The Monthly Mullet, November 2022

Guys, we got a FULL-SIZE CANDY BAR in our Halloween haul, and we’re riding that sugar high all the way through autumn. Here’s your monthly dose of marketing treats and Indy sweets.

Give us Liberty or give me death.

Over the last year, we’ve worked with the team at Liberty & 33rd to craft a beautiful e-commerce experience. From traditional sales and integrated bids, to dynamic pricing for their Trade Program, it’s never been easier for these furniture fanatics to broadcast their beautiful work to users across the globe.

But it wasn’t just sweet, sweet, design. Working to bring life to their designers was a pivotal part of our content strategy. Liberty & 33rd are masters of their craft. And now, thanks to a Kicks-built e-commerce platform, they’ve mastered the art of online retail. View the full project here.

Does AI-generated art have a role in marketing?

If you’re a denizen of the internet, you’ve probably run into the latest fad of AI-generated art. Just toss in a text prompt, and an artificial intelligence generates an image from scratch. For example, the gnarly image above is what we got when we asked a site called NightCafé for an “extreme cosmic emu battle.” Just like in our nightmares!

Kicks’ design lead Summer has a lot of thoughts about AI-generated imagery, and how it can fit into the modern marketing world. Here are some highlights:

Can you give us the 10,000-foot view of AI-generated art?

Basically these are websites where you can have a computer create an image based on a prompt you give it. You can either type in a text description or upload an image of your own for the AI to iterate from. From there, the AI dips into a database to give you something that matches your prompt.

Are you afraid of robots taking your job?

Nah. Every designer I’ve talked to is really excited to use AI as part of their creative process. I could see these websites becoming a useful tool in any designer’s kit, whether they work at an agency or not. It’s a great source of inspiration that’s unbiased from human thought.

Talk to us about using AI in the creative process.

Think of these generators as a brainstorm tool. If you’re designing a logo, toss it into the generator to see how the computer iterates on your sketches. It can spit out a bunch of different permutations that might spark a new idea for you.

What about using AI-generated art as a deliverable? 

I think we’re all tired of seeing the same poorly staged stock photos. AI-generated art gives you the opportunity to create something that’s truly unique and way more eye-catching than pulling something from iStock without eating up more hours to whip up an image from scratch.

What are the legal and ethical implications of using AI-generated art?

We’re sort of in the Wild West right now, but there’s not a lot of red tape legally speaking, at least for the time being. As we learn more about A.I. generated imagery, it's wise to be cautious of accidentally using significant parts of another artist's work. This new realm of A.I. imagery and deepfakes means we need to approach a lot of internet creations with skepticism and always give credit when possible. These fast-growing areas for content creation are exciting as we look to the future, but we have to be careful of how we utilize the power they offer.

So is this stuff really art?

Yup. There’s always going to be a debate about what constitutes art, especially when people think there “wasn’t enough effort put into it.” You hear that a lot about art styles like Dadaism and expressionism. But art isn’t about effort, it’s about the perception of value. And personally I see a lot of value in AI-generated art.

What’s on the horizon for AI-generated art?

We’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg right now. As AI gets more sophisticated, it’ll be hard to tell whether a person or a computer made an image. I don’t think that’s a bad thing — it’s going to make creating art a lot more accessible to a lot more people.

World Famous Hotboys

Hot girl summer is a distant memory — it’s time for hot chicken fall. If you haven’t tried out Fountain Square’s newest chicken sandwich joint, you’re missing out on a lot of pain for your taste buds and a lot of joy for your belly. It’s just a quick walk from our office, and a long, painful slog back with a gut full of sandos and krinkle kuts.

One time Josh ordered $80 worth of Guapo sandwiches, tenders and fries and it took him a week to eat it all. He was never the same man.

World Famous Hotboys is definitively our new go-to for the meat sweats, and for bitchin’ web design. Check out their website that looks ripped straight from the ‘90s — just make sure nobody’s using the landline before you hop on dial-up.

Kickin' it around Indy

Kangaroo Crossing at the Zoo — Long-time Indy residents will remember back in the ‘90s, when the Indianapolis Zoo let kangaroos wander around visitors willy nilly. The ‘roos are finally back after a 20-some-year vacation, and you can go meet them in their new fenceless enclosure.

Tonic Ball, Nov 18 — We hope you got your tickets for one of our favorite Fountain Square events! We’ll see you around the neighborhood, as FSQ’s top venues celebrate the music of Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Outkast and Taylor Swift.

Circle of Lights Lighting, Nov 25 — Huddle around the Circle downtown, and see the Monument get lit up like a Christmas tree. Don’t forget that whole “it’s legal to drink in public” thing, you’ll need a liquid sweater for the chilly evening.

Newfields Winterlights starting Nov 20 – If you haven't been to the Winterlights, do you live in Indy? Bundle up, grab a drink, and enjoy the mesmerizing display of lights.