AI design and key visuals for campaigns

AI design, as I do it, means key visuals, campaign imagery, posters, style frames and product visualisations created with AI and shaped with a director’s eye. Because film and design come from one source, the commercial, social media image and poster share the same look, giving your campaign a cohesive feel.

Key visuals and campaign imagery

The key visual is the image that holds a campaign together. It appears on the poster, in the ad, on the website and in the social media post. It needs to tell people at a glance what the campaign is about—and be powerful enough to stay in their minds.

I create key visuals like a film still, with considered lighting, perspective, composition and colour palette. AI makes it possible to build scenes and worlds that would otherwise require a major effort to photograph in real life. I make the creative decisions; AI brings them to life. The key visual then becomes the basis for campaign imagery in different formats and for different audiences.

• One central image that carries the campaign idea
• Variations for audiences, regions and seasons
• Formats for posters, ads, websites and social media
• A consistent visual language across all the imagery

Posters and print

Print has its own requirements. A poster is viewed from a distance and has to work in seconds. At the same time, printing requires high resolution, which AI images often do not have out of the box. I prepare images for print by upscaling them, matching the colours and leaving room for the headline, logo and required information.

Coordination with the printer or media owner is part of the process. We confirm the required formats, bleed and colour profiles in advance so the image prints correctly the first time.

Style frames and storyboards

Before a film is produced, it needs to be clear what it should look like. Style frames are individual images that establish a film’s look: its lighting, colour, mood, characters and setting. Storyboards show how it unfolds, shot by shot.

AI can now create style frames and storyboards at a quality close to the finished film. This helps in two ways: you can see early on what you will receive, and decisions about the look are made before the expensive production phase begins. For agencies, style frames are also a powerful pitch tool.

Product visualisation without a photoshoot

A traditional product shoot requires a studio, a set, lighting, a photographer, often models, and plenty of time. Every new setting means starting over. With AI, products can be placed in any environment: a kitchen, on a beach, in a futuristic world or in a seasonal scene.

The important thing is that the product remains exactly as it is. I use product photos or 3D models as a starting point and check every image against the original: shape, colour, logo and labelling. AI can invent the world around the product, but not the product itself.

One look for film, social media and print

In many campaigns, different suppliers create the film, photos and design. The result: the commercial looks different from the poster, and the social media image looks different again. When film and design come from one source, every medium shares the same visual language. The colour palette, lighting, characters and settings match because they come from the same production.

The key visual and film are often created in parallel. An image from the film becomes a poster, or a style frame becomes the commercial’s opening shot. That is how separate media come together as a campaign.

The next step: branding

Key visuals and campaign imagery build on a brand. If the brand has not yet been clearly defined, the first step is branding: a logo, colours, typography and a visual language that runs through every medium. Find out more on the Branding and design page.

Read about turning the imagery into a film on the AI commercial production page. For campaigns on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, visit AI videos for social media campaigns. See all services on the AI video production page.

Why design looks different with a director’s eye

Many AI images look impressive at first glance, but generic on closer inspection. They have no clear direction of light, no deliberate perspective and no focal point to draw the eye. A director thinks differently. Where is the camera? Where is the light coming from? What should the viewer see first, and what should come next?

I ask myself these questions with every image. For me, a key visual is not a lucky result among many generated images, but a deliberately designed image. Composition, focus, colour and light guide the eye to what matters: the product, the message and the brand.

Room for text and branding

An advertising image is not finished until the headline, logo and required information have their place. I plan these areas from the start, so text does not have to be added later on top of important parts of the image. The crop is adapted to each format so the image and text work together, from a narrow banner to a large poster.

Consistency across multiple images

A campaign often needs dozens of images for different formats, audiences and time periods. The challenge is making sure they all belong together. Characters need to look the same, the lighting has to match and the colour palette must not drift. I establish a visual system at the start and check every new image against it. That keeps the campaign consistent, even after many months.

Quick updates

A new season, product or promotion: AI makes it possible to adapt existing images without producing everything again. A background can be replaced, a scene moved to winter or a new product placed in an existing world. The look stays the same while the image is brought up to date.

This keeps your imagery current without making the campaign lose its identity.

AI key visuals and campaign imagery production

An AI key visual needs to do more than look attractive. It requires a recognisable idea, deliberate composition and room for the message and brand. When commissioning AI campaign imagery, include brand guidelines, product photographs and the intended advertising formats in the brief. A poster needs a different crop from a banner, but both should tell the same story. I plan a visual system that supports appropriate images for print, websites and social media.

AI design and AI video production connect particularly well when style frames establish the look before filming or generation begins. Lighting, perspective and colour can be discussed before every shot is developed. Product visualisations remain anchored to the original shape, packaging and logo while AI extends the setting. Continue with AI commercial production, define the brand through Branding and design, or explore all moving-image services under AI video production.

How it works

1. Briefing: Campaign, brand, audience, media and formats.
2. Moodboard: Direction for the visual language, lighting and colour.
3. Drafts: Initial images or style frames for review.
4. Development: Key visual and imagery in the final look, with the product matched exactly to the original.
5. Formats: Adaptation for posters, ads, websites and social media.
6. Preparation for print or digital channels.
7. Delivery of all files, with labelling under the EU AI Act where required.

What does it cost?

The scope of work depends on these factors:

• Number of images and variations
• Number of formats and media
• Preparation for large-format printing
• Complexity of the product, scene and characters
• Combination with a film from the same production
• Scope and duration of usage

We will discuss the scope together, and then you will receive a fixed-price proposal.