Incorporating AI tools into our design workflow.

Issue
AI tools have shifted from speculative ideas to vital assets for creative teams. For Premier Inn’s in-house studio, the challenge was integrating AI into workflows without sacrificing creativity, quality, or team wellbeing. This was about enabling smarter, more innovative creative production to remain agile and competitive – not just speeding up delivery.

Insight

People, not tools, drive change. While AI promised speed and innovation, its success relied on team trust and usability. Adoption required more than functionality; it had to feel intuitive, relevant, and empowering. For AI to be effective, the team needed to embrace it as a creative partner, not just a tool.

Idea

We began with a structured rollout, auditing workflows for inefficiencies – research, scoping, prototyping, and production – where AI could add value. With clear goals to save time, boost creativity, and improve consistency, I assessed tools for copywriting, design, and automation that would integrate smoothly.

We selected intuitive tools to facilitate confident team adoption. I presented the rollout as an opportunity: workshops, demos, and pilot projects encouraged the team to experiment and help shape how AI fit our work. The goal was to embed AI as a collaborator, not a replacement.

Key Tools:
Grammarly accelerated copy development and produced high-quality writing for creative rationales, audience segmentations, and communication matrices.

Photoshop with Firefly transformed visual workflows, enabling designers to produce high-quality scamps, storyboards, concept art, environments, and final visuals with greater speed, consistency, and creative independence.

ChatGPT served as a creative co-pilot for briefing, ideation, and insight generation. Prompt engineering sessions helped develop sharper concepts, boost confidence, and scale content production with accuracy and originality.

Impact

AI-enhanced creativity, freeing time for deeper thinking and higher-quality outputs. It is now fully integrated into our workflow – central to how we think, create, and innovate as a studio.