Graphic design is a creative field and, traditionally, the arts have been thought of as the last bastion of human-only labor. While some designers believe that artificial intelligence (AI) can't do their jobs, others are concerned about how automation will affect their careers in years to come. What many don’t realize is that AI is already being used in graphic design and there is a consensus among design leaders that (AI) will play a major role in the future of creative arts. Let’s explore what AI could mean for graphic designers now and down the road.
AI is Already Being Used in Graphic Design Today
AI in graphic design is akin to the shift from hand-drawn sketches to digital canvases —transformative and impactful. Beyond automation, AI plays a pivotal role in enhancing and expanding the designer’s creative horizon.
AI doesn’t eclipse the artist, rather magnifies their capabilities. By examining extensive data, discerning emergent trends, and forecasting design shifts, AI accelerates the design journey, condensing what might take hours into mere minutes, all while ensuring novelty and relevance. And designers still have a huge role to play in this process using prompt engineering.
Adobe is already incorporating native AI technology into its programs. Designers may not even realize they are using AI when utilizing some of the newer Adobe abilities such as Text to Vector Graphics, Text to Pattern, Generative fill or Generative Recolor. However, those are all examples of how AI has been quietly working in the background to help enhance a designer’s abilities without taking over the creative process.
about:blankabout:blankThere are other, more obvious AI tools out there, though, including using search functions on stock photo websites, and search engines. AI is also helping enhance the creative process through image generation. Sure we’ve all seen the fun AI-generated images on social media. Sometimes they make you question if some things are real or not! But aside from making your cat look like he’s actually wearing cowboy boots, image generation can do so much more. Midjourney and Adobe Firefly use text prompts to help generate image ideas that can be used for prototyping, brainstorming, or creating mood boards.
The Text-Generating AI: ChatGPT and Jasper AI
Though not necessarily design-specific, text and copy go hand-in-hand with design and should be addressed. The most well-known text-generating tools are ChatGPT and Jasper. Both require text prompts to help generate blogs, reports, headlines, etc.
ChatGPT can be used for more than just helping to write book reports and articles, though. One of its lesser-known benefits comes from its ability to help with research. You can use ChatGPT as a target persona and ask it to respond to questions as your user person would to gain insight into your target market. You can ask ChatGPT how the persona would use an application or what it’s looking for. For instance, you can ask Chat GPT “What is a 19-year-old boy looking for when he’s shopping for sneakers?” AI will tell you based on the knowledge it has acquired.
Jasper AI is very similar to ChatGPT but it feels more user-friendly and intuitive. It has an entire template section that you can filter down on the type of content you want to create such as website text, product descriptions, social media posts, or blog posts.
Design-Based AI: Magician and Canva
Finally, let’s talk about the design experts: Magician and Canva. These tools simplify the design process, making it accessible to everyone, whether you’re a seasoned pro or a complete newbie.
Canva is the ultimate tool for creating everything from social media graphics to event flyers. With its easy-to-use templates and drag-and-drop features, you can design a professional-looking marketing piece in minutes. For example, if you’re organizing a charity event, Canva can help you create a vibrant flyer with minimal effort, thanks to its vast library of templates and design elements. Unfortunately, if you are concerned with branding and having a cohesive look to your marketing pieces, Canva is not a replacement for a human designer.
Magician is a plugin that works inside Figma. It uses AI to generate words, icons, and imagery. After installing the plugin, you simply feed text-based prompts directly to it and it will create these things for you on the fly.
The Future of Graphic Design and AI
The future of graphic design will be characterized by a harmonious coexistence of human creativity and AI assistance. Designers will increasingly use AI as a tool to enhance their work, rather than as a replacement for their skills.
AI will empower designers to explore new creative horizons by helping to generate unique design ideas and combinations that designers may not have thought of on their own. It will help designers create more dynamic data-driven designs and even custom designs for individuals that adapt to user behavior, location, and other variables in real-time.
Ethical Considerations
As the synergy of AI in Graphic Design grows stronger, it inevitably brings forth complex ethical dilemmas. One paramount question arises: Who truly owns an AI-generated design? If a machine, trained on countless artist creations, produces a masterpiece, does the credit solely belong to the machine or the artists whose work it learned from?
Moreover, as AI tools become more accessible, there’s a potential risk of diminishing the value of human-driven creativity, potentially leading to a saturated market with repetitive designs.
Furthermore, can machines unknowingly infringe on existing copyrights with their vast data-driven design suggestions? Navigating this brave new world necessitates robust ethical guidelines, ensuring that while we harness AI’s potential, we also uphold the sanctity and integrity of human creativity.
At Blackberg Group, we harness cutting-edge AI technology to supercharge your operations, optimize workflows, and make data-driven decisions. Don’t fall behind—partner with us to implement AI strategies that drive innovation and boost efficiency.
Ready to take the next step? Check out our Communications service line to learn more about our creative solutions.
