When AI Isn’t Quite Up to the Job
Artificial Intelligence has become one of the biggest talking points in the creative industry. Every week there’s a new tool promising to generate stunning artwork, write compelling content, or replace hours of design work with the click of a button.
As designers, we’re always keen to explore new technology. AI is an incredible tool, and when used well it can speed up workflows, spark new ideas and help visualise concepts much faster than ever before. But every now and then a project comes along that reminds us there really is no substitute for experience, creativity and a designer’s eye.
That was certainly the case when our new client, Urban Interiors, approached us with an exciting project for Jarrolds of Norwich.
A Vision Inspired by Norfolk
Urban Interiors had developed a wonderful concept for a feature wall within The Pantry Café, located in Jarrolds’ Cornerstone Store in the heart of Norwich.
The brief was beautifully simple. Create a large-scale mural that celebrated the beauty of Norfolk using a soft watercolour style. The design would feature the iconic Norfolk Broads, elegant sailing boats, traditional windmills and local wildlife. Overlaying the artwork would be a map of Norfolk complete with three-dimensional location markers highlighting destinations across the county.
At an impressive eight metres wide and 1.6 metres high, this wasn’t just another graphic, it would become a real centrepiece for visitors enjoying the café.
AI Gets the Ball Rolling
Using AI image generation, Vicky created the first concept for the mural. The results were genuinely impressive.
Within minutes, AI had transformed an idea into something visual that captured the overall atmosphere and artistic direction perfectly. It provided an excellent starting point and helped everyone involved quickly see the vision coming to life.
However, as often happens with AI-generated artwork, the closer we looked, the more the cracks began to appear.
While the image looked fantastic on screen, it simply wasn’t suitable for printing at the enormous size required. Important details became soft, repeated patterns started appearing throughout the landscape, and many of the tell-tale AI artefacts became increasingly obvious once enlarged.
For a premium installation inside one of Norwich’s most recognisable department stores, “good enough” simply wasn’t good enough.
Time for the Professional Tools
This is where years of design experience really came into play.
We brought the AI artwork into Adobe Photoshop and began rebuilding it into something suitable for large-format print. Using Photoshop’s advanced upscaling technology alongside Content-Aware Fill, we were able to dramatically increase the image quality while preserving the delicate watercolour feel.
Yes, Photoshop now includes AI-powered features too, but there’s an important distinction. These tools don’t replace the designer; they simply give us better brushes to work with.
The real work was in carefully reviewing every section of the artwork. We removed repeated details, repainted areas that looked unnatural, refined textures and ensured the composition flowed naturally across the full eight metres.
Finally, we adjusted the design to accommodate the café’s lighting pelmet so that no important elements would disappear once the mural was installed.
By the time we’d finished, the artwork had evolved from an AI-generated concept into a professionally crafted piece of artwork ready for production.
The Human Touch Still Matters
Projects like this perfectly demonstrate where AI fits into modern design.
It’s fantastic for brainstorming, exploring styles and generating concepts at remarkable speed. But when quality matters, especially for large-format print, branding or commercial installations, it still takes human creativity, technical expertise and attention to detail to achieve a truly professional result.
AI helped us get started.
Professional design got the project over the finish line.
Seeing the finished mural installed in The Pantry Café was incredibly rewarding. It’s a project that celebrates Norfolk, enhances a wonderful public space and proves that while AI is changing the creative industry, it works best when paired with the experience and craftsmanship of skilled designers.
Sometimes technology gives you the first draft. It’s the human touch that creates the final masterpiece.
