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Amp’d Designs’ AI Policy: what I do and do not use AI for when collaborating with you

Last update: August 24, 2026

Next scheduled review: October 2026

No human brains were harmed in the making of your designs.

🧠

No human brains were harmed in the making of your designs. 🧠

When you work with Amp’d Designs, you’re working with a human being.

I want you to know that I take your investment in design services very seriously. I’m not in the business of selling you work that was created by a robot and passing it off as custom.

I’m the right designer for you if you value genuine human connection, critical thinking, and using our brains to communicate and create.

I don’t use AI to design for you. (That’s what my 10+ years of experience, design degree, and honed skill set are for.) There are some instances where I utilize AI to aid separate parts of our process, and these are outlined below.

When I do use AI, it’s used responsibly as a supplement to other tools that I’m already using for similar purposes (such as Google, Pinterest, and community forums). By integrating it selectively, I’m able to spend more of my human brain power on the important custom design that you’re investing in, and AI becomes a positive asset that enhances your experience and results.

During our process, there are also certain tasks on your end that I ask you to refrain from using AI for.

These are outlined below. In general, when we work together, our contract forbids clients from uploading my design work or proofs to AI tools for any purposes, including to provide feedback or mock up requested edits.

Your use of AI for your own business communications and writing is ultimately your decision. However I request that you refrain from using generative AI to write emails to me. You will have a better experience and your project will be more successful when we are both speaking human-to-human.

What I don’t use AI for:

Graphic design

I design everything myself, using my own brain and hands and computer mouse and keyboard. I use the Adobe software for branding and graphic design, Squarespace and Shopify to build websites, and occasionally other software like Canva to produce specific types of projects.

Communicating with you

I do not use the AI tools provided by my email platforms to generate email responses to you. If you’re reading an email from me, I wrote it personally to you. On rare occasions I my use AI tools to review or edit emails, only after I’ve written a first draft myself.

Pretty much all of my marketing writing

For the most part, all writing is my own original writing. I write my blog posts, newsletters, social media posts, YouTube scripts, and event presentations entirely myself. I wrote my website copy, with support from copywriter Theresa Sullivan of Little Flame Creative. My content is my original thoughts and opinions.

What I do use AI for:

Design mockups

I occasionally use AI to adjust or enhance design mockups that showcase your design deliverables.

A design mockup is a stock photo or image used to showcase what your design may look like in the “real world.” For example, during a branding presentation, I may show your logo mocked up on a photo of a coffee mug or t-shirt. (Mockups are used throughout my branding portfolio here.)

I may use AI tools when creating mockups, because the mockup is not what you’re investing in; the design on it is.

Here are a couple examples of instances where I may use AI with mockups:

  • To remove, replace, or recolor something in a mockup image in order to make the image better fit your brand design.

  • To generate lines of copy that enhance mockups. For example, I may use AI to generate taglines or phrases to use on a t-shirt mockup alongside your logo design.

Brainstorming

On occasion, I may use AI to brainstorm ideas during various stages of projects.

Outside of AI, my design process includes a research and inspiration phase. To help me come up with design concepts, I may Google things like, “what animals represent strength,” or “what does the color purple symbolize,” or I may use Pinterest to search for “modern, playful website designs.” (These are industry standard methods for design research and ideation, which I have always used in my process.)

Occasionally, I may use AI for similar types of brainstorming and research. For me, it is just another tool for inspiration that is quite similar to websites like Google and Pinterest for this use.

I may also use AI for brainstorming marketing and strategy ideas, for myself or for you. Again, this is a similar use case to Google for me. And, I’m a design expert, not a marketing expert, and you’re investing in design with me, not marketing campaigns.

Some writing that enhances your project

The most common use of AI writing arises during web design projects. When you invest in a website with me, you’re investing in web design and development, but not copywriting. Therefore, occasionally I may use AI to generate small bits of text for your website that are missing from your provided copy.

Here are a couple examples of instances where I may use AI with your website copy:

  • Generating headlines or subheads

  • Generating calls to action

  • Re-writing paragraphs for use on another page of your site

If you would prefer that I refrain from using AI in this way during your project, please let me know, and I’m happy to leave it out of the process entirely.

Code troubleshooting

As an alumni of Standout Squarespace*, I have robust knowledge of coding in Squarespace. Still, occasionally when I’m tripped up, I may use AI to troubleshoot and help write more complex bits of code for your website.

*Affiliate link

Third party platforms outside of our control

Some of the software that I use or that you interact with when working with me may integrate AI features that cannot be removed. Even if I do not personally utilize them, their presence is outside of my control.

Minimal bits of my marketing writing

As mentioned in the “What I don’t use AI for” section above, pretty much all of the writing on my website and throughout my marketing is completely original. Occasionally, I may use AI to help me write newsletter subject lines, structure YouTube video descriptions, name events, and structure event descriptions.

What I ask of you:

Go ahead and use AI for:

  • Writing copy, at your discretion. AI can be a helpful tool for copywriting (for your website or marketing content), particularly for brainstorming. However, please know that it cannot match the deep, intentional, personalized strategy, originality, quality, and brand personality that you’ll receive from working with a human copywriter.

    • Need a copywriter referral? I’m connected with a handful of incredible writers that can help with writing or editing.

  • Brainstorming ideas. Stuck on what to name your course? Need social media content ideas? Want lead magnet ideas? AI is great for generating ideas for this kind of stuff.

Please do not use AI for:

  • Providing feedback on your designs. Please do not feed your design proof into AI and ask it to give feedback. Most of the time it’s going to provide feedback that is totally irrelevant and ignorant to the deep strategy work we’ve done. And it’s going to force negative critique even if there is no need for it.

    • Instead: Please don’t worry about your feedback sounding perfect! You can share messy thoughts we me; there’s no judgment at all! I want to hear your genuine, personal opinions and observations.

    • Wondering why you shouldn’t do this? I wrote a blog post all about it here.

  • Filling out questionnaires. Most of the time, we’ll be having face-to-face conversations in place of pre-filled questionnaires. In the event that I do ask you to fill out a questionnaire at any stage of our work together, please don’t ask AI to do it for you.

    • Instead: Again, please don’t worry about sounding perfect! I want to hear your raw, original thoughts. No one can describe your business, goals, values, and brand better than you can. Not even a robot.

  • Editing a design proof to mock up the edits you want to see. I always want to hear your honest feedback and ideas, so please never worry that you can’t be open with me about what you want to see. That said, you’re hiring me as your design expert, which means I take your ideas into consideration alongside strategy and best practices, and all of those things combined impact design decisions. Respectfully, if you’re looking for a designer who will take exactly what you want to see and simply recreate it, I’m not the designer for you.

    • Instead: If you’re having trouble articulating what’s on your mind, please let me know and we can schedule a phone or video call to talk through it.

  • Please note that our contract prohibits you from uploading my work or design proofs to AI tools for any purpose.

If you ever have any questions about how AI may be used in conjunction with your design project, or would like to request that it is not used in any of the above-listed cases during your project, please do not hesitate to let me know.