1 Nov 2026 / Process

Where I use AI in a design project, and where I stop

I use AI every day at work. I don't let it make the final call. Here is where that line sits on a typical brand project.

Research

Meeting notes and transcripts go in and a short summary comes out. I read the summary, then I read the parts it skipped. Competitor research is wide by default now, because looking at thirty brands costs almost the same as looking at five.

First drafts

A model can give me a dozen headline options in a minute. Most are fine and none are specific. I use them to find out what the obvious answer is, so I can steer away from it.

The slow, boring work

Resizing artwork, naming files, exporting logos, checking colour contrast. This is where the time comes back. DHD's folder and file naming format is now a skill that applies it for me, so it is the same on every project.

Where I stop

Type, spacing, colour and the words on the page stay with me. So does the decision about what ships. If I can't say why a choice is right, it isn't finished.

The test I use is whether the client would recognise the people behind the work. A first pass can be correct and still sound like anyone. A person has to make it sound like them.