Logo Design Reimagined: The Role of AI in Branding

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be a subject of frenzied debate among artistry spaces. Recently, in China, several artists filed a lawsuit against a social media platform over its AI-generated artwork that closely resembled their works. And last August, a District Court judge in Washington D.C. ruled that AI-generated works are ineligible for copyright protection.

Yet, this technology is poised to become more involved in business in the following years. One recent survey discovered that over half of companies in various industries employ generative AI, owing to the benefit of saving five hours a week in marketing. Many also believe that business operations and decision-making without AI’s help in the next decade or so would be unthinkable.

It’s already making strides in easing brand graphics creation with tools such as AI-assisted logo generators. But will this reimagining of a quintessential marketing process be a boon or bane to everyone involved? Keep reading to find out.

Cost and convenience

Ask either a business owner or graphic designer, freelance or in-house, and most will attest to the complicated relationship they often share. The owner wants a logo that best defines their venture but won’t cut deep into their coffers. In the other corner, the designer will try their best to deliver but for as few revisions as possible—or preferably none.

While not all professional rapports are like this, it occurs often enough to spur rants and memes. Imagine what AI brought to the table that broke this deadlock in favor of businesses.

A logo maker brings cost savings and convenience for business owners. Some generators are free to use, but others have prices that are a fraction of what human designers typically charge. A few clicks is all it takes to turn a template, selected from the tool’s in-built collection, into a logo that sells. It’s no surprise they’re seeing more use than ever.

AI-assisted logo generation fills a limitation often seen among entrepreneurs: a lack of designer insight. With the creation aspect already fulfilled by the selection of templates, it’s up to the user to make the necessary tweaks until they’re satisfied.

More involved, but no replacement

AI will slowly become more enmeshed in modern marketing doctrine as it improves. In a matter of years, business owners and marketing professionals may expect it to do the heavy lifting regarding ad targeting, conversion probability, lead generation, and, of course, graphic design. As a result, some designers fear for their job security in the face of a more efficient system.

However, leaving everything to a machine that barely comprehends nuance isn’t a sound way of using it. In “Design in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” a working paper published by Harvard Business School, its authors state that AI isn’t meant to undermine the fundamentals of design thinking but rather help overcome existing limitations.

One can already see this line of thinking in today’s businesses, which employ AI for repetitive tasks, more so among graphic designers. Its potential for helping with tasks that too often give them a lot of grief, such as brainstorming ideas and personalizing designs, can’t be overstated.

Anything the AI produces shouldn’t necessarily be considered the final product, and that holds true for brand logo design. In the end, the user still decides whether to go with it or make a few more adjustments. Being free of the limitations lets them do this with confidence.

As for arguments pointing to its potential to be autonomous, at the very least, it has yet to reach that point. AI still requires input from its human creators to help with machine learning. A lack of data will stagnate their growth, rendering them unable to adapt to change.

Design traditions persist

Amid the disruption that AI has caused in the design process, the rules that have governed brand design for decades remain relevant. As mentioned earlier, the technology isn’t meant to change a process but to augment it.

But the thing about augmenting the design process is that it works both ways. As Bill Gates once said about automation, if applied to an efficient procedure, it’ll magnify its efficiency; if applied to an inefficient one, it’ll enhance its inefficiency.

Before even getting behind a logo maker’s controls, it’s imperative to have a clear idea of what the brand stands for. There’s no shortage of stories of businesses’ logos copying off those of the competition just because they’ve proven effective. While some disputes resulted in out-of-court settlements or rare victories, the last thing a brand needs is to be branded as a copycat.

Pen and paper are still viable mediums for generating design ideas. Reaching for them when an idea hits you when you least expected is faster than booting up a PC or mobile phone. On top of that, drafting on paper won’t strain your eyes as much as staring at a device screen for hours.

Whatever the AI-assisted design process comes up with, it won’t please everyone. Nevertheless, feedback is a vital resource for refining the logo in the future or following a major backlash. AI can’t be blamed for design mishaps, not when a human has control over its actions.

Conclusion

Between its exponential development and continued integration in businesses and industries, AI is more or less the norm—and a godsend for business owners. It shouldn’t be surprising that it’ll influence the brand logo designs of tomorrow in some manner. That said, some aspects of the design process will remain relevant, at least for a while.