In an era when artificial intelligence seems to be seeping into every industry, many creative aligned businesses are embracing AI-generated designs as a cost-cutting measure. With tools capable of producing detailed illustrations in seconds, it’s easy to understand the appeal: faster turnaround times, lower expenses, and instant variations at the click of a button.
But not every company is following that path. Custom Comet, a maker of promotional products and custom merchandise out of Portland, has taken a decidedly different approach. Spearheaded by their President Jessica Marshall, instead of leaning into AI to produce their artwork, they’ve doubled down on human creativity by hiring skilled artists to design products. In doing so, they’ve carved out a distinctive position in a crowded market and won over a loyal customer base that values authenticity.
The Pressure to Automate
The rise of AI-powered art platforms has been nothing short of explosive. From early image generators like DeepArt to today’s sophisticated tools built into Gemini, ChatGPT, and others. These systems can mimic nearly any artistic style with some precision. For many companies, the lure is obvious. They can skip the process of sourcing artists, negotiating contracts, and waiting days or weeks for a finished product.
In the custom merchandise space, where speed and price are often major selling points, AI art seemed like a natural fit. Want a custom keychain design with a vintage pin-up look? Feed your prompt into an AI model and you’ll have options in minutes.
But the AI route has its downsides. Many AI models are trained on existing copyrighted work without consent, raising legal and ethical questions. There’s also the “sameness” factor where after enough exposure, AI-generated designs can feel generic, with telltale quirks that give away their machine origins.
Custom Comet’s Contrarian Choice
Custom Comet could have joined the AI wave. In fact, their team experimented with AI tools to see if it could streamline parts of their workflow. But instead of replacing human talent, the experiments reinforced the opposite conclusion: real artists still deliver something AI cannot.
“When you work with a human artist, you’re getting more than just an image. You’re getting interpretation, personality, and a conversation,” says Jessica Marshall, President of Custom Comet. “Our customers often have a story they want to tell. An artist can pull on those threads and bring that story to life in ways AI simply can’t replicate.”
Custom Comet makes a range of custom merchandise, from air fresheners and drink coasters to stickers and lapel pins. Each item is a small canvas, and their artists work directly with clients to understand their vision, brand, and tone before putting pen to paper (or stylus to tablet).
The result? Designs that feel thoughtful, purposeful, and highly specific, rather than generated from a mashup of existing styles.
A Human Touch in a Digital Age
The company’s decision to invest in real artists isn’t just a philosophical stand, it’s a business strategy. In an industry where margins can be tight, AI might seem like the logical choice for efficiency. But Custom Comet has found that customers are willing to pay for artistry when they see the difference in quality and originality.
Marshall points us to a recent example involving a popular restaurant chain that was looking for custom merchandise for their gift shops. All they had was an iconic logo. The company had reached out to others and gotten what they considered “AI slop” back in return. Custom Comet designed a line of products with attractive packaging. The company was able to work directly with real artists to bring their ideas to life as well.
At the end of the day, AI could have produced something generic for them to throw up in their store. But working with real human artists showcased the brand in a different light and really captured the personality they wanted to showcase for potential customers. The product launch was such a success that the restaurant chain has placed multiple re-orders and even thrown out some limited edition merchandise designed by Custom Comet’s art team.
Standing Apart from the Competition
In the crowded promotional product market, differentiation is key. Many vendors offer similar price points and product categories, so the real distinction comes from the designs themselves.
By championing human-created art, Custom Comet has positioned itself as a premium option for customers who care about originality and craftsmanship. The company markets this difference openly, emphasizing that each design is custom-made by a professional artist who listens, revises, and collaborates.
In a time when AI often blurs creative ownership, this promise of human artistry also builds trust. Clients know their designs won’t accidentally resemble someone else’s copyrighted work or be traced back to an undisclosed dataset.
Challenges of the Human-First Model
Of course, going against the AI tide isn’t without challenges. Hiring artists is more expensive and time-intensive than using generative tools. Human creators can’t produce dozens of variations in seconds, and projects require back-and-forth communication.
But Custom Comet sees these as features, not bugs. “The process is part of the value,” Marshall notes. “Customers often enjoy the collaboration and the feeling that they’re co-creating something unique. It becomes a relationship, not just a transaction.”
The Broader Cultural Implication
Custom Comet’s stance taps into a larger cultural conversation about technology and creativity. As AI’s role in the arts grows, some fear a future where human creators are sidelined in favor of faster, cheaper machine-made output. Others believe AI can coexist with human creativity, acting as a tool rather than a replacement.
Polls have shown that customers are not keen on all this new AI. Whether it be through something creative like art or needing some form of customer support. A recent poll showed that only 4% of customers prefer to speak with a chatbot over a real human being.
Customer Response
So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Small businesses, nonprofits, and even large brands have praised the company for preserving the human element in their designs. Some clients have even said that knowing a real person created their merchandise makes them more proud to hand it out or sell it.
One repeat customer, a local brewery, summed it up simply: “When I tell people an artist designed this for us, they get excited. It’s not just swag, it’s a little piece of art.”
Looking Forward
As AI tools continue to advance, the pressure to adopt them will only grow. But for now, Custom Comet is committed to their people-first approach. They believe that in a marketplace saturated with machine-made imagery, real artistry will stand out even more.
“Our artists are our difference maker,” Marshall repeats. “They’re not just making designs, they’re creating connections.”
In a world chasing speed and automation, Custom Comet’s choice to slow down and invest in human creativity feels almost radical. And for their customers, that might be exactly the point.
