Major design fl
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Richard Wiese
Hello Gamma Team,
First, I would like to thank PaulY for his responsiveness, professionalism, and willingness to genuinely investigate the issues I was experiencing. His intervention was thoughtful, fast, and ultimately the most productive part of my experience using Gamma.
I wanted to share some broader feedback because I believe Gamma has tremendous potential, but there are important gaps between what visually sophisticated users are asking for creatively and what the AI is currently delivering.
For context, I used Gamma to develop a major presentation for United Airlines tied to my television series Born to Explore and my work with The Explorers Club. The project incorporated:
• my own expedition photography
• existing PowerPoint decks
• AI-generated concept material
• extensive written creative direction
• strong editorial and cinematic references
The overall creative direction was actually very simple: full-resolution cinematic photography with restrained typography and elegant editorial layouts.
In practice, however, I spent many hours fighting against the AI system rather than collaborating with it.
The recurring issues were remarkably consistent:
- The AI repeatedly muted or degraded premium imagery
Gamma frequently applied heavy overlays, opacity masks, beige washes, or dark filters over high-quality expedition photography, even after repeated instructions not to do so. The emotional power of exploration imagery depends on color, contrast, atmosphere, and realism. Many of the generated layouts flattened or diminished that impact.
Ironically, once Paul explained that some of these were overlay settings, one of the core problems was solved almost immediately. In hindsight, this feels like something the system itself should have recognized or suggested much earlier.
- Text placement often ignored image composition
The AI frequently placed text directly over bright skies, sunlight, or visually busy areas where readability became nearly impossible. A human designer instinctively understands negative space, focal points, and visual balance. The AI often appeared unaware of these fundamentals, even when explicitly instructed to prioritize readability and photographic integrity.
- The AI consistently drifted toward incorrect visual styles
Despite very detailed prompts, Gamma repeatedly steered toward:
• luxury-tech aesthetics
• sci-fi styling
• metallic/casino visual language
• startup pitch deck formatting
• over-designed corporate templates
The references I provided were much more restrained:
• Rolex expedition advertising
• National Geographic editorial photography
• The Explorers Club archives
• premium documentary storytelling
• understated luxury and realism
In many cases, I spent more time undoing design choices than refining the actual presentation.
- The AI struggled with restraint
Great editorial storytelling often requires silence, breathing room, emotional pauses, large imagery, and minimal typography. The AI continually attempted to “fill” slides with information or effects rather than trusting the imagery to carry emotional weight.
Ultimately, after many hours of iteration, I rebuilt much of the presentation manually in PowerPoint because I could not consistently achieve the look and pacing I wanted inside Gamma.
That said, I have not given up on Gamma. I still believe the platform has enormous promise, which is why I selected it in the first place.
I am not a professional graphic designer, but I do work extensively in visual narrative, television production, exploration media, and presentation development. I generally know very clearly the emotional tone, pacing, hierarchy, and editorial feel I want. What I hoped Gamma would do was elevate and refine those instincts visually — not repeatedly redirect the aesthetic.
I’ve attached the finished PowerPoint deck because I believe this project may actually represent a useful case study for your product and design teams. There is a growing category of users like me: people who are visually sophisticated and creatively opinionated, but not formally trained designers.
If Gamma can truly bridge that gap while preserving photographic integrity, editorial restraint, and cinematic storytelling, I think it could become an extraordinary platform.
Again, thank you to Paul for his professionalism and help throughout this process.
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Richard Wiese
Hi Nik,
Thank you for taking the time to look into this further.
One of the recurring problems I experienced during the import and generation phase was that I would give very specific instructions and Gamma would often do something entirely different. In my particular case, I repeatedly instructed the AI not to mute or alter the photography, yet it continually applied overlays, filters, washes, or opacity effects that diminished the imagery.
The text placement issue is slightly different, but equally important. When placing text over photography, I am generally looking for contrast and readability. For example, on my cover slide there is a sunset image. It makes very little sense to place white text directly over the brightest portion of the sun where readability disappears. My assumption — and hope — was that AI would instinctively recognize things like:
• negative space
• contrast
• focal points
• visual hierarchy
• readability
A human designer would naturally avoid placing typography in those areas, or would reposition the text where the image composition supports it better.
Another important point is that I actually do have strong assets:
• high-quality original photography
• a clear editorial vision
• strong written narrative and messaging
Where I was hoping Gamma would really help me was in layout refinement, visual consistency, typography hierarchy, pacing, and overall polish. I’m not a professional graphic designer, so I was relying on Gamma to elevate the deck aesthetically and create a more sophisticated visual presentation than I could build manually myself.
To be fair, I did eventually regain confidence once I moved much of the work into PowerPoint and manually rebuilt large portions of the deck. I shared the final PDF because I think it better reflects the overall tone and direction
Nik Payne (Gamma design)
Richard Wiese this is insanely helpful feedback, thank you (and appreciate you calling out Paul too). I’m going to pass this along to our product + design team, and the finished PPT is a great reference for the “cinematic/editorial restraint” bar you’re aiming for.
Quick couple questions so we can make this actionable:
1) When Gamma was muting/degrading imagery, was it happening on import, after applying a theme, or after using an AI rewrite/regenerate step?
2) For the text-over-image issue, would your ideal be: “always find negative space automatically,” or “never place text on images unless I explicitly choose it” (or something in between)?
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Richard Wiese
Nik Payne (Gamma design) I feel like a broken record.I wanted change just one slide and I gave AI VERY specific prompts.First it put a "white wash" overlay which is easy for me to correct, but the type placement was unacceptable.Here are the instructions "REDESIGN THE COVER SLIDE ONLY Use the uploaded Qatar desert image as a FULL BLEED hero image across the entire slide. Do NOT crop tightly. Preserve the cinematic sweep of the dunes and natural warm tones. The image should feel expansive, optimistic, adventurous, and emotionally human. Use the OFFICIAL United Airlines logo I uploaded. Do not recreate or stylize it. LAYOUT: • Place the United logo in the upper left corner with generous margin spacing. • Logo should be prominent but elegant — approximately 12–15% of slide width. • Use white or very light typography only where contrast supports readability. • DO NOT place text over the brightest sky area. • DO NOT place text over faces. • DO NOT apply heavy dark overlays, gray washes, opacity masks, beige filters, gradients, cinematic fades, or muted effects. • Preserve the original photography exactly as uploaded. TEXT PLACEMENT: Place the main title and subtitle in the LOWER LEFT QUADRANT of the slide where the sand creates natural negative space and contrast. TEXT: UNITED × BORN TO EXPLORE The world is not just a destination. It’s a story. TYPOGRAPHY: • Elegant editorial typography only. • Use one refined serif font for title. • Use one clean sans serif font for subtitle. • Keep typography restrained and premium. • No oversized corporate presentation fonts. • No futuristic styling. • No sci-fi or luxury-tech aesthetics. VERY IMPORTANT: This should feel like: • Rolex expedition advertising • National Geographic editorial photography • Condé Nast Traveler • The Explorers Club • premium documentary storytelling The photography is the hero. The design should support the image — never overpower it. VISUAL GOAL: Warmth. Human connection. Exploration. Wonder. Optimism. Authenticity. Timelessness. The final slide should feel emotionally alive and cinematic, not corporate." Is it time for me to throw in the towel with Gamma?
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