Craeve & Co.
Website Design & Direction
Website Design
Graphic Design
Completed at
Craeve & Co.
Date
2023-25
Role
Creative Director & Designer
Designing for Creativity: How We Made AI Art Simple & Fun
Imagine you have an idea for a sticker—but no design skills. Enter Generate, a tool that lets you create artwork with AI for free. The catch? AI can be unpredictable, and most people don’t know where to start. How do you make a complex tool feel effortless? How do you turn hesitation into excitement? That was our challenge: to design a frictionless, fun, and foolproof experience that let anyone—yes, anyone—create something they loved.
We dove into research. Why do people struggle with AI art tools? The answers were clear:
Blank screens are intimidating. People freeze up when faced with an empty prompt bar.
Too many choices lead to frustration. Users needed structure, not chaos.
A personal touch keeps people engaged. If it doesn’t feel fun, they won’t stick around.
So we built the experience around guidance, playfulness, and control—helping users feel empowered, not overwhelmed.
Our strategy? Meet people where they are. Instead of making users guess how AI works, we showed them:
A suggested prompt right in the text box. No overthinking, just type and go.
Pre-set styles—all featuring Sticker Mule’s signature mule—so users could instantly see how different effects changed their art.
A simple breadcrumb trail so users could refine, remix, and explore without losing progress.
The goal wasn’t just functionality—it was confidence. Every design choice was made to keep users moving forward.
We had just one day to bring this to life. The design had to be crystal clear:
Users got four AI-generated options based on their prompt.
They could pick their favorite, upscale it, and remaster it for more refinement.
Every step was saved, so they could always backtrack and try again.
At any point, they could download their design or order stickers instantly.
No confusion, no dead ends—just seamless creativity from start to finish.
The project was never developed, but within the design team? It was a hit. People loved how it made AI feel approachable, intuitive, and fun—and how it seamlessly tied into Sticker Mule’s core business. Had it gone live, it could have boosted sales while giving users a reason to keep coming back.
Here’s the big takeaway: Great design makes the complex feel simple. AI is powerful, but if users feel lost, they’ll walk away. This project proved that with the right design, even the most advanced tech can feel effortless.
And the best part? We did it in a day. When you focus on clarity, playfulness, and user confidence, you can create something people actually want to use—fast.
