Although current generative AI (GenAI) enables designers to create novel images, its focus on text-based and whole-image interaction limits expressive engagement with visual materials. Based on the design concept of deconstruction and reconstruction of digital visual attributes for visual prompts, we present FusAIn, a GenAI prompt composition tool that lets designers create personalized pens by loading them with objects or attributes such as color or texture. GenAI then fuses the pen's contents to create new images. Extracting and reusing inspirational material matches designers' existing work practices, making GenAI more contextualized for professional design. A study with 12 designers shows how FusAIn improves their ability to define visual details at different levels that are difficult to express with current GenAI prompts. Pen-based interaction lets them maintain fine-grained control over generated results, increasing GenAI image's editability and reusability. We discuss the benefits of "composition as prompts" and directions for future research.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3714027
The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (https://chi2025.acm.org/)