🏞️ Visual Consistency vs. Creative Ethics: Mindful Image Curation in the age of AI
In a recent portfolio project, I challenged myself to build a realistic branching scenario for nursing assessments, in a single day. I had planned to create custom visuals but quickly realized the timeline wouldn't allow it. That’s when I turned to Freepik... and then to AI image generation.
The results were almost too good. Fast, consistent, and exactly what I needed. But they also left me with lingering ethical concerns.
🎯 The Instructional Designer’s Visual Dilemma
If you’ve ever developed eLearning content, you know the pain of sourcing consistent visuals. One perfect illustration is easy enough to find. But multiple expressions, poses, and diverse representation? Nearly impossible.
✅ Custom visuals take time and budget
✅ Stock images rarely match
✅ AI offers speed, but at what cost?
This is where the tension begins for many instructional designers: the need to deliver high-quality, accessible content quickly, while also honoring the value of creative work.
🤖 When I Tried DALL-E for Visual Consistency
In my case, I needed a cartoon character showing symptoms of chest pain. After exhausting Pexels, Freepik, and Adobe Stock, I turned to DALL-E.
📌 Prompt: "Cartoon character set (of 9) showing varying levels of chest pain and symptoms, clutching chest, worried expression, flat colors, simplified anatomy."
In minutes, I had a full set of matching, stylized illustrations. Same character, different poses. Consistent visual design. It was exactly what I’d been struggling to find for hours.
I was thrilled…until the inner artist in me quickly shoved me into cognitive dissonance.
⚖️ The Ethical Pause: What AI Can’t Replace
As someone who values creative work, I started asking questions:
Are these AI-generated visuals trained on uncredited artist portfolios?
Would I have made this myself if I had the time?
Am I solving a design problem at the cost of someone else’s craft?
This moment made me rethink my visual workflow, not just for this project, but for how I approach visuals as an instructional designer moving forward.
✅ Practical Alternatives for IDs Who Value Ethics and Efficiency
After taking time to really reflect on my values as an ID and Artist, here’s how I’m adapting my process to balance quality, speed, and integrity:
✏️ Strengthening My Own Visual Design Skills
I'm intentionally leaning into my own design and illustration skills to reduce reliance on external or AI-generated assets. This has helped me work more efficiently, while also giving me creative control and reinforcing my visual brand as an instructional designer.
✅ Create reusable visual templates for buttons, characters, and layouts
✅ Explore new tools like Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, and Figma for sketching ideas
✅ Build a repository of my personal styles to maintain consistency across projects
✅ Invest time in learning basic character design and modular illustration principles
✅ Practice making visuals that support accessibility and clarity
As I continue to upskill, I'm finding that improving visual design not only helps me deliver stronger learning experiences, it also strengthens my overall value as an instructional designer.
👩🎨 A Non-Designer’s Path to Creating Custom Visuals
If you're not a designer by trade, don't worry, you can still create high-quality, consistent visuals using beginner-friendly tools. These platforms are especially helpful for building modular character sets and visual elements that can be reused across multiple learning assets:
Canva – Drag-and-drop visuals with access to templates, icons, and customizable characters
Vyond – Build animated or static characters with different expressions, outfits, and actions
Blush – Mix-and-match characters and illustrations, then export as PNG or SVG
Pixton – Comic-style avatars you can place into dialogue scenes or infographics
Storyset by Freepik – Illustrated character sets with editable components, great for educational themes
Humaaans – Modular character builder that works well in Figma for fully customizable characters
Adobe Character Animator – Animate characters with templates and motion tracking, no drawing required
Reallusion Cartoon Animator – Create 2D characters with swappable expressions, body parts, and accessories
✅ Customize a base character with expressions and outfits
✅ Duplicate it across screens to maintain consistency
✅ Organize your visuals into folders by category (e.g., emotion, action, scene)
✅ Reuse the same components across multiple projects to save time and boost branding
💡 Tips and Tools for Getting Started
Vecteezy Editor – A beginner-friendly vector editing tool that works in the browser.
Gravit Designer – Free design software for creating simple illustrations or UI elements.
Flaticon + Iconmonstr – Icon libraries where you can customize style and color for consistency.
Google Fonts + Fontpair – Tools to find clean, readable font combinations for learning content.
Here are some other ways a beginner designer can source images more ethically:
1️⃣ Build Long-Term Creator Partnerships
Instead of hopping from site to site, identify 2–3 illustrators whose styles align with your brand. You can commission small projects or build relationships that allow for consistent asset support.
2️⃣ Commission Reusable Style Guides
If you're working with a tight team or budget:
Start with 3–5 base illustrations
Ask for multiple poses or emotions
Negotiate licensing for edits and reuse
This saves time across future projects while supporting a real person’s creative practice.
3️⃣ Use Modular Asset Libraries
Sites like Creative Market or Envato Elements offer pre-made design kits:
✅ Mix-and-match character components
✅ Multiple facial expressions and accessories
✅ Consistent art style without AI use
These are fast, flexible, and fairer to the original creators.
⚠️ Using AI mindfully
At the same time, I'm not ignoring AI, I’m learning how to use it mindfully. As designers, we all need to stay current with emerging tools, and AI is increasingly part of that toolkit. Understanding how and when to use it ethically is just as important as knowing how to create without it.
Even as I focus on growing my own creative skill set, I’m continuing to explore how AI can supplement (not replace) human design. Staying informed keeps me adaptable, marketable, and thoughtful in how I approach every project. To navigate AI image curation mindfully:
✅ Limit the number of AI images per project
✅ Avoid style-matching prompts that mimic known artists. Prompts like “in the style of [Insert Artist]” can be harmful to artists who’ve spent hours, and even years developing their personal styles.
✅ Focus on technical prompts like line weight or other specific attributes like "flat color, front view, cartoonish"
✅ Credit your use of AI-generated visuals when sharing your work
✅ Offset with human-created visuals or artist support funds
🧭 Helpful Resources for Ethical Visual Design
📁 Graphic Artists Guild: Guidelines on fair use and artist pay
📁Creative Market: Shop from independent designers
📁 Illustrator Directories: Find creators by style and region
📁 Women Who Draw: An open directory of women and gender non-conforming illustrators
🧩 Final Thoughts: What This Means for Instructional Designers
Visual consistency matters, but not more than the people behind the art. As instructional designers, we’re constantly balancing timelines, budgets, and design standards. AI can be a useful tool, but it should never replace our ethical compass.
For me, this experience was a turning point. I now make visual decisions with more intention. I budget time for planning, build relationships with artists, and use tools like Figma and Vyond to keep my creative process both efficient and human.
I'm also working to streamline and improve my own visual asset creation process. Whether it's learning new illustration techniques, creating a reusable design system, or developing visual templates, I want to reduce my reliance on outside tools while still maintaining visual quality and consistency.. I now make visual decisions with more intention. I budget time for planning, build relationships with artists, and use tools like Figma and Vyond to keep my creative process both efficient and human.
💬 Have you used AI visuals in your instructional work? What’s your approach to sourcing assets ethically and efficiently? I’d love to learn from your process too!
