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August 23, 2023 - Comments Off on Cover Story: An AI Challenge

Cover Story: An AI Challenge

Prompts and perseverance

A client called in June asking for help in creating an original illustration for a magazine cover. I’ve done this countless times in my career, but — for this project — talent sourcing and art direction was much different. The “talent” was AI. 

For the Summer issue of the NSAA Journal, editor Heather Fried dipped her toe into the wild west of AI imaging software. Her challenge: to create a cover image to represent the issue’s editorial content. When she first shared her idea, I thought “brave,” but was quietly hoping not to get involved. I could see a warren of rabbit holes larger than Watership Down on the horizon. 

Heather’s first attempts involved placing the desired items into the image with the prompt mountain biker in the summer accessing the lift through RFID gates with their phone, but the results were way off the mark. They were also comical in how anatomically incorrect they came out. “I had to throw in the towel on my original concept completely and go with something a lot more basic to get to an acceptable cover,” Heather explained. “This was a surprise realization because, before using AI, I really thought it could produce anything I could dream up on demand.” Frustrated, she shared her results after multiple attempts and a sizable time investment. We jumped on a Zoom call to discuss what to try next.

“Before using AI, I really thought it could produce anything I could dream up on demand.”

Enter Art Direction 

With additional prompts taken from the art world — composition, color, style, perspective — the images instantly improved and soon she had a collection of real options: a dynamic profile portrait, a dreamy impressionistic painting, and a realistic alpine meadow — a few potentially cover worthy. She discovered one big hiccup in the process: “tweaking” is difficult. AI tends to start over in lieu of making isolated changes like a human illustrator would. Perhaps more practice with the software will yield more finesse. Or not.

“I am not a robot.”

While there’s much angst and discussion about artwork made with AI – such as what careers will be disrupted or replaced, who owns it, and the dangers of reality vs fantasy imagery and facts – I think we hold the key to reining it in. If we tap heavily into our humanity and take responsibility for molding AI, we can use skillful interactions — creative direction of the software — to make AI-assisted writings and artworks our own creations. Just as Heather experimented with visuals, her team also put AI writing to the test, producing a rote overview with the tone of an uninspired eighth grader. Clearly not the level of a seasoned editor. “If you keep tweaking/prompting what it spits out, you'll eventually get to something that is acceptable, in your voice, and accurate.” said Heather, adding “I could write volumes on this already, but the biggest takeaway so far has been: AI isn't coming for our jobs, it's people who are capable using AI that we need to worry about/work on eventually becoming ourselves.”

The NSAA cover image finally got there with the right prompts (art direction) and some retouching (a good eye) to get to an artistic, finished product. A masterpiece? No, but it fits the bill for a nonprofit budget and usage of two months on a trade magazine cover. Context matters. The novelty of an illustration on the Journal cover and the backstory of AI-generated artwork intrigued the members. “Though the cover was a compromise, it's also one that has generated a ton of great feedback — maybe the most praise in my four years with NSAA,” said Heather. 

“AI isn't coming for our jobs, it's people who are capable using AI that we need to worry about.”

My Optimistic View 

Because AI has no inherent talent of its own, individual humans (IH perhaps?) can use this tool, just like any other — software or paint brush — to execute their singular vision. Perhaps AI can open up a new world to those who see art in their mindseye, but lack the mobility to paint a canvas. Or help translate written works to enable sharing of more ideas across cultures. Which gets to the root question: Will you use your time, talent and AI for good or for evil? 

Now, about copyright issues … how much time do you have? 

Read about a recent ruling in federal court: AI cannot hold a copyright.
View an inspiring use of AI that gave a woman with paralysis her voice back.

_____

Share your experience and opinions of AI assisted creative works below. I’d love to start a conversation. (There may be a delay in your comment appearing to avoid the dreaded bots.)

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April 26, 2023 - Comments Off on Grit & Collaboration

Grit & Collaboration

Combining talents for delectable outcomes

Last summer, the Méli Mélo Charcuterie Boards — a lively collaboration with 600 Grit fine wood design — debuted in the art festival world. Maria Garcia, my former tennis partner and expert woodworker, had applied as an emerging artist to two of the nation’s most prestigious fairs — the Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival and Denver’s Cherry Creek Arts Festival. A Colorado native now at home in Texas, Maria clearly had soaked in some of the “go big or go home” Lone Star attitude in targeting these events, but even she was slightly overwhelmed to be accepted by both. 

Our 600 Grit/EnZed collaboration began with volleying ideas on the tennis court. It went something like “wouldn’t it be fun to take some of your wrapping paper motifs and translate them to wood?” After a few years of playing with the idea, mostly in our heads, we found ourselves mixing epoxy and pigments in her Dallas workshop. We experimented with maple and walnut hardwoods, metallic and solid pigments, and two designs. Maria prepped the boards for the CNC operator who used my vector artwork to rout the inlays. After several prototypes in which we adjusted motif sizes and color palettes, played with depth of routing and angled edges, we landed on the finished product and perfected the silky finish. 

Méli Mélo translates to “an assortment,” which captures the essence of charcuterie and the nature of our collaboration. Once the boards began selling, Maria envisioned expanding the concept to furniture. The board motifs enlarged beautifully onto coffee, cocktail and side tables, and she received a commission for wall art at this larger scale. Maria’s furniture designs are inspired by the Arts & Crafts and Mid Century Modern movements, but the rich walnut hardwood and bright resin inlays transition across many interior styles.

What started as a friendship on the tennis court quickly became a delicious meeting of minds and materials. Talking with the art lovers venturing into our tent was energizing and Maria secured several furniture commissions in each city, a primary goal for showing at the festivals. (Prior to that, we had a brief foray into wholesale and set up shop on PaperieZ.com, selling directly to friends and others.) 

While I’ve enjoyed seeing my designs in three dimensions as Maria has added new, unique product offerings, the best part of this experience by far is the collaboration. Each bringing our best to the table (saw) inevitably yields tasty results.

For more about Maria, follow her on Instagram @600grit and visit 600grit.com. She’s available for custom charcuterie board and furniture commissions. Let us collaborate with you, too!

Join my mailing list to receive monthly reads about adventures, design, marketing, other creative musing, and how they all relate to and inform one another. Follow my antics on Instagram. — Helen

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August 3, 2022 - Comments Off on Reading The Waves

Reading The Waves

Learning from a master is faster

La Paz letters along the beach

Four thin textbooks arrived in a blue drawstring bag in December, our reading assignment prior to boarding a 42-foot catamaran. In late April, we were to set sail from the port just outside of La Paz, Mexico. Reading one book per month couldn’t be so bad, right? By the time we set foot on the Fountaine Pajot, however, we’d made our way through just one and a half.

Learning the sailing terms was like another language, but without the benefit of a good reference for decoding, like my French gives me clues to understanding Spanish or Italian. There was little other than colloquialisms—it took the wind out of my sails, learning the ropes, he was three sheets to the wind—as hints. I was clueless about clews, goosenecks, halyards, and shrouds. Slogging through the first book twice and quizzing myself until I could earn an honest B was the best I could hope for. It would be easier once I was on the boat, I assured myself.

The craft and her crew, Helen, Karl, Teaching Captain Troy, Rachel, David

The first step, after meeting our captain Troy Mills of Nautilus Sailing and additional newbie crew, was to learn about the boat’s features and functions—opening lockers, inventorying cushions, locating fire extinguishers, and counting personal flotation devices (PFDs). We learned about provisioning, the heads (and their touchy waste system), navigation devices, desalination tanks, and engines. The purpose of the first lesson was to know the boat, but also to accept that each of us would depend on the combined knowledge and actions of the captain and entire crew on this journey. Our craft was white, sleek, and stable, and would carry us out to sea without any communication from the outside world. Sheer bliss.

“Each of us would depend on the combined knowledge and actions of the captain and entire crew”

Sea Life

We slept aboard and floated off the dock the next morning with green buoys drifting by. Our six night live-aboard adventure to learn and earn our captain certifications was underway. Two young humpback whales—one flashing its tail, the other keeping a low, sleek profile—escorted us into the Sea of Cortez, “the world’s aquarium.” The waves were soft and sea turtles the size of manhole covers floated alongside us. A pod of partying dolphins met us as we rounded a small island, swimming fast along our twin-hulls and surfacing in graceful arches.

sea life
The Sea of Cortez, Mexico, is sometimes referred to as the world’s aquarium.

With nightfall came more lessons: How the right anchorage site could shelter us from shifting winds and surf so we could sleep without the risk of heavy rocking or swinging into another boat. Captain Troy could see things we couldn’t. Given his years of experience, he could quickly calculate how rough a sea we were likely to encounter by reading the waves’ amplitude and direction and feeling the wind on his face. He explained how to account for the tides with our timing on and off anchor. Why the boat was built with redundancies—from dual engines to anchor lights and alarms—to prevent a pan-pan or mayday call. How to troubleshoot using an if this, then perhaps this metric. How clear communication among the captain and crew supports good decision-making. 

Finding the right anchorage makes for happy sailors.

We learned pragmatic rules to sail by and sayings with deeper purpose, including Captain Troy Mill’s salty favorite “A boat shrinks an inch per day,” a nice way of saying keep your stuff stowed or your shipmates will want to deposit you on one of the five uninhabited islands on our journey. Everything in its place can truly prove lifesaving should the weather turn abruptly—tools stored, sheets flaked, and phones far away from a wet sink. When sailing, thinking through everything that could possibly happen and taking preemptive action prior is key. After the first day, it became clear that this week of lessons was just the beginning and there was a lifetime of learning to become an accomplished sailor. As the sun set on our first night at sea, eagle rays leaped along the pink horizon and pelicans settled into our inlet as night patrol. Fair winds and following seas. —Helen

Continue reading: Permission to come aboard?

  • Photos by captain and crew of the journey, Helen, Karl, Troy, Rachel and David.

Join my mailing list to receive monthly reads about adventures, design, marketing, and leadership, and how they all relate to and inform one another. 

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June 20, 2017 - 1 comment.

Tennis, Anyone?

With Colorado’s tennis league season in full swing and Wimbledon approaching on July 3, there’s no better time to celebrate our favorite sport here at EnZed Design.

We’re hard at work on a brand refresh for the 2017 Colorado State Open, our state’s most prestigious and well-attended tennis tournament. (We had the pleasure of rebranding the tournament entirely in 2016, which you can see here.) Adding animation to our repertoire, we’ve created a video teaser to bring the dynamic motion of tennis to the tournament’s vibrant brand. Watch the video below.

Mark your calendar for September 15–24, 2017 to catch the action and see our work on display. In the meantime, check out another tennis branding project, TennisAdvisor, whose logo represents the converging of coaching, the game, and the junior player.

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June 1, 2017 - Comments Off on Catching the Conversation

Catching the Conversation

Strike up a casual conversation with a stranger and you may well find you share a good friend or favorite experience. Kismet? Coincidence? We’re not sure, but we do know that same, wonderful connection often happens in design. Gather a team of designers, writers and clients for a brainstorming session and they naturally bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives to the table. The result is a far richer journey into the communication challenge.

Last summer EnZed Design welcomed a new talent to our team. Peter Williams was a recent design school graduate with a keen eye for iconography and a keen ear for syncopation. Adding his skills to our bag of tricks, we initiated an in-house project to experiment with audio and animation media. Some of you have met Peter in person or via email, but for those who haven’t yet, here’s your opportunity.

We sat down together to chat about design, our other interests and life experiences and how they intersect. Take a listen.

Tracking Thoughts Episode 1: Match & Mix was produced by EnZed Design with music and animation by Peter Williams. View Peter's video described in the interview.

Where do your passions intersect? Please comment below. We’d love to hear your story.

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November 12, 2015 - 8 comments

A Creative Collective

Summer of 2015 was a busy season, so busy we are blogging about it in November! EnZed Design hired Ligia Teodosiu, designer and talented illustrator, Helen finished her term as president of AIGA Colorado, and we moved to a new beautiful space at 2626 West 32nd Avenue, just around the corner from the old Tejon location. The new studio is a store front in a small shopping district surrounded by stately Victorian homes and refurbished bungalows as well as restaurants, coffee shops and small boutiques. And lest we forget, the North High School tennis courts are just steps away.

Helen and Ligia are enjoying the company of several creative firms, the same crew from before. Two digital designers—Matt Crest of ACL Software and Chris Arnold of Authentic Form & Function—and two print experts—Jason Wedekind of Genghis Kern and Maura Gauthier of The Paper Guppy—are the primary office mates. There are currently 6 more desks available for other creatives to add to the buzz.

The Furniture Creative Coworking space came about a dream realized by Jason Wedekind to have his letterpress shop under the same roof as his design studio. (If you’re wondering about the Furniture reference, it’s a letterpress term.) When the space came up for rent, he pounced and the renovation began. The new space is has lots of natural light, high ceilings and an open floor plan with designer touches throughout. There’s a private conference room with sliding steel framed walls, a phone booth room with a wall that glows blue when in use, and a sizable kitchen with a garage door in lieu of plate glass window in the back. Jason’s contractor, Sam Brown, salvaged ceiling planks to cover divider walls and built custom 10-foot steel doors for the press room. Wood floors, exposed brick, white walls and stripes of steel lighting give the place an airy open feel with edgy industrial finishes.

Although the LoHi neighborhood is constantly changing, this area is more settled with established store owners flanking the studio. There is lots of street parking on 32nd and the side streets. Look for the original big blue “Denver Fine Furniture” sign.

We hope you’ll come for a visit and explore LoHi a little, too.