Generative AI is certainly a hot topic and one that provides a lot of opportunities as well as a lot of moral concerns. Many people who work in creative fields are understandably concerned about its derivative nature. AI learns from the work of creative people and repurposes their style to generate new works—which is a moral and legal grey area.
At the same time, it makes perfect sense that businesses are tempted by the cost savings that generative AI can offer compared to hiring a freelance graphic designer or other creative professional. Below are some things to consider when choosing to use generative AI or when working with a graphic designer in the AI age.
Generative AI is not accountable
Professional graphic designers are morally and legally accountable for their work. If a graphic designer copies an existing logo and slaps your business name on it, they are violating copyright laws and putting your business (and themselves) at risk of being sued. AI has no such accountability—it creates what you tell it to and the provenance of the design is unclear.
AI does not understand your goals
The role of a professional graphic designer is not just to make things look pretty. A good designer work with you to create designs that accomplish your business goals. Good design is strategic and uses understanding of how users interact with design to create a product that is a good experience for your customers and serves your business.
AI doesn’t ask “why?”
A good designer doesn’t just follow your requests unquestioningly. Instead, a seasoned design professional knows to look at the “why” of the project—they look at what you’re looking to accomplish and considers whether what you asked for is the most effective route to that goal. An experienced designer can offer suggestions that can save you money and more effectively accomplish the outcomes you’re looking for.
AI doesn’t innovate
As mentioned above, AI is completely derivative in nature. It cannot create anything truly unique. This means AI design will always be fairly generic and certainly will never be ground breaking. AI also has the potential to cannibalize creative industries. If too many people rely on AI instead of human professionals, those professionals will go out of business. No human designers would mean no innovation and design would become genericised by AI imitating other AI.
Should a professional graphic designer use generative AI?
Generative AI is certainly a hot topic and one that provides a lot of opportunities as well as a lot of moral concerns. Many people who work in creative fields are understandably concerned about its derivative nature. AI learns from the work of creative people and repurposes their style to generate new works—which is a moral and legal grey area.
At the same time, it makes perfect sense that businesses are tempted by the cost savings that generative AI can offer compared to hiring a freelance graphic designer or other creative professional. Below are some things to consider when choosing to use generative AI or when working with a graphic designer in the AI age.
See also:
My name is Mark Garrison and I’m a graphic designer and illustrator based in Victoria, British Columbia. I have more than 20 years of experience producing creative work in a variety of media and using strategic thinking to build and grow projects.