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We asked for an editable table and got a branded image full of errors. Planning it took longer than doing it ourselves.
Not your usual day at the office. An experiment.
Trio Media’s creativity lab, where we test new ideas
in public.
Running Riot is where we try new tools and different approaches, then share what we learn, misses included. Experimentation isn’t a spectator sport. Everyone’s invited to take part.
Live now · The AI experiment
Can AI build a
brand and website
in 60 days?
We’re handing strategy, design and build to two rival AI tools, then tracking where they save time, where they struggle and where people still matter. No agency polish over the gaps. Just a proper human sense-check.
Day44of 60
From a blank page to a brand, website, and a very public verdict.
- BrandingDone
- SitemapDone
- Social contentOngoing
- Website designIn progress
- ContentNext
- Build & launchNext
- SEO & AEONext
What we’ve learned so far
Social posts
Captions came quickly and were usable. Graphics were weaker, and fonts and layouts drifted from post to post.
Free trials
A “free for 60 days” video tool tried to charge us £75 on day one. Our bank declined it: a potential fraud.
How the lab works
Test. Learn. Share.
Every experiment uses the same loop, whether it’s an AI tool, a social game or a litter pick. Nothing held back from the lab. The useful bits for anyone playing with the same ideas.
01
Test
Pick a tool or idea worth trying and give it a real job to do. Not a demo.
02
Learn
Track time, quality, cost and usability so the verdict is more than a feeling.
03
Share
Post the wins and the misses on our blog and socials, each with a takeaway you can use.
Experiments
Ideas we’ve already run with
The pomodoro challenge
We used a simple running Riot competition to see how short bursts of focus work for an afternoon, and whether a scoreboard adds anything.
Read the write-upCommunity litter pick
We swapped our desks for Chapel Allerton’s pavements for an hour of litter picking. Many hands, light work.
Read the write-upThe retro shirt
Every lab needs a kit. A retro football shirt for the team, designed in-house and made for more wear.
See the shirtOn the shortlist: a run club for marketers and local businesses, and street interviews for our socials.
Vote on what we test nextLearnings
Notes from the lab
Running Riot: the AI experiment
Can we build a brand and website in 60 days with AI doing the strategy, design and build? The plan, the rules and the first surprises.
Read the article
We’re testing where AI is genuinely useful, not just where it looks impressive. Each task gets a real brief and a human review. We track the time spent correcting the output as well as the time it takes to generate it. Our first takeaway: a quick first draft isn’t always a quicker finished job.
Introducing Running Riot
Why we started a creativity lab, and why we’re sharing the failures with the wins. Right here, as we go.
Read the article
Running Riot gives us room to try things without pretending we already know the answers. Some experiments will help our client work. Others will simply get us out of our chairs. Either way, we’ll tell you what happened and leave you with something useful to try.
Can AI design a website?
The next stage of the AI experiment: what the tools produced, what we kept and what we binned.
Get the update
AI can suggest a structure and create a convincing first impression. The harder part is keeping a consistent brand, clear content and usable interactions across the whole page. Our takeaway: check real tasks on small screens before you judge a design by its screenshot.
Take part
Got an idea with legs?
Pitch us a tool, a format or a slightly odd idea. If it’s worth testing, we’ll test it with you and share what happens.
Vote on what we test next
What should we try next? Choose your favourite.
Come along to the next event
We’re planning the next lab outing. Pitch an idea using the form and tell us you’d like to join us.