Oh, no—not another post about AI, right? And no, that em-dash is not an indicator that this blog itself was written by AI.
It does seem to have inundated our world though, doesn’t it? Because of the impressive combination of artificial intelligence’s accessibility and its capabilities, it truly is everywhere—from research reports to the content on your Instagram feed. The branding world (our world) is not exempt from this.
A while back, we did a social media post begging the question: Can AI do our job? We gave ChatGPT unique and detailed prompts describing each of our team members and requested that it create distinctive logos for each one of us. The result? Five low-res image files with elementary, surface-level illustrations and the same font across the board. While everyone got a good kick out of it, it revealed a number of issues people may encounter using AI for this type of work.
1 – Having a Generic and Forgettable Brand
We start every branding project with an in-depth discovery session, and we believe this is the most important building block for the creation of a great brand. We ask questions (some may even think too many) and have meaningful discussions about who you and your company are at the core—intentionally exploring avenues you may not have even thought of before in order to establish a set of guiding principles that should drive your business forward in every facet.
Why is this step so critical? Because it establishes depth and allows us to create something that feels uniquely you.
AI cannot think for itself, so that means it is using a compilation of concepts, images, and ideas that already exist to provide you with something that is meant to be your company’s entire identity. Wouldn’t you rather work with someone who understands you and can take that understanding and creatively apply it to your brand?
2 – Being Perceived as Inauthentic
The rise of artificial intelligence usage and content has also come with the rise of human skepticism and distrust of it. An investigation by Brüns and Meiβner revealed that once people discovered a brand was using content that had been AI-generated, they generally developed more negative attitudes and associations towards that brand.
This goes back to the need for people to connect with your brand. Humans value connection. Think about the big brands you know and trust—Patagonia wants to save the planet, Nike wants to bring inspiration to every athlete, and Apple wants to empower people around the world. Each of these brands have messaging that people can align their own values with and imagery that supports it.
While your brand doesn’t need to save the world, it does need to resonate.
3 – Missing Key Pieces
Remember when I mentioned that ChatGPT provided us with low-resolution image files? That’s a big deal if you want to infuse your brand in the real world. Because AI tools generate text, code, or raster images instead of actual vector files, scaling is limited. In other words, the .png or .jpg files you are provided with will quickly become blurry or cannot be used at all for applications like promo or merch items.
Beyond even your standard file types, you also may be missing key brand elements that you need to further build out your brand identity. For example, did it provide you with different logo lockups? Color variations and different application values? Typography options? What about a brand pattern or icon? AI may forget these things, but a brand expert never will.
Tōdem, are you telling me to never use artificial intelligence again? Absolutely not! There is certainly a place for AI in our world. It is an incredibly useful tool and allows for efficiency in many areas of a business, and to completely forgo it would be ill-advised. However, it is important to ensure we do not let it erase our depth or creativity.
At the end of the day, there are just some things we need to leave to the faculties of the human brain.
References
Brüns, J. D., & Meiβner, M. (2024, July). Do you create your content yourself? Using generative artificial intelligence for social media content creation diminishes perceived brand authenticity. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698924000869?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=a267fbfdda5958a5