Designing BS99: Part 1 – A Logo Shaped by Human and AI
You may or may not have noticed, but a new logo has recently made its way onto the website. And behind it lies an interesting story, one that perfectly embodies the collaboration between human creativity and artificial intelligence.
This journey began with a discussion between me and Jing Fei Wang. I had originally initiated the logo design process last year, but we both believed that a more professional and elegant logo, one that truly encapsulates the essence of BS99, could still be achieved. Over time, we each developed our own versions, refining and iterating separately. By mid-February, we were close to finalizing the design. We set a deadline: Sunday, February 16th.
As I prepared to gather all our drafts for a final touch-up, a thought suddenly struck me, should we involve AI?!
On a whim, I opened Copilot and started feeding it prompts from the bottom of my heart. If you’re familiar with AI-generated graphic design (Copilot, at least), you know that it’s still in its early stages (just my opinion!). The results are often rough, sometimes even childlike. But every now and then, AI produces something unexpectedly inspiring.
There was one major limitation: Copilot couldn’t refine its own designs. Every attempt generated something entirely new. Still, I found moments of brilliance in its outputs. I saved three screenshots of designs that sparked my interest. And then it hit me, despite being raw and incomplete, one of these AI-generated concepts was more compelling than any of our human designs. That was the turning point!
The final logo you see here is the result of this fusion – human refinement built upon AI inspiration.
The Meaning Behind the Logo
At its core, the logo integrates the letters “B” and “S” into a brain-like shape, drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese 纹样 (decorative patterns) that have been refined over thousands of years. These patterns reflect the aesthetic sensibilities of generations of Chinese designers. Yet, our logo is also modern and enigmatic, symbolizing the ongoing exploration of human cognition and the mysteries of the brain.
As for the colors, the orange highlight on “99” is a playful yet intentional touch. It’s a gentle reminder not to overthink and let your brain spin too fast! The background, whether round or square in deep blue, remains a point of friendly debate between Jing and me. Jing prefers the round version, which is now published on the website, but I still have a soft spot for the square one.
And that, perhaps, is the most striking difference between human and AI design: humans have subjective opinions, personal preferences, and even cognitive biases. We agree, we disagree, and we see beauty in both.
So, do you like the final design?
