How I Used DALL·E 2 to Generate The Logo for OctoSQL

dall-e-2image-generationprompt-engineeringlogo-designgenerative-ai

Abstraction: Iterative DALL-E 2 prompting and editing workflow for logo generation

Key points:

Author iteratively generated a logo for OctoSQL (an open-source CLI SQL query tool) using DALL-E 2's Generate, Edit, and Variations modes; spent ~$30 in credits generating at ~2-3 edits/minute.
Key learnings: appending "artstation" to prompts improves quality; adding a dark circle as background constrains composition for logo use; using "logo, digital art, drawing" tags essential for logo aesthetics.
Edit mode (painting transparency over a region and prompting) enabled targeted fixes — e.g., correcting a broken eye, replacing tentacle contents — while preserving the rest of the image.
Pencil sketch style yielded the most consistent and high-quality outputs compared to other art styles.
Author envisions future workflow at 10-100x cheaper cost: generate ~100 diverse images per phrase, user selects best, iteratively refine; stock photo sites at more risk than human artists.

Connections: Dall E 2 · Openai · Octosql · Image Generation · Prompt Engineering · Generative AI