Journal
Working it out in public.
Regulation, retailer specification and craft. Written for people who have to get imagery through a range review, not for other studios.
The posts
Five notes from the house.
Each one is short, sourced and written to be forwarded to the person who signs off the range.
19Brass round mirrorThe EU AI Act, and what took effect on 2 August
What the obligations actually mean for a home and garden brand using generated imagery. The dates, the disclosure duties and the sources, without the consultancy fog.
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16Cream casseroleWhere the UK actually stands on AI rules in 2026
The UK has not copied the EU. Here is the position as it stands, what is guidance rather than law, and what that means if you sell in both.
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23Spirit levelRetailer image specifications, compared
The written requirements side by side, and the three places listings most often fail before anyone looks at the photography.
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20Cordless drillWhat AI imagery can and cannot do for a product range
Where it genuinely replaces a shoot, where it quietly ruins a listing, and how to tell the difference before it goes live.
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04Green glazed planterLifestyle imagery that sells garden products
Why product shown doing its job outperforms product shown looking pretty, and what that means for how a set gets built.
Read the postWho it is for
Written for buyers, not studios.
Nothing here is about how clever the tools are. It is about getting a range through review.
Every post starts from a question a brand manager, a category buyer or a listings team has actually asked us, and ends with what we would do in their position. Sources are linked. Opinions are marked as opinions.
If a post helps you win an argument with a retailer, forward it. That is what it is for.
- 01
Regulation, in plain English
What the EU and UK rules require of a brand using generated imagery, and which parts are guidance rather than law.
- 02
Specification, side by side
The written image requirements of the retailers, and where image packs fail before anyone judges the photography.
- 03
Craft, honestly
Where the engine replaces a shoot, where it quietly ruins a listing, and how a lifestyle set earns its place on the shelf page.
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