The Impact of Generative AI on Visual Identity System Formation in Early-Stage Brands

Abstract

With the widespread integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into commercial design practices, the formation mechanisms of brand visual identity systems are undergoing profound structural transformation. Traditional brand design theories generally assume that the stabilization of brand visual style relies on designers’ long-term manual adjustments and accumulated professional experience. However, the high-frequency stylistic exploration and low-cost consistency replication enabled by GenAI suggest that brand visual language may follow a fundamentally different evolutionary trajectory during the early stages of the brand life cycle.

Grounded in brand life cycle theory and visual style formation theory, this study constructs a mediated analytical model of “GenAI design involvement–visual style convergence speed–brand visual recognizability,” with brand life cycle stage introduced as a cross-level moderating variable. Multilevel linear modeling is employed to analyze visual design samples and consumer recognition data collected from multiple commercial brands at different developmental stages.

The findings indicate that during the introduction and growth stages of the brand life cycle, GenAI significantly accelerates the convergence of brand visual style and, through enhanced stylistic stability and consistency, substantially improves brand visual recognizability. In contrast, this effect diminishes markedly at the maturity stage. These results demonstrate that GenAI is emerging as a critical design agent reshaping the evolutionary logic of brand visual identity systems, offering a computational framework for data-driven brand visual construction that challenges traditional experience-based design paradigms.