08.10.24
Design
Coral created by AI, developed by design.
What began as a personal project evolved into our 2024 Holiday Collection when Co-Founder, Mark Evans, started training an AI model in our studio.
Text prompts, previous in-house renders and 3D model inputs all added a new dimension to bring coral characters to life, imagined in the ether.
“We've always been curious about exploring new technologies. As designers, we have utilised CGI technology for over two decades — from concept presentations to final product forms. Experimenting with AI began in a similar way, to see if it could expand our skillset or increase efficiency and output.”
Text prompts alone were insufficient for the level of control we required, so when Krea released a real-time drawing tool, we began experimenting with shapes and subjects to push the boundaries. While this produced some interesting results, it lacked the originality and variation needed for creating a cohesive collection.
Things took an interesting turn when we started experimenting with feeding our own design inputs to 'train’ the model. We compiled personal projects and renders with a common theme — a tight, central subject with a clean background and studio-style lighting. Renders of foam, ceramics, warped glassware, LEIF bottles, and furniture each add a new dimension, generating coral concepts based on our studio’s work through the lens of AI.
Colour also played a significant role in the process. We discovered that certain colours acquired characteristics from our inputs, resulting in outputs with similar qualities. For instance, a green couch image influenced the texture on all the green coral generated, and Flannel Flower bottle renders with glassware generated images in a similar shape and tone.
