Does My Brand Look Phat In This ChatGPT Logo?

Pixel pushers unite! In the world of graphic design – and its role in building identity systems worth a damn – never has there been a more confusing time.

Particularly as it relates to the value of collaborating with a true graphic artist team for brand development versus the ease of turning to an AI generator.

So, being completely biased as the owner of a brand development and marketing agency, I’d like to start to break it down. I promise, however, that I won’t waste your time – or mine – bashing AI.

Whether it’s adored or not by the entire creative community is not the point. We must collectively admit that it’s an amazing tool, one in which we use at Bon’s Eye on a number of levels. Whether that be to automate, track and scale positioning strategies with intention, OR to test creative ideas for new marketing content – it’s become an effective part of our process and has expanded how we serve clients.

I think we all know by now that no matter the brand size – a vastly-growing franchise, international corporation or local business – there’s a marketing role for AI that should not be missed. In fact, we’ve found success in implementing it with our own clients – each of them belonging to one of those footprint checkboxes.

With all of that said, though, there is also room for consideration when using AI exclusively to mold your identity – or even the core components, like a logo. While ease, speed and budget hit the instant gratification sweet spot, that’s really about it. What’s the old saying, just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean it costs less?

Using logo development as my example, let’s run through the difference of machine technology spitting out ideas versus a gifted human being. Forget that human graphic designers come with industry experience, baseline comparisons to what’s worked and what has not, the sense to project future applications, creative intuition, as well as the ability to translate our ideas into aesthetic realities. Aside from these critical distinctions, there are some other straightforward discrepancies to consider when turning over your brand – its logo or any other part – exclusively to AI.

•  Most free AI Generators only create raster images. They are not scale-able vectors, but rather static file types like JPG or PNG. This means the look of that cool logo will begin to break apart when resized for bigger applications – like signage, shirts, etc.

• Typography in many AI generated brand images – like logos – is often not a true font. Instead, it’s produced for visual appeal in that instance but does not consider future uses of that font across the larger identity system. For example, print sales collateral, marketing pieces, websites, etc. These “fake” fonts also tend to have spacing issues between letters and are difficult to resize.

• Over designing is a major flaw of AI. These platforms are programmed to deliver visuals based on our text prompts. In turn, they often overcompensate, adding a ton of minute details that clutter the aesthetic, complicate scaling, throw monkey wrenches into print applications, and look more like illustration than a defining logo mark. The old logo rule of thumb: If the entirety of the mark – or a defining icon within it – would not be legible on a quarter, it’s not worth using.

Most importantly, a logo is the top of the identity system pyramid. It sets the stage for many other marketing assets to draw customers toward your business. A team of experienced human designers will know this, and they will make many considerations to accommodate this reality when crafting that signature piece.

If you’re looking for a brand that stands the test of time, uniquely defines your business image, is future-proof, trademarked, scalable, and built as a rally point for a full body of identity components – humans still win this game every time.