From Designer to Creative Director: Branding in the AI Era

What happens when a creative agency embraces AI—and discovers that faster production is only part of the story? In episode 15 of Intelligence Resources, Samantha and Brittany welcome Kaycee Zabko, CEO and Creative Director of Tampa-based BayEdge Media, to discuss how AI is changing branding, design, and the business of running a creative agency. Kaycee shares her journey from reluctant adopter to hands-on experimentation, explains why her team combines AI-generated assets with traditional design tools, and describes how a brand’s personality, purpose, and visual identity shape better results. The conversation covers pricing, client expectations, inconsistent logos, subscription costs, and why designers increasingly need to think like creative directors. Plus, Kaycee shares a moving personal story about creating an illustrated children’s book with AI to help her young children understand the loss of their family dog. In this episode: • Why generic AI output often misses a brand’s identity • How Claude, ChatGPT, Figma, and traditional design tools fit into an agency workflow • Why AI can save time on one project and expand the ambition of another • How clear communication helps creatives direct AI • What changing tools mean for training, hiring, and client relationships • How Bay Edge Media is developing its Brand BIOS approach Subscribe to Intelligence Resources for real stories from people using AI in their businesses, and tell us: Where has AI improved your creative process—and where do you still need a human eye? Chapters 00:00 Welcome to Intelligence Resources, Episode 15 00:20 Meet Kaycee Zabko and Bay Edge Media 01:57 From AI Skeptic to Hands-On Experimentation 04:54 Why Design Experience Still Matters 06:07 Brand DNA: Giving AI More Than Colors and a Logo 07:41 When AI-Generated Client Briefs Create More Work 10:01 Websites, Apps, and Bay Edge Media’s Development Team 11:24 Technical Expertise and Website Security 13:03 How AI Is Changing Agency Pricing 14:29 Faster Setup, More Time for Design 16:20 Keeping Designs Editable: Figma and Adobe 18:14 Tool Fatigue, Testing, and Training a Creative Team 21:35 Inconsistent Logos, Product Mockups, and AI Credit Costs 23:30 Building in Pieces: Combining AI with Design Tools 26:16 Giving AI Context for Each Client’s Brand 27:42 Balancing Turnaround, Quality, and Client Expectations 28:41 Does AI Save Time—or Lead to Bigger Ideas? 30:24 Creative Resistance and Reviewing AI Output 31:33 Spotting AI-Generated Images 32:45 Why Designers Need to Become Creative Directors 35:45 Communication, Visualization, and Better Prompting 38:23 Brand Context and a Conversation-Based Workflow 40:15 AI Obsession, Burnout, and Side Projects 41:38 Hiring Designers in the AI Era 44:47 Knowing Your Value as the Tools Improve 46:32 AI Video, Higgsfield, and Planning Before Generating 48:34 Small-Team Agility and Corporate AI Adoption 51:29 AI Policies, Sensitive Data, and Financial Boundaries 55:20 Using Claude to Support Ongoing Learning 56:27 Bay Edge Media’s Brand BIOS Approach 58:55 WordPress, Website Builders, and Custom Branding 01:01:55 A Personal Story: Creating a Book After Losing a Family Dog 01:04:59 Where to Find Kaycee and Closing Thoughts #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #GraphicDesign #Branding #CreativeDirector #ClaudeAI #ChatGPT #AIDesign #AIArt #SmallBusiness #MarketingAgency #Entrepreneurship #Figma #AITools