Should you make your own business’ logo using AI?
The rise of AI has brought a lot of questions to the design industry amongst many others. While the ability of these tools to automate and increase efficiency in many industries is clear to see, even creative fields are now being put to shame with examples of industry-standard, AI created, essays, illustrations and music being spread across social media for all to see. So with these impressive creative abilities of AI on show why not just create your logo or brand identity yourself using an AI generator? Why pay more for a designer to do the same job?
The truth is these viral examples of AI masterpieces all required one essential ingredient: a very talented human individual. AI needs direction, management and creativity to lead it toward the greatness of human ingenuity, it remains a tool for creativity, not an organic source. In the design world, AI is being experimented with to help create original imagery, choose colours, and automate operational processes which makes it an invaluable and exciting resource to the modern designer. But it is still far from a like-for-like substitute and although the cheaper solution of using an AI generator to design your logo may suit some, those wanting more charisma, sustainability and identity should invest in the human alternative.
On a recent project after sending some initial ideas for a logo design to a client they decided to try using an AI logo generator to illustrate what they were after visually. This was a genuine attempt to help move the project forward and a useful exercise to generate potential avenues and ideas. The results however all gave a similar impression and that was that they were all very generic, with little to no sense of identity. One example was the business name with a traditional star icon, others were various abstract symbols which looked somewhat attractive but didn’t relate to the business or ethos in any way, and one was even just a textured circle. To design an identity you need personality and individuality, these AI-generated designs while looking legitimate at first glance could have been for any business in the world and that is the opposite of the goal, we want strategic difference from the crowd. To the generator’s credit in this case it had created a great representation of what a logo is but not of what this unique, nuanced, human business’s logo should be.
In this respect, you could liken the automation and efficiency of AI design to fast food in the design industry. Efficiency and speed of design, efficiency in price but at the price of creative quality. Don’t get me wrong, we all love a McDonald’s at the right time and in the right place and they are good at what they do but if it’s your business’ representation at stake, your one chance to build an identity to last, would you opt for a fast food experience or fine dining?
Of course as a brand identity designer myself, I have a slightly biased viewpoint on this topic… But the truth is that whilst AI can certainly improve and speed up a lot of processes involved in design, it will not be able to independently strategise, empathise and execute for a client the way that a human designer can. In the hands of the right designer, AI can act as an extremely powerful assistant, streamlining processes, generating variations and adding manpower to a creative team. But without this human element, your final product will lack the character, personality and intuition that is vital for making an impression on your target audience - who similarly are also humans. For now at least, humans win in the clash of designer vs machine.