Everything You Need To Know About AI in Graphic Design

How is AI shaping the graphic design industry right now, and what’s the outlook for the future? Come along for a deep dive in this guide.

If you’re working in the design industry, it’s impossible to ignore the rise of AI. Many legacy design tools now incorporate AI functionality, and new AI-first platforms and frameworks are emerging all the time. 

AI holds great potential for graphic design, but it also raises concerns about ethics and originality.

So how exactly is AI shaping the graphic design industry? And what does it mean for the future of graphic designers? Let’s take a look. 

Contents:

• What is the role of AI in graphic design right now?
• AI in graphic design: top use cases and applications
• The pros and cons of AI in graphic design
• AI and the future of graphic design: will AI replace graphic designers?
• How to leverage AI for optimal results: tips and best practices
• The takeaway

What is the role of AI in graphic design right now?

There’s no denying it: AI is playing an increasingly pivotal role in the graphic design industry. With the rise of AI tools, graphic designers are finding new ways to boost creativity, streamline their workflows, and offer highly personalized designs.

That’s not to say that AI is replacing graphic designers. As it stands right now, AI is playing a more supportive role. It’s certainly changing some aspects of how graphic designers work—but it’s nowhere close to substituting them altogether. 

The impact of AI on the graphic design industry can be seen in three key areas:

1. Generative AI in graphic design

With generative AI, designers can generate brand-new content in seconds simply by entering a specific prompt that describes what they want.

In graphic design, generative AI tools like Midjourney and DALL-E are especially popular, allowing designers to quickly generate images, patterns, and artwork. In this instance, AI is like a super-efficient creative partner—making it easy for designers to experiment with different ideas and styles. 

AND Academy’s CEO, Dr. Jitin Chadha, explores the role of generative AI in graphic design in more detail here—check it out for further insights. 

2. The rise of AI-driven graphic design tools

The rise of AI has inevitably brought with it a whole new wave of graphic design tools. Long-standing tools and software like Adobe Illustrator, Figma, and Canva now incorporate AI functionality to automate and streamline certain tasks—such as resizing images or generating layouts. 

We’re also seeing fully AI-driven tools and frameworks entering the space—such as Adobe Sensei (Adobe’s AI and machine learning framework), Adobe Firefly (Adobe’s generative AI model), Looka (an AI-driven logo generator tool), and Khroma (an AI-powered color palette generator). 

By integrating such tools into their daily workflows, graphic designers are able to simplify and speed up repetitive tasks, freeing up time and energy to focus on more creative and strategic work. 

3. Data-driven design and personalization

With AI, it’s now much easier to analyze user data, giving graphic designers unprecedented insight into their users’ behaviors and preferences. 

For example, AI tools can help you evaluate how different visuals and layouts resonate with specific audience groups. Based on this data, you can make more informed, user-centric design decisions.

At the same time, designers can use AI to create visual content that dynamically adjusts depending on the audience’s previous behavior and preferences. This unlocks a whole new level of personalization, helping to enhance user engagement and build a strong connection with your target audience. 

That’s the role of AI in graphic design in a nutshell. Now let’s dive into some more specific examples of how AI is being used within the industry. 

AI in graphic design: top use cases and applications

As we’ve established, there are three main AI-driven trends shaping the graphic design industry right now: generative AI, AI-enhanced graphic design tools, and data-driven design. 

Within these broader trends, here are some specific ways you can use AI in graphic design. 

1. Auto-generate layouts and designs

Many of the most popular graphic design tools—like Figma, Canva, and Adobe Express—now offer AI-powered features that you can use to automatically generate layouts based on your existing content. 

Such tools analyze the input you provide—text, images, or other design elements—and use AI to suggest suitable layouts, color combinations, and fonts. 

Let’s say you’re designing a social media post for a new product launch. Within your chosen AI tool, you might upload the product image, add some text to describe the product, and specify your brand’s color palette. Based on your input, the AI suggests a variety of layouts, color schemes, and fonts for your social media post. 

Not only does this save time, but it also enables you to experiment with different concepts and ideas without having to create each design manually.

2. Create logos and branding assets

Logo design can be an arduous process, but now there are many AI tools to help you quickly come up with ideas and bring your brand’s visual identity to life.

Popular logo design tools like Looka, Hatchful, and Adobe Express all use AI to generate multiple logo options based on your input. In most cases, you’ll need to specify details such as the business name, industry, and color and style preferences. The tool then generates a variety of logo designs that you can customize. 

Once you’ve finalized your logo, some tools also enable you to generate branding assets such as business cards and social media banners. 

This particular use of AI in graphic design is great for novice designers and small business owners who don’t have the skills, time, or resources to create a custom logo from scratch. 

3. Edit and enhance images

Many graphic design roles require you to edit and enhance images—a task that can be fiddly and time-consuming. This is another great example of how AI can speed things up and reduce manual input. 

Tools like Adobe Photoshop, Luminar AI, and Fotor use machine learning algorithms to analyze an image and automatically assess what edits need to be made—such as retouching, color correction, removal of background objects, and improving image resolution. The AI may also suggest additional edits such as applying a filter or adjusting the composition. 

This use of AI in graphic design is ideal if you’re working with large batches of images and want to work as efficiently as possible while maintaining visual consistency. 

4. Use generative art for creative inspiration

Generative AI has had a huge impact on the graphic design industry, especially when it comes to ideation and inspiration. 

With tools like DeepArt, Artbreeder, and Runway ML (to name just a few), you can use AI to create unique images and artwork—providing a great springboard for coming up with fresh ideas, experimenting with new styles, and overcoming creative blocks.

If you wanted to design an album cover, for example, you could use a tool like Artbreeder to generate several different concepts. You might then mix multiple ideas together to create a new concept or use the artwork to inspire your own designs. 

5. Find the best typefaces and fonts for your graphic design project

Typography is a crucial part of any design project. It determines how text is styled and arranged, impacting not only the overall aesthetic but also readability and accessibility. As such, typography must be approached with care, and choosing the best typefaces and fonts for your project is key. 

This is another area of graphic design where AI can assist you. Tools like Fontjoy, WhatTheFont, and Adobe Fonts use AI to analyze design elements within your project—such as color palettes and layout styles—to suggest complementary fonts.

AI can also generate font pairings automatically, enabling you to quickly find combinations that work well. This is essential for creating visual interest and contrast without impacting the overall harmony of your design. 

The pros and cons of AI in graphic design

When considering the role of AI in graphic design, it’s important to be aware of both the pros and cons. This enables you to use AI responsibly, and to your advantage, while understanding its limitations. 

The pros of AI in graphic design

When used strategically, AI can be an incredibly powerful tool, helping to boost creativity, save time, and increase efficiency. Here are the main advantages of AI in graphic design: 

• Saves time and boosts efficiency: AI-powered tools can automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks such as resizing images, creating layouts and templates, or generating design variations. This can speed up your workflow and streamline certain processes.
  
• It can spark creativity and fresh ideas: Most designers will experience a creative block at some point, and AI can be a great help for kick-starting the ideation process. AI can suggest design elements, color palettes, or layout options that you might not have previously considered—giving you an initial concept to work from.
  
• Enables more precise personalization: AI can be used to analyze user data and generate designs tailored to specific audiences. This offers a great advantage when it comes to connecting with customers and driving engagement.
  
• It can make graphic design more accessible: While there’s no danger of AI replacing skilled graphic designers (more on that later!), AI-powered tools such as logo makers and color palette generators enable non-designers to create professional-looking design assets without advanced skills. This is useful for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs who might not have the budget to hire a professional designer.
  
• AI can free up designers’ time and energy to focus on more creative, fulfilling work: By automating smaller, repetitive tasks, AI can create more space for designers to concentrate on high-impact tasks that require more creativity—such as developing branding concepts or experimenting with innovative design ideas. 

The cons of AI in graphic design

If you’re incorporating AI into your graphic design workflow, you must be aware of its limitations and potential drawbacks, especially ethical concerns. 

Here are some key considerations to bear in mind when using AI:

• AI creates a gray area around copyright and plagiarism: AI tools work by analyzing vast amounts of existing content to generate new designs. This can raise issues if the AI unintentionally replicates copyrighted content—and, by the same token, it can be difficult for graphic designers to prove the originality of their work if they’re using generative AI. This is still very much a gray area, so designers must proceed with caution.
  
• AI can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and biases: AI systems are trained on datasets that may be inherently biased, which means that AI-generated content runs the risk of perpetuating harmful stereotypes and/or excluding or misrepresenting certain groups of people. Human judgment is absolutely essential here: you must make sure that any content you’re using and distributing is not causing harm.
  
• AI-generated content may lack originality: It’s important to bear in mind that AI works by drawing from existing data, content, and patterns. As such, AI-generated designs may lack originality and feel repetitive. Although AI can be a great creative partner, you must rely on your own ideas and creativity for truly unique designs. 

• Over-reliance on AI tools might dull your creative skills: If you become too reliant on AI tools throughout the graphic design process, you may forget to flex your own creative muscles. It’s important not to lose sight of what makes you a great designer—and to make sure that you’re using AI as an aid rather than a substitute. 

Now we’re familiar with the pros and cons of AI in graphic design, let’s look to the future. Is it likely that AI will replace graphic designers? Here’s what we think…

AI and the future of graphic design: will AI replace graphic designers?

Whether you’re already working as a graphic designer or aspiring to do so in the future, you’ve likely got some concerns about where the industry is headed. 

We’ve shared some pretty impressive use cases for AI in graphic design and highlighted the advantages of leveraging AI tools within the graphic design workflow. 

So where does this leave human designers? Will AI eventually replace graphic designers altogether?

In a word: no. AI can be a great time-saver, efficiency-booster, and creative sparring partner. It can automate certain tasks and eliminate some of the more repetitive aspects of the graphic design process.

What it cannot do is come up with truly original, unique designs—the kind that can only be borne by the human imagination. Nor can it practice empathy or build an emotional connection with a human audience. It’s also not great at understanding abstract concepts or exercising critical thinking. 

AI is also not able to collaborate with clients, manage design projects, and work cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders across the business. 

AI is a tool: a highly intelligent assistant that can support you in the creation of compelling designs and help you streamline your day-to-day processes and workflows. But, until it can match humans in terms of creativity and emotional intelligence (which seems highly unlikely), it will not replace graphic designers. 

If you’re working in graphic design (or looking at how to become a graphic designer), you will need to get to grips with AI-powered tools and learn how to use AI ethically and responsibly within your design process. But, for now, you don’t need to worry about AI taking your job altogether. 

On that note, let’s consider how designers can work with AI to ensure optimal results.

How to leverage AI for optimal results: tips and best practices for graphic designers

Thinking about integrating AI into your graphic design toolkit? Here are some tips and best practices to bear in mind. 

1. Use AI for speed and efficiency while continuing to flex your creative muscles 

Before you incorporate AI into your workflow, it’s important to think about where AI in graphic design can excel and add the most value—and to know when the job is best left to you, a talented human designer. 

As a general rule, use AI to handle repetitive, time-consuming tasks—such as resizing images, removing backgrounds, retouching photos, and formatting layouts—while focusing your creativity and critical thinking on more high-impact projects and tasks. 

This approach will enable you to strike a good balance between boosting efficiency and continuing to design with creativity and originality. 

2. Use AI-generated designs as a creative springboard—not the final product

You’ll be amazed at the artwork and visuals you can create in mere seconds using generative AI, but your creative process shouldn’t end there.

As we mentioned earlier when discussing the limitations of AI, AI-generated content can lack originality—not to mention concerns around copyright and plagiarism.

Take inspiration from AI-generated designs, but don’t use them as the final product. Use generative AI tools to experiment with different styles and concepts, and to kick-start your own creative thinking. The best designs are entirely original and unique, and that’s where your human superpowers come in. 

3. Stay up-to-date with AI tools and trends

AI is here to stay, and it’s continuously evolving and advancing. We expect to see many more AI tools and trends emerging in the future, so it’s important that you stay up-to-date. 

Experiment with different platforms to see which AI tools are most useful within the graphic design process, and keep abreast of industry trends. 

And, as new tools and trends take shape, be sure to assess them critically. Not every AI fad or feature will be worth your time—and some will be best avoided altogether. 

With the tips and best practices we’ve outlined, you can ensure that you’re striking the right balance. And no matter what you do, make sure you’re always striving to use AI ethically and responsibly. Be mindful of AI’s biases, assess and address ethical concerns, and review any AI-generated content with a critical eye.

The takeaway 

AI holds great potential in the graphic design industry, helping to automate repetitive tasks, streamline workflows, and boost efficiency. AI tools can also facilitate the creative process, enabling designers to experiment with different styles and spark inspiration. 

But, despite its strengths, AI is not without its limitations—and graphic designers don’t need to worry about being replaced. AI is an incredibly helpful tool, but ultimately, it’s no match for human empathy, creativity, and problem-solving.  If you’d like to learn more about the graphic design industry, we can recommend the following:

• A Complete Guide to Graphic Design Salaries (Plus Salary Negotiation Tips)
• Looking for Your First or Next Graphic Design Role? Here Are the Top Graphic Design Jobs Right Now
• 12 Graphic Design Ideas and Trends To Inspire Your Next Creative Project

Next steps

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the role of AI in graphic design, and feel (cautiously) optimistic about the future of AI. We also recommend that you check out this project by AND Learner, Kayo Hattori for inspiration on how creative you can get with graphic design. 

Additionally, here are some more resources you can consider:

1. Watch this session by design veteran and AND’s Academic Head, Prachi Mittal, and our Course Lead, Soumya Tiwari.
2. Talk to a course advisor to discuss how you can transform your career with one of our courses.
3. Pursue our Graphic Design courses - all courses are taught through live, interactive classes by industry experts, and some even offer a Job Guarantee.
4. Take advantage of the scholarship and funding options that come with our courses to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.

Note: All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.