You don’t need to look far nowadays and you’ll see, or hear, someone talking about AI or artificial intelligence. Whether it’s from the media or industry insiders, noise around the technology is leaving many business leaders and entrepreneurs wondering what the impact of AI will be on their sector. Is their organisation ready? How best can they integrate it into their business models?
Reports suggest the technology has the potential to transform every sector and as such there has been somewhat of a rush by businesses and organisations to integrate AI. A UK government report published in Forbes magazine found that around ‘one in six UK organisations, totalling 432,000, have already embraced at least one form of AI technology’. Solutions focusing on data management and analysis (9%), natural language processing and generation (8%), machine learning (7%), AI hardware (5%), computer vision and image processing and generation (5%) have seen the biggest uptake.
With AI on most people’s agenda, we wanted to look at the potential impact of the technology on the graphic design industry, what the benefits are and what the challenges may be.
What is AI?
So, we have touched on AI’s popularity, but what actually is it? In short, AI is a technology programmed with the ability to emulate human thinking, that can perform tasks regarded as intelligent, and through learning carry out tasks under its own initiative. AI has the potential to analyse extensive amounts of data in manners distinct from human capabilities, with the aim of replicating human-like functions such as pattern recognition, decision-making, and judgement.
Examples of AI in design
To recognise AI’s potential, first and foremost it’s important to understand how it is already being used in the sector. In just a short time, AI is already making a big impact, not necessarily from an ideation perspective but from its ability to help those working in the industry to speed up tasks. But how is AI already being used in graphic design?
- To generate design ideas and layouts from input, reducing time.
- It improves precision in tasks like retouching and colour correction.
- AI contributes to personalised designs, enriching user experiences.
- The technology converts intricate data into visual graphs, simplifying comprehension.
- It suggests colour schemes tied to mood and audience, aiding design decisions.
These benefits suggest that the technology will give designers more time to be creative and incorporate unique touches into their designs. While time saving sounds too good to be true, using AI in graphic design will have its challenges too.
The challenges of using AI for graphic design
There’s no doubt that as AI continues to advance so too will its ability to be able to make choices (or think) like a human. Just like many creative industries though humans play an important role in being able to interpret briefs and conversations with clients – something AI may never get a full handle on.
The other areas AI struggles with when it comes to graphic design include:
- Being able to replicate the unique artistic flair and innovative thinking that human designers bring to graphic design. The challenge lies in generating truly creative and original designs that stand out.
- Difficulty grasping the specific context, target audience, brand identity, and project goals that drive effective graphic design. Aligning AI-generated designs with the desired message and intent can be tricky.
- AI-generated designs can inadvertently infringe upon copyright or intellectual property rights which could lead to a lawsuit.
- Design isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about creating user-centric experiences. AI doesn’t always optimise designs for usability and interaction, which results in less-than-ideal user experiences.
The future of AI in the graphic design industry
AI isn’t the first technology to rock the apple cart for the graphic design industry. It wasn’t too long ago that the sector was getting to grips with Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. Like all technologies it’s about finding the benefits that best suit your organisation.
The future of AI in the graphic design industry holds great promise with advancements in the technology expecting to bring about significant changes and opportunities. Despite the challenges we mentioned above, AI tools will increasingly assist designers throughout the creative process, automating tasks like layout and composition, and offering real-time feedback for iterative design. AI’s ability to help generate personalised designs based on user data, in collaboration with designers, will lead to more targeted and creative visuals – in short, it is a friend, not foe.
Want to learn more about how we have been embracing AI or for more information on any of our services, contact the team via our contact us page.