The impact of AI on the design industry

AI and graphics are hot topics — there are many strong opinions on these. According to a Deloitte study commissioned to assess how AI could impact organisations over time 94% of executives believe AI could have an enormous impact. 76% said that they would have deployed more than one AI application in the next year. Although many AI applications are focused mostly on customer service and finance, some companies are moving to use artificial intelligence to design graphics.

AI is having a major impact on the world, businesses and specifically the design industry. It is automating repetitive tasks, enabling design to be more customised, and opening up new possibilities for brand consulting agencies, web design companies and digital marketing firms.

However, the most powerful use of AI is when it is driven by human experience and creative excellence. AI cannot replicate the creative intentions of a human designer's brain, nor can it yet perfect the finer detail to match the creative brief. The role of the designer is safe at the moment, but AI can be used to enhance the capabilities of human creativity through a designer's creative mind and it will free up designers to focus on more creative and strategic work.

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Here are some of the ways AI is impacting graphic design:

Automating repetitive tasks

AI can automate tasks such as image resizing, colour correction, and layout design. This frees up designers to focus on more creative work. AI affects all aspects of creative process of design, from the design process to the creation of graphics. With the use of specific parameters, AI algorithms can learn layout composition and complete designs. The development process can be considerably faster by utilising new software applications such as DALL•E Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, and similar.

Offering generative design tools

AI generates design algorithms automatically, and produces an image using the prompts a human user sends, usually within seconds. The commonly used AI tools DALLE 2 and Midjourney are typical of these tools.

Generative AI tools mean you can utilise existing graphics, photos, or a brand as input into AI toolkits to create a new design, template, or digital marketing imagery. Adobe FireFly is currently in beta and offers such functions as a way to provide the visual content creators with greater control over the design process and reduce their workload.

Making designs more customised

AI can analyse data to understand the preferences and needs of their target audience. This data can be used to create tailored designs that are more likely to resonate with those target audiences.

Opening up new possibilities

AI is enabling designers to create designs that were previously time consuming or specialist, such as complex animations and interactive designs. This is opening up exciting opportunities and new possibilities for designers to push the boundaries of what’s possible. AI can offer innovative design solutions, helping you tackle complicated design projects by generating scalable and efficient software solutions. AI will give designers new options for creating designs that would otherwise be impossible by manually creating animations. Graphics editing is an integral part, and AI reveals its potential for transforming graphics. AI-enabled image editing tools automate the enhancing of pictures, eliminating manual adjustments and reducing designers' time and energy. AI also helps designers to improve low-resolution images by upscaling techniques, whilst retaining visual integrity. This advance is especially helpful on projects dealing with large format graphic design and printing.

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How will AI impact graphic designers in the future?

The impact of AI on graphic designers is still unfolding. As a branding and creative agency, it is clear that AI will continue to play an increasingly important role in the graphic design industry. As AI technology evolves, designers will have access to more powerful tools and capabilities. This will allow them to enhance their work and offer more value to their clients.

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Here are some specific ways that AI is predicted to impact designers in the future:

AI will be used to create more personalised and targeted designs

For example, AI could be used to make AI designers generate different versions of a design based on the user's individual preferences.

AI will be used to create more interactive and engaging designs

For example, AI could be used to create designs that respond to the user's input or that change their appearance based on the user's environment. 

AI will be used to automate more complex tasks

Such as creating video animations or generating 3D models. This will free up designers to focus on more strategic and creative work.

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For future client projects at Motel we will:

Continue to learn about AI

The more we know about AI, and AI design tools, the better equipped we will be to use them to our advantage. There are many resources available online and in libraries to help designers learn about AI.

Experiment with AI tools in our design process

There are a number of AI tools available for graphic designers. Designers can experiment with these tools to see how they can be used to streamline their workflow and enhance their work.

Focus on our creative skills

AI can automate many tasks, but it cannot replicate the creative intentions of a human brain. We will focus on developing and honing our creative skills.

Become more collaborative

AI can be extremely powerful when collaborating with other humans. Designers should be open to collaborating with AI developers and other professionals to create new and innovative designs.

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Future implications of AI in graphic design

It is not known exactly where AI will next take design, but from what we've seen so far we know this will continue to have a major impact on process and possibilities. AI technology is constantly evolving. A recent survey found that the respondents couldn't distinguish between AI generated images and human generated images 54% of the time. The distinction is becoming increasingly less. We could see more changes when laws regarding photo copyrights are amended in the future. However, at this time, it is more important for AI to help reduce time, automate the designer's graphic design process and support in enhancing the creative output.

With the help of AI, the future of design is exciting, with designers having more innovation and tools at their fingertips. We at Motel have been bringing AI into our workflow where possible. Some examples are included here, but for a more in-depth exploration see our Uden & Woodruff case study.

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FAQs

How does AI impact industrial design?

In short, "Innovation of Industrial Design with AI: Generate a change in design landscapes". The incorporation of machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence has simplified the creation of new ideas and streamlined design processes.

How can AI help in design?

AI can drive design either through the automatic design process or through data-driven design. AI software, and tools such as DALL•E and CLIP uses the capabilities of GPT to automatically create the design of human concepts.

Is AI a threat to designers?

Designers shouldn't view artificial intelligence as a threat to designers work but rather see AI as an essential tool promoting creative creativity in an efficient way. Future graphic designs lie within a collaborative effort between artificial intelligence and human designers.

How is AI impacting the industry?

AI is capable of changing manufacturing operations by improving productivity, reducing downtimes and improving quality assurance. The use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing can be applied to predictive maintenance.

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Are you interested in adopting AI into your brand and content?

Book a call to see how we can help here.