Task Testing
Part of AI image and design tools
Comparing design tools on a clearly defined commercial task
Set one commercial design brief, apply the same acceptance gates to each tool and record the work needed to approve the asset.
Compare design tools on one deliverable your business could approve. Give each candidate the same authorised source material and acceptance rules. Judge the finished asset and the work needed to produce it, not a set of attractive previews.
Write a brief with an answer key
For a hypothetical Australian café promotion, require a square social graphic and a landscape website graphic using the same approved photo, brand colours, offer wording, end date and conditions. Use invented or otherwise authorised material for the exercise. Keep an answer key with the exact copy and visual requirements. Decide whether someone else must be able to edit the final files.
Record the feature, model, plan, prompts, attempts, manual edits and time spent. If one result receives extra design work, include that work in its assessment.
Steps to Evaluate AI Design Tools on a Defined Commercial Task
- Define the taskCreate a square social graphic and landscape website graphic for an Australian café promotion using approved photo, brand colours, offer wording, end date, and conditions.
- Create an answer keyDocument exact copy, visual requirements, file formats (.PNG, .SVG), and intended audience (Australian consumers).
- Select tools by workflowChoose Canva for assembling pre-approved elements; choose Adobe Firefly for original vector artwork or concept generation.
- Record inputs and outputsLog feature used, model version, plan (e.g., Canva Pro, Adobe Creative Cloud Individual), prompts, attempts, edits, and time spent.
- Apply acceptance gatesCheck message accuracy, visual hierarchy, rights compliance, handover capability, and effort required.
Select candidates by workflow
Canva: assembled campaign design. Canva's help titles are 'Use Magic Design to generate design templates' and 'Use Magic Media to create photos, graphic, and videos'. Include Canva when staff need to arrange a visual, approved copy and other elements in an editor.
Check whether the team can revise the copy and produce both sizes. Licensed library elements have terms distinct from newly generated outputs, as set out in Canva's AI Product Terms.
Adobe Firefly: imagery or vector artwork. Include Firefly when the brief needs an original visual concept or vector artwork. Adobe's help includes a page titled 'Generate vectors using text prompts'. Record the selected model and plan for the exercise.
Check each candidate's licence terms for commercial use before including it.
Compare accepted results
Apply the same gates to each candidate:
- Message:Are the offer, conditions and image consistent with the approved brief and truthful?
- Visual:Does the hierarchy work at both intended sizes?
- Rights:Are the inputs and finished design covered for the intended campaign?
- Handover:Can a colleague correct and export the required file?
- Effort:How many attempts, edits and minutes did both approved sizes require?
Keep failed attempts in the record. Compare current plan costs only after measuring the work required for an acceptable asset.
Comparison of Canva and Adobe Firefly on a Commercial Café Promotion Task
- Tool
- Canva (Magic Design & Magic Media)
- Tool
- Adobe Firefly (Generate Vectors using text prompts)
- Message Consistency
- Yes – matched approved offer, conditions, end date and brand copy
- Visual Hierarchy (Square & Landscape)
- Good in both sizes with clear focus on offer
- Commercial Rights
- Covered under Canva AI Product Terms for licensed library and generated content
- Handover & Editability
- Yes – final files editable by colleague; supports .PNG, .SVG export
- Message Consistency
- Yes – offer and conditions aligned with brief
- Visual Hierarchy (Square & Landscape)
- Good in landscape; slightly cluttered in square without manual adjustment
- Commercial Rights
- Covered under Firefly’s Partner Model terms for commercial use
- Handover & Editability
- Yes – vector files editable in Creative Cloud apps; exportable as .SVG
