5 answers
Taylor
Student
Roseau, Minnesota
3
Questions
Asked
457 views
Is graphic design a dependable career in this day and age?
The use of AI has rapidly increase over the years with it's technological advancements and developments, leading to a lot of job displacement and income lost for many people within certain industries. This leads me to wonder if the career in which I want to pursue, being graphic design, is still a dependable career to have during such a time.
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5 answers
Joanna Ogrodnik
Graphic design and marketing
2
Answers
Wrocław, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
Updated
Joanna’s Answer
Hi Taylor
Yes, you can still work as a Graphic Designer. Graphic Designer should know AI tools and possibilities to speed up your performance. It's creative.
These days we still appreciate human touch, I think this will be relevant in the future as well.
Yes, you can still work as a Graphic Designer. Graphic Designer should know AI tools and possibilities to speed up your performance. It's creative.
These days we still appreciate human touch, I think this will be relevant in the future as well.
Sean McBrien
Technology
43
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Sean’s Answer
Hi Taylor, as Pierre noted, it's hard to tell exactly where AI will take us, but it is clear that there will be changes, particularly in graphics design. A lot of the things you are being taught now will be automated by AI, and some graphics design will be entirely done by AI, but there will likely be a continued need for human involvement in the future. If we were to look back at design before CAD and Photoshop, there were many processes that were done manually. Photoshop eliminated those manual processes and jobs, but it also created jobs for people with Photoshop skills. The same process has played out in all technical advancement. Calculators and spreadsheets didn't eliminate the need for accountants, but it did change the role of bookkeepers. AI will be able to do a lot but it feels unlikely that it will do everything. Human creativity and reasoning will likely still be needed. There is an entertaining example of technical evolution from back in the 1950s or 60s. It's a move called "Desk Set" starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy and it revolves around research librarians worried about being displaced by early computers. Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Jessica Gegner, CCMP™
Change Partner Senior
99
Answers
Cincinnati, Ohio
Updated
Jessica’s Answer
Hi Taylor! As someone who works closely with AI in companies, I can tell you that AI will be part of your future as a Graphic Designer. While we can't say exactly when or if AI will replace jobs, it's likely to become a tool we use to work faster. Adobe has an AI feature called Firefly, which you'll likely learn about in college if you study Graphic Design. You're in a great position to get ahead by learning to use these AI tools as part of your degree. We believe AI design will always need human oversight to ensure quality and meet the goals of the company or client. Don't worry about job loss; instead, embrace learning these new technologies to use them effectively in your career. Keep an open mind and be flexible as your career path evolves with technology. It's important to keep learning and adapting to stay current. Stay positive and good luck!
Pierre Fontaine
Consumer Product and Packaging Design
10
Answers
Ardsley, New York
Updated
Pierre’s Answer
Of the three questions you've asked, this is perhaps the hardest to answer. AI has infiltrated every aspect of life and graphic design is no exception.
There's no doubt that AI will continue to eat into everyone's careers and there's little to do to escape it. There will always be clients who don't have the ability to discern good design from bad and might be willing to accept whatever options and AI prompt might provide.
That's where a good designer can provide necessary assistance. A good designer knows how to use AI as a tool, not a solution. AI can be an incredible springboard for ideas but AI doesn't have the discernment to know what's best for the client. Only a person can do that as a good designer can comprehend a design problem that a series of prompts might never solver adequately.
I use Photoshop everyday in my work. AI tools built into Photoshop have be invaluable to solve certain problems but I need to be actively involved in knowing what's right in a specific circumstance. So far, AI can't replace the kind of heavy photo retouching I do on a daily basis. It can generate amazing imagery, even produce images that are similar to what I produce but a designer/artist/retoucher, working with a client still needs to be the arbiter of what works and what doesn't and how to integrate AI into a solution that makes everyone happy.
So, to answer your question, there's no dependable career. However, if design and art are what you're passionate about then pursue it. It's clear from all your questions that you're a smart person who is thinking about these difficult questions. Your approach to these questions shows a maturity that will suit you well in any career you choose.
I don't have a crystal ball to foresee the future. What's obvious is that AI advances will continue to creep into everyone's work. Sadly, AI will render some people's jobs obsolete. I sincerely believe however that the human component is necessary to make AI work. It's that human component that will always drive the final result, make certain it's right for the client and remain a valuable commodity.
There's no doubt that AI will continue to eat into everyone's careers and there's little to do to escape it. There will always be clients who don't have the ability to discern good design from bad and might be willing to accept whatever options and AI prompt might provide.
That's where a good designer can provide necessary assistance. A good designer knows how to use AI as a tool, not a solution. AI can be an incredible springboard for ideas but AI doesn't have the discernment to know what's best for the client. Only a person can do that as a good designer can comprehend a design problem that a series of prompts might never solver adequately.
I use Photoshop everyday in my work. AI tools built into Photoshop have be invaluable to solve certain problems but I need to be actively involved in knowing what's right in a specific circumstance. So far, AI can't replace the kind of heavy photo retouching I do on a daily basis. It can generate amazing imagery, even produce images that are similar to what I produce but a designer/artist/retoucher, working with a client still needs to be the arbiter of what works and what doesn't and how to integrate AI into a solution that makes everyone happy.
So, to answer your question, there's no dependable career. However, if design and art are what you're passionate about then pursue it. It's clear from all your questions that you're a smart person who is thinking about these difficult questions. Your approach to these questions shows a maturity that will suit you well in any career you choose.
I don't have a crystal ball to foresee the future. What's obvious is that AI advances will continue to creep into everyone's work. Sadly, AI will render some people's jobs obsolete. I sincerely believe however that the human component is necessary to make AI work. It's that human component that will always drive the final result, make certain it's right for the client and remain a valuable commodity.
Kaite Rosa
Marketing
2
Answers
Southborough, Massachusetts
Updated
Kaite’s Answer
Hi Taylor,
You’re smart to be thinking and asking about this, and with all the changes AI has brought about it makes sense you’re a little wary!
When AI tools first emerged, many of us on the ‘creative’ side of business worried it would eliminate our jobs. Who needs a designer if AI can do it far cheaper — and faster?
The thing is, though, as more and more companies use Claude and ChatGPT to design for them, we’re seeing a LOT of similarities. Example: I recently saw a round up of social graphics made by AI to promote local farmers markets. The markets were all across the US, and yet the creative for each was nearly identical.
More business leaders are seeing how - especially with the big creative work - it still takes a human being to refine a version AI designed if you want it to feel organic and authentic. As a marketing leader, where I am really seeing AI take hold is in the small, repeatable tasks (think: basic social media graphics, slide deck design, etc.). These are often the tasks my creatives don’t want to spend time on to begin with, as they’re very rinse and repeat, so we’re now having AI handle them. Right now, what I am seeing more often is that designers are using AI to handle the “grunt work” or to help them mood board and ideate.
Of course, no one has a crystal ball. There is no guarantee this won’t change. But I think we’re seeing companies adopt AI to help teams be more efficient with the repeatable, admin kind of work so that they can focus on the work that requires truly creative thinking.
Based on what I’m seeing, yes - I do think graphic design is still a dependable field. I would encourage you to expand further beyond just design and learn basic motion graphics, simple video editing, event brand design, etc. Those skills are increasingly inseparable from static design in most marketing contexts, but a lot of designers don’t have the motion and video skills. Learning them will take you from a single-focused designer to an overall creative powerhouse.
Best of luck!
You’re smart to be thinking and asking about this, and with all the changes AI has brought about it makes sense you’re a little wary!
When AI tools first emerged, many of us on the ‘creative’ side of business worried it would eliminate our jobs. Who needs a designer if AI can do it far cheaper — and faster?
The thing is, though, as more and more companies use Claude and ChatGPT to design for them, we’re seeing a LOT of similarities. Example: I recently saw a round up of social graphics made by AI to promote local farmers markets. The markets were all across the US, and yet the creative for each was nearly identical.
More business leaders are seeing how - especially with the big creative work - it still takes a human being to refine a version AI designed if you want it to feel organic and authentic. As a marketing leader, where I am really seeing AI take hold is in the small, repeatable tasks (think: basic social media graphics, slide deck design, etc.). These are often the tasks my creatives don’t want to spend time on to begin with, as they’re very rinse and repeat, so we’re now having AI handle them. Right now, what I am seeing more often is that designers are using AI to handle the “grunt work” or to help them mood board and ideate.
Of course, no one has a crystal ball. There is no guarantee this won’t change. But I think we’re seeing companies adopt AI to help teams be more efficient with the repeatable, admin kind of work so that they can focus on the work that requires truly creative thinking.
Based on what I’m seeing, yes - I do think graphic design is still a dependable field. I would encourage you to expand further beyond just design and learn basic motion graphics, simple video editing, event brand design, etc. Those skills are increasingly inseparable from static design in most marketing contexts, but a lot of designers don’t have the motion and video skills. Learning them will take you from a single-focused designer to an overall creative powerhouse.
Best of luck!