Mastering Generative AI from Scratch

Chapter 7: “Drawing with Words”

It had been exactly one month since Ivy joined the company.

The morning meeting was buzzing with ideas for the upcoming social media campaign. Their client, a trendy eco-lifestyle brand, wanted a fresh visual direction — something vibrant, modern, and unlike anything they'd seen before.

“We could explore something new this time,” the creative director suggested. “What if we tried using AI-generated visuals for the concept draft?”

Ivy blinked. “Wait… AI-generated visuals? Like… computers drawing?”

Derek, sitting beside her, smirked slightly. “You’ll see.”

Later that afternoon, Derek waved Ivy over to his desk. “Let me show you something.”

On his screen, a sleek interface displayed a prompt bar and a few thumbnails of surreal, dreamlike images. “This is DALL·E. It turns text into images.”

“No way,” Ivy whispered, watching him type:

“A futuristic city floating in the sky, soft sunset lighting, cinematic atmosphere, ultra-realistic.”

Within seconds, four images materialized.

“That’s insane,” Ivy said, eyes wide. “It’s like painting with thoughts.”

Derek laughed. “Exactly. The better your words, the better your visuals. Think of it as drawing with language.”

Derek invited her to try. “Give it a go — something related to our campaign.”

Ivy hesitated, then typed:

“A young woman standing in a lush green park, holding a reusable bottle, sunny afternoon, friendly tone, minimal style.”

The result stunned her. The mood matched their brand vibe perfectly. She tried another, tweaking it:

“Flat illustration style, same scene, pastel color palette.”

Different look, same core idea. And yet, completely created through words.

“It’s like giving visual directions to an invisible designer,” she said.

“That’s a great way to put it,” Derek nodded. “And the more precise your prompt, the more control you have. Designers can use this to brainstorm. Marketers like us can use it to prototype moodboards. It’s not about replacing — it’s about accelerating.”

Over the next few hours, they created three image sets using AI — each reflecting a different theme for the campaign. Ivy curated the visuals into a clean deck and sent it to the creative team.

At the end of the day, her inbox pinged.

“Nice job on the visuals, Ivy,” the creative director had replied. “Let’s explore the pastel set further for next week’s pitch.”

As she shut her laptop, Ivy couldn’t stop thinking about the process.

She used to believe creativity started with sketching, painting, or design software. But now, she realized — it could also begin with a single sentence.

She wasn’t just learning to use AI. She was learning to communicate through it.