Behind the Signal // FREQUENCIES

ENTRY.01 // INITIAL BRIEF

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

This project was an assignment from an AI + Design class, centered around informing design students how to find a way to make AI work for them. As part of this project, I tested 6 different AI models, alongside some of their different tiers, with 5 different prompts. I collected my findings into this website.

DATE // 13.04.2026

ENTRY.02 // DESIGN SPECS

DRAFTING THE LOOK

After I had collected my data, it was time to start thinking about what I wanted the field guide to look like. I'm a big fan of science fiction and dystopian settings, and an even bigger fan of the band Starset. This project is heavily inspired by the DIVISIONS era as I love the dystopian mood of the Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs). BMIs are a variation of a classic sci-fi staple: chips you can plug directly into your brain and experience a new reality. I figured it felt relevant.
I wanted to get the feel of a technological dystopia ruled by machines with people working to resist them. This site is set in that narrative, with a group hijacking the machine's transmissions to let others know they can take control.
I picked out my key colors, fonts, look, and feel of the website before using Claude Sonnet 4.6 to draft a full design system from my input.

DATE // 20.04.2026

ENTRY.03 // WORKING WITH FIGMA MAKE

FIRST DRAFT

My professor initally had us take our design system to Figma Make to create the field guide. I tried to work with it, but it was frustrating. Figma Make would forget adjustments I made between one version and the next or misinterpert my prompt. Plus, even just building the first draft, I was burning through tokens like mad. The next class, after much grumbling, the professor suggested some alternatives we could use instead of Figma Make. My first draft is still live and can be found here.

DATE // 26.04.2026

ENTRY.04 // WORKING WITH CLAUDE DESIGN

BUILDING THE GUIDE

I moved from Figma Make to the newly released Claude Design. I used Claude Sonnet to fully detail each section of this website so I didn't run into as many hiccups as I did with Figma Make. I had a mental image of what I wanted this website to look like, so I decribed my vision to Claude to develop a structure and later a prompt for Claude Design. This was a much smoother process. The structure of this website required minimal tweaking. I went through and rewrote and replaced the placeholder text of each model with information pulled from my research. While keeping the wording mostly in the tone of the narrative I developed, I used my research and thoughts about the models to fill out each report.

DATE // 30.04.2025

ENTRY.05 // RESULTS

WHAT WORKING WITH AI ACTUALLY TAUGHT ME

The best results stem from when you come in with a plan, an idea, even just an inkling of a thought. You direct the conversation. You push back. You keep the train on the tracks. A clear vision means a clear goal to work towards. I'm happy with how this site turned out. I think it is pretty close to what I had in mind throughout the process because I knew what I wanted and I could direct the model accordingly. AI can be a useful tool, but only if you are willing to put in the work. Don't let it take the creative components away from you.

DATE // 01.05.2026