If you're using AI to create social posts, email headers, website graphics or anything visual, you've probably noticed the same problem I have. It looks fine, but it looks like everyone else's fine.

Here's the fix. It's not a trick prompt. It's a template that forces you to give the AI your actual brand, so it stops defaulting to generic aesthetic mush.

Two things before you use it. First, this only works if you've done the brand work. If you can't fill in the blanks below, that's your homework before you touch an AI tool. Second, this works across Canva Magic Design, ChatGPT image generation, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly and any other visual AI tool. Paste it in, then add your specific design brief at the end.

The Prompt

Copy everything between the lines and fill in the brackets.

You are helping me create design work for my business, [BUSINESS NAME]. My brand has a specific visual identity and I need this design to look distinctly like mine, not like generic AI-designed content.

Here is my brand.

Colours: [Primary colour + secondary colour + accent colour. Use hex codes if you have them, e.g. #F5E6D3 warm cream, #8B4513 chocolate brown, #E8B4B8 dusty pink. If you don't have hex codes, describe them properly: "muted dusty pink like an old rose, warm cream not stark white, a single pop of terracotta."]

Fonts: [Your heading font + body font. If you don't know the names, describe the feeling: "elegant serif with subtle contrast for headings, clean modern sans-serif for body. No script fonts. No display fonts."]

Aesthetic in three words: [Pick three adjectives that describe your brand's visual mood. Examples: editorial, romantic, muted. Or: bold, playful, saturated. Or: minimalist, luxe, monochrome.]

Layout style: [How do you compose things? Examples: "Generous white space, single focal point, centred composition." Or: "Asymmetric, overlapping elements, layered." Or: "Grid-based, editorial magazine style."]

Imagery and photography style: [Describe what your imagery looks like. Examples: "Soft natural light, styled shoots on cream backgrounds, hands-in-frame." Or: "High contrast studio lighting, black backgrounds, product hero shots."]

Signature elements: [Anything that always appears in your work. Examples: "Organic balloon garlands, never classic bouquets." Or: "Ivory and blush colour blocking, gold foil accents." Or: "Handwritten script overlays on every graphic."]

What my brand is NOT: [Three things to avoid. Examples: "Bright primary colours, cartoon graphics, sans-serif display fonts." This part is as important as the rest.]

The specific design I need: [Describe what you want. E.g. "Instagram post announcing my summer wedding availability" or "Email header for a new bouquet range launch."]

Apply my brand rules to this design. Do not default to generic aesthetic choices, trendy templates, or standard AI design patterns. If anything about my design brief seems to conflict with my brand rules, prioritise the brand rules. The output should be immediately recognisable as coming from my business.

A Fully Worked Example

To show you what a filled-in version looks like, here's one from a made-up brand called Rosemary & Rye Balloons.

You are helping me create design work for my business, Rosemary & Rye Balloons. My brand has a specific visual identity and I need this design to look distinctly like mine, not like generic AI-designed content.

Colours: Sage green (#9CAF88), warm oat (#E4D9C3), single accent of burnt orange (#C7601F). Never white. Never black. Backgrounds are always warm neutrals.

Fonts: Elegant serif for headings (think Cormorant or Playfair), clean humanist sans-serif for body copy (think Inter or Nunito). No scripts. No condensed display fonts.

Aesthetic in three words: Editorial, earthy, considered.

Layout style: Generous white space, single hero element, centred or slightly off-centre composition. Never busy. Never a grid of multiple elements competing.

Imagery and photography style: Soft natural window light, muted tones, styled on linen or reclaimed wood, occasional hand in frame holding a balloon or ribbon.

Signature elements: Organic garlands with foliage integrated, never classic bouquets. Ribbon trails in raw silk textures. A single sprig of dried grass or eucalyptus somewhere in the composition.

What my brand is NOT: Bright saturated colours, sparkle or shimmer effects, cartoon illustrations, script fonts, primary red and blue.

The specific design I need: Instagram post announcing autumn wedding availability, needs to include the words "Autumn dates now booking" and my logo.

Apply my brand rules to this design.

The Homework Bit

If you got stuck filling in any section, that's the real work. Spend an hour writing down your colours (with hex codes), your fonts, three words for your aesthetic, and three things your brand is NOT. Save it as a note on your phone. That single document is worth more than any AI prompt on the market, because you'll use it every time you brief a designer, a printer, a supplier or an AI tool.