BennyCreates Suite
Internal Tools for Bankrate
Overview
BennyCreates is a suite of AI-assisted tools designed to help non-specialists create, analyze, and prototype high-quality outputs independently—without sacrificing brand integrity, trust, or strategic rigor. Across creative production, paid media, social content, competitive research, and AI-assisted prototyping, the suite addresses a consistent challenge: how to translate complex, specialist-driven workflows into intuitive, constrained systems that scale across teams.
Rather than treating AI as a standalone feature, BennyCreates embeds intelligence directly into the experience layer—combining real data, brand systems, and intentional language design to guide users toward effective outcomes. Each tool balances flexibility with constraint, enabling autonomy while preventing common failure modes such as off-brand visuals, inconsistent messaging, speculative analysis, or poorly structured prompts. The result is a set of systems that replace manual handoffs, reduce dependency on expert intervention, and accelerate execution without lowering standards.
Taken together, the suite demonstrates a consistent approach to designing AI-powered experiences: treating language and structure as core design materials, decomposing complex problems into coordinated systems, and shaping AI behavior to support human decision-making. BennyCreates functions not as a collection of tools, but as an operating model for how organizations can responsibly integrate generative AI into everyday work—turning bottlenecks into scalable, human-centered systems.
The Problem
Bottlenecks from handoffs to designers/specialists slow down creative production
Off-brand, generic AI outputs without constraints damage brand consistency
Slow production loops for ads, social content, and editorial create delays
Hard to translate ideas into structured prompts and prototypes limits innovation
Design Principles
Constraint over freedom
Embedded guardrails ensure brand-safe outputs without requiring expertise
Progressive complexity
Start simple, reveal advanced controls only when needed
Immediate feedback
Visual, reversible changes let users iterate with confidence
Tools
Article Image Generator
What it does
AI-generated imagery powered by OpenAI, orchestrated through n8n. Creates on-brand article images with layer-based editing capabilities.
Who it's for
Content teams and writers who need imagery but lack design expertise.
Key Interactions
- • Brand-aware constraints: approved shapes, colors, gradients
- • Layer-based editing: drag/resize/rotate, hide/show, reorder layers
- • One-click export
Guardrails
Approved color palettes, gradient systems, and shape libraries baked into prompts. Visual preview before final generation.
"This tool reframed image generation as an experience, not a prompt."
Outcome
- • Designers removed from routine image requests
- • Content teams gained speed and autonomy
- • Visual consistency improved across articles
- • Export became a single-step action rather than a handoff
Paid Media Ad Generator
What it does
Generates bulk ad packages from templates. Upload an image and headline, choose templates and ratios, export up to 100 ads in seconds.
Who it's for
Paid media teams who need to rapidly produce ad variations across platforms.
Key Interactions
- • Templates as configurable systems
- • Reposition/resize elements with live preview
- • AI-assisted variation at scale
- • Batch export as ZIP
Guardrails
Templates enforce brand fonts, colors, layouts. AI generates variations within template constraints.
"This system reframed ad creation as parameterized design, not manual layout."
Outcome
- • Paid media teams self-serve
- • Dramatically shorter launch timelines
- • Designers focus on higher-impact work
- • Consistency improved across platforms
BennyCanvas
What it does
Internal, brand-safe Canva alternative with platform templates, brand palette/fonts/shapes baked in, and AI generation capabilities.
Who it's for
Non-designers across teams who need to create social graphics and presentations.
Key Interactions
- • Drag-and-drop editing + layer manipulation
- • AI generation + asset library uploads
- • Customizable tables/structured components
- • Platform templates (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
Guardrails
Brand system is the default. Users can only select from approved colors, fonts, and shapes.
"BennyCanvas functions as a brand operating system, not just a design tool."
Outcome
- • Non-designers create polished assets independently
- • Brand consistency increased
- • Designers shifted from production to systems/templates
Competitive Research Presentation Prompt Generator
What it does
Live SERP + Ahrefs data via APIs in n8n. AI synthesizes rankings, backlinks, gaps, and opportunities into presentation-ready insights delivered as a ready-to-go optimized prompt for v0.
Who it's for
Strategy and marketing teams who need competitive intelligence quickly.
"This system reframed research as designed intelligence, not manual labor."
Outcome
- • Research time reduced
- • Consistent, defensible insights
- • Faster strategic conversations
Optimized Prompt Generator
What it does
Multi-stage system: AI Consultant → Prompt Optimizer → prompt + visual synthesis. Upload prompt + sketch/wireframe/flowchart, get copy-paste-ready v0 prompt.
Who it's for
Product designers and developers who need to rapidly prototype with AI tools.
Key Interactions
- • Upload prompt + sketch/wireframe/flowchart
- • AI Consultant analyzes intent and requirements
- • Prompt Optimizer structures output for v0
- • Includes design system instructions and visual references
Guardrails
Multi-stage processing ensures prompts are structured, specific, and aligned with design system constraints.
"Most importantly, it shifted prompting from a skill barrier to a designed experience."
Outcome
- • Faster prototyping cycles
- • Higher-quality AI outputs with less effort
- • Reduced cognitive load
- • More consistent, reusable prompts across teams
Custom GPTs
Specialized roles > one generalist agent. Each GPT focuses on a specific task with tailored instructions and context.
R7 — The Image Prompt Assistant
R7 — The Prompt Optimizer
R7 — The AI Consultant
R7 — The n8n Assistant
R7 — The Lifestyle Image Generator
R7 — The GPT Builder
Learnings
Designing constraints as product features
Constraints aren't limitations—they're features that enable autonomy and ensure quality.
Treating prompting as a UX problem
Prompting shouldn't require expertise. Designing the right structure makes AI accessible to everyone.
Guardrails + templates enable scale without dilution
Systems with embedded judgment scale quality, not just quantity.
Systems thinking beats one-off outputs
Building interconnected systems creates compounding value over time.