AI Can Help Build Your Brand, But Can It Understand Your Story?

It’s something everyone’s talking about, and lately we’ve been getting more and more questions from clients, things like, ”“I asked ChatGPT to design my book cover, what do you think?” or “Can’t AI just code my website for me?” 

So we figured it might be helpful to share what we’re learning as designers who use AI regularly in our own process and see clients experimenting with it. Here’s our take on it so far:

1. AI gets it wrong ... often

Feed it a slightly off prompt, and it confidently gives you the wrong answer. You end up chasing ideas that don’t make sense or trying to fix solutions that weren’t real in the first place. 

AI doesn’t understand your audience, your story, or your goals. It predicts patterns. That’s useful for inspiration, but risky if you’re relying on it blindly. 

2. AI can help mock up designs ideas, but designers bring them across the finish line 

We see this a lot with authors. AI can generate concepts quickly, but the finished product rarely holds up. Typography, layout, colour, accessibility, and web usability are all details that matter.

Your website, logo or book cover are more than visuals, they’re essential tools to connect with your audience. A human designer is there to make sure every element is carefully researched, polished, and tailored to your readers’ experience.

3. Let your designer guide the process not AI

We get it, it’s tempting to lean on ChatGPT or other AI tools for ideas. But design isn’t just following a formula; it’s something that balances aesthetics, usability, and audience connection. When clients insist, “AI said it should be this way,” it rarely works out as expected. Not only can it lead to choices that don’t actually serve your readers or customers, but it can also frustrate your designer and disrupt the creative collaboration

4.Watch out for bias or misinformation

AI learns from the data it’s trained on, which can include outdated information, cultural stereotypes, or unverified claims. This means it can sometimes generate content that’s biased, misleading, or factually incorrect. For authors and startups, this isn’t just about text it applies to design, websites, and branding too. Colours, imagery, messaging, and layout can unintentionally send the wrong signal if left solely to AI.

A human designer is there to make sure your brand, website, or book cover reflects your values, speaks to your audience, and avoids missteps that could undermine your story or business.

5. AI's role in design, what it can do

We’re not anti-AI it’s a helpful tool when used the right way. Think of it as a supportive assistant rather than a replacement for human creativity. For example, it can help you with:

• Checking your website copy for clarity or tone

• Brainstorming ideas when you’re stuck

• Researching trends or finding inspiration

• Speeding up repetitive tasks that don’t require human insight

AI can throw out ideas, but it still needs a human eye to shape them into something thoughtful and usable. Its suggestions only really work when you know how to interpret them and turn them into something meaningful. Your brand, your book, your website, these are human experiences, and they deserve human care.

Looking for a human designer to bring your story to life? Get in touch at info@startupdigital.com.au or visit our website for more info!

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