How wordnerds.ai used a custom style to make illustration a cornerstone of their brand, scale their personalization and slash turnaround times.

Wordnerds.ai pride themselves on their distinctive visual style and have a great relationship with their illustrator, Tom Sinlair. However, when new client decks or internal presentations demanded on-brand artwork, scheduling conflicts often caused long delays.

They needed a different solution that was fast, flexible and consistent while still retaining the whimsy that makes their brand stand out. Now, with an exactly.ai model, any member of their team can generate new, consistent images on demand.

The challenge

• Delays in producing visuals: every new sales deck, pitch or marketing campaign should have on-brand illustrations, but with Tom juggling multiple clients he just couldn’t meet the quick turnarounds.
• Budget constraints: wordnerds wanted more custom visuals across their website and marketing materials, but commissioning Tom for every minor addition was financially unfeasible.
• Brand consistency: Their whimsical illustrations should be a core part of their brand, ensuring every communication looks and feels like “wordnerds”.

Wordnerds wanted their illustration style to be a core part of their brand identity but the overheads of continually producing images and working with freelancers held them back.

The Search for a Solution

“I was buzzing when I found this. I’ve been trying to find something to replicate our illustrative style for 18 months and exactly.ai is the first platform we’ve seen that’s really cracked it.” Pete Daykin CEO of wordnerds.ai

An AI company themselves, wordnerds were interested in using new technology to solve this problem. On a recent quarterly strategy day with the theme “what can we do with AI” they tested multiple platforms—Midjourney, Firefly, and half a dozen others—but none replicated Tom’s distinct style well enough for client-facing materials. Tom even laughed at the mediocre results.

While Pete was busy experimenting, an exactly.ai model trained quietly in the background. As the day ended, he received an email: the model was ready. The results? Spot on—impressively close to Tom’s original work.

“When Pete showed me exactly.ai I was surprised how close it got to my style. The engine you’ve created does a great job.” Tom Sinclair

Implementation

Impressed by the model’s quality, Pete gave access to his marketing and sales team. Now they can instantly generate brand-aligned visuals for every client conversation, onboarding deck, or internal presentation.

The barriers have been lifted for illustration to become a cornerstone of the wordnerds brand:

• Faster Turnarounds: Instead of waiting days (or weeks) for new illustrations, fresh images are ready in seconds.
• Consistency: Every image generated sports the signature Wordnerds look.
• Minimal Overheads: The team no longer has to budget for freelance commissions or scramble to cover last-minute requests.

The illustrator’s perspective.

Despite exactly.ai’s near-perfect mimicry, Tom remains integral to wordnerds’ creative DNA. They kept him in the loop throughout the entire process and Tom was aware that his work was being uploaded.

In terms of compensation, wordnerds plans to thank Tom by commission larger and more complex projects. The result? Tom can focus on complex, high-value work, while the AI fills in the gaps. Everyone wins.

Unlocking illustration for your business

If Wordnerds' story resonates with your business, an exactly.ai model can help you scale personalization, speed up content creation, and maintain a cohesive visual identity - without overloading your design team or relying on more freelancers. Make illustration an effortless, integral part of your brand.

Curious how an exactly.ai model could work for you? Book an onboarding call and get a free preview model on us.