Brave New Bookshelf Episode 72: Mastering AI as a Professional Designer with Robin Johnson from Florida Girl Design

In this episode of Brave New Bookshelf, we explore the visual side of publishing with Robin Johnson, a veteran graphic designer who has integrated AI into a career spanning more than 20 years.

Robin shares how she uses AI in book cover design, image editing, problem solving, and creative development, while keeping professional design skills at the center of the process.

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Meet Robin Johnson: Designer, Creative Director, and AI-Augmented Creator

Robin Johnson is the creative force behind Florida Girl Design and Go Book Cover Design.

With more than two decades of experience in photo retouching, restoration, and advertising, she moved into book cover design in 2010. Since then, she has worked with authors ranging from indie debut writers to New York Times bestsellers.

Like many creatives, Robin initially worried that AI might threaten her profession. But after an author friend encouraged her to experiment with the technology, she began to see it differently.

Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for designers, she saw it as a major new tool for an industry that had not experienced a shift of this scale since the early days of Photoshop.

Today, Robin describes herself as an AI-augmented creator and is certified in AI for work and life through the University of North Florida.

Augmented Intelligence: The AI “Intern”

One of the key ideas Robin discusses in the episode is the concept of augmented intelligence.

She sees AI less as a magic button and more like a highly capable intern.

The professional designer still leads the process, while AI can take on menial, repetitive, or time-consuming tasks. This allows the designer to spend more time on creativity, intention, and direction.

Robin compares it to the difference between owning a hammer and being a carpenter. Anyone can access the tool, but professional knowledge still matters.

In design, that means understanding areas such as color theory, composition, and genre expectations.

Using AI for “Digital Design Rescue”

Robin has also found a practical role for AI in what she calls Digital Design Rescue.

She uses AI to help authors solve problems with existing design assets, including:

• Upscaling and cleaning: Improving low-resolution AI images and preparing them for print
• Asset recovery: Recreating fonts or logos from older covers when the original designer is no longer available
• Character consistency: Using tools such as Nano Banana to place the same character in different scenes
• Fixing small details: Correcting elements such as stray hairs or clothing wrinkles inside Photoshop

These kinds of tasks allow Robin to use AI not only for generating new ideas, but also for fixing and improving existing designs.

Moving Beyond Stock Photography

Robin also discusses the limitations of traditional stock photography.

Finding the right model, pose, ethnicity, disability, or visual detail can be difficult, particularly when authors have a very specific character in mind.

AI gives Robin another way to create characters that more closely match an author's vision.

She also notes that AI-generated characters do not have the same licensing restrictions or moral clauses that can apply to human stock models.

For Robin, this gives designers more flexibility when building cover concepts.

A New Book Cover Design Workflow

AI has also changed the way Robin works with authors during the design process.

Instead of spending hours searching for the perfect stock image before showing an author a concept, she can now generate a much wider range of ideas early in the process.

Her workflow can include:

• Visual brainstorming: Creating 20 to 30 initial concepts to establish the right mood or direction
• Iterative refinement: Developing the strongest concept through multiple rounds of editing
• Using several tools: Moving a project between different AI platforms depending on what each tool does best
• Final polishing: Completing the design with custom text, editing, and professional finishing

Robin sometimes uses as many as eight different AI platforms in a single project.

She also enjoys pushing AI models beyond their default tendency to make images attractive or polished, especially when a project calls for something darker, grittier, or less conventional.

Robin’s Favorite AI and Design Tools

Robin takes a “best tool for the job” approach and regularly uses several different platforms.

Midjourney

Her preferred tool for initial image generation and exploring different visual styles.

Nano Banana through Google Gemini

Used for image editing, character consistency, and placing characters in different poses or scenes.

Ideogram

Useful for working with text and generating early mood-based concepts.

Adobe Photoshop

Still an essential part of Robin’s workflow for compositing, retouching, and final design work.

Wacom Tablet

Despite using AI extensively, Robin still relies on a physical Wacom tablet for precision work.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Florida Girl Design
• Go Book Cover Design
• Midjourney
• Ideogram
• Nano Banana / Google Gemini

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Robin’s experience shows how AI can become part of a professional creative workflow without replacing the skills behind the work.

Some of the key lessons from the episode include:

1. Embrace the pivot: Learning how to use AI can make the design process more efficient.
2. Intention matters: High-quality results still require professional direction.
3. Use AI to solve problems: AI can help with old assets, technical issues, and design limitations.
4. AI can expand visual possibilities: It can help designers move beyond the limitations of stock photography.
5. Experimentation is important: Playing with different tools and pushing their limits helps develop new techniques.