Generative AI & Graphic Design: When to let a Pro Handle It

Happy June folks! Long time no post, but I felt this is a hot topic that deserves more thought than it truly gets. So, let's get right into it, shall we?

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI (we'll call it Genny for short) is a process which artificial intelligence generates images based on text, images, video, audio, and other inputs, trained with vast amounts of data and patterns learned from the internet.

Is it Good or Bad?

Now that we've identified Genny, we need to establish whether it's a good or a bad thing. Overall, Genny is largely seen by freelancers as predatory and reductive of the artistic process as a whole, often not considering context for an image, a brand's identity as whole, or even the proper way a file should be output for specific production processes. The public has mixed opinions but largely praise good ol' Genny for providing the product without the process. I want to underline that there. Product without the Process. At it's core, Genny is nothing but a tool, some argue. This is true, but like any tool, it can be misused, and often is, to the detriment of not only the end-user, but the artist you could've consulted instead.

Now you might say, "I can't afford an artist". This is understandable given the nature of the current economic situation at large (a whole other topic we don't need to go into), but if that is your concern, I will illuminate you:

For the sake of example, let's pretend you're a business startup and you can't spend more than $25 on a logo. You approach your choice of AI, whether it's ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, etc. with a rough description of the logo you dream of in your head. It responds in mere minutes with artwork that looks dazzling, flashy, and as close to your vision as your description could allow it to. "Great!" you say. You've saved yourself thousands in design costs! You save your file to your business documents and move on. Days later you determine you need a suite of marketing materials made to get your name out there. You approach a printer to have them made and provide your Genny-made logo. The printer on the other hand, sends it back saying, "It's too small and pixelated to use", or "We need a vector logo without gradients to plotter cut your vehicle vinyl," or other such comments. You have no idea what to do. You aren't a printer, let alone a designer, and you don't understand how to fix your file. After all, Genny made it and it should work right? You go back to Genny to have the logo fixed, but now the logo isn't quite the same as it was before. You also can only trust Genny to make sure it provides you artwork that meets all the checkboxes of your chosen printer. Ultimately, this new file doesn't work either. Exasperated, you decide to move forward with sub-par artwork, that makes your brand feel cheap, not thought out, and not considerate of your target audience. You struggle to compete with your competitors until you throw your hands up and seek an actual designer to "correct" Genny's image. In the end, you spend the money anyways to have it done right, but you still lost all of your most valuable resource. TIME.

This is a recurring issue we see as designers in the field. Folks who seek out Genny's help, only to face the reality that an actual human touch and expertise is required. I can't tell you how many times I've heard horror stories from business owners, lamenting their frustration.

Now you might say, "Well surely it's not all bad? Right?", and I say to you. It depends. It's not as though Genny doesn't have its uses. Adobe's own suite of design software often includes useful tools to help designers like us in tailoring your image to suit your needs. Heck, one of my favorite tools in Photoshop is Content Aware Fill to remove unsightly marks and blemishes in photos. Which brings me back to the context.

Genny is just a tool, yes, but it matters how it's used. If you are someone who seeks to cut out the designer, for whatever reason that may be, you will likely find yourself in a similar situation described above and seek us out anyways. So why not just save the time and come to us first?

If you're someone who's experienced the issue above, please feel free to reach out to me so we can see about getting it done right.