05/01/2026
If you’re going to use AI images as a company, what’s the best way to do that while staying on brand?
That’s something we had to work through with Blackbox, an incredibly powerful AI tool for developers.
They wanted a clear set of guidelines for how, where, and when to use AI generated imagery in their design.
The important part, and really the important part of using any tool, was understanding the strengths and weaknesses of AI image generation.
What does it do well? What does it do poorly?
Yes, it can depict people and realistic objects, and it’s getting really good at it. But there’s still a chance of a bad generation or a lot of bad generations slipping through, and I didn’t want to run the risk of one of those representing the brand.
So instead of leaning on AI for hero images or focus images, which we kept real photography for, we built guidelines around using it for texture elements throughout the brand.
So instead of using it for images that drive the story, we set up a system to use it for images that support the story.
When you’re thinking about AI generated images, or even any other tool, start with a really good understanding of what the strengths and weaknesses of that individual tool are.
When you understand that, you’ll be in a way better position to use the tool effectively.
