AI and Graphic Design
We live in a world full of constant changing technology. At times, it can feel difficult to keep up with new tech, and it can change faster than we often realize.
This pressure to stay on top of technology has weighed on me quite a bit throughout the years. That pressure ramped up even more with the AI boom in the design world. Although it has been a challenge, I have found ways to work around it and sometimes with it. This includes methods that don’t sacrifice the quality and connection of the human touch. In my opinion, it’s about doing so without sacrificing your values as a person and a professional.
Human Creation & Connection
For myself, and for Juice, it is important that human creation and connection are highly involved in the design process. That is morally something I keep at the forefront of my work. This allows for real quality in the product.
I believe art is created with connection at its core. Understand what is uniquely and individually needed for each specific person or company to thrive. I create each piece of work with this in mind. Specifically, connecting with the customer and their audience is something AI cannot do alone. It simply cannot relate to you like another human being because it is not one.
When do we use AI in graphic design?
With all that being said, it’s not that AI cannot be used to help create the final product. So when do I use AI as a graphic designer? The answer is … very sparingly! Luckily, my skills obtained through my degree and my career experience have put me in a great position to recognize and produce quality work with little use of AI in the process.
Where I find AI most useful as a graphic designer is in auto-generating areas in a photo. For example, if I have a 4×6 photo but need it to be 5×7, then using AI generating in Photoshop can expand a photo’s background so that the image fits as needed. When using this feature, values are not sacrificed. It is a very small piece of the big art puzzle and saves me hours of work that I greatly appreciate.
What do we value?
We understand that for a small business, AI may be helpful especially if you cannot afford specialized photography or the extra time.
At Juice, even when choosing images to license, I choose non-AI generated to start from. In doing that, I make sure the photos were taken by real people so we are not sacrificing human work or connection in the process either. It truly comes down to what your specific business values are, and at Juice, we value human connection, human creativity, and quality work! Something that AI simply just cannot do alone, and something we hope you value too.
Read Joyce’s blog from this two-part series on AI too!