4 answers
Emerson
Student
Lancaster, New York
1
Question
Updated
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How can we use AI to advance graphic design but not take it over?
Graphic Design, RIT, AI
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4 answers
Sandeep Khandelwal
Software Engineer
145
Answers
San Ramon, California
Updated
Sandeep’s Answer
Hello Emerson,
AI should be used as a tool to support designers, not replace them. It can help with tasks like generating ideas, speeding up repetitive work, or creating quick prototypes, while the designer still controls the creative direction and final decisions.
Graphic design is ultimately about creativity, storytelling, and understanding the audience areas where human judgment is still essential.
When used properly, AI can simply help designers work faster and explore more ideas.
AI should be used as a tool to support designers, not replace them. It can help with tasks like generating ideas, speeding up repetitive work, or creating quick prototypes, while the designer still controls the creative direction and final decisions.
Graphic design is ultimately about creativity, storytelling, and understanding the audience areas where human judgment is still essential.
When used properly, AI can simply help designers work faster and explore more ideas.
Liam Rielly
Data Center Technician
195
Answers
Manassas, Virginia
Updated
Liam’s Answer
Good question! You can make a 500 character prompt and it will make an entire picture from that so why not just do that all the time right?!
AI has many different tools that are used as part of it, so if you find a use for some of those tools and not for an automatic end product it can be really useful. Don't try to use GenAI for an end product, but think about using it as a brush, filter, edit tool, batch file processor, macro, or make layers that act like filters and put those over your work for effects.
The other clear use (one that I hope to master at one point) are in GIMP, there is an option for "script-fu" and "python-fu". These are essentially build your own plugins so you can have unique effects on your work. Using a tool like codex, claude code, or perplexity computer you can ask it to make a line of code for you to alter images. The cool thing about AI is it has object recognition so you can feed the results back in and ask it to do something different after!
There is a world of things we can use AI for other than making slop or fake pictures. Also instead of using AI in image altering, what if you used it as a graphic designer to support your business while you take more time to create! Make it more like a personal assistant to do all of your boring tasks rather than like a co-designer you work with.
The most valuable use for AI as a small business or as an individual is using it for the tasks you don't want to do. People think because its the most powerful tool in the shed they should be using it as their primary tool, but instead can be used to do dreaded tasks while you operate the tools you love.
I feel like it is worth learning how to use GenAI just to have it as a competitive skill or resume filler. If you get a job where they want high volume slop, I would explain thats not what you do and try to find a new one. For your personal craft, I would lean on it for essentially brushes and filters but not allow it to create on its own. Figure out how you can use it as a personal assistant so you can have better time management and I feel that is the absolute best uses for someone like yourself.
(Remember when using free and open source editors (FOSS) they are not the same as the commercial products similar to them. You will not open them up and get a massive selection of brushes and fonts, you need to add them. You may only get a couple of basic filter, you may need to add them. Example, people experienced with GIMP get angry when it doesn't run like Photoshop. You likely need to use a different FOSS program in combination with it to do what you had done in photoshop. The difference is you can alter and glitch FOSS unlike proprietary software).
https://youtu.be/dMkiOex_cKU - stable diffusion, https://youtu.be/R8h_gpSpEVU - I would learn about huggingface, https://youtu.be/_ZvnD73m40o - and some basic prompt engineering, https://youtu.be/iOdFUJiB0Zc - fine tune LORA
https://www.youtube.com/live/XgtwL8YnWNk, https://www.youtube.com/live/OsUHxgm3c2s, https://www.youtube.com/live/xvGTTbmIUcM, https://www.youtube.com/live/xvGTTbmIUcM - YOVOZOL is a VJ but the workflow with AI is pretty amazing.
You are allowed to love AI, you are allowed to hate AI, you are allowed to use it a little sometimes, you are allowed to not use it at all!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_raster_graphics_editors, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_vector_graphics_editors - try many out, its ok to have one on your computer that you use for one task. Just make sure it is low cost of free.
https://youtu.be/iKwRWwabkEc - concepts on how to use AI as a helper. If you like AI, follow everything Daniel Miessler says.
AI has many different tools that are used as part of it, so if you find a use for some of those tools and not for an automatic end product it can be really useful. Don't try to use GenAI for an end product, but think about using it as a brush, filter, edit tool, batch file processor, macro, or make layers that act like filters and put those over your work for effects.
The other clear use (one that I hope to master at one point) are in GIMP, there is an option for "script-fu" and "python-fu". These are essentially build your own plugins so you can have unique effects on your work. Using a tool like codex, claude code, or perplexity computer you can ask it to make a line of code for you to alter images. The cool thing about AI is it has object recognition so you can feed the results back in and ask it to do something different after!
There is a world of things we can use AI for other than making slop or fake pictures. Also instead of using AI in image altering, what if you used it as a graphic designer to support your business while you take more time to create! Make it more like a personal assistant to do all of your boring tasks rather than like a co-designer you work with.
The most valuable use for AI as a small business or as an individual is using it for the tasks you don't want to do. People think because its the most powerful tool in the shed they should be using it as their primary tool, but instead can be used to do dreaded tasks while you operate the tools you love.
I feel like it is worth learning how to use GenAI just to have it as a competitive skill or resume filler. If you get a job where they want high volume slop, I would explain thats not what you do and try to find a new one. For your personal craft, I would lean on it for essentially brushes and filters but not allow it to create on its own. Figure out how you can use it as a personal assistant so you can have better time management and I feel that is the absolute best uses for someone like yourself.
(Remember when using free and open source editors (FOSS) they are not the same as the commercial products similar to them. You will not open them up and get a massive selection of brushes and fonts, you need to add them. You may only get a couple of basic filter, you may need to add them. Example, people experienced with GIMP get angry when it doesn't run like Photoshop. You likely need to use a different FOSS program in combination with it to do what you had done in photoshop. The difference is you can alter and glitch FOSS unlike proprietary software).
Liam recommends the following next steps:
Ashish Mishra
Digital Transformation Lead
15
Answers
Gurugram, Haryana, India
Updated
Ashish’s Answer
AI works best as a powerful helper, not a replacement. Use it to handle tasks like resizing images, removing backgrounds, or quickly creating many layout ideas, so you can focus on the creative strategy. By letting AI speed up the boring parts, you can concentrate on important decisions, like how a brand should feel or telling a story that connects with people. Keep humans in charge by using AI for brainstorming and exploring, not for the final product. Use it to quickly sketch ideas or test colors, then add your personal touch to refine the details. The aim is for AI to do the hard work while you, as the Creative Director, decide what works best for your audience.
Alexa B.
Marketing and Graphic Design
22
Answers
Mexico
Updated
Alexa’s Answer
Hi Emerson, 🙋♀️
That’s a great question — and honestly, it’s one the entire design industry is still asking itself. I’m really glad you brought it up.
My perspective is that design is already complex when you’re working directly with clients and stakeholders: understanding their needs, navigating feedback, making judgment calls, and translating all of that into a solid brief and final output. If that’s challenging for humans, imagine trying to capture all of that context, emotion, and nuance perfectly in an AI prompt — it’s incredibly difficult.
That’s where I see AI’s true role: as a support tool, not a replacement. AI can help designers move faster and experiment more. For example, it can generate quick drafts from an idea, explore multiple visual directions from an existing sketch, or help break through creative blocks early in the process.
However, AI lacks lived experience, empathy, and cultural awareness — all things that are essential to truly human‑centered design. It doesn’t understand why a decision feels right for a specific audience in the way a designer can.
So rather than taking over graphic design, AI has the potential to enhance it — freeing designers to focus more on strategy, storytelling, and meaningful creative decisions.🖌️🎨
That’s a great question — and honestly, it’s one the entire design industry is still asking itself. I’m really glad you brought it up.
My perspective is that design is already complex when you’re working directly with clients and stakeholders: understanding their needs, navigating feedback, making judgment calls, and translating all of that into a solid brief and final output. If that’s challenging for humans, imagine trying to capture all of that context, emotion, and nuance perfectly in an AI prompt — it’s incredibly difficult.
That’s where I see AI’s true role: as a support tool, not a replacement. AI can help designers move faster and experiment more. For example, it can generate quick drafts from an idea, explore multiple visual directions from an existing sketch, or help break through creative blocks early in the process.
However, AI lacks lived experience, empathy, and cultural awareness — all things that are essential to truly human‑centered design. It doesn’t understand why a decision feels right for a specific audience in the way a designer can.
So rather than taking over graphic design, AI has the potential to enhance it — freeing designers to focus more on strategy, storytelling, and meaningful creative decisions.🖌️🎨