This research proposes a framework where images actively contribute to design reasoning, connecting generative and analytical processes. Drawing on Sellars’ concept of manifest and scientific images, AI-generated images become design instruments. Computational methods interact with human intuition, algorithmic logic, and environmental intelligence, creating a workflow where visual exploration and performance assessment evolve. Two case studies test this approach—the first links synthetic imagery to environmental metrics, and the second reverses the process, translating analytical data into spatial outcomes.