Do packaging designers find AI-generated concepts helpful when working with small CPG brands?
I work on the sourcing and supply chain side of CPG, not in design, and I’m curious how packaging designers here feel about something we’ve been seeing more often. A lot of the smaller brands we work with don’t have an in-house designer yet. They may know roughly what they want — “clean but playful,” “premium but not luxury,” “something that looks natural” — but have a hard time communicating it visually. Lately, we’ve been suggesting they use AI only as an early concept/visualization tool. For example, they might generate 10–20 rough packaging concepts, figure out which colors, layouts, bottle/box styles, typography direction, etc. they actually like, and then give those references to a professional designer. The designer still does the real work: rebuilding everything properly, combining ideas, creating the dieline, typography, hierarchy, regulatory information, print specifications, materials, finishes, and ultimately making sure the packaging can actually be manufactured. From the sourcing side, I’ve actually found this useful because once the designer gets involved, the client can communicate what they want much more clearly than just saying “make it look premium.” But I’m curious about the designer’s perspective. Would you rather receive a few AI-generated concepts from a small-business client as visual references, or does that actually make your job harder? And if a client is going to use AI during the ideation stage, what would you want them to understand before bringing those concepts to a packaging designer?