As a comprehensive web-to-publish solution, ci-book™ offers numerous extensions that further support the central tasks in marketing as supplementary applications. One of these tasks is the design and creation of logos and signets for various publications.
LogoAI • Automated generation of logos as vector graphics by using GAN
At the beginning of 2023, d-serv GmbH and the University of Mannheim are pleased to present the result of their successful cooperation. The LogoAI project goes back to the Baden-Württemberg AI Innovation Competition announced in late summer 2021 as part of the initiative of the Ministry of Economics, Labour and Housing in Baden-Württemberg, which promotes the use of AI in SMEs with a total of 10 million euros. The aim of the initiative is for Baden-Württemberg to become an international leader in both research and the commercialisation of AI. The LogoAI concept presented was able to assert itself as an innovative project and won funding from the state of Baden-Württemberg.
The result of the cooperation between d-serv GmbH and the University of Mannheim is a user-friendly application that allows logos to be created in a simple, iterative process in which AI plays a decisive role.
At the beginning of the process, a user’s own photo can be imported, which is then transformed by an AI in several steps into an abstracted key visual for the new logo. This photo is first segmented by an AI in several instances. In the next step, the objects resulting from the segmentation are transferred into different key-visual proposals by an AI in the so-called »Image-to-Icon-Style«.
In parallel, several fonts are suggested based on previously defined brand and font attributes such as modern, classic, extravagant, playful or handwritten. The suggested or selectable fonts are taken from a database of classified and freely available fonts, which is also created using AI. The key visual and font are then combined to create a homogeneous logo. For this purpose, an AI creates the so-called »Saliency Map« for the respective key visual. The saliency map is a kind of heat map that shows which areas in an image are particularly striking or are perceived first by the human eye. The additionally created frames show possible positioning of lettering from which the preferred variant can be selected.
LogoAI is able to create a fully-fledged logo that can be used within the framework of corporate design for companies, products, services and corresponding marketing and communication measures. LogoAI takes on a core task in the design process, allowing users to act independently at numerous points in the design and creation of a logo; whether by selecting the photo or basic image for the AI-generated key visual, by defining brand and font attributes or in the final selection of a proposed variant.
The d-serv GmbH and the University of Mannheim are convinced that LogoAI will be helpful and useful in the field of design for numerous users with different levels of knowledge.
The d-serv GmbH and the University of Mannheim are very satisfied with the result of their cooperation and thank all participants for their excellent work. We look forward to future projects of this kind and are excited about the integration and use of LogoAI in the context of the »Logo Creator« application and as an optional component of the ci‑book™ web‑to‑publish solution.
