Do androids dream of electric sheep? (Philip K. Dick)
What does AI even mean?
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an inevitable part of everyday life, used in a wide range of industries and professions. One industry that has huge potential for the use of AI is graphic design. AI enables designers to create visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing products faster and more efficiently.
Use
AI can be used at different stages of the graphic design process, from planning to final production. The first step can be to use AI to analyse data to help develop a design strategy. This can include gathering information about the target audience and the product the designer is creating. Machine learning algorithms can analyse this data and help the designer to design more focused on specific target groups.
Another way to use AI in graphic design is in the process of selecting the colour palette. AI can analyse photos, images and other visual sources to select harmonious colour combinations. This can save designers a lot of time in choosing the right colour scheme for their product. AI can also help in the creation of typography. Designers no longer need to manually set the height of the letters and the spacing between words, as the AI can do this automatically. The AI can also suggest and add other aesthetic choices, such as decorative elements that increase the appeal of the text… Designers can also use the AI to create 3D models and animations. The AI can create realistic models and animations based on the designer’s instructions. For example, programmes that use machine learning can recognise shapes and create objects in 3D models.
Finally, AI can also help with the production of the final product. AI can analyse photos and other visual sources and automatically adapt them for different purposes such as print, web and mobile. This can save designers a lot of time when adapting the product for different formats and sizes.
What does this mean for creatives?
In conclusion, AI has great potential in graphic design. It can help designers with colour palette selection, typography creation, 3D modelling and animation and customisation. But we must not forget that, despite the leaps and bounds of progress in this field, there is still a human being behind the scenes – the graphic designer – who brings everything together into a harmonious unity, senses the needs and subtleties of the client’s wishes and helps them define the final image based on their needs.
There is a lot of fear that AI will do it all on its own and that designers, photographers, copywriters and other creatives will be sidelined and replaced by AI with its clever algorithms. I am far from thinking so, but we should use it as a tool and not as an executive producer of our ideas. Just as photography did not displace classical painting, so AI will not destroy the industry. Used wisely, it will only build on it.
This article was also written with the help of artificial intelligence.
Using and preparing image material in graphic design
Designing the user experience
Tomaž Berčič
