OCTBR

AI AS YOUR DESIGN INTERN 2026 This is a fairly easy barebones guide to build AI into your design workflow as a cheap or free “intern” ready at any given moment. PREFACE (Why give a shit what I say?) No one says you have to. But if it helps, I started c. 2005 at the age of 15 tinkering with “Paint Shop Pro” and never looked back. I designed almost purely for the music industry before “going corporate” as an in-house designer. It’s been 20 years now. My portfolio can be found on my profile. INTRO AI apps and websites are increasingly becoming unavoidable in the modern graphic design landscape. I am someone who admittedly initially cried foul of AI killing design. I’ve seen both sides of the fence and concluded that it doesn’t have to be a murderer. GRAPHIC DESIGN WITH AI TOOLS: (What you, the designer, brings to the table.) 1. Starting Point: Even if you have no idea where to start, start anywhere. Punch in a few words. Your AI of choice (I like Gemini or Manus) can free up designer’s block in minutes. Go from there, expand upon it. 2. Prompting: Creating prompts for the AI you use to generate ideas, drafts, almost-there-visuals. Tip: Don’t have to be a pro here. AI can generate AI prompts. 3. Refinement: Using your software of choice (ex: Photoshop, Illustrator) to refine, build out, and ultimately enhance the AI output. 4. Creative Ownership: Human creativity and skill remain key for achieving the ultimate goal of the project —whatever that may entail. Basically, this is reiterating the last point. Just make it yours. RECOMMENDATIONS (Subjective thoughts for “best practices”.) 1. Transparency: Regardless of any social stigma, there is no shame in leveraging new tools emerging technology has presented to us. It’s (mostly) no different than the initial adoption of the internet. Feel free to discuss the topic if you like. Be open, at your own discretion, about AI use. More of this can help to strip away that “imposter” feeling. 2. Authenticity: Use AI to enhance, not replace, your unique style. Having a style that’s yours is a beautiful thing that shows conviction. AI can simply help you make more of it. Again, there is no shame here. It’s your intern, afterall. 3. Exploration Maybe you don’t feel you have a style. Or yours is growing stale. Normal. A curious mind is also a beautiful thing. Allow AI to help you explore new styles, then take them, learn them, tinker. In a nutshell: just fuck with it. Nothing ventured nothing gained. That’s that. I’ll be working to practice what I preach. I hope this helps at least one person. That’ll be worth it.

@spittinchiclets cannot tell you how frustrating this is for me as a Kings fan. Danault was one of my favorites. Best of luck to him wherever he plays.

Phillip Danault is heading to Montreal 🛩️

@TAGgrading Brilliant.

A message from TAG Founder and CEO, Steve Kass.

@5gwork literally said “whoa” out loud. very nice

Definitely one of my favorite gameday’s so far 🔥🎨

@itsgeoffwilson Love him or hate him this made me laugh. 👍🏻

Me: Saves puppy from burning building. This App: “Only because Fanatics told you to. Did you name the puppy PSA?”

@CardPurchaser @TAGgrading perfect 10. I think I’m more proud that it’s TAG and not PSA. or SGC. or BCG. or CGC.

Favorite card Friday! Show off one of your favorite cards here!

@MrKdub You know who DOESN’T charge those prices? (and this may have already been said) Upper Deck

$49 dollars for a blaster box.... What are we doing...

@643studios @Sportico Love this! The blueprint/prototype/diagram styling has always been a favorite and I really wish I could put an appropriate name to it 😣

Yesterday for @Sportico 🎨

@DevCarvajal @trevorlawrence Best design work to grace my feed all day. Love this

two for the man @trevorlawrence today 🎨🐆 #DUUUVAL

@LAcarddude Amen.

I'm not convinced that there's a need for grading companies anymore. With their pop reports being totally invalidated by all the resubs, everything that they offer is replaceable.

Motion graphics set built for the 2025 NCAA Volleyball championship.

@BrandonSpahnArt I swear man every time I look up you’ve risen in the ranks and doing even more awesome work. I love to see that. Keep going!

@Topps @NBA @dallasmavs You copy and pasted your baseball card design and layout but you couldn’t make a consistent RC badge across your card designs? Either make your sports brands unique or don’t.

JUST FOUND: Cooper Flagg Red Refractor rookie card limited to 5 copies in existence. (📸: JoshODeezy)

@Flynnfluence just came across your work in my feed. I am really loving your style. It (in my mind) shows you know the design “rules” and you’re happy to break them. But it’s not chaotic… has a good flow to it. I’ll be following your posts! Keep it up 👍🏻

@OldTownJB You got this right, plain and simple. Retweeted.

I know multiple people who have gone 5 or 6 figures into debt through breaks and ripping wax. The sports card world is now an unregulated casino or lottery system and this is nothing more than famous/rich people trying to convince people to chase a gold logo man lottery ticket. Serious regulations need to come out for this space because sports card addiction is no different than gambling addiction and yet there is no 1-800-GAMBLER disclaimer on posts like these. The influencer community in cards hides behind their “childish joy for cards” while cashing million dollar checks on the backs of those less fortunate and preying on those who are duped into the chase.

Oh man @handslikehouses is cooked. When a vocally-driven band replaces their singer with someone who can barely be called a “singer” it’s like they don’t want to succeed. You had a good run, gents, but you royally screwed up this transition.

@avstorm Really? It triggers disgust in me.

"Made in Figma” triggers a special ❤️ animation

@joestakx Hey, Joe! If you get a minute would you mind a DM? StakX caught my eye, and for good reason (@rookiesbrand). Going to shoot you an email as well. Much appreciated!

@faelpontopt Man you are absolutely on a fire with these designs. This one is tough. Every one of these perfectly conveys the brand and what their product does. and they're just cool. If I HAD to pick one to wear on a shirt... #2. Keep this up!

Pick one