As part of our ongoing AI contest series, we asked employees to share how they use artificial intelligence to enhance their daily work. The response has been incredible, showcasing innovative approaches across departments. From design workflows to research automation, our team is finding creative ways to leverage AI as a powerful support tool. This fourth installment highlights how one of our creative professionals is transforming her email design process.
When AI Becomes a Creative Partner
Meet Carlene Estigoy, Creative Designer at GRP Ads, who has discovered that AI's true value lies not in replacing creativity, but in amplifying it. "When used right, it becomes less of a shortcut and more of a creative tool," Carlene explains. Her approach to integrating AI into email design demonstrates how technology can enhance human creativity rather than diminish it.
Strategic AI Integration in Email Design
Carlene's AI toolkit serves multiple functions throughout her design process. When developing marketing emails, she uses AI to generate subject lines, create CTA options, and rework copy to better match specific layouts or brand tones. This helps maintain consistency across brands while saving valuable time on multiple projects.
Her process begins with data-driven insights. Carlene analyzes what has previously worked for each brand, then asks AI about effective layout structures for specific email topics. Combined with user behavior data, this gives her strategic jumping-off points that stay within brand guidelines while feeling fresh and intentional.
Solving Technical Challenges
Beyond creative ideation, Carlene leverages AI for coding support. When encountering spacing or rendering issues in email code, she inputs the problematic code into ChatGPT to identify solutions faster. "I'm not using AI to replace the work, I'm using it to support the process. It's a tool I go to when I'm stuck or want a faster way to explore ideas," she notes.
Quality Assurance Through AI
Perhaps most innovatively, Carlene uses AI as a "creative QA mirror." Before finalizing concepts, she asks AI to compare her work against brand guidelines and tone frameworks, catching potential tone drift, clarity issues, and structural problems early. This proactive approach saves hours of revision time in feedback loops.
The Perfect Balance
Carlene's experience perfectly illustrates AI's role as a creative enhancer rather than a replacement. "To me, using AI is not just about being more efficient, it's about using it to deliver sharper, more creative, more consistent emails and ads. And that's what our clients remember." Her approach maintains the human creative spark while leveraging AI's analytical and generative capabilities to produce superior results.
This is the fourth post in our five-part AI contest series. Catch up on previous entries: Removing the Clutter, Elevating the Creativity: How Jen Uses AI in Design and From Research to Automation: Building Smarter Email Discovery with AI . Stay tuned for our final installment coming soon!
