Why Graphics Designers Are in Trouble and What They Can Do About It
Updated: Apr 24
There are a few industries that are going to be severely impacted by AI in the short term - graphics designers are one of them.
Creative people need to think. You give them a concept and they need to go away and think about it before designing you something amazing. AI doesn't need to think, it just needs a prompt from you and gives you artwork in seconds!
Midjourney Stable Diffusion, Adobe Firefly, DALL-E, Microsoft Designer and other text to image AI art generators have put graphics design in everyone's hands. It is estimated that a billion AI images have been created in the past few years, by millions of people.
Every single image you see on this entire website was created by Midjourney, (apart from my profile pic and screenshots below).
The logo for this website was AI generated too. Wix offers a logo generation tool that allows you to choose a basic design, then do some basic edits and publish it. Lots of tools do that now, so now biggie. The incredible WOW factor with this one, was that it gives you a download with all the layouts you need for your website, social media accounts, email and printables - AND a PDF logo brand code guide with fonts used! In the click of a button! How can you not be blown away by this?
Was the logo perfect? No. Will it suffice? Yes. We still need graphics designers for the hard stuff, but honestly, the logo I got was really fine. The heart part of it was created using Midjourney, I uploaded it to the logo maker and Wix did the rest.
Graphics Designers (and even artists) are going to need to adapt to this new world sooner rather than later to save themselves. Many of them are one-man-band, mom-n-pop shop breadwinners that rely on their creativity to survive.
Here's some ways they can reinvent themselves.
Emphasize human creativity
While AI can generate artwork, it lacks the intuitive understanding of human emotions, cultural nuances, and context. Graphic designers can use their unique perspectives to create designs that resonate with their target audience. AI can only take you so far and it can't spell or do hands very well (yet). It can make beautiful images but remember that everything it creates was once imagined by a human. It's our collective knowledge it is rehashing. So we need the artists of the world to keep teaching these machines to create beauty, otherwise who else will?
Develop AI skills
Graphic designers should embrace AI technology and learn how to integrate it into their work. By mastering AI tools, they can enhance their skills and create more sophisticated and efficient designs. Learn prompt engineering! The more specific you can get, the better the images you will get. It is very easy to learn anything now that ChatGPT has launched.
Collaborate with AI
Graphic designers can use AI as a collaborator to save time and resources, allowing them to focus on the creative aspects of their work. They can leverage AI-generated designs as a starting point and then refine them with their artistic expertise. They can then use tools like Photoshop and Canva to edit those designs, saving them lots of time. Understanding the limitations and strengths of AI can help FastTrack the work you create. It doesn't do words well at all.
Focus on storytelling
A strong narrative can make designs more engaging and memorable. Graphic designers can differentiate themselves by creating compelling visual stories that speak to their audience's emotions and values.
Expand skillset
To remain competitive, graphic designers should consider expanding their skillset beyond design. They can learn about UX/UI design, animation, 3D modeling, video creation or graphics prompt engineering to offer a more comprehensive service to clients. At minimum, choose one of the most popular AI art generators and learn how it works.
Personal branding
Building a strong personal brand can help graphic designers showcase their unique creative vision and style. This can help you stand out in a crowded market, attracting clients who appreciate their particular approach. Ramp up social media marketing using ChatGPT to create posts you can share on social media.
Networking and partnerships
Graphic designers should actively network within their industry and form partnerships with other creatives, such as copywriters and marketers. This network should be expanded to the IT industry. IT geeks don't generally make things pretty, they code. Your AI graphics skills could be just what the IT geeks need for their offering to their clients. These collaborations can lead to exciting projects and new opportunities.
Stay updated
Stay informed about the latest trends, technologies, and tools in their field. Attending conferences, workshops, and online courses can help them stay relevant and adapt to the evolving landscape. Follow AI art generator social media feeds to get ideas and share yours.
Laugh
One of our most endearing human traits, is the ability to laugh and remember that us humans are the actually smartest, most complex machine on the planet! And take heart in knowing that AI doesn't even know how we eat pasta! #AIArtFails
And it has no idea how to make a modern computer or laptop - oh the irony! #AiArtFails
And it can't spell or write for love nor money.
There's a lot more examples of AI Art Fails on Facebook.
So graphic designers can easily remain relevant and thrive in the AI-driven world. Their human creativity and unique perspectives will continue to be valuable in creating designs that connect with their audiences on a deeper level. AI can just save them a lot time doing it.