territory.

AMP · AMPLIFYUse AI to extend your existing strengths, distinctive voice, ideas and reach. Like a musician's amplifier, it increases what you can express while keeping the contribution yours.
RAMP · ACCELERATEUse AI to support learning: researching unfamiliar territory, exploring approaches, and building knowledge you then apply through practice.

Both can happen in the same project. Neither one means AI removes the need to practice, or to use your own judgment.

FOR WORKING WITH AI OUTPUT

The Hourglass: Refine, Elevate, Humanize

“AI can draft, but you decide and refine.”

SieveTower
AI drafts. You decide.

Edit AI like a human, not a machine.

THE SIEVE · TOP OF THE HOURGLASSCut fluff for clarityMercilessly remove the fluff from AI's initial output.

  • HallucinationsAnything factually incorrect or wildly off-topic.
  • FillerRepetitive, verbose or unnecessary language.
  • Weak phrasesReplace generic, bland wording with sharp, evocative language.
THE TOWER · BOTTOM OF THE HOURGLASSAdd human resonanceInject the irreplaceable human elements that make the work yours.

  • Stylistic quirksYour unique signature.
  • Rhythm & toneThe musicality and emotion of your creative output.
  • Perspective & opinionYour distinct point of view that AI cannot replicate.
  • Personal storiesThe anecdotes, experiences and empathy that only a human can bring.
THREE NON-NEGOTIABLE FILTERS

Run anything AI helped create through these before it sees the light of day. Take them with you.

  1. VoiceDoes this sound like us?
  2. ValuesDoes this feel like us?
  3. AudienceDoes this serve who we're trying to reach?

In practice · AI LAB LEVELS

Design a smartwatch for 1830.

In LEVELS, nobody could fall back on a familiar solution. There's no template for an 1830 smartwatch ad. Participants had to research the period, make deliberate decisions, and combine AI with traditional design tools to get there.

MONTH 1 · 1830A smartwatch and its promotional handcardWith a poster as a bonus.
MONTH 2 · 1870A soap brand and its packagingBranding and packaging within the printing limits of the era.
MONTH 3 · 1890Magazine and billboard advertising for that brandCarrying one brand across new media and a new decade.
HEAR IT FROM THE FIRST COHORTThe LEVEL 1 beta group, in their own words.An hour-long live panel where participants walk through their course projects, the challenges they hit and solved, and how generative AI changed their approach to branding, marketing and advertising.LinkedIn Live · Dec 13, 2023 · With Andri Hoffman, Martin McCusker, John Phillip Salzar and Denise Laskey
AI LAB LEVELS lesson cover: Halftone Engraving with Photoshop, from Module 1
Module 1 lesson: halftone engraving for the 1830 piece
The Month 2 design brief: an 1870 soap brand launch for client Louis Pasteur
Month 2 brief: the 1870 soap brand
WHAT PARTICIPANTS PRACTICED

Research, advertising history, creative direction, and moving between AI and conventional tools, all applied to deliberate decisions they could carry back into contemporary work.

The 16 Elements of Generative Control, an AI pre-flight checklist poster

A tool from the lab

16 Elements of Generative Control

An AI pre-flight checklist: sixteen elements, from Subject and Setting to Lighting and Negatives, grouped into Narrative, Aesthetic, Cinematic and Technical phases.

THE CLARITY RULE · APPLIES TO EVERYTHINGPriority of focus beats volume of detail.Write one core-intent sentence before adding anything else. Composite the passes later; don't force one prompt to win everything.
IN PRACTICE · THE FACE BASECasting a face? Strip the background: solid white, plain black tee, so all the model's effort goes into distinct, gritty faces.
IN PRACTICE · THE WORLD BUILDBuilding a world? Make the subject generic, and spend the effort on lens compression, bokeh falloff and lighting physics.
Brian Sykes AI LABThe [Hu]man Element

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