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Work With Me

Bring AI into your creative work. Build on what makes you good.

I work with creative and marketing teams to understand how they operate, where they're struggling, and what they're capable of. Then I design AI education and implementation around that work, built on practice, application and feedback.

Discuss your projectSee the three ways

Brian Sykes speaking at the CreativeVerse 2024 conference
Brian presenting in front of the CreativeVerse 24 video wall

CREATIVEVERSE 2024 · RED HAT HQ, RALEIGH

Who I work with

Creative & marketing teamsPeople who are already good at their work and want AI to make them better at it, without handing over the thinking.
Leaders of creative peopleExecutives and creative directors who need a clear, practical way to bring AI into how their organization works.
Founders & growing brandsOrganizations whose brand no longer reflects what the business has become.
At a glance
The short version, for anyone who needs the facts first.
Who
Brian Sykes: AI trainer, speaker, author and brand strategist
Experience
Nearly 30 years in the creative industry · ran his own branding agency for 23+ years
Works with
Creative and marketing teams, leaders of creative people, founders of growing brands
Offers
Team AI training · keynotes and workshops · brand strategy and identity through HeadSpace Branding
Teaching
AI LAB courses, resources and custom client training · ten books on AI for creatives since 2022
Delivery
On-site, remote, or a combination

Three ways to work together

Pick the depth that fits where you are.

01 — THE DEEPEST CHANGE

Team Development

Engagements combine discovery, hands-on instruction, practical assignments and feedback around your team's actual work, so new skills become everyday practice instead of a one-day buzz.

WHAT IT INCLUDES

  • Discovery: how your team works today, and where it's stuck
  • Hands-on sessions built on your real projects
  • Applied assignments between sessions
  • A follow-up review or coaching session
Brian in his aqua glasses and headphones, pointing to a live remote session on his laptop

Live remote sessions

PROGRAM4–6 weeks, or spread across several months
INTENSIVEConcentrated 2–3 days, on-site
DELIVERYOn-site, remote, or a combination
GROUP SIZEAbout 6–20; larger teams scoped separately
Custom training delivered for
  • Marian, Inc.
    Marian, Inc.
    Three-day on-site intensive
  • HOBBY
    HOBBY
    Three-month custom course for the team
  • The Retouchers
    The Retouchers
    In-depth training built around the owner’s own way of working
  • Jewels Books
    A full course, from consistent characters to book layout in InDesign

His ability to break down complex concepts into actionable strategies is both inspiring and enlightening, making him an indispensable resource for anyone venturing into the world of AI creativity.— AMR TAHTAWI, CREATIVE DIRECTOR · AI BRANDING & CREATIVE STORYTELLING TRAINER

Brian on stage at CreativeVerse 2024, mid-talk

02 — THE FASTEST START

Speaking & Workshops

Keynotes and working sessions on AI, creativity and the human capabilities that keep the work valuable.

  1. KEYNOTEThe [Hu]man Element: What Better Technology Asks of UsHuman judgment, identity, agency and capability as technology changes the work.
  2. KEYNOTEDon't Outsource Your JudgmentHow creative professionals use AI while building the expertise to direct and evaluate it.
  3. WORKSHOPBeyond the Demo: Making AI Part of the WorkA practical session connecting experimentation to useful creative processes.

Keynotes 45–60 min · Workshops 90 min to half day · Q&A agreed separately

Where I've spoken + recordings ↓

The indefatigable Brian Sykes is helping the creative community unlock the tools of the AI-generation.— ROB BAGOT, STORYMACHINE FILMS

CreativeVerse 2024 speaker lineup poster featuring Brian Sykes on Adobe and AI
CreativeVerse 2024 speaker lineup
Brian with Chris Do of The Futur
With Chris Do, The Futur
Brian with Daniel Priestley
With Daniel Priestley

03 — THE CLEAREST DIRECTION

HeadSpace Branding logoDelivered through
HeadSpace Branding

Brand Strategy & Identity

For founders, business owners and established organizations whose brand no longer clearly reflects their business, audience or direction.

Work can begin with focused advisory sessions or grow into a defined strategy project: clarifying positioning, audience, messaging, and the decisions that guide creative execution.

And when the strategy calls for a new face, I still design it. Each year I take on a handful of logo and brand identity projects; the most recent was for JoshCavalier.ai.

ADVISORY SESSIONSSTRATEGY PROJECTLOGO & BRAND IDENTITY

Brian with Evelio Mattos and Gerardo Herrera at the Biltmore Estate

Biltmore Estate: presenting to Newell Brands with Evelio Mattos (Packaging Unboxed) and Gerardo Herrera (ArtCenter College of Design)

A single conversation with Brian can make a massive impact. … The direction of my company has made a crucial shift thanks to this man's advice.— BRIAN DRAKE, “BANKER BRIAN” · CLIENT

Read the brand stories, free on Substack →See HeadSpace Branding work →

How it works

I don't begin with the tool.I begin with your people.

The thinking behind it →

  1. 01 / CONVERSATIONWe talk about your team, your work and what you want to change. No pitch deck.
  2. 02 / UNDERSTANDI learn how your people already work: what they're great at, and which habits are limiting them.
  3. 03 / DISCOVERUnfamiliar challenges help them find new capabilities, away from the pull of old habits.
  4. 04 / RETURNWe bring those discoveries back into real projects, with feedback and processes your team keeps using.
AI LAB

What your team keeps · from the AI LAB

Real tools, not just a slide deck.

Every engagement draws on a library I've built for teaching: video lessons, project briefs, field-tested frameworks, and a book.

Brian teaching an AI LAB video lesson called Brief to Concept
AI LAB video lessons
An AI LAB project design brief for an 1870 soap brand launch
Project briefs & applied assignments
The 16 Elements of Generative Control desk reference poster
Frameworks: 16 Elements of Generative Control
AI LAB LEVELS lesson cover: Halftone Engraving with Photoshop
AI LAB LEVELS courses
Copies of Creative Control by Brian Sykes on a studio table

THE BOOK

Creative Control

The human-first guide to Adobe Firefly and generative workflow.

Get the book →

A full workshop room of creative professionals working on laptops during a session on generating ideas with AI

MY HANDS-ON WORKSHOP · CREATIVEVERSE 2024

On stage, online & in print

Hear it before you book it.

Conference stages, design schools, podcasts and masterclasses. Most of it was recorded, so you can see how I teach before we talk.

Where I've spoken

  • CreativeVerse Conference

    In person · 2023, 2024

  • Newell Brands

    In person · Hosted at Biltmore

  • Small business workshops
    Sandhills Community College

    In person · 20+ years

  • ArtCenter College of Design

    Online · 2023

  • AdWorld Prime

    Online · 2025

  • TechSmith

    Online · via Wistia

  • Packaging Unboxed

    Online

  • The Futur

    Online · 2023

  • Everyday AI

    Online · Podcast

  • adaily

    Online

  • ModumUpModumUp

    Online · Conference

Watch a talk

In their words

“Brian doesn't just teach tools. He teaches transformation.”“Brian Sykes was my first AI teacher, and to this day, he remains my top recommendation for anyone serious about learning AI in a way that's smooth, empowering, and radically expectation-shifting.”— BIRGITTA GRANSTROM, LIFESPIDER™ COACHING · CLIENT

Brian is the real deal. … If you are looking to take your business to the next level Brian is the catalyst to the change you need.— MATTHEW HART, DESIGNER TURNED STRATEGIST · CLIENT

Brian is very efficient and detail oriented. His work typically exceeded expectations and came in on time and in budget.— TREY HARRIS, PRESIDENT, SERKET · CLIENT

You have seen us for months share tutorials, trainings – Brian has been the driver behind that… I want to thank you Brian, for giving to us – on a daily basis, of your time, of your passion, of your thinking. We appreciate you.— SETH PYRZYNSKI, EVENT PRODUCER, AMAZON

Brian is an AI genius when it comes to using AI tools for creativity. … Brian is the best teacher when it comes to AI creativity.— OSKAR BÅRD, DIRECTOR | CREATIVE | FOUNDER, HOBBY

I quite appreciate how you teach me to think with it as opposed to telling me what button to push or what to say.— JULIA YANNIOS, AUTHOR | PUBLISHER, JEWELS BOOKS · STUDENT

Start here

Let's start with a conversation.

Tell me about your team, the challenge, your timing and anything procurement needs to know. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help, and how.

Discuss your projectBook an introductory conversationbrian@theBrianSykes.com

Brian Sykes AI LABThe [Hu]man Element

Work With Me Approach AI LAB Are We There Yet? Contact

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