UVU Professor Wins First Place at the 2025 AI Design Awards
Utah Valley University Art & Design faculty member, Brandon Truscott, recently returned from Barcelona, Spain, where he received an award for his work at the 2025 AI Design Awards. His piece, Spider Conch Chair, took first-place in the Objects & Items category. This is Truscott’s second year being recognized for his creativity and innovation in integrating AI into his artwork from the AI Design Awards.
Truscott recognizes that AI is not without controversy and can be seen as off-putting, particularly within the realm of art. “AI in your portfolio can be seen as a black spot,” stated Truscott. “There’ve been issues with the ethical practices of the companies behind these models, as well as issues surrounding intellectual property law. That’s still in question and is constantly developing.” However, despite these issues, Truscott views AI as a practical tool that can be used to enhance your own work.
In the fall, Harry Yeff, an AI-vocal artist featured in this year’s UVU Signature Series season, spoke with Truscott’s Entertainment Design class and gave a lecture on the intersection of AI and art. “Harry reiterated what I teach my students,” stated Truscott. “AI is always a tool to enhance your work — it’s a collaborative experience.”
His winning piece, Spider Conch Chair, is a sculptural statement featuring polished shell and carved walnut that blends art and function, and is the final product of the long, collaborative experience Truscott describes.
His process first begins with his own work, uploading a selection of previously completed pieces to give the AI model a starting reference point. From there, he goes through rounds and rounds of iteration until he feels confident that the variations created match his artistic vision. “After the iteration process, I do what’s called photo bashing,” explained Truscott. “It’s similar to how illustrators photoshop and edit various images together.”
He doesn’t stop there. Truscott can then spend hours manipulating other elements of the photos he works on, including adjusting textures, colors, and depth of field, to name a few. “I do whatever I need to do to finish the piece and make it as professional as possible,” emphasized Truscott. “The ratio of time I spend in the creative process is probably 80 percent editing and only 20 percent iteration.”
As a member of the School of the Arts AI Committee, Truscott is part of a push towards incorporating AI tools as effectively and ethically as possible into the arts education experience. “I’ve always been an early adopter of AI,” Truscott said with a laugh. “You could say I’m part of the AI avant-garde.” He hopes that the school and university’s AI initiatives and his own example will serve as encouragement for the students in his classes and in other programs to utilize AI resources in their own creative process.
“It’s not going to be AI taking creatives’ jobs, but rather, people in the industry who know how to utilize AI as a tool,” emphasized Truscott. “I want my students to understand AI’s potential uses in their future careers.”
