Something's Different About You

No, I didn't get a haircut.  I changed my logo.  It's gone from this:

to this:

But why?

Well, I thought the dog's head in the original representation was too small.  Or too AI.  Maybe both.  Or maybe just too AI.

I jettisoned the idea of using AI-generated images in my content last year for various reasons:

• Though there's still an ongoing debate about the use of collective intellectual property in AI generation, and I'm willing to entertain reasonable arguments for its use, I'm pretty firmly entrenched in the camp of "using AI for creative works is, if not outright intellectual theft, it's at least intellectual frottage."  The counterargument is often - how is this any different from someone reading several books (even ones that they haven't paid for at a bookstore but read nonetheless on the down low, scurrying between aisles as the clerk chases them) and producing content they claim is their own that's derived from those works.  I guess it's different in the same way that one can breathe air freely, or one can derive a device that hoovers up an entire atmosphere into a gigantic space vacuum.  One is fair use.  One is decidedly malevolent. 
• I'm really not convinced that, ethical consideration above aside, that using GenAI for creative output is worth the resource churn.  I am deliberately parsing my words here, because I use GenAI machines for code completion and other last-mile style tasks, so I can't faithfully say that GenAI just isn't worth it for me.  If there's an area where they make sense, it's in these last-mile type tasks, where they save me time I'd spend looking up an API or double-checking spelling.  For creative endeavors cut from whole cloth - not so much.
• Though the realism has improved - even from the base models - the output is just generally, well, weird.  And even if it does become more realistic, do I really want to hoodwink people who are interested in my content by simply passing off content that isn't actually mine?

So, I practiced for a while to capture the essence of the original logo, because, despite its inherent AI-ness, it does capture the spirit of what I was originally looking for in a design.  But I also had the chance to add a few flourishes that the original logo missed:

• I was never super jazzed that the dachshund's eyes hovered above his sunglasses.  Previous prompt iterations made him look like he had two pairs of eyes.  Our brains can forgive a lot of mistakes, but humans have a hard time bonding with anything that typically has more than two eyes.  It's why we don't typically keep insects as pets.
• I've added a subtle nod to an iconic Chicago landmark in his face.  Can you spot it?
• I've also added cornflower blue accents to match my brand and remain Chicago-themed.  I changed the font from black to cornflower blue for visibility when users read against a dark background.  I still need to verify that the blue on white doesn't violate accessibility concerns, but it doesn't immediately scream eye strain.

The new logo, in aggregate, probably took me about 3-4 hours to create.  It's certainly not polished, but it's mine, and that's something to be proud of.  Now all I have to do is name him.

Until next time, my human and robot friends.