Everything feels so…uninspired and FAKE?
Lately I’ve been asking myself something I can’t quite shake:
Why does so much of what I’m seeing feel a little too contrived…and a little less real?
Everything is faster. Campaigns launch overnight. Graphics appear instantly. Messaging is churned out in seconds. It’s efficient. It’s impressive.
BUT…is it memorable?
I’m not anti-AI. I use it. I appreciate it. It can absolutely support the creative process. What I resist is the idea of replacing the creative process altogether.
Because the part I love — the wrestling with an idea, the walking away and coming back, the refining, the changing, the editing again — that’s where the magic lives for me. That’s the joy.
Clients want speed. I understand that, because business moves quickly. There’s pressure to produce, to post, to publish. And sometimes the expectation feels like “good enough, just get it out.”
That part doesn’t sit well with me, it doesn’t fit my personality – I need time to process, refine, and rethink things to a fault (cue non-billable hours – haha).
I don’t love churn-and-burn design. I don’t love when everything starts looking interchangeable. I don’t love when originality feels optional.
The process has changed, maybe forever. And I’m not pretending we can go backward, but for me, it’s about balance. Using AI as a tool — not a replacement.
Integrating it slowly, intentionally, thoughtfully. Letting it support productivity without stripping away the human personality. The joy? That’s still on us.
So I’ll stick to my principles. I’ll evolve — but in a way that feels aligned. I’ll keep creating in a way that makes me proud and still delivers for my clients, and feels human and real and genuine!
Our Creative Framework
We Start with our brain,
We Start with our brain,not the prompt box.
At MARQUEE we Sketch it. Write it. Think it through first. Occasionally we let AI refine, but not originate, the core idea.
Define the point of view before generating anything.
Define the point of view before generating anything.AI can produce visuals. It cannot produce your perspective. We get clear on the why, the mood, the tension, the story – we do the process for our clients.
Use AI for exploration
Use AI for exploration– not finalization.
We treat outputs as rough drafts, inspiration boards, or jumping-off points — not finished solutions.
Edit heavily. Then edit again.
Edit heavily. Then edit again.If it looks “AI-polished,” it probably needs more human element and nuance. Always remove generic phrasing and add specificity.
Slow down one part
Slow down one partof the process on purpose.
Even if production is faster, we protect a stage for stepping away, reconsidering, and refining — that’s a standard in our office
Layer in something ‘unpromptable’.
Layer in something ‘unpromptable’.A hand-drawn element. An unexpected type pairing. A reference from your lived experience. Something which AI wouldn’t instinctively choose.
Ask: Would I stand behind this without explaining it?
Ask: Would I stand behind this without explaining it?If the answer is no, it’s not ready.
Protecting our values.
Protecting our values.Tools can generate options endlessly. Our value is in knowing what not to use.