Marketing by Design – Intentional strategy for creative marketers in the age of AI
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AD85: The 100-Year-Old Design Rule We’re Still Using
Published over 1 year ago • 4 min read
9 March 2025 | Issue #85
In this issue:
The 100-Year-Old Design Rule We’re Still Using
The Future of Visual Content in the Startup Ecosystem
Learn AI-Powered SEO with ChatGPT
US Copyright Office Rules on AI-Generated Work
The Visual Marketer: Now Available!
Design Quote of the Week (and it's a great one!)
Midjourney Prompt: a bauhaus geographic design. --ar 16:9
The 100-Year-Old Design Rule We’re Still Using
A century later, the Bauhaus still gets treated like the holy grail of design. The movement’s focus on simplicity, functionality, and geometry makes it feel like a blueprint for design that lasts. But is it really the secret to timeless graphic design, or are we just nostalgic for a clean aesthetic that refuses to die?
We And The Color takes a fresh look at the Bauhaus influence and how it shapes everything from corporate branding to UI design. The argument is solid: strip away trends, focus on usability, and you’ve got something that won’t feel outdated in five years.
But it’s not that simple.
• Bauhaus isn’t timeless by accident. The movement was built on principles that were radical at the time. It removed decoration, embraced modern materials, and put function first. It didn’t just happen to be clean and minimal. It was a reaction to the chaos of early 20th-century design. The Bauhaus embraced the idea of "form follows function," it's from the Bauhaus.
• Simplicity isn’t a cheat code. The Bauhaus style works when it’s intentional. When it gets reduced to “make it minimal and use sans-serif,” it loses what made it powerful in the first place. Good design isn’t just about removing things. It’s about keeping only what matters.
That last part is where people tend to get Bauhaus wrong. It wasn’t about stripping things down to the point of sterility. It was about clarity. The best Bauhaus-inspired work still has personality. Paul Rand, for example, took Bauhaus ideas and injected them with energy and playfulness. He proved that function and creativity don’t have to be at odds.
The idea that Bauhaus is a universal solution doesn’t hold up. Context matters. A bank logo borrowing Bauhaus principles might feel authoritative and modern. The same approach on a kids’ toy brand would probably feel cold and uninviting. Even timeless design has to adapt.
Bauhaus thinking still has a place today, but the real takeaway isn’t about the aesthetic. It is about clarity, structure, and making sure design serves a purpose. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s what good design has always been about, Bauhaus or not.
NEWS AT THE INTERSECTION OF MARKETING, DESIGN, & AI
🏎️ The Future of Visual Content in the Startup Ecosystem
e27 explores how startups can leverage emerging visual content trends to enhance brand identity and engagement.
• Tech-Driven Creativity: Advancements in AI and automation are making high-quality visual content more accessible to startups.
• Strategic Visual Storytelling: Startups that prioritize authentic, engaging visuals will stand out in competitive markets.
• My Take: Startups, though often resource-constrained, have the ability to try new things because they're still establishing their visual brand.
Andy Crestodina was recently on a video podcast where he broke down the best ways to set up your website for AI-Powered SEO.
• The Basics of Search Still Apply: Search is not the Goal. Attracting qualified visitors is the goal. Search is a subset of content marketing and lead generation. You need content to attract visitors.
• Use AI to Come up with Topics: Then figure out the best format to capture attention for each of those topics. AI can help, but it can't do all oft he work.
• My Take: Andy has a must-read newsletter that comes out every Thursday. Each week I try to carve out time to implement his suggestions.
👩⚖️ US Copyright Office Rules on AI-Generated Work
The US Copyright Office has clarified that AI-assisted creations can be copyrighted—but only when a human significantly contributes to the final work.
• Human Input Matters: Works that involve human editing, selection, or modification of AI-generated content may qualify for copyright protection.
• Prompts Alone Aren’t Enough: Simply entering text prompts into an AI tool does not meet the threshold for human authorship under copyright law.
What This Means for Creators: This ruling reinforces the importance of human creativity in AI-assisted work. Artists, writers, and designers using AI must actively shape their creations to secure intellectual property rights.
For marketers who have to create their own visuals, this book is for you.
It's not about making something that looks good. Your visuals have to drive engagement and/or be memorable. This book will teach you the basics of visual hierarchy, alignment, tools to be used, and why viewers react to specific colors and imagery.
“We designers don’t get hired to make pretty things or win design awards. We get hired to solve business problems.” – James Bradley
My AI disclaimer: This week, I used AI to write the main story, and then I edited it. I find the news stories, and the writeup is by ChatGPT. I write the My Takes bullet. If AI generates the images, I include the prompt so you can see how I got to that image. Nothing in this newsletter, or anything I publish anywhere, reflects the views of my employer.
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