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In this episode of the Angry Designer podcast, you'll discover if AI is a graphic designer's friend or enemy. You're listening to the Angry Designer podcast, where we help frustrated graphic designers crush the industry Bull. And share what it takes to charge what you're worth and build badass, rewarding careers. For graphic designers, AI Isn't just a tool, it's a game change. But not all AI is created equal. In this episode, we're diving into two sides of AI the tools that help designers crush it and the ones that threaten to replace designers altogether. In this episode, you'll discover the two camps of AI Who AI will actually replace in the design world, and why it won't be you, and the graphic designer's playbook on how to make AI your ally, not your competition. But before we jump in, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Anger Management for Designers. Subscribe on our website or through the link in our profile. It's packed weekly with stories, strategies, and no BS advice and tips. So it's your ultimate guide to thriving in this design world. Now, ready to choose the right side of A.I. let's go. Okay, buddy, Salute to New New year. New New drink.
B
New drink.
A
Wow, is that smoky?
B
That's smoky as hell.
A
Today was a scotch day. And this is. How do you say this? Lafroy lafro. And. And this one, because it's oak select, we had a little bit of oak with that gold bar last week, and so just like, yes, it was good, but, you know, every once in a while we need to feed back to Sean. Sean likes the oak, you know, Sean likes the scotch.
B
Yeah.
A
This is a brand, and I can't say this is your brand. I've never tried this one.
B
This is really good.
A
Okay.
B
It's pd, though.
A
Oh, I love smoke. All right, let's go. Wow, that's a lot of smoke. That's like a campfire. But I like that.
B
So good.
A
I don't know why. Think that's the Canadian me coming out, right? All those campfires.
B
And growing up, you remember how you smelled when you came home from a campfire? That's. That's. We're drinking it, right?
A
Yeah. Yeah.
B
It's so good.
A
What's ironic, though, is now campfires are so different. Cuz when I was young and we used to do the campfires and you'd go out, everybody be there in a circle, drinking, talking over the fire. Now everybody's on their phones in front of the fire. So it's just like dudes like that's this is not what you have. If you're camping, you leave that at home. But someone coverage. But everybody's got to go on Tik Tok. Tik Tok. And they're comparing videos. It's a campfire, for God's sake. Jeez.
B
That's the worst.
A
I know. It's getting, you know, might not be a bad thing if Tik Tok got banned. People might actually enjoy.
B
Yeah. You have to actually look up for once in a while and talk to somebody.
A
I think people will get those hunches over there.
B
Probably will.
A
From just too much. That would be really crazy.
B
So.
A
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, again, really to have. Right. But I mean, it's all. I mean, Tick Tock. I don't know if you. You've. I mean, okay. I'm more of an Instagram than a guy.
B
Me too. I don't even know what tick. My wife is crazy on Tick Tock.
A
Yeah. And my kids are too. How ironic. And they're like opposite. They're kind of weird.
B
Weird. Isn't it? I know. I know.
A
But it's like all the stuff I'm seeing lately is. Is like, you know, so we're. We're fortunate because we're directly in this space. Okay. We're in the media space. And all I'm seeing is all this AI stuff everywhere.
B
Yes.
A
And on Tick Toc. Instagram, you can really start like picking them out.
B
Yeah. You know, like obvious, isn't it?
A
Well, it's kind of stupid. Like, and it's stupid that people are. And I'm hearing some horrible stats about like, what. You know, like, it'll be like almost 100 of content.
B
Oh, God.
A
Is gonna be. Is gonna be generated through AI Now. I don't know if I believe that, but at the rate it's going, it's. It's like it's. They're not even good experiences at this point. Right, Right. Like you see the like, I mean, typos, you know, it's like they even pronounce names.
B
The pronunciation. That drives me mentalized.
A
Wouldn't it?
B
I hate that.
A
Right. And it's just like. It's like guys, like, as soon as you hear that mispronunciation, you know.
B
Yeah.
A
It's AI. It's somebody faceless doing a voiceover. And it's just pretty shitty stuff.
B
Yeah. Like, even sometimes my notifications on my phone, it's. You have a new post from the Angry Designer. And I'm like, come on. You know what Designer is like, what's going on here.
A
It is, it's, it's, it's got. And you can pin. And the thing is, it's like people are starting to accept that. And I don't know if they're accepting it for good quality or they're just accepting it as content on a whole. Do you know what I mean?
B
Yeah, maybe. I. And, and what is the point to this? Is this to, to, to get more, like, to, to drive more content out there?
A
I think.
B
Is this why we're speeding this process up with AI?
A
Oh, but it's getting really shitty if that's the case. You're right.
B
Well, I, I don't know. Like, if that's the case, then this is. There's already a bottomless pit of content. Oh, God. I know places like that.
A
Yeah. Content is being generated by AI and then it's. And then research is going out to find content created by AI. Oh, my God. Soon it's going to be like AI talking to AI. We're gonna be sitting back and doing. But you know, interestingly enough, I see. So sometimes, I mean, because again, I'm, I'm guilty of using AI apps that, that come across on my phone.
B
Oh, you do? Okay.
A
Right. And. Well, I'll try it. And I've been trying a lot lately. And you know, the ads are usually really glitzy. What you see on Tick Tock or what you see on Instagram and it's like things are flashing on screen, you know, hey, you can. This will now make your reels for you. And this will do this and this will do that. Right, right. And I was like, okay, you know, I wanted to try, right. And I got all these pictures like from New York and everything, so I thought, okay, let's try it. Right?
B
You were real. Yeah.
A
Download, you know, and it's, it is total, right? It is, it's just, it's, it's trying like, I mean, again, maybe if I, you know, put in all these extra. Or maybe I have high expectations. I don't know. Right. But I'm seeing all these AI apps out there, but then when I'm trying them, very few are actually. And maybe this is because my standard is high.
B
Right.
A
We're graphic designers.
B
Yeah.
A
I, I'd like to pride. I pride myself and on having a high standard of quality.
B
Yes.
A
You know, customers know us for this. Right. They know that if we're giving something back, it's not half ass.
B
Yes.
A
So I'm wondering if just maybe my, my standards are too high for this kind of Stuff.
B
I doubt that highly. I just. I guess, you know, it's one of those kind of things where it's like, how long did it take? How long did it take for. To do this reel?
A
Oh, geez. I didn't end up doing it. I didn't. Like.
B
No, no, no. But like.
A
Like, we generated it in like 30 seconds. Yeah, yeah. Not even like. Yeah, no, they're about 30 seconds. It generated the reel and based on. But it wasn't zooming in properly. It was framing things. It was. It lost all the focus. All the. Exactly. So it's like if this is the. That AI is creating on. Because, I mean, again, we. God knows I see that all the time. Right? I don't. I don't. I don't think that there's anything really, that anybody has to worry about. Right? Well, actually, no, that's not true. There are. You know what I think. Let me rephrase this. AI isn't coming for all designers, okay? Especially graphic designers, okay? It's just coming for the lazy ones. And that's true. It's true.
B
It's true.
A
Because again, I'm looking at a lot of this, right? And. And what I'm doing. And again, I'm, you know, I've been in. I've been all over this AI ship right from the start, okay? And, you know, I'm starting and I'm trying everything I see, and I must have tried a hundred different. I have a different email address because you know how you have to put your email address in there because otherwise I would be inundated, okay? So I very pick and choose. And so I try. I unsubscribe. I try. I delet. Try. I try, try. And some of the ones, you know, that, that, that I use are fantastic, okay? Other ones I've tried are so bad that it's just. I don't. I. I just. And I'm not talking about just being buggy. It's just like. It's like going from Illustrator to. To Canva.
B
Yes.
A
You know what I mean? It's a very different experience. So I think, you know, my conclusion, okay? And what I've seen is, is there's two camps of AI tools, okay, out there, you know, for graphic designers, anyway, right? There's two camps. There's two different sides of AI for designers, okay? And we'll just say for graphic designers, I can't speak to the ux. I can't speak to, you know, interior or even, you know, house designers. Just a graphic designers, okay? There's the ones that we're using already. Okay. And these are the ones we'll say these are the empowering AI tools. Okay. And this is the shit that makes designers better, makes us faster, almost, almost makes more efficient. And God knows we have gone on and on about efficiencies gained on, on chat GPT and. Right. When you're a designer. So these, these empowering AI apps for graphic designers, right. They help designers, you know, collaborate instead of, you know, automate shit. Okay. You know, so again, it's like we're able to work with these apps, not have the apps do all the work. Okay. And again, there's many apps that we all use, especially through the Dolby Suite that they, some of these apps expand our creative ideas, our inspiration. Right. And God knows, you know, you get this through, you know, not only the mid journeys of the world if you just kind of want to, you know, create mood boards or ideas, but the chat GPTs, of course. Right. And, and then there's the other, you know, ones that, that elevate our output. Okay. All in a sense. And this is where, you know, Photoshop is great, right? Generative AI, Right.
B
It just, yes.
A
God knows what used to take me a whole afternoon, I can now do in like a snap.
B
Done.
A
Okay. So these are the empowering apps. Okay. And again, you know, these are tools, like I said, that help, help elevate what we're capable of doing, but it's not just the creative side. Okay, I got a list here. Right. Like, you know, these tools are like, they obviously help us, you know, with ideation and inspiration, you know, increase our efficiency and workflow. Right. Time saving, you know, enhancing obviously the collaboration we talked about. I hate to say this, but, you know, the copywriting aspect is fantastic for some of these. Okay. There's, you know, generative AI enhancements that we've kind of gone, gone through and obviously if, if I don't know enough about accessibility, but I know there's a lot of apps that will just go through your site and, and help that out. If you have a website. Yeah, right. Obviously the project management strategy sessions, those are pretty good apps. But again, you know, it's super, it superpowers us to do this. Right. And you know, unfortunately, you know, there, there's even some fantastic AI stuff that, that, that helps us create websites. So we don't even have to know code. Right. So. Or we can limit how much code we need to know.
B
Yes.
A
Okay. So these are the AI apps that empower graphic designers. These are like gold for us. And these, these are the things that we need to, you know, grasp, get onto, you know, embrace and honestly jump on asap, if you guys haven't already.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay.
B
So these, some of these things are. We just cannot live without at this point.
A
Right. It's like the gates have opened.
B
Exactly.
A
Right. But then there's the other camp of AI tools. Okay. And these I actually refer to as the replacer AI tools. Okay. And honestly. And these are tools, you know, that honestly, they're out to replace designers, right. And almost like undermine what we do. Right. They're low cost solutions. You know, they claim that, you know, they. They're graphic design tools, they will create logos for you. Right? These, these things are designed, you know, as like a. A quick one size fits all type solution. Right. There's like absolutely no strategic thinking, nothing when it comes to these things. Right. And in my opinion, these target that really low end work. That. Okay. No disrespect, we don't take on here. And I would never recommend anybody to take on this. Okay. But these are like, you know, when you look at apps like looka that will like do all of your corporate ID for you. So why do you have to hire someone talented to do it? And. And again, I play with these.
B
Did you play with Luca? I did. I. I asked it to do a logo for my band for Hank Gets Dusted. You should have seen the. That it came up with, right? Holy cow. And it's so bad, right?
A
Like, they showcase that it can do all these incredible things.
B
It's.
A
Which is intimidating. I'm looking at that going, oh, geez.
B
Where am I gonna end up?
A
But when. When you start playing with it, it is horrible, dude. Like, it is absolutely.
B
One of the. One of them had a campfire on it.
A
I was just like, where's this campfire? Hello.
B
But yeah, like, it's. You're absolutely right. It's tone deaf. It has no strategic thinking whatsoever. Work with this.
A
No. Absolutely right.
B
Not even an idea.
A
Yeah. Okay. So some of these replace tools. You know, my list here that I wrote down right from the top of my head, right? Logos and branding creation. They claim that they can do template based graphic design. So this was issues we had like with Canva, right. Or you know, some of these other apps that if you just, you log in and you grab a. A template, you're done. You're a graphic designer. That. Right. A lot of these claim that they can do generative content for T shirts. Okay. For vehicle wraps. Right. Web design automation, where it's Just like it'll do your whole website for you. And I think it's an interesting concept and I know we' talked about website AI apps that do the whole thing for you, but they all suck really bad. You know, obviously, you know, when it's content creation without human involvement. Right. Just type in the, the, the content that you want it and we'll create the whole video for you.
B
Yeah. Go through a couple of steps, tell us what your vibe is.
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. What the topic is, and we'll just do it all for you. And this is where you get misspelling, mispronunciation pictures that make no freaking sense at all. Right.
B
Miss the mark.
A
Right. Like at all. Like a photography replacement.
B
Oh, wow.
A
Okay, Right. You see that out there? Some promise. All this marketing and ad design stuff. Okay. And again, I've tried it because again, I, I, I'm proud to say, fine, I'm a capitalist, I'm a business owner and if it would work, if it works for us and it improves, why not? But it's horrible. Like it is so bad. Video creation, obviously we talked about. Right. Like you're seeing those apps and they're constantly coming up on yout and on, on all reels and stuff. Like they're horrible. Right. And, and, and I mean I'm sure that there's going to even be some, you know, create automatic, you know, invites for you. Anyway, these, these apps are replacer apps.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay. And they genuinely are. Right. These tools, they generate, they deliver generic solutions.
B
Right.
A
Okay. A one size fits all, but they lack any sort of, you know, depth. Okay. In any which way, the, the originality, human strategic direction. Right. Like they're really low end and honestly their whole focus is try to undermine what designers do. So those are the AI apps that make me cringe.
B
Yes.
A
Okay. But you know, no threat.
B
You don't feel threatened by.
A
Well, they don't. But here's the thing. The threat, there is a threat.
B
Oh, there is those.
A
Well, there is in the sense of, you know, these will remember the whole 199designs and when Fiverr came out.
B
Right, right, right.
A
Every craft to.
B
Yeah, that was supposed to end what we do.
A
Exactly. And designers everywhere were worried. It's like, holy, you know, now you can go to this Fiverr app and, and a graphic designer from another place in the world can now do it for 1/10 your price.
B
Yes.
A
And it's just like, well, and so that did, when that came out, you know, that did scare everybody for a little while. The same way that AI is scaring everybody now.
B
Yes.
A
Okay. The thing is though, you quickly realize that that has the same effect as this. They lacked depth, they lacked, you know, don't get me wrong, there is some fantastic designers on Fiverr.
B
Yes, yes.
A
But you're not paying $5 for it.
B
That's the thing, right?
A
You're not. So this will directly compete and replace that. Okay? So now instead of going, you know, to Fiverr and have these guys give me a generic solution, you know, for Hank gets dusted with a campfire image on there. Right. I can now go to an AI app, buy 100 credits.
B
Yeah.
A
And, and give me a freaking, you know, solution that's just as bad.
B
Yeah, yeah.
A
Okay, so again, clarifying. Just as bad, right?
B
Oh, that's so worth it.
A
So again, it's like, I, what I think is, is like AI will replace designers. Okay. But it'll replace the commoditized designers. Okay. And I think that's a big thing. And you know, like, these are the designers that are doing really basic template.
B
Driven work, you know, at nothing challenging.
A
Yeah, not at all. Right? This, this will, you know, replace those kind of designers. Right. You know that if you need like logos and stuff, this will, this AI stuff will compete with Canva. Okay. Because. Okay, I get it. Canva has an AI component built into it. But the whole premise of canvas, there's all these templates in there, and a non designer can go into Canva. Well, and create a flyer out of. Well, guess what? But that's too much work for some of these lazy people who want to pretend to be designers. So they would much rather go into an AI app, type that shit out and have them spit out a flyer that is probably better than the shit that they can create in Canva because.
B
They'Re no good anyway, good at it anyway.
A
So it's just like. But that's what I mean. That's who it's going to compete. Right? And, and regarding the clients that use it, okay, well, these are really low end, crazy, budget conscious, or even baseline conscious customers. These are customers that don't want strategy. These are customers that don't appreciate, you know, the human connection. They're just like, I need a flyer.
B
Yeah. And I don't have any money.
A
I've got no money. I don't have to pay you to do it. My kid can do this in high school now using these apps. Go for it. Fine. You know, and again, this has always been right. I, you know, I remember my brother, you know, God bless. I know he meant well, but, you know, 20 years ago, he found an app on a CD that claimed it was a logo creator, and he bought it to give to his daughter because she was also interested in art. And he was like, look, now she can do what you do. And I was like, well, it doesn't really work like that. Oh, but, but. And again, I get it. He didn't understand.
B
Yeah.
A
Od we go.
B
Right.
A
But again, on the same par as this AI on the same part, it's a matter of picking a font, picking an image, and. And going through a couple templates, and boom, there you go. Right, done. So it's, it's, it's like AI basically, you know, replaces all the shortcutting.
B
Yes.
A
That people would try to do to get around designers. Okay. But it can't do the strategic. It can't.
B
You Knowledge.
A
The human touch.
B
Yes. Right.
A
So, you know, in my opinion, have at it.
B
Yeah, good. Off you go. Yeah, exactly.
A
It can't. And again, you know, after seeing the kind of that AI is creating on a regular. Not saying that there isn't some great stuff that is creating like, like some of the illustration work and photography work I see out there, you know, I'm worried for those specialists. Yes, I am a little bit. You know, because again, I think that devalues what they can do. Right. You know, like, you know, my kid is. My kids love to draw right now, and. And me is always like, is this even worth it or should you learn how to prompt this drawing? Right. And. And that's the sad part. I. Because I'm wondering what. What drawing will be like in 10 years for that. So there are even exist components. I know there are components to what, you know, our world does or holds.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay. But I don't think designers have anything to worry about, especially when it comes especially over these, you know, replacer apps. Okay. Because again, creativity is human. Human. Okay. It's human. There's so many nuances in place that AI can't pick up all these things. Right. There's emotions, there's storytelling, you know, there's human experiences that we go through on a weekly, monthly, annually, our whole lives. Okay. That we put into. That goes into what a designer does. Yeah, right. That's why I kind of feel, you know, lifelong designers are the best designers because they have a life of experience.
B
Yes.
A
That they can put towards their work.
B
Exactly. And. And you. You're going to have a shortcut with AI, but also with. With a designer who has a good solid base of knowledge.
A
Yes.
B
That's Also a shortcut too, because that person is taking everything that they know and say, like, you know, you go in and say, okay, yeah, this is your problem. This is X, this is what we do. Because I've done that before a dozen times already. Yes, AI can do that, but still it doesn't have that intuition.
A
Absolutely right. And he can't pick up on that at all. Right. And not to mention that, you know, there's such a huge problem solving component to what we do.
B
What we do.
A
And, and again, it doesn't, you know, our role is, it goes deeper than just delivering something that's aesthetic. We have to understand, you know, the context of what it is that we're dealing with. We have to understand the audiences, their nuances, you know, the differences between men and women. Not just, you know, data wise, but actually from experience. You know, I'm from experience. You know, the dudes I know are more like this, the women I know are more like this.
B
Right.
A
Let's see if that plays out. And it does oftentimes. Right.
B
Yeah.
A
So, you know, and then plus, not to mention business goals. Okay. Companies, you get a prompt, an AI prompt. It's like, add in the prompts, tell me your business goals. Well, customers think their business goal is A, but as designers, we're digging in there realizing, dude, what you're saying is A is actually D. Yeah. Because your problems are A, B and C. Yeah. Right. So there are these other huge parts that it just, it won't pick up on. On.
B
Right.
A
And I genuinely think that the biggest difference, the biggest reason why AI won't replace designers is because clients actually want partners.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, they want the human communication.
B
Yes.
A
People support people.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay. Let's face it, there's robots that can run faster than people. 100% there is. Okay. They can probably create a robot that can, you know, shoot a three point, you know, basketball shot better than any. They probably consistently can.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay, but that's not fun to watch.
B
No, that's boring.
A
It's totally. And again, people support people. People support human achievement. So, you know, Boston Dynamics and everybody else, keep going with your robots, Tesla, it's cool. But the thing is, people want, they want to deal with people and clients want partners. They don't want tools.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay. And that's the thing, they don't. They want somebody to step in and do the work, work with them, not just spit out an output for them. Okay. And that's a big part of what we do. They, they value the collaboration that designers have with Them, Right. They. They value the strategic input. You know, the, the brainstorming. Right. They. They love that. That's a really important part of the relationship that AI will never, ever, ever do. It can't do, really.
B
It will not. Not now, and I doubt it in the future. Yeah.
A
You know, because even with all this talk about AGI, you know, and AGI is coming and it's just right there and this and that. Well, the reality is if you know how AI works, it's just. It's math. Right. It's an algorithm and it's. It's a complex algorithm beyond anything my mind could comprehend. Okay, so AGI is just going to be more math. It's still going to be a bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger algorithm, Right?
B
Yeah.
A
It's not. They're not creating life.
B
Yes.
A
Okay. It simulates life. It might, you know, be creepy how it simulates life. Right. But it's still not life. It's still not human. It's still not real. It is strictly. It's, you know, an algorithm. It's math. It's all based on that. Right. So in. In all fairness, I don't think it'll ever get to the point where people will 100 rely on these computers versus the human interaction that we crave on a regular basis. Okay.
B
Yeah.
A
It doesn't mean that there's going to be ebb and flows, but, you know, right now my EB is that my. My scotch is close. Do you want to top this bad boy up?
B
So what you need is a flow.
A
Do you? That's brilliant. I don't know. I could have came up with that bad boy.
B
Yes.
A
But, you know, with that being said, okay, you don't want to get lost. Or, or you don't want to hit that, you know, that, that lull where it's like, you know, right now, AI's hot. I haven't jumped on it. And even though it is coming back and it will come around, customers are expecting it. Right. You still have the right side of AI. And by the right side, I mean, you have to embrace all those empowering tools. Okay. You really do need to embrace those tools, optimize your workflow. Right. You need to push through those creative, like. Like use it for brainstorming. Such brilliant.
B
Yes. You know, like, chat has been just far better than Google.
A
Absolutely.
B
When it comes to brainstorming stuff.
A
Absolutely.
B
And I just. And how many, how much time does that save you right off the bat?
A
Just unbelievable.
B
Searching through Google searches of stuff that you.
A
Oh, it's horrible, isn't it terrible?
B
Yeah, yeah. But chat is just like cut through.
A
It's great for that, right?
B
Perfect.
A
And not to mention, so brainstorming for idea generation, copy tweaks, you know, I try not to let it write my emails, but sometimes it's like the one thing, you know, that it can do for me, it can help dissect that craziness of my mind. You know, it's like, good for Chad for doing that. Right. So, so you do, in order to stay right, you do have to level up AI game for the tools that empower you, right? Not the tools that are going to try to replace you, not the ones that are going to try to design for you, but the ones that are actually going to, to, to force you to create something better, to create it faster, to make your life a little easier, work wise. Right. And honestly, you have to use them to become a human problem solver. Okay? And this is huge, right? You like, no AI can, can ever replace the empathy or the intuition that we have. Okay? So use it, but use it to superpower what you can do. Okay. What you don't want to do. Okay. And I stress this, you don't want to compete with the AI replacers. The ones that try to replace us. Don't, you know, don't. If, if you have a shitty customer or somebody wants something dirty, cheap, you know, they're like, hey, I saw this, you know, on AI online. I want you to do, don't. Yeah, because you can't, you will go broke. Because this is like bottom feeders, okay? These, these are the types of, you know, programs that handle low budget jobs, low budget customers who don't give a shit. Right. They don't value the projects, they don't value what we do.
B
Yeah.
A
So don't compete with it.
B
So don't bother.
A
Yeah, you have to, you know, I wouldn't even, you know, recommend getting into them to kind of help you create shit for those people. Yeah, because, because those people, their standards are just going to get lower and lower and lower. And you're seeing it now, it's horrible.
B
Totally. Yeah. Those kind of people, you know, that kind of stuff, they don't care. They don't care about that. It's a nice colorful background and there's some interesting things on there. And the fonts are all up and stupid. Right.
A
But I don't care. Or they'll stretch the font. They think they're being a designer because, because the font, the word now stretches the grid left to right. Unfortunately, it is now 180% wide, illegible. But look at me. I made it fit the grid.
B
Yeah. I made it fit the grid. Yeah. And the sad part is, is there. That's just gonna go onto some garbage heap. No one's gonna.
A
Exactly. Right.
B
They don't. No one sees that because there's no interest generated in it. You know?
A
You know, I wonder if this is gonna lead, you know, this whole movement of just disposable design.
B
It will. I told.
A
Yeah.
B
I. Absolutely. I.
A
It's just going to be. And people are going to expect. And they're going to be like, oh, yeah, it's. That's just design. Whatever. I. I like the good design.
B
Yes. Yes. Like, you could see it in the reals. Like the. Some of these reels that are all. It's all AI Generated stuff. And you could tell. Exactly. Like you said, it's an. It's probably an AI Generated real. I didn't realize they were doing that kind of stuff. It's all the. Everything's all mispronounced. The spelling's awful, and it's just A.I. it's just terrible. It's noise.
A
Yeah.
B
You know what I mean?
A
It is.
B
There's no. There's no interest in it.
A
It's like I'm. I'm getting tired. I mean, at first they were funny, but now it's like they try to fool you all the time. It's like the. The. And it shows. Like a boat in the ocean with a tidal wave a thousand feet, you know, crashing over it. But it's not a real. It's all fake.
B
Yeah.
A
Or. Or somebody in a fishing boat, you know, pulling up, like, octopus. That's like, you know, looks like it's from another world. It's like. You got me. I am getting tired of those.
B
Yeah, it is. Because it's. You're like your brain is going, that's not right. No, that shouldn't be.
A
It's not even entertaining anymore. It's just annoying.
B
It's not. It's like the marvelization of the Internet.
A
Everything now is going to be like a superhero.
B
Exactly.
A
Superman had a pet octopus. Puss. This is what it would look like. All right. All right. Okay. So listen, at. At the very least. Okay, what. What I've done is, you know, I've created a. Just a couple points here about designers playbook, okay. On how to keep up and stay ahead with, you know, the AI that empowers designers. Okay? So think of this as like a little playbook, because, you know, I. It is. And I've said RA right from the start. We need to continually evolve, adapt, grow with this. I just was unclear how.
B
Right.
A
But now that I'm seeing, you know, there's AI, good AI, and there's shitty AI. And listen, I'm just going to be, you know, straight up, I don't care how we got here. Yeah, okay. Because I had some challenging conversations with people being like, AI, it steals from artists. It's like, okay, fine, but it's here. Are you going to not use it? Like, I. Maybe how it got here was. Wasn't the most ethical way there. You know, people are questioning if they did it, you know, asking the permissions or if they ask for forgiveness after, that's fine. But the reality is it's here. And again, at this point, you know, cry somewhere else. Because I'm more worried about not just my future, but the angry designer's future. Everybody who's listening to this podcast, and the reality is, you know, you got to put all those. Those shitty feelings aside and you've got to move. Okay? So this is how, you know, you guys are. Should be taking advantage of this. Okay? So first and foremost, and I think the whole episode was about this leverage. The helper tools. Okay? These tools are here to help you. So let them help you.
B
Yes.
A
Okay. Like, you know, they're. They're here to speed up your workflows. God knows, you know, it's helped me out so much. Right. They. They're. They're here to enhance your creativity. Right. And in some cases, you know, do the work so, you know, the production that you don't have to. Ok. Generative AI has, like, opened up a whole new world now for me. For, for play, for stock photography. It is totally like.
B
Because there's a lot of times where you would spend two days with the fucking rubber stamp tool trying to create a background.
A
Exactly. You don't have to do that now. It's like, I need. I need, you know, four times more background. And there it is right within. Within.
B
That's not a game changer.
A
We had, we had a task here that, you know, we had somebody and they needed to show people, you know, cheering on a game. Yeah, okay. Because we got, you know, football, some pretty big football games coming in the near future. And, you know, the problem is they found an awesome image with the right people, but they were holding a soccer ball, okay. In the hands. And, okay, it wasn't soccer, it wasn't European football. It was American football. Right? And I was like, you know what? I'm Like. She's like, this is the only app or the only image you know, that I found that is most like it. And I like it, but I hate that ball, so I don't know what to do. And I'm like, you know what? Just generative. AI that. That ball. And okay, sure enough, she comes back an hour later, and she's like, oh, it took me like, 30, 40 prompts later, but I got it.
B
Yes.
A
And she made it sound like it was a lot of work. Yeah, but it looked perfect.
B
It was.
A
The guy was holding football, and I wouldn't have known otherwise. And I'm. I'm thinking to myself, dude, you never would have been able to do this. Okay. You would have searched thousands of stock photography to try to find the Even remotely close enough hand, or you would have had to take your own picture.
B
I was just.
A
You would have had to.
B
40, 50 years ago, you would. We had to do a photo shoot.
A
Where even though this took her an hour to find it saved. So. And the client, they didn't know the difference. They were. Hands up. They were like, you guys rock. You found the perfect picture.
B
Yeah.
A
Had you known what we had to do to get that picture. So, you know, but it's there to speed up her life, right?
B
And side note to that.
A
Yeah.
B
Poor Tally. She. She had it. I saw that, and I was like, that's a Canadian football. She's like, the fuck's a Canadian football?
A
I didn't know there was a difference.
B
I know. So she had to go back and make it an Americanized football.
A
Did she do that? Did she do that? Okay.
B
Yeah.
A
Good. Good. That's amazing.
B
I know. She's just kind of grunting at me. I didn't realize the story before that, though, so that's why she was mad.
A
Oh, my God. That's amazing. Yeah.
B
She was looking at me like, why the hell. Why didn't you just shut up?
A
You know? But. But what. What this comes down to is, you know, by letting. Leveraging these helper tools, okay. You know, it helps do the. The repetitive tasks, the production tasks, you know, and allows you to focus on the bigger ideas, which is what designers were bred for. We weren't. We weren't born and bred to, like, do all the, you know, all the little Photoshop retouching. Right. We were bred to come up with the big ideas, and that's, in my opinion, the best part of our job.
B
That's totally. Yeah.
A
That's awesome. So that's number one, number two from this playbook. Okay. Avoid relying on AI 100%. And what I mean by this is don't let AI become your crutch. Okay? And again, we've talked about this, right? You need to remember, like, it's easy to start being like, wow, this is easy. I'm just gonna let it do this. And then you start losing the human touch, which is what makes us different, okay? You need to make sure that you have to find those connections, the human connections. You know, you're. You're creating a logo right now, okay, which looks great, okay? If you lost that human connection, you wouldn't have found, you know, an actual. The. An actual piece of geography from that area to add in this badge, in.
B
This logo, literally from a photograph, right?
A
And again, you did the research. You found that you could. You could have just, you know, sit there and created some badge ideas, created some. Some, like, generic style, you know, vector. You could have. And. And it would have been easy, but you would have gave in, you know, you would have gave into that altogether. You would have lost that human touch. You need to keep that, right?
B
And the client would have sought through that 100%.
A
They would have, right? Where when they saw. They're like.
B
They're like, you caught our.
A
You caught our mountain.
B
Yeah, that's the one that's looks just like it.
A
So again, you know, don't forget, AI is a tool, but it's not the creator. You're the creator, okay? You're the one who has to basically to do the job, okay? So help it. Let it. Let it empower you. Let it get you there faster. But don't lose the human touch. So don't rely on it. 100% soul reliance. Okay?
B
Yeah. It's not the boss.
A
You are number three, okay? Be a partner with your customer, not just a designer, okay? And what I mean by this is, is I know they kind of work in the same. And we always talk about this, right? But what you want to do is you want to help your clients solve their business problem, right? Okay. Their challenges. You know, we had a job today, and. And the customer asked for a. They asked for an infographic. Okay? Now this, you know, a lesson in business here, guys. So they asked for a. They asked for an infographic. The infographic graphic was. It was too complicated to be for an infographic, okay? It had so many levels, so many tiers, okay? It was horrible. Okay? We could have made it look decent, but it wouldn't have done the job.
B
That they wanted, would have been lost completely.
A
So I wanted to get in A call. We got in a call and I asked, what is the purpose of this? Right. How is this going to be used? Is this for the end user? Right. So we, through all the conversations, it was going to be a sales tool. Okay. But the sales tool, you know, it's not. The sales guy was going to point to it at all times. It was a sales tool for the end user. It was too complicated to be a sales tool for the end user. So technically, you know, through our talking this, that we upgraded it from a flat infographic graphic to an interactive PDF.
B
PDF.
A
And, and a booklet.
B
Oh, yeah.
A
Okay.
B
Yeah.
A
An app.
B
Oh, and an app.
A
Right. So we took one job and like, I don't even want to say tripled it. Like, we, we, we quadrupled the hours. W went from what would be, you know, a $1,500 job to now a $50,000 job, you know, plus. Okay. And that was because, again, we wanted to be a partner with them. We didn't just sit back and, and do what they want to do. Right. So again, and, and it's, it's really important. Right. Because customers expect that from us, regardless of how AI is coming in.
B
Yeah.
A
I'm finding that people are starting to turn a blind eye to AI. They don't care if you're using AI because they're using it themselves. Okay. Often. And, and they might, might be reluctant. They don't want to embed it at home, but they are too. Okay? So the reality is, right, you make sure you deliver your impactful, you know, tailored designs, you know, that are for the customer, but make sure that they address the client's goals.
B
Right.
A
So don't just get the job done. Okay. Get it done. Right. Okay. And use it to empower you to do this. Okay. Number four, use the AI to focus on tailored solutions. Okay. So again, we're not talking about the replacement. We're not trying volume. This isn't production. We're not going for, you know, bottom, you know, low hang fruit here. I'm just creating things. Don't create generic outputs. Okay. Use AI to create something unique. Okay. Something that's customized. Customized designs for them. Right. That has the human touch that solves their problems, you know, using these AI tools. You see how these are all building on each other.
B
Yes.
A
Okay. Because now it's like 1, 2, 3, 4. Okay?
B
Yes.
A
And ultimately, last but not least. Okay. Use it all and embrace your role. Role as a problem solver.
B
Yes.
A
There's the key again, you know, these tools aren't the end all you are. Okay. And seriously, people need to remember that they are just tools. And you know, these replacer apps, they're only going to replace us to the people that we don't want. We don't care anymore. Yeah, okay.
B
Let them, dude.
A
Yeah. I mean, you don't want to work for those people because they're a disaster to work with. Right.
B
They don't have any money anyway that.
A
They want to part with.
B
That they want to part with. Yeah.
A
Deep pockets, but short, you know, raptor arms that can't reach in there. Okay, There you go. Seriously, embrace your role as a problem solver. Okay. Understand your customers needs. Okay. And deliver, you know, for those needs, deliver efficient strategic solutions. Because AI is now going to let you get there faster, quicker, and it doesn't mean you have to charge less.
B
No, no, no.
A
That's the best part.
B
Exactly.
A
All in a sudden you're. It's like you're off the clock. And because AI is going to help me get there, you know, 50% faster, it doesn't mean I'm charging 50% less for the project. Okay.
B
I had to create this.
A
Absolutely. Right. And again, this has now become a new tool for your arsenal. Okay, so this is where it's like you want to use AI to enhance your creative thinking, right? To. To enhance your creative output. Put, not replace it. And that's what people have to remember. Yes. Okay. So five things to remember. Okay. To staying ahead with AI. Okay. Leverage the helper tools. The helper AI tools. Avoid sole reliance on AI because you got to remember this is ultimately just a tool. Okay. Be a partner, not just a designer. Okay. Work with the customer. Focus on. On tailored solutions. Don't stop at the generic. And last but not least, embrace this role as a problem solver. Okay? This isn't just about aesthetics.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay. You want the big bucks? You gotta dig deeper and solve the big problems for your customers. This is how designers need to stay ahead with AI, not stay ahead of AI because unfortunately, it's not going to happen. It's. It's here, it's here. Yeah, it is so here, dude. Yeah.
B
Yeah. But yeah, it's good to know what the difference is between the shitty ones and the. And it's funny because I've never heard of that Luma or what was it? Was it called?
A
Luca.
B
Luca. Yeah. Never heard of that before, but holy God, that's awful.
A
Boy, do they sell it like. It's just. Why do you need a graphic designer anymore?
B
You don't, you don't. But holy do you ever?
A
Yeah, more than ever. More than ever. Look at.
B
Please don't rely on you. Look up.
A
Because, because if, if, if there's going to be a world out there of shops and businesses using that.
B
Yes.
A
That's easy pickings for graphic designers.
B
Really? Really?
A
Oh my God. Right?
B
Yes, yes.
A
Honestly, I think people need to remember, and I mean, again, I know, you know this AI is always a hot topic. Always a hot topic. Right. But we need to remember that AI is here to help us work smarter.
B
Yes.
A
Okay. It's not here to replace us. Okay. Not replace us anyway. Right. This is enhancing, you know, not replacing our creativity. You know, we need to learn how to elevate elevator game. You guys absolutely have to elevate your game. Don't sit back and wait for it to get so far ahead. It's going to be like. Because again, it's going. Yeah, okay. And you can't stop this.
B
It's.
A
Yeah, 100. And then last but not least, you know, you have to now accept the fact that, you know, it's doing a lot of the leg work for you. So now you have to take your game to another level and you've got to aim higher.
B
Right.
A
Of what it is that you know you're capable of doing. Right. You do, you, you let the replacers handle that low value. Let them take out the fibers, let them out all that crap and, and don't even stress over it. Right. You now have the ability with AI tools to target high value customers. And that's what this. Everybody wants a high value customer and.
B
These customers want to work with us.
A
We now just can.
B
Yeah.
A
And that's the beautiful thing because these high value customers now have the ability to get crazy high end strategic, strategic insight and vision that, you know, is often hidden for all these billion dol companies. And now we can deliver it because of all these tools at a fraction of the cost.
B
That's exactly.
A
And that's incredible. Right. So again, it's a beautiful world that we live in right now.
B
It really is. It's very, it's very exciting. And yeah, having just kind of dabbled in this stuff, it's just like, it's absolutely crazy. It is what it will do, you know, but it's like I, I find myself, I'm in Tally's kind of position where I struggle with the prompt prompts. Well, prompting isn't there.
A
Yeah.
B
This is, again, this is an acquired skill that we will need to use and I think that's going to be.
A
A huge, like I said, Portion of this prompting is going to be an invaluable skill that designers are gonna have to learn.
B
Yes.
A
Plain and simple. Because all the AIs use it. Okay. It doesn't matter if it's a replacer, it doesn't matter if it's a, you know, a helper. Whether it's Chad, whether it's mid journey, you know, they're all looking for the same type of thing. And that's where, you know that, that, that's the interesting part about AI is that it's, it's now not just a creative person's tool because now people that aren't necessarily hands on, creative.
B
Yeah.
A
Can now create.
B
Yeah.
A
Right. And it's, and it's interesting because I, you know, I had a graphic design teacher in high school, she said, and I remember this right. Which is kind of like a big hue that it's like you don't have to be a, a good artist in order to be a good graphic designer.
B
This is true. Yeah.
A
And it's true because again, I mean, while I can draw and a lot of people are like, holy, I can't believe you did that. The reality is a lot of the people out there that I follow and I see, they're at a whole other level, dude. Right. But now it's interesting because instead of me trying to learn, you know, right from scratch all over again about I don't know how to draw some of the, the new level American style manga, I can now start playing with that look and feel on a lot of these AI apps and get pictures for me. I would never claim I drew them.
B
Drew them. No, but I would.
A
Number one, they're for me. They're my own personal. I'd be like, yeah, that's the image I was looking for. That's, that's the look I was looking for. That's, that's the picture I wanted to create for a skateboard.
B
Yeah.
A
And it, I either I could have got there in three years. Yeah. You know, by learning how to do that myself, or I could have got there after a weekend of back and forth prompting and you know, finally get. And, and I. The ultimate thing for me was it was still the damn skateboard that I wanted. So I, I was happy with that. So this is where it's like, it's an interesting world right now.
B
It's great. And, and like again, for band promotion.
A
Yeah.
B
These kind of things are awesome. Like you get huge awesome stuff. What would have taken me months to do. And I'm not discounting what poster Designers do, because that stuff is awesome. The guys at Lincoln, they do amazing work. They've got the time, they've got the budget and that kind of stuff.
A
So. Absolutely.
B
I don't really have that with the.
A
You know, the band dude, AI is not replacing our. Our. Our bros over at Lincoln, you know, they're not replacing. No, they can't.
B
Right. That is the human touch.
A
It is. And what degree. Exactly. Right. And that's it. But I. I guarantee you they are using it for other reasons.
B
They would certainly be using it. Yes, I guarantee that.
A
But I mean, again, I don't know if you can prompt the kind of, you know, you know, detailed type of illustrations that are so specific, like what those guys are cranking out. Right. But there might come a day where, you know, the illustrations. Illustrators there might be using it for the. Their own inspiration.
B
For inspiration.
A
It'd be interesting to find out.
B
You know, I'd like to know what the. Yeah. Whether they're embracing that kind of stuff or.
A
Well, we've got a couple creative. Not retreats, conferences that we are visiting this spring. All right. Creative South. Yeah. We'll be driving down to there and then we will be hitting crop as well. So we'll be able to talk to a lot of illustrators. I look forward to this. And this is obviously, it's a topic that is of interest to me.
B
Yep.
A
And I'm excited to talk to these people about it.
B
Me too.
A
Yeah.
B
Y.
A
So cool.
B
Yeah.
A
Well, I think that's pretty much all. I mean, I think I've said enough about this. But just, you know, guys, remember, you know, what side of AR are you on? Okay. And. And what side of tool, you know, are you worried about? And again, you know, there's tools that are going to make us superpowered and those are going to be tools that are going to try to replace us. You know what? They're not replacing us. They're replacing the people that we don't want anyway. So just let that by.
B
Let all the Karens do that. Their little flyers.
A
Their little flyers. Right. I want a flyer to look like this for the school bake sale.
B
For sakes.
A
School bake sale people.
B
Fine. I'll do it myself.
A
You know what's funny? I was. I was. I was asked to do the school yearbook for Vermis Kids. School.
B
Nice.
A
I said no, okay. Because it's a lot of work. Well, I didn't mind the work and I did in the years past, but this time around, it would have been me against, you know, the whole parent committee.
B
Oh.
A
And I was like, I am not going to have a bunch of parents who all pretend to be creative because they have kids. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it.
B
Right.
A
I. I passed that one on. I was like, I'm sorry. I'm going to pass that. There's another designer with, you know, far many less jaded years than I do who's on that committee. You do it and learn a lesson.
B
That's smart path. Good for you. Yeah. You would have all of them right behind you.
A
Yeah, right.
B
A little to the left.
A
Yeah, right, exactly. AI can do that. Okay. All right. Lay that out. All right, everybody. My name is Massimo.
B
My name is Sean.
A
Stay creative.
B
Stay angry.
A
Feel like I'm losing my mind? Everybody in the world please? I want to be the greatest? Everybody on the fake? I look around I feel like everybody is the fakest? I make this every day and I'm impatient? Hoping one day I blow up from the basement Statement? The top is so vacant? I don't hear that I think is amazing? Waiting for my day? When I'm playing sold out shows? Where a thousand faces say give me that crown? Get in my way and you'll be put down? It ain't your place? All this my town? If I want that then I'll get it Right now I'm losing it? The noose it fits the loose and stupid myth? You choose to live or choose to dip? You choose to fight or lose your grip and lose a gift? I feel like I'm losing my mind? Everybody in the world d Please lord, give me a sign?
Podcast Summary: The Angry Designer
Episode Title: The Ugly Truth About How AI Will Replace Graphic Designers – Are You Safe or Helping It Take Your Job?
Release Date: February 18, 2025
Hosts: Massimo (A) and Sean (B)
Podcast Description: A No-Bull Graphic Design podcast that helps frustrated Graphic Designers crush the social & industry bull, learn to charge what they're worth, and build badass rewarding creative careers.
In this compelling episode of The Angry Designer, hosts Massimo and Sean delve into the controversial topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the realm of graphic design. They explore whether AI serves as a beneficial ally or a looming threat to creative professionals. The conversation is candid, insightful, and offers practical advice for designers navigating the evolving technological landscape.
Massimo introduces the episode by highlighting AI's dual role in the design industry. He states, “AI isn't just a tool, it's a game changer. But not all AI is created equal” (00:00). The hosts agree that while some AI tools can significantly enhance a designer's workflow, others pose a risk of undermining their craft by automating and commoditizing design tasks.
Massimo and Sean categorize AI tools into two distinct camps:
Replacer AI Tools: These are designed to automate basic and template-driven design tasks, potentially replacing designers who engage in commoditized work. Examples include logo generators and automated flyer creators.
They discuss how these tools offer generic solutions lacking strategic depth and human creativity, making them unsuitable for high-quality, tailored design work. Instead, they threaten designers who produce basic, low-end designs aimed at budget-conscious clients.
Contrasting replacer tools, the hosts discuss Empowering AI Tools that augment a designer’s capabilities without replacing the human element. These include:
Massimo notes, “These empowering AI apps … make designers better, makes us faster, almost makes more efficient” (09:51), highlighting how such tools can significantly improve productivity and creativity when used correctly.
Massimo outlines a strategic playbook for designers to thrive amidst AI advancements:
Leverage Helper Tools
Utilize empowering AI tools to enhance creativity and streamline workflows.
Avoid Sole Reliance on AI
Maintain the human touch by not letting AI become a crutch. Ensure that the creative process remains driven by human intuition and strategic thinking.
Be a Partner with Your Customer
Engage clients as partners rather than just service providers. Understand their business goals and provide strategic, tailored solutions.
Focus on Tailored Solutions
Use AI to create unique, customized designs that address specific client needs rather than producing generic outputs.
Embrace Your Role as a Problem Solver
Elevate your role by focusing on solving complex problems for clients, leveraging AI to handle repetitive tasks and allowing more time for strategic creativity.
Massimo and Sean conclude by reaffirming that AI is an inevitable part of the design industry's future. Instead of fearing replacement, designers should embrace AI as a tool to enhance their creative capabilities and focus on delivering high-value, strategic solutions. They stress the importance of maintaining the human element in design, as clients continue to seek meaningful partnerships and bespoke creations that AI alone cannot provide.
Massimo: “AI is here to help us work smarter... it’s not here to replace us” (42:06).
Sean: “Good to know the difference between the shitty ones and the …” (43:13).
By following the outlined playbook, designers can navigate the challenges posed by AI, leveraging technology to bolster their careers while preserving the essential human creativity that defines exceptional design work.
Notable Quotes:
Final Thoughts:
This episode serves as an essential guide for graphic designers grappling with the rise of AI in their field. By distinguishing between empowering and replacer AI tools and adopting a proactive strategy, designers can secure their positions and continue to deliver meaningful, high-quality work that technology alone cannot achieve.