WHAT I S*W
Neighborhood Banners from the Data Centers
Jakarta, Indonesia
Around my neighborhood, posters and promo banners decorate the streets. They are the visual traces of small businesses doing what they can to be seen. These banners have a distinct style that feels approachable, cheap, and it also manages expectation of the product quality. They may break some design rules, but their charm is undeniable. Kitsch.
Every stall is trying to grab your attention, but some stood out to me like a sore thumb. They weren’t born here, but halfway across the continent in the whirring cold servers.
As a creative worker, my views are biased towards opposition. The uncomfortable part is that I understand why they chose it. If I were selling eggs and palm oil by the roadside, why would I spend money hiring a designer when I could just prompt and print the result 30 minutes later?
But outside creative circles, does this debate even matter? As long as the business name and information is clear, these posters have done their job. Fast. Frictionless. A taste of professional, polished design, skipping even the most affordable human made option. Who wouldn’t choose that?
Though still few and far between, their presence is steadily increasing. I expect more businesses will use Gen-AI posters in the future, rising as a new variable of design styles in the red ocean. What design tools are used doesn’t matter to a micro business, the important thing is their goods get sold. But to my eyes and many, Gen-AI posters feels generic and interchangeable. Put side by side, you’d think that they were from the same brand. In seeking perfection and convenience, we may also be erasing distinction.
Are there also many Gen-AI posters in your neighborhood? What are your views on this phenomenon?
Graphic Designer Jessica Kian observed the rise of Gen-AI posters from street vendors around her neighborhood in Poris, West Jakarta, and began to reflect on the use of AI in public spaces.
What I Saw is a photostory column where we share Southeast Asian culture through your eyes. Submit on bit.ly/WWStorySubmission to be featured.