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A few months ago I found out a premium brand was using a logo I designed for a client. Identical.
It's been heavy. But it pushed me to finally get more serious about the legal side, contracts, ownership. Still in it. But my process is different now.
It also opened my eyes to how often this happens in smaller ways we just normalize.
The image I'm sharing isn't that case. It's another example: an old mockup of my work (left), duplicated with AI by another designer to sell their work.
Designers using finished work from other creatives as "moodboards" to sell their own services. Identical systems in the same industry with no acknowledgment.
I'm not here to call anyone out. This also made me stop and ask myself what practices I might be doing wrong without thinking twice. With everything AI is making possible right now, how do we even define the line anymore? I'm here to ask: where do you draw the line between referencing and taking, and what measures have you put in place?
I understand your point, I feel exactly the same 🔥 @Chantal Jemmott
It's one of those things you hope you're overthinking until you realize you're not. 🥲
Thank you for sharing
Thank you for reading 😊
Using other designers' work in a moodboard to communicate a direction or aesthetic is completely normal. Presenting that work as your own, or using it to sell your services without proper attribution, is INSANEEE!
What happened to you is honestly crazy. Seeing your mockups and...
Exactly, that distinction matters so much. Moodboards are part of the process, and I use them too, privately, with clients I'm already working with and have alignment with. But I've seen designers share moodboards as content with a CTA to book them, with no clarification that...
Nice good job keep doing 👍
This is totally not ok. There should be some regulations!
There are some, but enforcement is still far behind. 🙃
Amazing work!
Uncomfortable truth is that, most designers worry about being copied, very few talk about the responsibility of not becoming the copier.
It's the harder side of the conversation and the one people avoid the most. 🙃
The attention to detail speaks!
Great callout, and I see this happening more and more with my own friends' work. In this instance, the phrase "imitation is the most sincere form of flattery" does not fly.
If I am ever referencing something and posting it out for the world to interact with, I always give...
Credit is the bare minimum and somehow still too much to ask for some people. Love how you put it, good art always acknowledges where it came from.
The worst part is sometimes it's not even imitation anymore. I see people taking the exact original image, posting it, and linking it directly to their own website. Like... what. 🙃
Unfortunately this is going to continue happen more often then not, especially when everyone and their mother is embracing AI like candy. And the consequence of using these tools/continue to make it part of daily workflow is things like this.
Not to say copying didn't happen...
Exactly! the lines feel more blurred than ever.
And what you mentioned about your friends adding AI do's and don'ts to their contracts is a whole other conversation I've been thinking about too. I had a past client who started using AI image generation heavily from a packaging...
Nice!!
Exactly!
This is such an important conversation. Inspiration should spark new ideas, not replace originality. AI changes the tools, but not the responsibility behind how we use them.
That's right, the tool doesn't carry the responsibility, the person using it does. That part hasn't changed at all.
This looks professional and well put together.
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A brief preview of the visual identity for an interior design agency that I've been working on recently.
When Maison Vérité approached me, they wanted a visual system that felt just like their interiors (architectural and deeply intentional)
The concept was inspired by the keystone, the central stone of an architectural arch that holds the entire structure together. Just as the keystone gives purpose and stability to the arch, Maison Vérité gives meaning to the spaces they shape.
If you look closely, the symbol also subtly intertwines the initials “M” and “V,” merging Maison and Vérité into a harmonious form.
Fellow designers and strategists, what do you think of this visual direction?
Cool
A New York-based founder of a large real estate consulting agency asked me to work on his rebrand.
He didn't want the look of a traditional agency. He wanted to convey the aesthetics and exclusivity of an ultra-luxury hotel.
His budget was $2,000 for "just a little logo touch-up".
But there is a misconception behind requests like this.
You don't get premium market positioning with just a simple logo tweak.
Visual authority is built on consistency.
If a brand looks "expensive" and reliable, it's because every single touchpoint, from the website to the business card, from the pitch deck to the agency's interior design, right down to the scent of the rooms, speaks the exact same language.
Taking an elegant logo and slapping it on an amateur website won't make you look like a luxury brand.
That’s why when I get these requests, I am brutally honest about the result they will get.
We can design a great logo, sure (and I love doing it). But an isolated logo will never justify the premium rates you ask of your clients.
To position yourself at the top, you need a complete and cohesive system.
True
Most people think design starts with colors and ends with pixels.
I see it differently.
For me, design starts with questions.
Why do users leave?
Why doesn’t the product convert?
Why does a feature make sense for the business but feel confusing to customers?
I’m Viktoriia, a UI/UX designer based in Denmark 🇩🇰 and originally from Ukraine 🇺🇦.
Over the years I’ve designed websites, mobile applications, and digital products across multiple industries, helping businesses transform complex ideas into clear and intuitive user experiences.
What I enjoy most is finding clarity inside complexity. Sometimes that means redesigning a user flow. Sometimes it means creating a design system. Sometimes it means helping a business understand what problem they’re actually trying to solve.
Lately I’ve also been exploring how AI can improve the design process—not to replace creativity, but to spend less time on repetitive work and more time on thinking, strategy, and user experience.
I’m joining Contra to meet founders, builders, and creative people who care about creating products that genuinely help people.
If you’re building something ambitious, I’d love to hear about it. 🚀
Hi Viktoriia! 😊 I love your perspective that design starts with questions, not pixels. And the visual you chose for this post immediately caught my attention — such a vibrant and memorable introduction.
Wishing you lots of exciting opportunities and meaningful connections on Contra! 🚀
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