I am redesigning the Instagram Square for San Jose State's Inaugual Legacy Design for the Filippino Alumni Network.
I will take two different approaches with the design process. The first step will be designing the project through a traditional design process using sketches and software such as Photoshop. The other method will be using generative AI programs such as Adobe Firefly and I will intervene when necessary edits are there such as spelling errors or adding the correct content.
I started out with sketching out simple thumbnails in Photoshop to gather inspiration for various compositions.
I didn't want to complicate my sketches and focused on pushing different boundaries of placement of image and text.
I started with testing how effective AI can be with generating compositions. I started with using Adobe Express and Firefly to generate a couple of layouts using keywords like "Gala."
I took the compositions I found interesting and compiled them to be edited for the next step.
For the next iteration, I took three out of the eight sketches and started to add details to each of them.
I made sure the necessary content is placed and the composition is more cohessive.
I opened Adobe Express and edited the text to match the text of the original content. I also added some new content to make sure the placement works well.
I started to add details and texture into the next stage. My approach for this step is to add some photos, textures, and graphics in Photoshop to bring this composition to life.
On the next step, I started to adjust the colors and replace the images to fit the theme of the project. I used Adobe Firefly to generate photos that focus on the theme "Gala."
I then replaced the original photo and tweaked some details such as the typography that were necessary to make the composition cohessive.
I took the two layouts and went out to gather data to see which of the two do people prefer. I didn't reveal which one is AI and I asked them which one did they think is made with AI.
It was interesting that most people prefered the AI layout. My hypothesis is that Adobe Firefly generated compositions that are consistant when it comes to text hierarchy and graphics. As a result, the familiarity appealed to my audience strongly. On the other hand, I kept pushing developments and changes in each step to generate progress in my design. It is likely that my efforts to make progres added too much in my composition that it detered my audience.
I believe that AI can be used to generate compositions as inspiration to help designers gather data to start the design process.
Using the feedback given, I decided to take the final sketch I made and edit it using features from both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Express.
The final goal is to use both elements to finalize my design in a natural direction.
The main challenge when combining both elements is to remind the AI to keep the design simple. It tends to overthink the design process and add more things than necessary. In a way, the way AI overthinks the design process makes it feel more human than I imagined.
Despite everything mentioned about AI in today's society, it does have a niche that can be utilized in conceptualizing and drafting up ideas. According to our data, there is no doubt it excelled in accelerating the process of creating ideas. On the other hand, the mistakes it makes, such as overthinking the composition, is something designers need to manage to make sure the results stay on track.
In conclusion, I believe designers can benefit from using AI to gather data and concepts for their initial steps. However, it is a techniques that should only be used once the designer has developed a foundation of understand design principles so they know how to use this technique correctly.