Why Graphic Designers Are Embracing AI

No trade or profession trajectory has escaped the AI inflow, however least of all of the artistic sector. Instruments like DALL-E and OpenAI’s Sora, able to producing high-quality visuals instantaneously, have sparked considerations about job safety for all types of visible creators. Graphic designers are grappling with what impact these technological strides can have on their craft, demand and earnings, and whether or not AI is killing or uplifting their creativity.

Talking with Patrick Llewellyn, CEO of 99designs by Vista – the world’s largest graphic design market with 1.4M registered freelancers – presents an insider’s perspective on how AI is affecting the roots of the creator financial system. 99designs by Vista lately surveyed over ten thousand of its designers throughout 135 nations to gauge attitudes in direction of AI. Surprisingly, they discovered that an growing variety of designers are optimistic concerning the know-how’s potential to extend productiveness – and by extension, earnings.

Whereas final yr’s media frenzy stoked a concern of the AI unknown, Llewellyn has seen creatives and types begin to put AI to make use of in numerous methods. 38% of the surveyed designers say they “really feel extra optimistic about AI now than they did 12 months in the past”, an indication that creators are coming to phrases with the brand new know-how of their area. Llewellyn mentioned that is because of a “higher understanding of the capabilities and limitations of those platforms”, in addition to the enhancements in AI instruments, regulation and output.

By way of money, Llewellyn explains that “AI is unquestionably impacting designer earnings, however not essentially the way you would possibly assume”. 61% of designers report that AI has affected their earnings this yr, up from simply 45% in 2023. In the meantime, 80% of designers imagine AI will have an effect on their future earnings, with round half anticipating a constructive enhance in earnings. And 99designs has the momentum to indicate for it, with the platform lately surpassing $500 million paid out to its designers.

AI is being leveraged in a myriad of how throughout the artistic industries, from the elegant to the ridiculous to the mundane. Llewellyn referenced famend designer Norma Kamali who has been “coaching an AI software to generate new designs primarily based on her artistic DNA from textual content prompts”, whereas Forbes 30 Below 30 entrepreneur Grace Beverley lately made a splash on social media posting concerning the methods she’s using AI in her on a regular basis workflows, serving to her develop into extra environment friendly as a creator and enterprise proprietor. Llewellyn talked about that even Coca-Cola has used AI in vacation promoting to reveal the methods “creatives push the boundaries of what will be efficiently achieved with the know-how” – albeit to a web-based furore.

Though the capabilities of AI have improved, it appears creators are assured that their jobs aren’t below assault. Llewellyn mentioned that whereas AI is “decreasing the barrier to entry” and making it simpler for anybody to develop into a graphic designer, “it could possibly’t actually exchange or replicate the technique and originality {that a} human designer can present”. It’s seen more and more as a software for good and proficient creators to place to make use of, reasonably than a lazy method for designers to surpass their extra proficient friends. Briefly: it’s not turning the ecosystem on its head, as as soon as portrayed. In response to Llewellyn’s international design group, “greater than half are already leveraging generative AI instruments of their work frequently, and one other 24% wish to begin”. And searching nearer on the knowledge, creators are utilizing AI to permit them to deal with extra artistic and strategic work, by automating repetitive duties and so forth.

Whereas present jobs aren’t below assault for designers and creators, new roles will possible emerge. Immediate engineering jobs will develop into extra widespread, however designers and creators may also must clever as much as the right way to maximise their output utilizing AI, whereas being conscious of the potential pitfalls. Labelling AI-generated content material on social media like TikTok (or the equal when hiring graphic designers) will permit content material creators to distinguish themselves from deepfakes or false creators, whereas they’ll nonetheless be capable to use AI to enhance the standard of their work. 88% of the 99designs by Vista group assume that upskilling in generative AI can be “essential” to their future success, permitting them to remain aggressive towards poor AI-generated content material. Llewellyn describes the platform’s utilization of AI as akin to utilizing “third-party materials”, like inventory photos, and hopes that this strategy will encourage belief amongst designers and companies, in addition to extra productive conversations round the usage of AI in artistic work.

There’s a close to oxymoronic high quality to the phrase ‘AI in artistic industries’ that highlights a key failing of generative AI. Whereas generative AI can in a way ‘create’ one thing out of nothing, it lacks the creativity that’s uniquely human. Lateral considering and creativity are expertise that generative AI can not but match, and thus content material creators and graphic designers nonetheless have an edge when competing with AI-generated content material. Creators shouldn’t be discouraged by the tidal wave of AI, however can harness it to enhance the standard of their output and stage up their careers. Llewellyn remarked that “the design trade is outlined by artistic transformation”, and he’s completely proper – AI represents nothing greater than a brand new problem, which creatives should adeptly and prudently overcome.