I was just trying to make better featured images, but accidently ended up creating a visual brand for danswords.com.
At first, I used stock photos. They were high-quality images, and they worked fine for what I needed at the time. But after a while, they started getting too expensive for how often I was posting.
A single image in the Essentials category cost $2.90, or one credit. One Signature photo could set me back three credits, or $8.70. That adds up fast when you are trying to publish twice a week.
So back in March, I decided to try using AI to create a featured image.
At the time, I did not want to spend the money on iStock just to find an image that was close enough. I wanted something that fit the post, matched the idea in my head, and gave the page a little more personality.
That one decision started something I did not expect.
The Featured Image That Started It All
If you go back to my post from March 21, 2026, you can start to see the evolution of my featured images.
I used AI to create many images. Some are real good, like the featured image I used for Beyond the Visitor Count: A New Content Creation Strategy for My Core Pages. I like the detail of the Chevy and the Route 66 sign out the window. Then there are the ones that are not quite so good. Take a look at the image in my blog post SEO for Creators Over 50: The Proven Way to Get Found on Google in 2026. I think the guy has six fingers. Oh well. Learn as you go.
At first, I thought the Route 66 style was the direction I wanted to take. I liked the road-trip feel. It had movement, personality, and a little bit of adventure.
But after that first one, I did not really know where to go next.
Keeping your visual branding intact is not easy when you are still figuring out what that branding even is.
Then, for my April 25, 2026 post, I got a Batman feeling. Not the Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, or Christian Bale type of Batman, but the GOAT and best Batman, Adam West. For some reason, The Riddler stood out that day, so I created The Riddle-themed featured image.
For my next image, I was in a Scooby-Doo mood. So I created me and Sami as Shaggy and Scooby, along with a retro Scooby-Doo vibe for my featured image.
After that, the Dan and Sami images started rolling.
What started as an experiment slowly turned into something bigger. The images began to feel less random and more connected. Dan and Sami were not just showing up in the artwork. They were becoming part of the personality of the site.
Now many of my blog posts use Dan and Sami as part of the featured image style. Honestly, coming up with featured image ideas is half the fun of creating the blog post.
A little side note. We lost Sami in August 2025. Old age finally caught up with her. The Dan and Sami images are my tribute to her. She was a great dog and is deeply missed.
My Prompt to Create the Dan and Sami Featured Images
This is the actual AI prompt that I used to create The Thinker featured image. Feel free to copy it and make changes as you wish.
If this is something that you are interested in creating for your own blog post, then you need to get a sample image created the way you like. From there you use it to create all of your other images. For me I used Dan&Sami-05-06-26.jpg.
Create a 1200×628 blog featured image using the attached reference image as the character guide.
Keep the approved character designs consistent with the reference image, Dan&Sami-05-06-26.jpg. Do not redesign the characters, change their faces, alter their proportions, change their clothing style, or modify the overall cartoon style. Only change the scene, pose, props, and action described below.
SCENE:
Sami is on the left side of the image, shown at about a 45-degree angle. She is wearing an artist’s smock with a few light paint stains. She is working on a stone sculpture of Dan posed like “The Thinker.” The sculpture is only about half finished.
Behind Sami and slightly to the right is Dan. He is wearing a toga and posing like “The Thinker,” as if he is modeling for the sculpture.
The setting is an artist’s workshop. In the back left of the room, include an open window with a view of gentle hills and a few trees outside. Keep the background simple so the focus stays on Sami, Dan, and the sculpture.
STYLE AND CONSISTENCY RULES:
Keep the characters visually consistent with the approved reference image.
Do not reinterpret, redesign, modernize, exaggerate, or restyle the characters.
Do not change their faces, age, proportions, fur colors, hair, clothing direction, or overall look.
Only adjust the scene, action, props, and composition described in this prompt.
COMPOSITION:
Final image size should be 1200×628.
Create the image as a blog featured image with enough spacing so it works well across a website layout.
Keep the main characters and sculpture clearly visible.
Avoid placing important details too close to the edges.
Let’s Wrap This Up: Featured Images
I never expected featured images to become such a big part of danswords.com.
At first, I just needed an image for each post. Something decent. Something that looked good enough to publish. But over time, those images started becoming part of the blog’s personality.
That is the part I did not see coming.
The more I created Dan and Sami images, the more the blog started to feel like mine. Not because every image was perfect, but because the images started to connect. They had a similar style, a similar feeling, and a little piece of my own story inside them.
That is what makes featured images so powerful.
They are not just decorations sitting at the top of a post. They can help set the tone, support the story, and make a blog feel more recognizable. Sometimes they can even become part of the reason you enjoy creating the post in the first place.
The Thinker image is a good example of that for me.
It is a little funny, a little strange, and very much in line with where my blog is heading. Sami is the artist. I am the model. The image fits the post, but it also says something about the process itself.
I am still figuring this out.
One image at a time.
One post at a time.
And honestly, that is the fun part.
About the Author: Dan Swords
Dan Swords is a writer, blogger, and content creator with more than 35 years of professional technical writing experience and over 13 years creating content for the web. Through danswords.com, he shares practical advice to help aspiring bloggers and creators get their ideas online. His focus is simple: helping people start and grow a blog with clear writing, engaging content, and practical strategies that actually work.