Imgix x Lummi: The quiet power of taste in a sea of AI images

That’s exactly what’s happened between Lummi and Imgix.

Imgix powers a big part of what makes Lummi AI tools work. Every time someone uses Reframe to magically adapt an image to a new aspect ratio, or exports a video sequence from a Lummi image—Imgix is working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. Their tech lets us focus on building a creative tool that feels intuitive, inspiring, and fun to use.

In short, Imgix helps Lummi be Lummi.

But here’s where things get fun: somewhere along the way, the relationship flipped. As we used Imgix to bring more life to our tools, Imgix started using Lummi to bring more life to their brand. What started as a tech integration turned into creative inspiration for Imgix.

And the story Imgix wanted to tell was no longer about just infrastructure and speed. It was about feel. About showing up as a modern, thoughtful, human brand.

But what is Imgix?

If the internet had a backstage crew making sure every image showed up sharp, fast, and exactly how it should—Imgix would be the trusted lead in the lineup

At its core, Imgix is a powerful image optimization and rendering platform. Think of it as the invisible engine behind the visuals you see across websites, apps, and platforms like Eventbrite and Upworthy. They handle everything from real-time image resizing and compression to smart cropping, face detection, and global CDN delivery—all through simple URL parameters.

For developers, it’s one less headache. For designers, it’s flexibility without compromise. And for users it’s a faster and better visual experience without even realizing it.

Moving away from vector graphics

Before the rebrand, Imgix leaned on vector illustrations. They were clean, structured, and perfectly serviceable—especially for a tech company focused on infrastructure. But over time, that visual language started to feel more like a placeholder than a personality.

“We went through a rebrand,” said Alfredo Deambrosi, a Senior Content Manager at Imgix. “The website was the most obvious display of this rebrand, along with social media. Prior to the rebrand, lots of the graphics were vector-based. Internally we discussed switching over to high-quality images to elevate the brand.”

Rather than switching out illustrations for new ones, the team wanted to change the way Imgix felt. Shifting from something cold and technical to a brand that feels warmer, more expressive, and full of personality. Clean lines and SVGs could only tell part of the story. They needed visuals that carried emotional weight, without looking like every other startup trying to prove they have a soul.

A stock photo problem

The Imgix team needed something that didn’t feel like the typical boring stock photos with overly staged smiles, high-fives over laptops, and other cringey details.

That’s where Lummi came in. Even though the images are made using AI, they feel less artificial than traditional stock photos.

What drew the Imgix team to Lummi was the quality. They didn’t feel staged or overly polished, and the visuals had that natural touch that made them feel real. As Alfredo Deambrosi put it, “Other stock photography just felt exaggerated and, ironically, fake. The Lummi images felt high-end and approachable—way more natural! At first, I didn’t even realize the images were AI.”

And it wasn’t just the visuals that worked. “Combining the excellent visuals with the ease of use, simple interface, great features, and fresh content just fit perfectly for us,” Deambrosi added.

Taste as a differentiator

In a world where generative tools are flooding the web with billions of images, taste is quickly becoming a key factor in good designs. Anyone can prompt a photo of someone laughing near a laptop, but that doesn’t mean that all these images are going to reach a certain level of quality.

That’s where tools like Lummi stand out. Images might be made with AI, but the curation is human, our team is made of artists and designers who are dedicated to making sure only the best images make the cut. As Pablo Stanley put it, “Taste, now more than ever, matters so much when it comes to design. Infinite possibilities of images doesn’t mean they are good ones… We try to cut through this noise by making images that aren't generic, that aren't forgettable.”

And for a company like Imgix, whose entire product is about creating better visual experiences, picking images that actually look good is a must.

A fresh visual identity

Post-rebrand, Imgix’s brand feels richer. Warmer. You scroll through it and get a sense of clarity, quality, and a cohesive visual engaging experience. Social media, marketing, even blog imagery—everything aligns. That cohesion happens when the visuals aren’t just inserted, but integrated.

And maybe the most poetic part of all? A company that works on image rendering and optimization found a new visual identity through images that are generated by algorithms and humans at the same time. There’s something beautiful about that.