How to Beat AI and Catch the Client’s Eye

1. Illustration by Camipepe

By: Edward Burns, CEO, ITSme

As AI art tools become more sophisticated, it becomes more important to emphasize our value and status as authentic human artists. Crafting a great bio and portfolio is an excellent way to make an immediate impact. They should allow the client to get to know you in a matter of seconds, and to instantly see your talent and unique value. Here are some tips on creating AI-beating folios and bios.

Folios

For an AI-beating portfolio, focus on the human aspects of your art, and the things that make it unique, imperfect, personal:

• Imbue your characters with empathy and human touches. Small details that betray real emotion will resonate on a level AI can’t reach.

• Invoke strong emotion, too! Love, hate, sadness, and more complex and intense emotions: exuberance, despair, suspicion, deviousness… AI tends to be static and struggles to get across real emotion.

• Lean into the hand-drawn aesthetic and avoid going too photoreal. We’ve seen backlash in some industries on hyper-realistic media. Trends are moving towards authentic, individual, idiosyncratic styles.

• Add humour. A small off-scene detail that makes the viewer smile will go a long way.

• Emphasize interaction between your characters. We are social people, we understand social cues. Interactions tell the story in ways AI can’t understand.

• Where it’s appropriate, make it topical. Dress your characters in modern clothes, put them in contemporary settings. Keep one eye on trends and apply them in your art.

• Don’t be afraid to share your process. People like to see character studies, colour roughs, and finishing touches. It all shows how you’re engaging with the project.