Someone came to me with an AI created logo yesterday, honestly it was terrible, but they loved it! It broke all the design rules. Tint fonts, detailed image, fine lines with thick, and it stayed the obvious. There was nothing clever about it. That led me to thinking about AI. Not because I’m worried about it, but because it’s changing the conversation around what good design really is. AI can create a logo in seconds. Give it a prompt, tell it the colours you like, the style you’re after and you’ll have more options than you know what to do with.
Some of them will be really good. Most of them are predictable and ordinary. If a client comes to me with an AI logo idea and all I do is bring it to life, what value have I really added? I’ve simply finished a single dimensional design that already existed.
What clients actually come to me for is more than a logo. They come to me because they want another perspective. They want someone to ask the questions they haven’t thought to ask. They want someone who can see the gaps, challenge assumptions and uncover the story behind the business. That’s branding.
The work starts long before the logo. It starts with understanding who you are, who you serve and what you want to be known for. It starts with finding the thing that makes your business worth remembering.
A logo won’t build trust. It won’t create loyalty. It won’t make someone choose you over a competitor. Your brand does that. Your reputation does that. The experience people have with your business does that.
The value is in knowing what should be created in the first place. Anyone can generate a single dimension AI logo. AI cannot see around corners, connect strategy with design or create a brand that still feels relevant years from now. AI does not have the case studies, the real world experience or the thought leadership.
That’s the difference between creating something that looks good today and building something that people remember tomorrow. AI will continue to get better. And it should. It will make great designers even more valuable because the conversation shifts away from single dimensional logos that have no story and no depth and towards logos and brands with facets and experience.
That’s my favourite thing to do. Creating brands that people trust, businesses that people remember and legacies that last long after the latest trend has disappeared. Building a brand that stands the test of time is something else entirely.
