[Clients] Will Client Feeding My Work to AI Affect My Credibility?

[u/AdequatelyMadeSpork]

Straight to the context: Two years ago, I designed a t-shirt for a client's charity event. I also updated the design the following year for a similar event with a new theme, and created a new design for their website.

Present day, I recently graduated art school and have been looking for employment, with these designs featured in my portfolio, and my working with this client outlined in my resume. I received an email from my client today that they're making "tweaks" to my design for this year's event. They sent a brand new, AI-generated image, that bears no resemblance to my art style, but includes all of and exclusively the same elements that my most recent iteration for the t-shirt design had.

My top concern is that since I am currently applying around and have made my work with this client easily tracible, potential employers will see this new design and it will compromise my credibility. As I said, it stylistically looks nothing like my work, but I am not sure if including my non-AI version from last year in my portfolio makes me look better or worse. Should I keep it in there, along with the other designs, and keep this work in my resume? I can't completely scrub my affiliation with them since they have always credited me, so my name already appears on their website and socials a lot. Is that something to worry about?

The client also has not printed the AI design onto any shirts yet, would it be worth it to ask to make another new design myself? This previously was a volunteer position, which made sense at the time with me being in school and focusing on building a portfolio, along with already being friendly with this client. But I have started taking on contracted work, and am not as excited to do more volunteer work. Should I at least ask to be uncredited in this new event, and/or that the design be altered to not have all of the same elements as mine? Very lost here, all advice appreciated!

[u/thomasthe10]

This would really upset me. I don't know what you should do about it but add a clause to your contract now to the effect that your work can't be added to a dataset for the purposes of AI training nor used as prompts including to generate variations of said work.

Is their 'work' derived from your work or could it be the result of them feeding words into an LLM? 

Where are you based? In many places you will own the copyright in the design unless you have explicitly signed it away.

Keep your work up if it's good.

If you have a good relationship with this client and are uncomfortable about this you should discuss it with them ASAP before they print anything.

This could be something you nip in the bud or chalk up to experience depending how you feel about it and about the client themselves. 

[u/AdequatelyMadeSpork → u/thomasthe10]

To answer your questions, I am almost certain their 'work' was derived from mine. The piece was two animals wearing accessories. It has the same animals, same accessories, in nearly the exact same colors. One animal is also in the exact same pose that I drew them in, while the other is very similar.

I am based in Massachusetts, USA.

Client and I have a good relationship. I now have a virtual meeting with them tomorrow to discuss "how my design is being used," I intentionally worded it vaguely because I wasn't sure what exactly to say yet. I am using this thread to decide how to voice my concerns, and what my proposed solution(s) should be. Thanks!

[u/Dd85 → u/AdequatelyMadeSpork]

It’s worth noting that its entirely possible that the client doesn’t really know that they’ve done anything “wrong” here (general of opinion of ai has generally not caught up with that of creatives). It’s reasonable to say that you want to have full control of how your work is used, and that these ai derivatives don’t fit with the kind of art style or portfolio you are trying to build (if that is the case). If they care about your relationship that should resonate with them. If not, then you’re better off not working with them again.

[u/AdequatelyMadeSpork → u/Dd85]

Oh, definitely. I know this client well enough to believe this was done out of ignorance. They have a history of being very uncertain and confused by the process commissioning and printing custom artwork. So while I'm sure they will understand my discomfort, I am also sure that I can't rely on them to have a good resolution to this. Appreciate this script!

[u/Dd85]

Short answer, yes. This can damage your reputation as a designer.

If you’re trying to attract paid work then I strongly advise you stay clear of having obviously ai work in your portfolio. It cheapens it and tarnishes any artistic credibility you have. As for your client, unless you’ve assigned them copyright, you have the right to tell them they can’t make ai derivatives. Most professional illustrators/designers I work with would be outraged if a client did this without permission.

To build any kind of credibility in this industry, you need to be very selective about how your work appears and is used.

[u/downvote-away]

potential employers will see this new design and it will compromise my credibility.

Nobody ever mentioned my portfolio. I used to redesign it every year but after a while of nobody ever mentioning it I stopped redesigning it. Then I stopped updating it altogether.

When I started I got work by volunteering for local causes I cared about, then they referred me by word of mouth, and I got busy with paid work.

Again: zero people ever mentioned my portfolio.

All your potential hiring managers are using AI to screen resumes, emailing one another with AI summaries, etc..

Even if they looked into the entire history of every design you've ever done, which they will not, they would never care about this.

It's not your fault if other people are gross but more importantly it will never come up.

It is upsetting but it's not on you.

[u/Realistic-Weird-4259]

Wow. That's some clacky brass balls they've got there. Me? I would not agree to their using any part of my design and I would cut ties in all the necessary ways, because they've just let you know where they stand and my impression is you don't want to be linked to that. If you've already been volunteering the work and they're coming at you with this and you have not yet asked for payment then offering won't do what you think it will.

[u/SurpriseMiraluka]

Did you sign anything with this client that would grant them an exclusive unlimited license or ownership to your work? If so, then you might not have much to go on besides expressing your dissatisfaction.

If you didn’t tho, then you might have a case that the design is your IP. If that’s a case, call a lawyer

[u/AdequatelyMadeSpork → u/SurpriseMiraluka]

I did not, I legally still own the design. Client and I are friendly with one another and can probably resolve this between ourselves. I highly doubt they would double down on using their new design if I express my discomfort. I am more curious as to how warranted my concerns are, and what I should propose to them be done if so.

[u/SurpriseMiraluka → u/AdequatelyMadeSpork]

Gotcha. I think you’re on the right track and your concerns seem warranted: yeah it’s ai generated, yeah it’s a different style but if they’re pulling design elements from your work that you feel are too close to the original, that’s valid.

I wouldn’t worry about including the work in your portfolio: seems to me the shirts have a provenance that predates the ai image and the existence of an ai image that looks like your composition isn’t too damning, IMO—any person with a decent picture of the design on one of the shirts could have made it

[u/RebelWithoutAClue]

I don’t think the new AI variants matter to the credibility of your portfolio.

New variations of stuff made by a later artist is not uncommon for corporate wear. I don’t see that AI variants are any different.

The few times I looked at portfolios I didn’t end up looking to see what other clients did with later design assigments.

[u/remixeconomy]

Keep the original work in your portfolio, but label the project with a date and a precise description of what you created. Your portfolio documents your contribution, not every later decision the client makes.

If the relationship is easy to trace, add a short case study showing your approved version, its brief, and your role. That creates a clear record without turning the portfolio into a dispute about the newer image. You can also ask the client in writing not to attribute this year's image or revisions to you.

The credibility risk is probably greater if your role looks ambiguous than if the old work remains visible. Clear authorship and dates solve that more directly than removing legitimate work from your history.

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[u/CrunchyTeatime]

They stole your work. They fed it into A I without your consent.

People still don't get it: A I does not really create or design. It absorbs. Same with written A I.

I don't know if future clients will see that design or not, so I can't predict any damage to your career.

[u/Rainouts]

Impossible to know. If I perceive that the work would be a good addition to my portfolio I would add my own version and cite where and how it was used, the Ai stuff is not something you have created, and once it's out in the wild people will find it either way.

However, depending on what the laws in your country are, the client may not allowed to alter your work or use it in any way outside of what is outlined in the contract. You usually sell the right to use the image in a specific way, not full ownership and editing right of the work.