Prompt vs Personality – Why an AI logo will only get you so far

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has opened up a whole new world. It’s a tool that’s given people the ability to produce things that previously would only have been accessible to a small cohort. People who have the right skills, software and hardware to handle the tools needed to create such work.

With the development of MidJourney, FireFly and Large Language Model (LLM) tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, creation is now just a few prompts away.

The problem with prompt-based design

The problem with prompt-based design – especially logos – is that Gen AI cannot see or feel, and therefore, cannot create anything at all. It’s simply assembling parts from things that already exist.

This inevitably leads to derivative work and a logo that’s unoriginal. If a design is generated from the algorithm, it’s existed before and will be reproduced over and over again for multiple users, and possibly, competitor brands. Gen AI is trained to be safe, to be middle of the road. So, you’ll find that it always arrives at a bland outcome aka AI slop.

Human emotion = real meaning

As human beings, we’re smart, sensitive and constantly seek human connections. We understand nuance, perception, cultural cues and tone. If AI can’t feel, how can it know when something “feels right”?

Why is this so significant to logo design? Well, it’s about brand. If your business “only needs a logo”, an AI logo might “do”, and you can stop reading here…

But if your business has a brand, you understand that your logo is the front of house for a much deeper, considered strategic endeavour. Your logo is a symbol of everything it’s built upon, every touchpoint, the words and the visual.

Brand is bigger than a prompt

Surface level AI assembly simply won’t cut it for any business seeking to connect with their audience across multiple platforms, places and experiences. And we’re not just talking about “big” businesses – we’re talking about any business with a growth mindset. A logo should not only be designed for where the brand is now, but for where it’s going. You need a logo with the flexibility, versatility and strength to withstand your ambition.

Think about brands like Apple, Netflix, Nike – some of the most successful brands in the world and with some of the most iconic logos. Given even the most sophisticated of prompts, AI wouldn’t have been able to create those logo marks.

Take Nike for example, AI wouldn’t possibly think to represent a sports brand with a “tick mark”. And what about Amazon, where the arrow connects the “a” with the “z”? How could AI consider the letters in the logo and how that relates to a product delivery service? And then also adapt that brand to a streaming platform? Never.

People create iconic logos and brands because people think beyond facts and data. They think beyond the brief and literal representation of words and services. People understand the power of recognition, boldness and originality. A logo is just a mark, but with the right brand strategy behind it, it has the power to make people feel.

Connection is what creates success for a lot of businesses, people buy from people, people engage with people-focused content. Creating connection cannot be undervalued when it comes to brand. You can use AI to create a very ‘nice’ logo but eventually it will get washed up with the abundance of ‘same’ logos and you will struggle to differentiate your business from others.

The future of human creativity + AI

I believe Gen AI has its place. It’s a powerful, infinite tool. One which I often have open on my desktop that I use as a tool to provoke ideas – never to generate them. Humanity is what makes me a good designer and creative director. And that’s what our team bring to all our brand and logo projects.