When to use low influence

Use low influence when you're open to exploration and reinterpretation

Choosing a low influence setting (typically below 60%) in Vizcom gives the AI more creative freedom to reinterpret your sketch. Your drawing still provides a starting point, but the system places more weight on the prompt. This means the final output may diverge in form, proportion, or layout from your original sketch. This mode is ideal when you are exploring visual directions, trying to generate variety, or inviting unexpected ideas into your workflow.

This setting is especially useful when:

• You are in the early ideation phase and want to discover new possibilities quickly

• Your sketch is loose, gestural, or exploratory rather than final

• You are curious how different prompts might reshape or enhance your design direction

Example 1:
Sketch: An outline of a shoe, with a basic side view and general silhouette
Prompt: futuristic trail running shoe, high-grip sole, mesh upper, parametric design elements, dramatic lighting
Influence setting: 40%

Result:

Why use low influence?

Low influence is helpful when you want to break out of creative ruts, experiment with different aesthetics, or test how far you can push a concept. It allows you to think beyond your initial instincts and introduces formal or material strategies that might not have occurred to you. You remain the designer by curating, editing, and refining the results, while the AI acts as a speculative design partner.

Over time, toggling between low and high influence helps you develop a more dynamic and iterative design process. It gives you both control and surprise when you need it most.

Practical advice for design students

1. Loosen your grip on perfection
   When using low influence, do not aim for perfect sketches. Instead, treat your sketch like a gesture or suggestion. The more open you are to surprise, the more you’ll gain from the AI's interpretive capacity.
   
   

2. Treat the AI as a co-ideator
   Use the AI as a collaborative brainstorming partner. Start with a quick sketch and a descriptive prompt. Then adjust one variable at a time, change the material, the lighting, or the style, and observe how the result shifts. This will train your eye to recognize what influences what.
   
   

3. Keep a visual log
   Create a folder or journal with screenshots of your inputs and outputs. Annotate each set with notes on what you like or don’t like about the results. Over time, this will help you understand how the AI interprets form, language, and style, and which prompt terms give you the most reliable results.
   
   

4. Cross-reference your inspiration
   If you have a visual goal in mind,such as a material finish, design trend, or mood, bring in references from Pinterest, Behance, or product catalogues. Try to describe those references in your prompt language. This will help bridge the gap between your intuition and the language the AI understands.
   
   

5. Reflect on feasibility
   Even if the AI delivers an exciting result, ask yourself: Would this work in the real world? Does the material behave that way? Could it be manufactured? This kind of critical analysis sharpens your design sensibility and helps you turn speculative outputs into refined concepts.
   
   

6. Use low influence for blue-sky thinking
   Set aside time to generate wild ideas using very abstract sketches and more poetic or unusual prompt language. This is a powerful way to explore new forms, storytelling approaches, or alternative aesthetics you might not have arrived at on your own.