How we use AI in branding without losing our creative soul

Marketing data is often dry, but our visuals don’t have to be. By directing machine output through a creative lens, we turn cold metrics into compelling visual storytelling. This is the logic behind our hybrid process and our refusal to let a technical deep dive exist without a bit of narrative grit.

If you follow our newsletter, The Marketer’s Bite, or keep up with our articles, you might have noticed a specific cast of characters recurring: a neat marketer, sometimes with a horse head, pickles doing things, and a growing universe of mid-century style line-art quirks.

Heads up, we use AI for these illustrations. And we must admit, there might be a slight irony here. At elespacio, we have been quite vocal about what AI is doing to creative work. However, our position remains that the human judgement and direction behind the tool is where the actual work happens. We use technology to build a world that feels distinctly our own, even if that world occasionally requires us to explain to a machine why a vegetable should be holding a baton.

The branding strategy: softening the "nerdy" stuff

While our design articles allow for a more flexible creative, matched to whatever the topic needs, we felt our marketing strategy pieces should go with a clear set of rules. These articles deal with metrics, attribution, optimisation, and the logic of performance marketing, which is not always the easiest material to make visually engaging, especially for those of us in the creative department, where a deep dive into funnel logic can occasionally test our attention span.

The goal was to create a visual entry point that makes this technical content approachable without stripping away its authority. We chose a line-art style that feels professional yet playful. A neat, controlled aesthetic that provides a structured backdrop for our more cynical or absurd ideas. By sticking to a recurring cast and a unified style, we create a sense of familiarity. Even when the subject matter is a granular analysis of GMP stacks, the visuals signal that there is human presence behind the data: someone who knows their way around a spreadsheet but isn't above a bit of visual subversion.

It is a pragmatic system that evolved into a ritual, a way to bridge the gap between high-level data and the need for a distinctive narrative. And we are having a lot of fun with it.

The visual identity: building a permanent cast

To maintain a sense of order, we built a cast of characters that serves as our visual library. The lead role belongs to the marketer, the face of our tactics, who slips into whatever skin the data requires. 

Then, there is the pickle. We’d tell you the pickle represents the "Brandformance" ideal: a symbol of distinct taste and the patient, fermented preparation required for a campaign to reach its peak. But, to be honest, we just have a thing for pickles. They bring us joy. 

In a landscape of ‘literal what you see is what you get', a sentient vegetable is a calculated break from the expected. A deliberate bit of friction that ensures our technical pieces sound like they come from a studio with a pulse.

The metaphors: setting up the scenes

When we visualise a topic, we begin by rejecting the obvious. We have a strict rule against the literal. You will rarely see a glowing light bulb or a generic pie chart in our visuals because those clichés are the equivalent of a shrug. Instead, we look for simple parallels from ordinary life that capture the essence of a technical process. 

For our article on strategic AI prompting, we didn't look for a circuit board. We chose a meticulous chef following a recipe for the hero image, and a music director conducting a pickle orchestra for the social carousel. One illustrates the need for quality ingredients; the other shows that while the players provide the sound, the human provides the tempo and the soul.

And when the copy says “define a persona”, we naturally think of a very charismatic country singer with big… hair.

The method: the designer as the director

It is important to note that no one on our team has been swapped out for a machine. In fact, it is our very own illustrator who is doing the directing here. The taste and talent are still ours; we are merely trying out a new toolkit.

The method is a hybrid one: we start with the idea, visualise it and describe it with words that can be used as a prompt. If needed, we sketch a rough first draft by hand to set the composition and intent. These sketches are not masterpieces, but they are the blueprints that ensure the machine doesn't default to generic layouts. Then, we ask the AI tool to redraw that sketch according to our specific illustration guidelines. 

This is not a simple push-of-a-button act. If you want a visual that isn’t just a digital wallpaper, you have to work for it. More often than not, the process still involves a fair amount of sighing, eye-rolling (and occasionally arguing) as we nudge the algorithm toward the elespacio sweet spot. The machine provides the raw output, but we provide the visual judgement that decides if it actually works.

And when the machine hits a literal-minded dead end or misses the subtext of a scene entirely, we start a new chat. No need to waste too much time on an idea the AI tool refuses to accomplish.

The outcome: personality over polish

Why bother with a wacky rule book at all? Because in an era of infinite, automated content, safe is the forgettable option. When "clean and professional" becomes a commodity that any machine can produce, we prefer to lead with a bit of wack and a pickled vegetable. Bringing a cheeky spirit into our most serious content represents our agency DNA. It is a signal that we approach our work with both technical rigour and a sense of humour.

This ritual has become a part of the process we very much look forward to. There is genuine anticipation within our team about what the next dense data point will turn into. If it makes us smile, we trust it will do the same for our audience. 

A final treat: our “director's” tips for AI visuals:

Provide a sketch: Do not let the AI decide the composition. Feed it a simple drawing to ensure the human intent stays at the core.

Relatable metaphors: Look for simple parallels to technical concepts. Think of music directors and chefs rather than circuit boards.

Maintain the system: A strict style guide allows you to be "wacky" without looking messy. Coherence is what turns a random image into a brand asset.

Refine the performance: If the AI is being too literal, it is a sign you need to adjust your direction.