the world of AI…

Album cover for Fantasy by Emery Hills

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of AI is Adobe Illustrator because I've used the program for over 20 years 😂... but nowadays when most people think of AI, they think of ChatGPT and the realm of artificial intelligence. What does AI mean for our world? For businesses? For jobs? How is it helpful? How is it not? It has a lot of people talking!

AI in Business

In the past couple years, I've used AI for help writing cover letters, help writing my website bio, research into marketing and plans for my business, an exercise plan for gaining muscle - ha. I've used it to generate models to put my print designs on backpacks, bathing suits, and blouses. It can be very helpful in seeing how your ideas/designs might look once produced which helps with unnecessary development or sampling:

A while back I listened to an online seminar on how to get the most use out of it. They recommended giving it a job. For instance, here is a prompt I put in: "You are a marketing consultant. Check out my Instagram @ashleynkinsey and recommend ways for me to attract more start-up businesses or businesses looking for branding design." It provided a pretty accurate analysis and some good feedback.

Another tip was to give AI a job title, your inquiry, and then have it ask you clarifying questions. Here is an example I did: "You're a PR specialist helping a small branding agency create an introductory video. Their website is https://www.ashleynkinsey.com/. Ask 3 clarifying questions before proceeding." I then answered the questions and it provided some interesting research too.

While this was helpful, I can get into a bad spot called 'analysis paralysis'. Ever heard of it? You can go down a research rabbit hole with AI and it'll keep giving helpful info that it has gathered. I think we as humans want to know what the right answer is, especially when it comes to our business. The problem is, AI doesn't know the 'right answer' because it doesn't truly know you or the people around you or the situation you find yourself in or the future - it's not all knowing. I'm still getting to know the true me and I continue to figure it out through every little life situation. I'm also still getting to know my business and it has evolved yearly, monthly, even daily at times. At some point I just have to start trying things and learn as I go and that's what I have to remind myself to do - ha.

Also, the things AI can't give you are pure creativity, divine inspiration, or new insight. It can come up with some good ideas based on everything out there, the stuff it compiles can be inspiring, but nothing can replace the human mind and spirit.

AI can be great for your business and very helpful when you keep it in it's place as a tool.

AI in Branding Design

This past spring I had a client come to me frustrated. They were trying to create a logo using AI and it came up with a ton of iterations but they weren't happy with any of them. AI generated logos can start looking generic or off in different ways and the last thing you want as a business is to look like every other business in your category. Here is an article with examples of generic logo categories to avoid: https://graphicdesignbylisa.com/generic-and-overused-logos-avoid-them/

I met with them, dug into their business, worked at understanding who they are as owners, and created a logo that is completely unique to them and their business.

For this reason, I hesitate recommending AI for logo design. It might work it you're on a tight budget and just need something to get up and running but it would be good to reevaluate, especially if you're not excited about your logo. You should like your logo so much that you want everyone to see it! And it should represent your company well.

ANK update

The past couple months have been a whirlwind! Two weddings in Texas and two here in Michigan, two new projects, time with family, and a conference in Nashville.

One of the projects I've been working on has been inspired by Retro Futurism which has also contributed to my AI mindset. What does our future look like and how will the past be incorporated? Here are a couple fun images I found as inspiration. Some might even be AI generated 😂

LuminDaze Alien Beach

@nibera_visuals

This topic is broad and there is much to discuss... perhaps in another newsletter :). Thanks for reading and have a great rest of your week!