{"id":22703,"date":"2026-05-05T08:59:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T08:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/?p=22703"},"modified":"2026-05-05T09:01:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T09:01:53","slug":"presidents-post-may-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/presidents-post-may-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"President’s Post – May 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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President's Post - May 2026<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I\u2019m writing this in the middle of judging this year\u2019s New Zealand Sign & Display Awards of Excellence, and I\u2019ll be honest, I\u2019ve had to step away more than a few times just to clear my head.<\/p>

Not because it\u2019s been disappointing. Quite the opposite actually. This is the strongest body of work I think I\u2019ve ever seen, in all my years of competing and judging.<\/p>

The level of craftsmanship, the creativity, the finish\u2026 every year I wonder how it can possibly get any better, yet somehow, it always does. This year is no exception.<\/p>

There are pieces in there that genuinely make you stop and stare for a while, trying to work out how someone even pulled it off. And as an industry, that\u2019s something we should be incredibly proud of.<\/p>

But sitting alongside that, there\u2019s been another noticeable shift.
This is also the most AI-influenced set of entries I\u2019ve seen.
And that\u2019s where it gets interesting.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

When AI Is Used Well<\/h4>

Because not all of it is bad. In fact, some of it is really good.<\/p>

Some of the best entries clearly used AI as part of their process, not as the final outcome, but as a tool. And to be fair, some were pretty open about that too.<\/p>

You can see it in the thinking. Ideas pushed further, and explored wider then usual.
When used like that, AI can be quite impressive. It speeds things up and helps break that creative block.<\/p>

I\u2019ve used it myself for exactly that – organising thoughts, analysing things, improving workflows\u2026 I\u2019ve even built spreadsheets just by explaining what I\u2019m trying to achieve. And that\u2019s not replacing anything – that\u2019s just a great tool doing its job to help make us more efficient.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

When Everything Starts Looking the Same<\/h4>

But then there\u2019s the other side of it, a darker side. You start to notice patterns.
Similar styles, similar lighting, similar compositions, similar ideas \u2013 You know what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>

Things that look good at first glance, feel a bit hollow when you sit with them. And it\u2019s not just in award entries. You see it everywhere now, especially online.<\/p>

Every second social media post sounds the same. Same tone, same phrasing, same overcooked wording, same long dashes (M-dashes they are called apparently!).<\/p>

It\u2019s like we\u2019ve all been handed the same voice\u2026 and somewhere along the way, we started using it. And the truth is, no one actually talks like that, but that\u2019s what fills our feeds.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

What We Risk Losing<\/h4>

And I think that\u2019s why this conversation matters. Because the risk isn\u2019t just that AI changes how we work – It\u2019s that it slowly chips away at what makes our work ours.<\/strong><\/p>

Our judgement, our taste, our experience. And probably the biggest one – our voice.
Because in our industry, those things matter.<\/p>

We\u2019re not just pushing out signs. We\u2019re solving real problems, in real environments, for real people. We deal with scale, materials, durability, visibility and countless install conditions. All the stuff that doesn\u2019t show up on a screen. That real-world understanding. I believe that is where the value is.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cCan You Just Print This?\u201d<\/h4>

There\u2019s another layer to this as well – and it\u2019s happening more and more. Clients walking in with their AI-generated designs\u2026 expecting us to \u201cjust print it.\u201d Not just logos either, I\u2019m talking about fully \u2018designed\u2019<\/em> files.<\/p>

And it\u2019s a tricky one. Because you don\u2019t want to shut them down. They\u2019re engaging in the process. Some of them genuinely feel like they\u2019ve \u2018created\u2019 something special.<\/p>

But we all know, it\u2019s not that simple. Files aren\u2019t set up properly, concepts don\u2019t translate because the scale\u2019s off, the resolution\u2019s low, legibility, style, taste\u2026.<\/p>

And then there\u2019s the bigger question: If it doesn\u2019t work, whose name is on it?<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Drawing the Line<\/h4>

I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a one-size-fits-all answer here. But I do think, as business owners, we need to be clear on where we stand.<\/p>

Where do we draw the line? Are we a print-only service, taking whatever comes through the door? Or, are we professionals who guide, refine, and take ownership of the result?<\/p>

Do we charge to fix AI files? Or do we push back when something won\u2019t work, educate the client and bring them back through a proper design process?<\/p>

These conversations are only going to become more common. Better to decide your position now than figure it out on the fly. Decide where you sit on the matter, and make sure your team know too.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

A Good Place to Start\u2026 Not Finish<\/h4>

For me, I keep coming back to this: AI is a great place to start, but a dangerous place to finish.
It\u2019s brilliant for exploration, amazing for admin, and useful for momentum.<\/p>

But the final product – the thing that goes out into the world, with your name on it, that still needs you behind it.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

The Opportunity in All of This<\/h4>

Because here\u2019s the flip side. We\u2019re living in a world where everything is fake.
Perfect-looking images, polished words and endless variations. And yet, people are starting to crave something else. Something real.<\/p>

Something with thought and a good story behind it.
Something that\u2019s been made\u2026 not generated.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

What Stood Out<\/h4>

Which brings me back to the judges seat. The projects that have stood out so far, aren\u2019t just technically good. They felt real.<\/p>

You could see the thinking and the craftsmanship. The decisions that had been made along the way. You could feel that there was a person (or team) behind it who actually cared about the outcome.<\/p>

And in a world that\u2019s starting to feel more and more artificial\u2026 That\u2019s what cuts through.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Final Thought<\/h4>

So maybe that\u2019s the takeaway this month. Use AI, learn it, experiment with it.
But don\u2019t disappear behind it.<\/p>

Let it help you start, but make sure you\u2019re the one who finishes. Hold onto your voice. Stay true to your standards and help protect our craft.<\/p>

Because those things are becoming more valuable, not less. And if this year\u2019s awards are anything to go by \u2013 our industry is in pretty good shape.<\/p>

Bring on the Sign Awards. See you there.<\/p>

Logan Sutton
Creative Director \u2013 Future Grafix
President \u2013 NZ Sign & Display Association<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reflecting on the rising use of AI – for me, I keep coming back to this: AI is a great place to start, but a dangerous place to finish.
\nIt\u2019s brilliant for exploration, amazing for admin, and useful for momentum.<\/p>\n

But the final product – the thing that goes out into the world, with your name on it, that still needs you behind it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nzsda-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22703"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22707,"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22703\/revisions\/22707"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nzsda.org.nz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}