Cover Caurum for 18K magazine

Behind the scene

Designing and creating a cover is a very stimulating activity, but one of the main challenges encountered in this context is presenting the idea to the client in a way that they can evaluate and examine it. Nowadays, thanks to artificial intelligence, this problem is partially overcome. In fact, for this cover, the real image was created through the interaction between different professionals, each with their own expertise and technical skills, based on a synography.

Once the digital image was generated, it was crucial to find a model who shared common characteristics with the artificial counterpart. This was made possible through collaboration with a modeling agency in Florence, which proposed the girl who would soon become the face of this cover: Roberta Marchiori.

Another very important aspect was to consider the dress. Since it was only minimally present in our synography, we turned to the expertise of a tailor in Arezzo, Sartoria Roberta. After seeing the image and understanding the mood of the photograph, she was able to interpret the subject freely, creating a linen dress and subsequently decorating it by hand. She thus created a unique piece of true Tuscan craftsmanship.

Also crucial was the collaboration with a makeup expert like Graziano Giommaroni, who significantly improved the base makeup that the AI had predicted, as well as the hairstyling by Nadia Pianigiani, who prepared Roberta’s hair for the shoot.

As in any digital project, there was a significant challenge in realizing what artificial intelligence had taken only a few seconds to include in its synography: the butterflies.

To obtain butterflies as accurate and tangible as possible, we relied on the technical expertise of the company Color Service in Arezzo, a partner of Caurum for several years. Thanks to their amazing 3D work, they were able to construct the butterflies and provide the requested colors: gold, silver, and ruthenium.

At this point, I only had to shoot the picture in my studio.

I want to thank all the people who, in various capacities, lent their technical expertise, advice, and availability, starting with Andrea Pasquini, my first assistant and videomaker for the occasion. Thanks to Caurum and its management for believing in my team and our idea.

Although artificial intelligence could have created this image in a matter of moments, I believe that the human component, the emotion, the light, and the interaction between different skills make this photograph “alive”. Artificial intelligence is an excellent way to help creatives, as I am, to better focus our ideas and find all the human and skilled resources to realize every project.

Francesco Giorni.