AI and The 7 Line
Ai is everywhere these days. Yard Sale flyers, birthday party invites, podcast thumbnails, Super Bowl commercials, a Martin Scorsese film, and even in our favorite ball clubs visiting locker room.
Anthony DiComo thought it was awesome, many fans did not.
I bet you're consuming so much ai each day and you don't even realize it. It's the future, and the present. It's evolving everyday, and not slowing down any time soon. Do you have to love it? Absolutely not. Can you scour the internet and reply "AI SLOP!" to every post you see? Knock yourself out.
I'll be completely honest on this one. My wife and daughter invited me to watch a movie with them a couple of weeks ago. I was in the middle of making the post for our Trade Deadline Friday Sale. I didn't have a graphic ready to go along with it and the "hurry up, dad!" yells were echoing through the house. I used AI to make the flyer. Is that how I've run this brand for 18 seasons now? No. Did it save me some precious time. Absolutely, but some fans were livid.
Since T7L got a good amount of hate for the above flyer, I decided to joke around about the AI POLICE. In hindsight, that wasn't a great idea. The last thing I want is for customers past/present, or people who just follow the X account to think this is going to become the norm for The 7 Line.
Do I think the Mets using ai for a measly visiting clubhouse graphic is a big deal? Not really. If DiComo didn't tweet it, nobody besides the Brewers, Mets staff, and The Beat would have seen it.
Do I think the Mets can absolutely afford to ask one of their designers to make a graphic similar to that from scratch? Yes. Steve Cohen could pay someone thousands of dollars for a single graphic and not even notice a change in his wallet.
Do I think there is a ton of ai all around Citi Field, and mostly every teams venue in professional sports? It would be safe to make the assumption that that answer is also yes.
Am I getting old and tired? Maybe. 18 seasons is a pretty long time. If I was in the FDNY (I took the written test after 9/11, but missed my physical. That's a whole other story) I could be just 2 years from retirement.
Every single product photo, website description, mass email, social media post on multiple accounts across all platforms, final design approval, most videos, and so on since 2009 have all been done by me. Can I use help? Yes. Fact is T7L is still a small business and there isn't a whole lot of funds to bring anyone else in on a full time design basis.
Coincidentally, this was 17 years ago yesterday. I didn't even have a name yet for what this was going to become.
I do work with a ton of freelance artists and have since the very beginning. Those artists get credit in the product descriptions on each listing. To name a few currently on the site:
Fact is, as a company that designs merch, I shouldn't be using ai at all. It's a bad look for the brand and clearly confusing people.
So where do we go from here? I won't be using ai anymore. I don't want to contribute to anyone questioning what is real/unique/original or not. Was me using ai taking a job away? No. I'm the guy. It just made my personal job quicker. Hand up though, I do need to learn more about the environmental and other impacts that ai might be causing. I'm really not well versed in that, and I should be if I'm talking about it.
I fished the idea out about bringing on an intern that would shadow me. I'd teach them everything I've learned over the last almost 2 decades. Planning the home games with the Mets, contacting road teams, helping with social media, setting up tailgates, and so on. Yes, it would be a paid gig. The reason why I wrote "intern" is because you wouldn't instantly be hired. It would be a learning process until an official title could be given. This is something I need to figure out soon, likely over the offseason. You'd get paid of course, and also put up in hotels on the road, flights taken care of, etc. A pretty solid gig. You'd be "the guy/girl" besides me at events and so on.
Also in The 7 Line Blog
Pregame With T7LA on August 29th
The Mets will be taking on the Astros and we'll be hanging out in the Marina West Lot before heading in to Citi. No matter what happens on the field, we're undefeated at tailgating. Swing by!
Pregame With The 7 Line Army On August 15th
Come on out to The 7 Line Army's pregame tailgate on Saturday August 15th. Whether you've sitting with us or not, you're still invited. Our whole goal since day 1 has been to bring fans together from all walks of life. If you're reading this... that's YOU.
July 27th Pregame Deal at Willets Point Brewery
Simply wear any garment with a T7L logo on it to the Willers Point Brewery. Show the bartender our logo, and you'll get the special price of $5 for a 12oz Coors Light or $5 for a 12oz Montauk Beer.
Darren Meenan
Author
T7L Founder / Owner - Follow Darren on Twitter | Follow Darren on Instagram