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Artificial intelligence (AI) is neither a trend nor a buzzword – it’s a pervasive presence in our lives. Both organizations and individuals use it, from business strategy to wearable tech. Such is its pervasiveness that about 97 million people are expected to work within the AI space by the end of 2025.
The AI revolution has been and continues to be impactful in the digital design fields. Graphic design, web design, UX/UI, and animation are among the most impacted.
Indeed, 75% of graphic designers assert that AI increases their productivity. It also saves time. More than 61% of designers report that it increases their focus on creative tasks. Almost 70% believe that generative AI helps in finding new creative expressions, too.
These positive impressions of AI aren’t surprising considering its transformative roles, including:
- Automating repetitive tasks
- Analyzing data for more personalized and optimized results
- Accelerating the design process, from creating custom images to editing existing work
- Providing designers with new tools to create innovative work
If you’re interested to know more, read on. Here, we’ll discuss the ways that AI affects digital designers. We’ll also emphasize that AI isn’t here to replace designers – it’s a tool, not a threat.
Most Popular AI-Powered Design Tools
Here’s a brief overview of the most popular AI-powered design tools today. But don’t limit yourself to these tools, either. Be sure to explore emerging tools, too.
The beauty of AI lies in its onward and forward movement. You must then learn, unlearn, and relearn AI-powered design tools and use them to fuel your work.
Adobe Firefly
This tool is ideal for illustrators and graphic designers because of its:
- Integration with Photoshop and Illustrator (i.e., Adobe Creative Cloud tools)
- Text-to-image generation and text effects generator
- Content-aware fill and object removal
Marketing executives also use it for its style transfer feature, among others.
Canva AI (Magic Studio)
Content creators and social media managers use Canva AI for its:
- Magic Write, an AI copywriting assistant
- Magic Design, which creates customizable templates
- Instant video editing and auto-translate function
Figma AI
Adobe also owns Figma, the organization behind Figma AI that UX/UI designers use. Design teams and product designers also prefer it for its key features, including:
- AI-powered suggestions
- Real-time collaboration tools (e.g., brainstorming and smart sticky notes)
- Plug-in ecosystem
Midjourney
Ideal for visual designers, illustrators, and concept artists, Midjourney stands out because of the following:
- High-quality text-to-image generation feature
- Discord-based access model and supportive community
- Robust features for storyboards and mood boards
DALL·E
OpenAI is the brains behind DALL·E, a tool preferred by experimental designers. Among its key features are:
- Robust style and composition control
- Efficient inpainting tool
- ChatGPT integration for easier image creation
Khroma
Web designers, UI designers, and branding designers use Khroma for its:
- Endless color, gradient, and typography combinations
- Robust features for creating branding aesthetics and mood boards
Runway ML
VFX artists, content creators, and motion designers use Runway ML for its
- Powerful video editing tools
- Gen-2 model text-to-video generation tools
- Real-time cloud rendering and collaboration
Most of these AI-powered tools are available for free, although with limited access. If you want to take full advantage of features, consider the paid plans. Adobe Firefly’s Creative Cloud Pro, for example, starts at $69.99/month.
The Shifting Roles and Skills for Designers
AI isn’t inherently designed to replace humans and their creativity. Instead, it’s designed to enhance, supplement, and accelerate the design process. Indeed, think of AI as your creative collaborator, and you can use it in your best interests.
But it must also be said that AI resulted in shifting roles and skills for designers.
Before AI, designers were more involved in the design process manual execution. Drawing, formatting, and adjusting layouts were among the manual tasks.
AI automated many of these manual tasks and, thus, allowed designers to focus more on:
- Creative storytelling and direction
- Design systems and guidelines
- User experience strategy
- Collaborations between product, design, and marketing teams
- Brand identity development
But designers must make deliberate efforts to learn AI-enhanced workflows, too. Again, AI is a tool that designers can use well or not so well. Continuous learning is a must, too, because AI is an evolving technology.
Digital designers must also be well-versed in prompt engineering. This skill involves the creation of precise prompts for effective AI outputs.
Here’s an example of a prompt. “Design a minimalist and modern logo for a luxury bag line. Use clean typography and bold colors.”
Creative Collaboration Between Humans and AI
Again, the future of AI in digital design isn’t about replacement – it’s about collaboration. And what’s the best way that digital designers can create creative collaboration? Use AI-powered tools as a creative assistant.
Here are ways that digital designers do so.
- Idea generation. You can generate several different concepts from one prompt. (Create poster concepts for the Gen Z audience attending a summer music festival.)
- Style exploration. You’re able to compare different aesthetics quickly. (Design five different homepage layouts for a lifestyle app).
- Content adaptation. You can reformat, resize, and localize content for different platforms.
- Rapid prototyping. You’ll convert notes, sketches, and text into mockups and wireframes quickly.
- Asset enhancement. You can use AI tools to improve image resolution and other enhancements.
However, AI-powered design tools must be used with a careful and ethical approach. You must preserve the human touch and, in doing so, ensure that AI stays just as a tool.
Be mindful of these ethical considerations when using AI-powered design tools.
- Originality and ownership. AI-generated content mustn’t violate copyright and infringe on artists’ rights.
- Human oversight. Avoid over-reliance on these tools where nuance and empathy are vital.
- Creativity preservation. Use AI to support human creativity, not replace it.
- Transparency in use. Communicate where, when, and how these tools were applied.
- Cultural sensitivity. Checking AI outputs for inappropriate or insensitive content. Humans create biases and stereotypes, and AI can reproduce them. Designers must then review AI outputs for cultural awareness and sensitivity.
How do human-AI creative collaborations work? Here are three examples of hybrid workflows that illustrate them.
- Social media campaign. As a marketer, you use Canva AI to produce copy and layout options. Then, AI-powered tools edit and refine the selected option. The final product must match the brand image before it’s released.
- Brand identity development. If you’re a designer using Midjourney, you can create concept visuals and mood boards. Then, you use Adobe Illustrator to create a customized brand look.
- UX/UI prototyping. As a UX designer, you sketch wireframes by hand. Then, you use Figma AI to convert them into their digital forms.
Indeed, AI is among the best tools to come into the digital world. But like any tool, humans have the ultimate responsibility to determine its impact. Depending on how AI is used, it can be beneficial or harmful in your work as a digital designer.
Best Schools and Platforms to Learn AI-Enhanced Design
Learning about AI-powered design tools is easy if you know where to look for training. Explore these education and training opportunities.
Traditional Colleges and Universities
Start with the best design schools that emphasize both traditional and digital approaches.
- The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) combines academic rigor, artistic innovation, and technology. Students learn experimental design, creative coding, and computational thinking.
- The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) offers UX design, immersive reality, and motion-media programs. Tech companies are among its strongest partners in design, too.
- The Parsons School of Design (The New School) offers a forward-thinking MFA in Design and Technology. Students explore the future of the creative arts and technology. Experiments in data visualization, AI, and speculative design are encouraged, too.
If you’re considering a design-centric degree, ask about your options from your local universities, too.
Technology-driven Programs
If you’re interested in the convergence of creative arts and STEM, explore these programs, too.
- The MIT Media Lab is a globally recognized leader in digital innovation. Learners can access its extensive studies on generative AI and human-computer interaction. Students can also work on projects that combine AI with the creative arts, among others.
- The Stanford d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design) is a prestigious design hub. Here, learners can access workshops and courses that combine AI and design, too.
Online Platforms
It makes sense to learn AI through online platforms. If you’re looking for convenient access and flexible schedules, check out these platforms.
- Coursera has strong partnerships with top universities for courses that combine AI and design. Courses cover creative coding, generative design, and AI ethics, among others.
- LinkedIn Learning offers short courses that focus on practical design skills. Check out its Prompt Engineering for Designers course.
- Domestika offers courses on AI-powered tools and other AI-related topics.
Conclusion
AI is an ever-evolving technology with a robust influence on the digital design industry. Digital designers must learn, unlearn, and relearn AI-powered design tools as they come.
Better yet, you must seek to influence AI-powered design tools, too, through:
- Constructive feedback
- Active participation in beta programs and user research
- Sharing best practices and case studies
- Advocating for ethics in AI
- Collaborating with developers on their design and development
In the end, the future of AI is only as bright as your human supremacy over its design, development, and use.
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