How to Use AI Image Generators for Holiday Banner Ads

The holiday season is just round the corner and winter holidays, or an end-of-the-year event, is the #1 holiday where most marketing teams invest heavily according to a recent HubSpot survey. Creating new holiday-inspired banners for your ads and landing pages is exciting, but also pretty time-consuming and resource-intensive, especially if you have a late-breaking campaign idea or on a fast-approaching deadline. You want your banners to pop and stand apart from everyone else but those pesky content bottlenecks and the limitations of traditional design workflows hold you back. This is a great example of where AI image generators can help you overcome these roadblocks to generate those last-minute holiday banners just like you imagined.

AI image generation tools help you quickly create eye-catching holiday banners for landing pages and ads from simple text prompts and assets. But to get the best output from these digital sidekicks you must ensure you're using them right. This blog post will show you how you can transform a simple idea into a dazzling graphic for your website and ads with an AI image generator, saving time and sprucing up your brand's holiday campaign look.

How do AI image generator tools work?

How to create holiday banners using Typeface’s AI image generator

How do AI image generator tools work?

AI image generator tools can turn simple ideas in the form of a text prompt or a visual asset into a stunning, realistic image for social media, ads, websites, blogs, eCommerce storefronts, and more. Typeface uniquely combines its own brand-personalized AI with top-performing foundational AI models across the board, giving you access to the latest and best innovation while ensuring higher relevancy and quality of your product shots, lifestyle imagery, banner ads, and more.

Not sure where to start? Our AI Visual Inspiration Studio skips the blank canvas and accelerates creative prototyping of product shots or lifestyle images by offering a curated gallery of high-quality generated images, along with the option to upload your own reference images for style inspiration. To make it even easier to generate high-quality images, Typeface has a built-in Magic Prompt feature that auto-enhances simple prompts with the best modifiers, so you get better results without being a prompt engineer. Our built-in AI Image Harmonization then auto-adjusts your product lighting, transparency, reflections, and more to blend products better with background scenes.

These features and more will help you create great holiday banners, creatives, or ads for any occasion and in any setting, without having to spend a fortune on expensive photoshoots, especially when the deadlines are tight, and resources are limited.

Before we dive deeper into how you can generate beautiful holiday banners for your marketing campaigns, let's first take a look at what a good banner design should be like. This will help you provide better inputs to the AI image generator and receive better quality outputs.

Creating captivating holiday banners involves more than just design ideas — it requires a targeted approach to visuals that speak to both the occasion and the brand. Depending on which holiday you’re targeting, what your product is, and who the target audience is, your design requirements will vary. Here are a few key points to remember when generating a holiday banner design, even when using AI image creators -

Include brand elements: Amidst all the festivity, maintaining brand identity is non-negotiable. It is important to subtly incorporate your brand's color palette and ensure that logos are distinct but not overpowering.

Balance and composition: Use design principles like balance, alignment, and spacing to create a visually pleasing composition. Ensure that no single element overwhelms the rest.

Size and format: It is important to design the banner to fit the specific dimensions of where it will be displayed, whether that’s in an email, on a website, or within social media. Creating multiple, channel-specific variations allows you to increase your reach while optimizing the creatives to ensure they are higher performant. On Typeface you can resize your visuals automatically using our Creative Automation feature, which auto-adapts and resizes your ad banners to any aspect ratio, channel, or market. This allows you to use the same design across multiple platforms without having to spend hours manually resizing and rearranging the elements to fit various formats.

Localization: Ensure the design is geo-specific and relevant if you're catering to a diverse audience that might have different holiday traditions. With Typeface, you can feature your product or generate a lifestyle image in different settings with diverse cultural elements to localize your imagery.

How to create holiday banners using Typeface’s AI image generator

Using an AI image generator will not only cut down your holiday banner creation time by 50-90% but also significantly cut down costs involved in studio or outdoor photoshoots. You can get professional quality banners if you know how to extract the most out of your AI image generator. Here are some simple steps to follow.

1. Prepare your concept and resources

Before diving into the tool, have a clear vision of your holiday banner’s concept. Gather any necessary resources, such as product images, brand logos or props that should be included.

2. Upload your assets on Typeface

It is a good idea to have all your assets ready in one place before you begin to put together your design. On Typeface, we have a centralized brand and asset library that even connects your existing digital storage or asset management platforms, so you can add your own documents, brand guidelines, product images, logos, and more. If you want to add assets while in the generation flow, you can upload them when you are generating the image on Typeface.

Now it’s time to put your creativity to work. On Typeface, there are three different ways you can go about this.

Create your banner from an AI image prompt

If you already have an idea of what your banner should look like, you can open a blank canvas on Typeface Image Studio, our full-featured AI design studio for more control and precision, and type in your prompt. You don't have to be a prompt engineer for this either. Just make sure you add the key points in your text prompt and keep Magic Prompt on. The Magic Prompt feature will auto-enhance prompts by adding relevant modifiers to give you some high-quality outputs.

Quick tip: Remember to set the image size to "banner" or "custom" in the settings on Image Studio before you start.

Here's an example. We used the prompt "A landing page banner for Thanksgiving, showing a ginger ale can placed on a Thanksgiving dinner table with friends and family in the background" and let Magic prompt take over. This is one of the initial Thanksgiving banners that Image Studio gave us.

AI image generator on Typeface for creating holiday banners

Use Visual Inspiration Studio to generate your landing page banners and banner ads

If you are struggling to find ideas for your holiday banners, Typeface Visual Inspiration Studio is here to help. You can find hundreds of inspiration images here to get those ideas flowing. Click on one of the categories or search for the theme to find related inspiration shots.

AI Visual Inspiration Studio on Typeface

Now pick an inspiration you like, customize it with your brand assets, and hit generate.

Don't worry if you can't find an inspiration image in the dimensions of a banner. You can pick a design you like, generate the custom image, and then easily resize it as a banner, using the "Extend" or "Auto Crop" options on the platform.

Create a banner with your own product assets and decorations

Another way to generate your holiday banners on Typeface is by creating the layout with your own assets and decorations, and then letting the AI build up from there. This gives you more control over the elements you want to add to your image as well as the layout. You can even add your logo or text on the canvas and preserve these details in the AI-generated image.

For instance, in this image we added the product (the beverage can) and some decorations to the blank canvas. Once the elements were arranged as we wanted them to be, we added a prompt. Since the AI now has a clear idea of what the product is and which elements we want in the image, the prompt could be as simple as "banner for a Christmas campaign".

The Magic Prompt feature completes the prompt for us, and Typeface generates the final images. With a little help from AI Harmonization to adjust lighting and shadows, here’s the final output.

4. Refine your AI-generated images and add graphic elements

Like any creative endeavor, working with AI requires iteration and refinement—experiment with multiple variations of your ideas to achieve the best possible results. You can run multiple generations with the same prompt to get different variations of the image. Once you have an AI-generated holiday banner that you like, you have the liberty to further personalize it by modifying the prompt. At this stage, make sure that you turn Magic Prompt off, so that your modified prompt and image are not further changed by the AI.

You can add more details like the kind of lighting you want or the colors you want to change. In addition, Typeface has a built-in integration with Adobe Express, so you can easily add text or graphical overlays.

If you’ve got your hands on that perfect banner design, don’t waste its potential by using it on a single platform. Using AI, you can automatically adapt it into multiple formats while keeping the integrity of the design intact.

Use Creative Automation on Typeface to automatically resize and rearrange the design for various channels. You can also get personalized variations of your creatives such as different versions of the same banner for different markets with translated copy or personalized imagery.

Multiple ad creative variations generated by Creative Automation on Typeface

Or you can generate completely new ads from scratch with personalized visuals and copy tailored to selected segments.

AI product photography with Typeface Image Studio

To help you get started creating, check out our guide on how to write good AI image prompts. Here are also some examples of AI image prompts you can use on Typeface to generate amazing holiday banners today.

AI image prompts for generating holiday banners - Thanksgiving

Create a banner ad for a Thanksgiving sale. The banner contains a [your product] placed on [surface like wooden table, glass tabletop, etc.]. The product is surrounded by a Thanksgiving feast such as a golden turkey centerpiece. The dinner table is set up with autumn foliage accents.

Create a banner for a Thanksgiving ad campaign. The focus is on our [product – a TV, refrigerator, etc.] in the foreground. In the background, we see a cozy family gathering around a table filled with a Thanksgiving feast, with candles and pumpkin decorations.

An elegant banner featuring a hand-lettered 'Happy Thanksgiving' greeting overlaid on a background of autumn leaves. Our [product] lies close to the greeting in the flat lay.

Create a banner for a landing page with our [product – e.g. organic agri ingredients] placed at the center. A collection of Thanksgiving desserts like pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie arranged elegantly on the tablecloth surrounding the box. Use fall colors like shades or brown, orange, black and white.

Create a banner for an ad campaign with a vintage-inspired Thanksgiving harvest scene with farming tools, crops, and an old-fashioned farmhouse. Add a message [enter Thanksgiving wish and brand name] at the center of the banner.

AI image prompts for generating holiday banners – Christmas

Create a banner for a Christmas ad campaign with our [product – e.g. luxurious beauty products] arranged on a sparkling snowflake background, accented with gold and silver holiday decorations.

Create a banner for our online storefront of [home decor, furniture, etc.], with an inviting living room scene. The image has a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and tasteful home décor items, under warm lighting.

Create a Christmas banner ad for our dealership with a [luxury car, bike, etc.] adorned with a giant festive bow, parked in a snowy driveway, with a cozy holiday home in the background.

Create a luxurious Christmas themed banner for our brand, with [product - sophisticated watches, jewelry, etc.] showcased in a refined holiday setting, with elements of winter elegance like ice crystals and velvet.

Generate a banner with beautifully packaged [food products - gourmet coffee, tea, etc.] set amidst cozy holiday scenes, with steaming cups and gingerbread cookies laid on a table.

Create a banner with a delightful Christmas feast. Our [product – beverage can, beer bottle, wine bottle and chalice, etc.] is placed along with gourmet dishes and festive beverages, laid out on a cozy, rustic holiday table setting.

AI image prompts for generating holiday banners – New Year

Create a banner ad for a tech brand with a modern, dynamic display of [products – e.g. tech gadgets] envisioned as the 'future of innovation,' with digital fireworks lighting up the backdrop.

Create a New Year banner for an [online bookstore, edtech platform, etc.] with books and stationery items themed around new beginnings, arranged in a cozy reading nook with a softly lit ambiance.

Create a banner ad for a [car dealership, automotive brand, etc.] with a sleek car model showcased on [geographical landmark, famous landmark in a city, etc.], set against the glow of a New Year's sunrise, emphasizing new journeys and horizons.

Create a landing page banner for a [wellness brand, fitness equipment manufacturer, etc.] with [health and wellness products] arranged in a clean, invigorating setting, promoting New Year resolutions with subtle celebratory touches.

Create a banner ad for a [luxury jewelry brand, watch brand, etc.] with sparkling jewelry and accessories presented in luxurious velvet-lined displays and satin ribbons signifying an open present, with a backdrop of new year's fireworks and glimmering lights.

Tips for writing effective prompts

Ready to craft a killer prompt? Here are some practical tips to get you started:

Be specific: Instead of asking for a "holiday scene," specify elements like "a cozy living room with a decorated Christmas tree and snow falling outside." Details matter!

Add cultural/geographical details: If you are trying to connect with a specific target market, make sure to add some cultural or geographical references in the prompt. These could be locations, clothing, food, or anything that the target audience can relate to.

Consider style: If you want an artistic or realistic touch, mention it. Phrases like "in watercolor style" or "hyper-realistic" guide the AI in terms of aesthetics. If you have your own brand style, you can train Typeface on your image styles in your brand kit and then select that style when generating an image to match your look and feel.

Emotional tone: Words like "joyful," "serene," or "festive" can help set the mood of the image.

Include color schemes: If your brand or campaign has a designated color palette, be sure to include these colors in your prompt to create coherent imagery with branding.

Use descriptive adjectives: Think vivid descriptors like "vibrant," "sleek," "rustic," and "luxurious" to add flavor to your prompts.

Common mistakes to avoid

Let's steer clear of common pitfalls that can slow down your image creation process:

Too vague: Avoid prompts that are too broad or generic, like "nice view." This won't give AI much direction, and you'll end up with something far from what you wanted.

Overloading details: On the flip side, cramming too many specifics into a single prompt can confuse the AI. Stick to essential elements and gradually add details if necessary.

Ignoring context: Make sure the prompt aligns with the cultural or thematic context of your campaign. A winter scene might not resonate well for a product launch aimed at tropical locations.

Experiment with different styles and concepts

An AI image generator gives you the power to play with numerous styles until you find one that hits the merry mark. Test out different concepts to see what resonates most with your audience. Here are some tips for effective experimentation:

Run A/B tests: Generate a few different banner designs and see which performs better in terms of engagement and conversions. It’s a great way to refine your approach.

Incorporate user feedback: Ask for opinions from team members or even a select group of customers. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can spot opportunities you’ve missed.

Seasonal variations: Try out variations for different parts of the holiday season. What works in the lead-up to Thanksgiving might shift slightly as you approach New Year’s.

Wrapping up

Want to know more about how an AI image generator can power up your marketing campaigns? Get a demo on Typeface today and witness how it can transform content creation for your business.

How to Use AI Image Generation Tools to Create Holiday Banners for Landing Pages and Ads

How do AI image generator tools work?

Key elements of good holiday banner designs