Introduction

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     Generative AI is constantly evolving in a world that is pushing for faster and critical ways of thinking through technology. This affects the reshaping of creative processes in many industries like marketing, education, entertainment and graphic design. As a group, we have created our research around Ideogram, an AI-powered graphic generator designed to create logos, marketing images, and visual content through the user’s prompts. In this project, our team has developed an instruction set to guide users in using Ideogram’s applications to create customized graphics. However, this advancing technology also brings important questions related to ethics, transparency, and trends in GenAI usage, and must take caution and consideration by the creators and users. We wanted to explore how GenAI tools like Ideogram are impacting visual communication and ethical decision-making in digital environments. Specifically, we looked over academic research on GenAI’s ethical implications, current technological trends, and the evolving ways users learn and interact with GenAI. By doing so, we aim to better understand the broader context our instruction set operates and how to ensure that users engage with this technology in an informed and responsible manner. While exploring the uses of Ideogram and the research that came with producing these instructions and products, we’ve considered what ethical challenges may arise when using GenAI tools such as Ideogram for creative purposes. How could GenAI base creative processes through trends that may affect users expectations and capabilities in digital design? What would be the best practice to ethically and effectively interact with such tools? We hope to deepen our understanding of GenAI’s current landscape and provide richer context and guidance for future users of Ideogram.

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Research

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     Understanding the potential and the ethical responsibilities of using Ideogram requires highlighting the research our instruction set is based on to how these technologies function and impact users. One of the key strengths of Ideogram is its unique ability to render high-quality text-based graphics, an essential feature for applications like logo design. In the article, Ideogram AI: A Leap Forward in Text Infused AI Imagery, the author compares Ideogram to a similar application called “Midjourney” that encompasses similar attributes to graphic design. In comparison, Ideogram is “a more versatile tool… who require reliable text generation… brand logos, adding captions…” (Steele, 2023). This technical advancement allows greater flexibility and professional potential for users but also raises questions about transparency and originality. Steele points out, there are inconsistencies of “issues with rendering” and “Ideogram is not licensed for commercial use” (Steele, 2023), which can create conflict for users trying to market their businesses or work. However, Ideogram is evolving through the new advances of AI, and these may change in the near future. It sets a reminder of why ethical awareness is important when using Ideogram for commercial or public-facing content.

 

     The growing accessibility of GenAI tools also calls attention to their ethical implications. In the thesis on AI in Graphic Design: Here to Help or Replace Us?, Rodriguez (2024) warns that the growing use of AI has created “the challenge to find opportunities in fields of art and design,” when in fact, copyright and intellectual property risks persist (p. 23). They further argue that “there could be a decline in job opportunities” with tasks later “automated by online AI-driven design platforms” (Rodriguez, 2024, p. 24). These insights are directly relevant to our instruction set, as new users of Ideogram, especially those creating business logos or marketing materials, need to understand both the creative opportunities and the ethical boundaries of their designs, in order for AI to not set limitations in their creativity and vision.

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     Finally, in the thesis of Buryk and Holubets (2023), Successful Cases of Branding Through Graphic Design: Analysis of Specific Cases Where Graphic Design Influenced Brand Success, discusses the importance of not emphasizing visuals but “a visual language that communicates brand values and fosters emotional connections with audiences” (Buryk & Holubets, 2023, p. 29) which helps users grasp a relationship to ethically using AI and their ways of critical thinking to produce a product. They further emphasize, “The success of modern brands increasingly depends on… graphic design to reflect the brand’s core identity and adapt… diverse media platforms” (Buryk & Holubets, 2023, p. 31). Our instruction set reflects this philosophy, encouraging users to remix prompts and explore different settings within Ideogram to build both technical skill and creative confidence.

Our research has deepened our understanding of the complex use of GenAI for designs and ethical practices for users to approach tools like Ideogram. They remind us that technical advances must be accompanied by ethical literacy, and that learning is best supported when instructions promote exploration and critical engagement. Our instruction set, therefore, is designed not only to teach technical proficiency but also to foster responsible and reflective use of GenAI in graphic design.

 

Conclusion

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     Exploring the ethics, trends, and learning practices surrounding Ideogram, we wanted to showcase both the opportunities and challenges that accompany this application. The central questions guided us to examine how issues of data privacy, copyright, and user agency are shaping the use of AI-driven graphic tools. We also uncovered how current trends in GenAI like increasing customization, improved user interfaces, and enhanced prompt-based design, are expanding creative processes while requiring more thoughtful user engagement. In our instruction set, we highlighted the importance that while Ideogram offers an accessible way to create high-quality graphics, it is imperative to approach its use to understand the tool’s capabilities and its limitations. Using AI should guide decisions about image creation, like commercial logo design or public-facing media, instead of projecting it as a final product of design. Furthermore, users should think critically about how AI content is produced, learning not only how to manipulate settings for better results but also how to have creative outputs align the practice and personal values to execute an authentic product. As users read and apply the instructions on our website, we encourage them to view these guidelines not as a fixed formula, but as an adaptable framework informed by both current research and ongoing reflection on the role of GenAI in creative work. By doing so, they will be better equipped to use Ideogram and other similar tools in ways that are both innovative and responsible.