Generative AI is no longer a novelty — it’s a production-ready toolset that helps brands in the UAE and Saudi Arabia move faster, test more, and spend smarter when creating design and video.
By Ilya Zmienko, Founder, Svyazi. Communications Agency
Why this matters now
Generative AI has leaped far beyond early demos. Today, text‑to‑image and text‑to‑video systems can produce photorealistic visuals, cinematic footage, and on‑brand iterations in hours — not weeks. Used well, they reduce routine work, unlock rapid A/B testing, and let creative teams focus on meaning and brand impact.
What AI actually does for design and video
- Generates images from scratch — from photoreal product shots to abstract concepts.
- Automates repetitive tasks — background removal, upscaling, color and exposure fixes, vectorization.
- Proposes web layouts — drafts responsive layouts from a brief, and can convert mocks to starter code.
- Creates motion — animates stills, composes video sequences, assists with scripts, edits, grading, and VFX.
- GCC note: For multilingual brands, AI also accelerates Arabic ↔ English adaptations — from typography checks to adjusting compositions for right‑to‑left layout.
The “instant result” myth
Typing a prompt and clicking “generate” rarely yields a brand‑safe result. Quality requires prompt design, testing, and post‑processing. For a one‑minute spot, expect structured iteration — concepting, look‑dev, motion tests, editorial passes, and finishing.
Pros and cons of AI‑driven design
Advantages
- Automation at scale — AI handles the heavy lifting so humans focus on strategy and storytelling.
- Cost efficiency — subscriptions beat dozens of manual hours when used in a disciplined pipeline.
- Fast A/B testing — dozens of variations per concept to learn what resonates, quickly.
- Lower entry barriers — teams can start without deep 3D or compositing expertise.
Limitations
- Fine‑detail fidelity — hands, micro‑typography, dense compositions may require manual fixes.
- Prompt dependence — outcomes track the clarity of the brief and the craft of prompt design.
- Throughput volatility — global peak hours can slow queues; plan runs for off‑peak windows.
A hybrid model that works
The most reliable approach is human × machine in tight loops: the designer crafts prompts, AI proposes options, the lead curates, and the team iterates toward an on‑brand outcome. Humans bring strategy, cultural nuance, and audience understanding; AI brings speed and breadth.
Team size: small, senior, synchronized
Pre‑AI, larger specialized crews were standard. With AI, a lean triad often performs best on larger brand tasks: two mid‑level designers + one head of design running parallel prompt streams, then converging on the strongest direction.
Implementation playbook for in‑house teams
- Audit your pipeline — map every step from brief to delivery. Flag bottlenecks like reference hunts, moodboards, variant exploration, or social cutdowns.
- Pick tools by job‑to‑be‑done — e.g., Midjourney (stills), Sora (text‑to‑video, when available), ChatGPT (prompts, scripts), Kling/Higgsfield (video), Artlist (music/VO), Topaz (upscale/denoise).
- Integrate, measure, de‑risk — start on internal briefs, define quality gates (brand, cultural fit, legibility), track time saved per deliverable, and only then scale to client work.
GCC‑specific requirements (UAE & Saudi)
- Arabic design integrity — right‑to‑left layout, Arabic type pairing, and legible in‑frame text. Avoid auto‑translated on‑screen copy without human review.
- Brand & cultural sensitivity — casting, attire, gestures, and public‑space depictions should align with local norms and platform policies.
- Data protection — avoid uploading confidential client data. Use redacted references and opt‑outs for training where available; store assets in region‑approved repositories.
- Licensing & rights — confirm commercial rights for AI outputs, fonts, stock, music, and model likenesses. Maintain prompt and source logs for clearance.
- Scheduling reality — Saudi workweek (Sun–Thu) and prayer times can affect review cadences; UAE (Mon–Fri public sector; most private Sun–Thu/Mon–Fri) — plan approvals accordingly.
- Bilingual deliverables — deliver English + Arabic masters (16×9 and 9×16), and platform‑specific cutdowns with safe margins for Arabic script.
Sample production workflow (1‑minute launch video)
Brief → Strategy (brand truths, Arabic/English messaging) → Visual R&D (10–20 stills) → Motion tests (3–5 clips) → Edit v1 → Arabic/English typography pass → Color & sound → Legal & cultural review → Final exports (16×9 ×2, 9×16 ×2). Keep a Prompt & Asset Register (date, seed, negative prompts, sources) to accelerate re‑runs and approvals.
Tool snapshot (living list)
| Task | Tools to consider | Notes |
| Concept stills | Midjourney | Fast look‑dev, strong style range. |
| Text‑to‑video | Sora, Kling, Higgsfield | Validate licensing and usage rights. |
| Prompting & scripts | ChatGPT | Also for Arabic/English language QA. |
| Music/VO | Artlist | Keep license receipts in project folder. |
| Quality rescue | Topaz | Upscale archival or platform‑compressed files. |
FAQs
Can AI replace my design team?
No — AI expands capacity. Humans still lead brand sense, cultural fit, and narrative.
Is AI output really “on brand”?
With a style bible and iterative curation, yes. The hybrid loop aligns visuals to brand codes.
What about Arabic typography?
Use Arabic‑first font pairs, check baselines/kerning, and avoid warping in motion templates.
Do we own the results?
Ownership depends on each tool’s license and your contract. Keep a rights checklist per asset.
How fast can we deliver?
Expect days, not hours, for brand‑grade work: look‑dev → motion → edit → bilingual finishing.
