Recently, the SFU bookstore began sporting a raccoon graphic on stickers, magnets, keychains, buttons, and t-shirts. This became a topic of discussion on the r/simonfraser subreddit, where users questioned whether the graphics were generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Some pointed to minor variations in the raccoon’s appearance across different items, such as different paw, teeth, and tail styles. One person claiming to work with AI also noted grainy textures, which they believe are synonymous with AI usage. According to Capitol Technology University, AI usage signs in art involve small inconsistencies such as extra fingers or distortions.
“If they commissioned an alum or current student, the artist would be pretty consistent in their character design. Artists don’t usually change up their character designs for the same project or series of merch,” one Redditor commented. “Sure, it can evolve over time, but these raccoons are used on the same few pieces of merch and posters.”
In a statement to The Peak, the bookstore’s products team lead wrote that AI was only used “at the very beginning of the mascot’s creation,” and not further.
“I saw there were some comments around the raccoons and bears having slightly different designs or are too pixelated,” the representative said. “The graphic designer made a couple dozen designs of the mascots, so there were some variations between them. As for the pixelation, it’s just the type of medium used.”
The SFU bookstore told The Peak that their “in-house graphics designer from Document Solutions at SFU” was happy to provide copyright information and drafts for all illustrations. The Peak contacted Document Solutions on four occasions over several weeks but did not receive a response.
“What has been disappointing is these accusations are made directly for public condemnation; we were never contacted before the post was made on Reddit, presenting speculation as facts and allowing misinformation to spread,” the bookstore representative said.
“Our reputation was damaged and our designer’s work was disrespected. In an academic environment at SFU and age of AI, exercising critical thinking, research, and source verifications has become more important than ever.”
Eugene Lee, a design student at Capilano University, told The Peak that if this had been a use of AI, it could have been unintentional.
“In-house designers also borrow [and buy the rights to a graphic] from clip art websites,” she said. Graphic designers “will be on a clip art website and looking for a graphic that they want, and choose one without knowing it’s AI. The person who made it knows that it’s AI, but the person choosing it might not be good with technology or at spotting AI art.”
The Peak also contacted SFU’s Interactive Arts and Technology Student Union for more input on the designs, but did not receive a response by publication time.
