08/24/2026
AI made perfection cheap.
For years, polish signaled craft, skill, resources and production value. Now generative AI can produce incredibly polished work in seconds.
And I think design is already reacting.
We're seeing more hand-drawn typography, naïve design, physical textures, imperfect photography and visual systems that intentionally feel less polished and more human.
That makes sense. When perfection becomes abundant, imperfection starts to feel valuable.
But here's what I'm curious about:
What happens when every brand starts doing it?
AI can generate the wobbly line too. It can fake the film grain, doodles, rough typography and handmade aesthetic. And once enough brands adopt the same visual language to signal humanity, we'll eventually end up with another kind of sameness.
Just with rougher edges.
That's why I don't think the real opportunity is naïve design or imperfection.
It's intent.
Why should this brand feel handmade? Why this typeface? Why this visual language? And why might another brand be better served by precision and polish?
AI didn't make good design cheap. It made perfection cheap.
Imperfection will get cheap too.
Knowing why might be what matters next.
More on this in the first edition of Barney's Field Notes: AI Made Perfection Cheap.
