AI Chapter 2: Stay away from uncanny valley

New WorkAI

Oct 22

Learnings, lessons and failures with AI, written by Dorien Franken.

Warning! You are now entering the Uncanny Valley.

Earlier, I downloaded the Glam App. Their promise: delivering professional-looking photos without using a studio. I’m not sure if that is true.

I’ve been experimenting with AI platforms such as REVE, Midjourney, Firefly, and Nano Banana, and I am just now taking baby steps with Replicate. In a way, I’m training a model and myself.

Whether you’re using an app or a platform, there is no shortcut to generating a good image. A single prompt won’t create a campaign that aligns with a brand’s mission, culture, or long-term goals. That takes research, strategy, and a clear visual framework.

Ask yourself: What do I want the AI-generated image to say about my brand, and how can it contribute to the brand’s promise and overall message?

3 rules I follow when using AI for a client:

Prepare in detail: AI without strategy is just noise. It needs clarity and direction, just like any creative partner you brief. Know your brand and be specific in what you want. Thinks about the image type, size, subject, expression/mood, color, material, texture, light, shadows, camera angle, and action.
Respect the power of an image: Images are processed 60,000 times faster by the brain than text. In just 13 milliseconds, people extract meaning from an image. So what you visually communicate truly matters. Think about that.
Study the masters. Borrow from art: Fuel your creativity. Explore museums, photography, icons, and design for inspiration because the best prompts borrow from great art. Reference the styles of artists that inspire you (Lindbergh, Erwitt, Leibovitz, McGinley) and develop a custom style in Midjourney, which can evolve into your own visual signature.