I used AI to create a packaging design and here’s the results

I recently decided to take the plunge and see if Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help me create a packaging design from scratch. As a lifelong bubble tea lover, I thought why not give it a shot and try creating my own fictional bubble tea packaging?

To do this, I decided to use Dalle-E, an AI tool that enables designers to create AI-generated designs. With only 25 credits at my disposal, I knew I had to try and get it right the first time. So, I set about experimenting with different prompts, attempting to figure out what worked best for me and the kind of outcome I was hoping to achieve.

The Start

Being a total newbie, I entered “Bubble tea packaging design” into the Dalle-E text-to-image prompt and generated 2 results.

The Initial Result

I was wholly unprepared for what I encountered – perhaps my optimism led me to overestimate how quickly artificial intelligence could whip up an exquisite cup of bubble tea with a stunning label. To continue, I began entering words that related to the idea of bubble tea, “refreshing label design on a bubble tea cup”…. With enthusiasm and finesse, I set off on an adventure.

The Second Round of Results

This time, the outcomes are far better than before! I attribute this success to me providing the AI with context about “label on a bubble tea cup”. Still, these results leave me feeling unable to move forward in my design project. As such, I must rethink and approach this challenge from a different angle.

Time to Rethink – Knowing what you want, before using the AI.

I determined that Artificial Intelligence wouldn’t assist with my design concept, so I’ve got to decide the creative direction I’m after. My bubble tea brand needs to be fun and quirky, so perhaps it’s time to have AI generate imagery that reflects this desired outcome. Let’s make it captivating! These are some visuals that I think will suit my brand direction “Swimming in bubble tea”.

The Third Round of Results

I can feel that it is getting closer to my creative direction. Now I want to get the whale to get out of the cup, I want the visual to show the whale swimming in a pool of water filled with bubbles. Maybe I can play around with the prompt, this time I am going to use “Cute whale swimming in a pool of water filled with black bubbles“, fingers crossed!

Fourth Round of Results

Feeling confident, I generated 4 results with the prompt “Cute whale swimming in a pool of water filled with black bubbles“. I am okay with the whales but there are little to none “black bubbles” in the results. I must somehow improve the results, so far I have already used 11 out of my 25 credits on Dalle-E.

Planning my next step

After doing some research, the black jelly-like balls are actually black tapioca pearls (boba pearls). So maybe I should try “Cute whale swimming in a pool of water filled with black tapioca pearls” for my next prompt.

Getting really close! – Fifth round of results

Using the prompt “black tapioca pearls” instead of “bubbles” worked. I am quite happy with the results, with 9 more credits left I should generate a few more results by choosing one of the images and generating more variations of it.

More variations

Ok, now that I have enough illustrations to choose from, it is time to stop generating more images and time to do some labeling work on it.

Bringing AI results to your canvas

There is still some work to be done to complete the bubble tea label. From laying out the graphics to creating your brand logo. The label is free for download over here.

Transferring it to a packaging mock-up

To wrap it up,  a great mockup is really important. For this, we are using the bubble tea takeaway cup mock-up from Packreate. The result is quite outstanding.

Conclusion

My experiment certainly taught me a lot. Not only did it help me realize how powerful AI can be, but it also gave me valuable insight on how to effectively use tools like Dalle-E for designing purposes. However, AI is not everything. You will need a creative mind and experience to know what creative or art direction you will be taking so don’t worry, AI will not take all of your jobs.

Needless to say, I would most definitely recommend AI tools for any designer looking to improve and accelerate their workflow.