Remember hunting for the perfect marble texture? Or needing a specific geometric pattern in your brand colors? Or wishing you had a set of custom icons that didn’t look like everyone else’s? This chapter turns you into a resource-generating powerhouse.

Your Asset Generation Toolkit

Midjourney (Patterns & Textures)

  • Best for: Organic textures, artistic patterns, complex designs
  • Key parameter: --tile for seamless patterns

DALL-E 3 (Precision Assets)

  • Best for: Icons, UI elements, graphics with text
  • Strength: Follows specific instructions well

Adobe Firefly (Text to Vector)

  • Best for: Generating SVG-ready patterns and vector-style graphics
  • Strength: Direct integration with Illustrator

Krea.ai (Real-time Generation)

  • Best for: Instant feedback as you adjust prompts
  • Feature: “Enhance” mode improves existing assets

Patterned.ai / NightCafe (Pattern-Specific)

  • Best for: Rapid pattern generation without complex prompts

The Seamless Texture Workflow

Problem: You need a unique watercolor texture in brand colors for packaging.

Old way: Search stock sites, settle for “close enough,” pay $20-50.

AI way (5 minutes):

  1. Prompt: “Seamless watercolor texture, washes of [color 1] and [color 2], organic blending, subtle paper texture visible, high resolution, tileable –tile –ar 1:1”
  2. Generate 4-8 options
  3. Test tile in Photoshop (Filter → Other → Offset to check seams)
  4. Adjust colors in Photoshop if needed
  5. Save as PNG with transparency

Advanced: Use --style raw for more realistic textures, or reference an artist style: “in the style of Helen Frankenthaler, fluid acrylic textures”

Icon & UI Element Generation

For custom icon sets:

  1. Establish style consistency first:“Test icon: settings gear, line icon style, rounded corners, 2px stroke weight, minimal, –style raw”
  2. Once you have style you like, create set:“Set of 10 UI icons in same style: home, search, user, cart, heart, bell, message, calendar, download, share. Consistent 48px grid, 2px stroke, rounded ends”
  3. Batch process:
    Generate each separately for best quality, then:
    • Trace in Illustrator for perfect vectors
    • Ensure consistent stroke weights
    • Export as SVG set

For app screens/mockups:

“Clean iOS-style app screen showing fitness tracking dashboard, with placeholders for charts, stats, and workout history. Modern gradient background, card UI elements, 3:4 ratio”

Use these as:

  • Presentation visuals before development
  • Marketing materials
  • Investment pitch decks

Background Generation for Every Need

Website hero backgrounds:

“Abstract geometric background with flowing lines in [brand colors], digital art, wide aspect ratio 3:1, subtle gradient, depth of field”

Social media story templates:

“Instagram story template with rounded corner phone mockup area, colorful abstract background, space for text overlay, 9:16 aspect ratio”

Print pattern repeats:

“Repeating pattern of abstract leaves and geometric shapes, 2-color scheme, suitable for fabric printing, seamless –tile”

Building Your Personal Asset Library

Systematic approach:

  1. Create category folders:
    • Textures (watercolor, marble, paper, fabric)
    • Patterns (geometric, organic, floral)
    • Backgrounds (gradients, abstract, scenic)
    • Icons (by style: line, filled, glyph)
    • UI Kits (buttons, cards, forms)
  2. Monthly generation sessions:
    • First Monday of each month: Generate 10 new textures
    • Tag with: colors, style, intended use
    • Store in cloud with searchable metadata
  3. Client-specific assets:
    • Generate during projects
    • Add to client folder
    • Reuse across their materials

The “Remix Your Own Work” Technique

Your best resource is your existing portfolio:

  1. Take a texture you created traditionally
  2. Feed to AI with /describe (Midjourney)
  3. Get prompt keywords
  4. Generate variations:”Similar to [image] but more grungy, add subtle crackle texture”

This creates evolution of your style, not imitation of others’.

Commercial Considerations

What you can safely use:

  • Textures/patterns you generate (check tool’s terms)
  • Backgrounds for client work
  • Icons you significantly modify/trace

Caution areas:

  • Don’t generate assets in a clearly copyrighted style
  • Avoid generating logos/characters that resemble existing IP
  • When in doubt, add significant original work

Client communication:

“I’ll be generating custom textures/backgrounds for your project using AI tools. These will be unique to your brand and included in your final deliverables.”

Practical Project: Complete Brand Asset Suite

Client: “Bloom & Grow” plant subscription service

Assets to generate:

  1. Textures (15 minutes)
    • Soil texture in their brand brown
    • Leaf vein pattern in their green
    • Water droplet pattern for accents
  2. Patterns (20 minutes)
    • Seamless monstera leaf pattern
    • Geometric terracotta pot pattern
    • Abstract growth/root system pattern
  3. Icons (30 minutes)
    • Set of 12 plant care icons
    • Delivery/package icons
    • Social media badge templates
  4. Backgrounds (15 minutes)
    • Website hero with layered leaves
    • Email header gradient
    • Social media story templates

Total time: 80 minutes
Traditional equivalent: 8-10 hours of creation/searching
Value to client: Completely unique, on-brand assets

Quality Control Checklist

Before using any AI-generated asset:

  • Test tile/repeat if needed
  • Check resolution (minimum 300dpi for print)
  • Verify color accuracy (Pantone/RGB values)
  • Ensure no visible seams/artifacts
  • Test at different scales
  • Confirm commercial usage rights
  • Document source/prompts for future variations

Your Asset Generation Prompt Library

Save these templates (customize bracketed items):

Textures:

“Seamless [material] texture, [color palette], [style: rough/smooth/grungy], high detail, tileable –tile”

Patterns:

“Repeating pattern of [elements], [color scheme], [dense/sparse] layout, [style], for [use case: fabric/wallpaper/web] –tile”

Backgrounds:

“[Style] background, [colors], [mood], [aspect ratio], depth, suitable for [website/social/print]”

Icons:

“Set of [number] [style] icons for [theme], consistent [stroke weight/color/size], on transparent background”

Action Steps

  1. Generate 5 textures in your brand colors for your own portfolio
  2. Create a custom icon set for a hypothetical client
  3. Build a categorized asset library in Google Drive/Dropbox
  4. Add “Custom AI-generated assets” to your service list

You’re no longer limited by what exists. You can now generate exactly what your project needs. This doesn’t just save time—it elevates your work from “using stock assets” to “creating custom visual systems.”

About the Author

author photo

Mirko Humbert

Mirko Humbert is the editor-in-chief and main author of Designer Daily and Typography Daily. He is also a graphic designer and the founder of WP Expert.