The Execs, Cons and What it Means for Designers [+ Expert Insight]

A number of months in the past, I examined a number of AI emblem mills and documented my expertise. Then my good friend Michael Randall, a graphic designer, learn the publish, and I‘ll simply say he wasn’t thrilled about it.

“[Expletive] emblem mills? We’re doomed,” have been his precise phrases.

I ended that weblog publish by clarifying that companies ought to use precise graphic designers when designing their logos to face out. And I stand by that, so hopefully, that gave him extra religion in humanity and our friendship.

That mentioned, I needed to ask my good friend for his perspective on AI in graphic design. So, listed below are a few of Michael’s ideas blended in with my findings from different sources.

After studying, in the event you’re interested in integrating AI into your individual workflow, take a look at our varied HubSpot AI instruments to see if any will help along with your subsequent massive marketing campaign. 

AI Graphic Design: What’s it?

AI graphic design is precisely because it sounds. It is the usage of synthetic intelligence to generate graphics reminiscent of infographics, adverts, logos, and different types of visible artwork.

The logos I created in my earlier publish by way of AI mills are examples of AI graphic designs.

How will AI have an effect on graphic design?

In line with Randall, many graphic designers already see AI’s damaging impacts on the trade and concern it might trigger extra future issues for artists and designers.

“Designers are getting fairly confused,” he says. “For the reason that pandemic, there was a shift. Many freelancers and impartial enterprise homeowners have misplaced work in a method you’ll count on due to the pandemic, however then AI began to essentially explode.”

Randall says AI is seen as extra accessible or cheaper to enterprise homeowners than hiring an precise graphic designer.

“Making a model identification for lower than $5 is one thing most individuals would bounce at in comparison with hiring knowledgeable for a whole bunch of {dollars}—and the latter value is justified as a result of graphic design is labor, however folks do not consider it like this.”

Due to this fact, there‘s a priority that AI’s guarantees of accessible, reasonably priced, and quick graphic designs might additional devalue artists within the design trade.

Nonetheless, some designers say the way forward for AI in graphic design is much less clear and perhaps even much less dystopian. In a YouTube video, graphic artist Will Paterson mentioned whether or not AI might exchange designers is difficult, and nobody really has the reply.

“All I can say for sure is that regardless of your beliefs of generative AI—whether or not it is good or unhealthy—to say aggressive and to be within the industries that we wish to be in, we have to see it as a device that may change the artwork and design course of,” he explains.

Paterson then websites new AI graphic instruments and platforms like Adobe Firefly, which solely makes use of licensed photos as its knowledge mannequin.

“Adobe is, fortunately, turning the dialog to extra of ‘How can I make AI assist creators create?’ as a substitute of ‘How can I make AI create for us?’” he says. “I do not know whether or not we’re being changed sooner or later. I consider we can’t be, however we’ll simply have to search out out.”

The Execs and Cons of Utilizing AI in Graphic Design

The way forward for AI in graphic design is a bit ambiguous, however one clear factor is that AI is right here to remain.

In line with Marq, final 12 months noticed an unprecedented surge in demand for AI design instruments, with the search quantity for AI design-related instruments and software program growing by 1700% from 2022 to 2023.

Moreover, a latest Canva survey discovered that 75% of worldwide advertising and artistic leaders agree that AI is crucial to their inventive toolset.

So, designers and enterprise homeowners should weigh the professionals and cons of utilizing AI when integrating it into their advertising or designs.

One advantage of AI in graphic design is that it may possibly assist artists pace by repetitive or tedious duties. Even my good friend Michael has discovered a use for it in his work.

“I work in structure, notably signage and wayfinding,” he explains. “I take images of present areas and do mock-ups. As an alternative of doing the arduous activity of eradicating an individual or different present components within the picture I took, I can use the generative fill to chop by that activity fairly simply.”

He stresses, “That is the solely context during which I exploit AI in graphic design.”

One other professional is that it may possibly make graphic design extra accessible for newbies and small enterprise homeowners.

For instance, I am not probably the most design-savvy individual. I prefer to suppose I’ve a watch for coloration and a powerful sufficient sense of fashion to know find out how to match totally different components collectively like puzzle items.

Nonetheless, I lack the experience to make attractive designs like these of educated artists like my good friend or different graphic designers.

So, I profit significantly from platforms like Canva that boast varied AI-driven design instruments that assist me create featured photos, YouTube thumbnails, and high-quality social media graphics which are straightforward on the eyes.

I am particularly keen on its Resize and Magic Swap device, which permits me to swap codecs, languages, and dimensions in my designs in seconds.

Nonetheless, one con is that an overreliance on AI in graphic design can lead to supplies devoid of creativity or originality. For instance, I examined 5 AI emblem mills and located that every one their designs yielded comparable outcomes and created in the end uninspired logos.

One other main con is that AI is flawed and might generate photos which are, for lack of a greater time period, wonky. My colleague Ramona Sukhraj examined AI picture mills lately, and so they created some hilarious (and creepy) photos.

When to Keep away from Utilizing AI in Graphic Designs

My good friend Michael is fairly simple concerning the usage of AI.

“It will possibly solely be moral when you’re utilizing it to do a activity that’s not notably skill-based, you are shortening tedious work, otherwise you’re utilizing it to do issues which are not possible for a human to perform,” he says.

In different phrases, keep away from utilizing AI to switch human work. As an alternative, use it as an assistive device that helps designers work effectively.

So, what does the longer term maintain for AI in graphic design? Who actually is aware of? I consider AI will finally develop into a commonplace device for designers, like tablets and digital pens. However I do not consider it will likely be capable of totally exchange actual graphic artists.

AI can generate however doesn‘t host creativity the identical method the human thoughts can, and we’ll all the time want designers’ creativity to craft photos that may stand out towards rivals.

That mentioned, Paterson was proper in that artists ought to use it as a device to stay aggressive.