AI and the Cheaperfication of Design

In a world that's getting taken over by AI more and more, we increasingly have to contend with what I like to call the Cheaperfication of Design. What's that, you ask? It's a term that I coined as of this moment. It's when the quality of design is reduced and its personality is taken out. But what does that look like and why does it matter?

To answer these questions, let's first travel back in time, all the way back to the infancy of... cars. You may be thinking, “Hold on, old cars have nothing to do with graphic design” and that's true, but you may be surprised by their overlap with design. Back in the day, building cars was an art form. Cars were built with personality and purpose because, for the most part, they were luxury items that the common person couldn’t get their hands on.

And what happens when you're a part of the 1% and want to make sure the world knows it? You have your car custom-made, built to your specs, and so beautifully crafted that everybody who sees it will know exactly who you are and what your style is. Sound familiar? There is even a term for this: coachbuilding. This was a highly individualised process that produced truly unique pieces.

As industries developed and markets changed, car manufacturing became automated, making it cheaper and more efficient. This made coachbuilding increasingly difficult. Nowadays, people just need a car. Most of us don't have the funds or interest in the bells and whistles of a coachbuilt car. We just want something that gets the job done. In other words, coachbuilding is practically obsolete.

From Cars to Logos

Back to the topic at hand. How does car manufacturing relate to graphic design? If we look at graphic design as a craft, it's something that gives companies and products meaning and personality. It's effective but still interesting to look at, much like what coachbuilding was to cars back in the day.

Now, I'm not saying that change is a bad thing, far from it. Tech revolutions that have disrupted the design industry, like the inventions of computers and Photoshop, have served to push graphic design forward. But with the rise of AI and other automated tools, graphic design is rapidly becoming cheaper and more generalised. The designs that these tools produce will "get you from A to B" but nobody is turning their heads as you drive past. What do I mean by that? This point is best explained by a few examples.

1. Logo Generators and General Templates

Let's take a look at Johnny. He has just started a company and they need a logo. Unfortunately, his budget is limited and he doesn't see the point in bringing in a designer. What does he do? He downloads a free logo generator, clicks on a few buttons, and the generator spits out a generic image. Is it unique? Not really. Is it good? Doesn't matter, it will do the job.

Or, how about Jenna? She works in marketing, but she's the only one in her department. On top of marketing, her job is to run the company's social media and make sure the brand has a strong industry presence. But lo and behold, there's no budget for a designer. So what does Jenna do? She hops on Canva and chooses some pretty and free templates that a dozen other companies also use.

2. Corporate Blandness

Good news! Jenna's company is rapidly growing and she finally convinced her manager to hire a designer to help with their brand identity! Steve, the new designer, comes in, ready to make a difference with his fresh ideas. Reality soon sets in as he gets stuck doing PowerPoint slides for an internal meeting. When he brings his ideas to refresh the company's branding, he's told that management doesn't want anything to change. They've had the same branding for 10 years, after all. They don't want to change their blue colours, because their USPs are being reliable and trustworthy (like every other company). And no black, because black is negative!

3. The Rise of AI

Admittedly, AI is very impressive and it can be a powerful tool in the design process. I personally find AI useful in generating ideas while brainstorming. But it lacks one key thing: it's not human. It learns from what is put on the internet, which means it probably won't produce anything truly unique. So, let's hope it keeps learning from the good designs and not the bad ones. It also runs the risk of interfering in the development of trends, because those are all driven by human experiences.

Why Does It Even Matter?

I gave the above examples to make one point: the design field isn't always taken seriously or understood enough. But people know that design exists and that it makes their company look pretty, so they want to incorporate it.

The Cheaperfication of Design has given everybody access to a solid base level of design, which is good. Small businesses can function with the basics. Hopefully, Steve won't need to use his Bachelor's degree and expertise to make PowerPoint slides in the future. However, automated tools have also automated design.

Designers don't just make pretty images, they are visual problem solvers, and more importantly, they are human. A designer should be able to encounter a person, company, or product and understand how to present it to the world. They should be able to visually show why a particular company is different and special. Finding parallels, drawing on heritage and history, meme, semiotics, and understanding people on an interpersonal level are all things human designers can do. Logo generators will give you a logo, but how will you stand out as a photographer if your logo is a camera? Canva gets you pretty and neat work and AI will generate something cool, but does it really represent you?

So, How Do We Move Forward?

Don't get me wrong! Logo generators, Canva, and AI are great, and I use them regularly. But they aren't stand-ins for designers. So, what is the best way forward? Use these pieces of software for what they are: tools. And let them be wielded by professionals. AI used by a designer who knows how to use it as a tool, not a production line, will always be better than Steve’s manager using it. So, if you head a project in the future and wonder if there's even any point in hiring a designer, I hope your passion for the project will push you to make sure it gets the best expertise possible.

Definitions

Meme	An idea, behaviour, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture. Source: Wikipedia
Semiotics	The systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning. Source: Wikipedia