Does AI ‘create’ or just ‘generate’?

We’re hearing this same thing from potential clients lately, more and more:

“We’ve generated a logo using AI, but we need help recreating it as a vector file so it’s actually fit for purpose. The logo turns into a pixelated blur when used larger than thumbnail size. Can you help?

Copywriters too are being given AI-generated content and asked to rewrite and revise it because the tone isn’t quite right. They’re not alone: photographers, film makers and plenty of other businesses and freelancers across the creative industry are hearing similar stories – businesses using AI to generate their creative assets, then going back to the professionals to fix them.

So, what’s the problem with using AI?

Let’s go back a step.

What’s the core objective of your business logo?

This is what legendary graphic designer Paul Rand had to say:
“The principal role of a logo is to identify, and simplicity is its means. Its effectiveness depends on distinctiveness, visibility, adaptability, memorability, universality, timelessness and simplicity.”

That’s quite a shopping list.

Now let’s look at one of the fundamentals of AI.

It’s fast – tick.

It’s clever. Very! – tick.

It’s convenient – tick.

But there’s a fundamental difference between generating something and creating something with a purpose.

Generative AI has been trained on vast amounts of existing design, writing, illustration and photography (in other words, other people’s work!). Give it a prompt and it can generate something incredibly quickly based on patterns and relationships within that material.

And that’s where things get interesting

The danger of looking like everyone else

When everyone has access to the same incredibly powerful tools, there’s a danger that we all start heading towards the same visual middle ground.

You might end up with something that looks perfectly acceptable. Nothing is obviously wrong with it. But it may also look remarkably similar to the business down the road.

And instead of standing out, you blend into the background in an entirely unforgettable fashion.

That’s a problem when one of the fundamental jobs of a logo is its distinctiveness and memorability.

Where’s the personality?

Where’s the thinking behind it?

Where’s the why?

And where’s that bit that makes someone stop and think, “Oh, that’s good”?

AI generates. Designers create – with purpose.

AI is brilliant as a starting point and it’s an incredibly useful tool. We use it ourselves at Surgery Creations and have integrated it into parts of our workflow where it can genuinely make us faster and more efficient.

But a tool is only as useful as the person using it: AI cannot originate fresh, original, creative ideas.

Give a designer a brief and they don’t just ask, “What should this look like?”

  • They ask questions, such as:
  • Who is your target audience?
  • What does your business stand for?
  • Who are your competitors?
  • What do you need to communicate?
  • Where will the design be used?
  • What does it need to achieve?
  • And, importantly, what shouldn’t it look like?

That thinking is where the value lies.

A good designer isn’t simply creating something that looks like a logo. They’re creating a visual asset that has a job to do – something distinctive, memorable, appropriate for the audience and capable of working across everything from a website favicon to a building-sized sign. Most of all, a logo that is truly unique to your brand and your brand values.

So, are we against AI?

Absolutely not.

That would be a bit like a carpenter refusing to use a power tool because a hand-saw existed first.

AI is here and, used properly, it can be very useful.

It can help generate ideas, explore directions, speed up repetitive tasks and help us get from A to B more efficiently.

But we need to remember what it is.

It’s a tool.

And a tool doesn’t understand your business, your customers or your ambitions. That’s where humans – aka designers, copywriters, animators, illustrators and creatives in general – come in.

We don’t just generate.

We think, question, challenge, refine and create with a purpose. We add value to your business too.

And that’s why we’re worth paying for.  

Let’s create something that actually works. Get in touch today and let’s turn your design into your biggest asset.

surgery creations is an award-winning London graphic design agency based in E3 London.

About the Author
David Woods is Creative Director at surgery creations, an East London graphic design agency. With over 25 years’ experience across print and digital design, David has worked with global organisations, charities, membership bodies and growing businesses, helping brands communicate more clearly through thoughtful, effective design.