4 Ways for Using AI in Graphic Design

Graphic design is a creative field, and art has traditionally been considered the last bastion of human-only labor. However, there is growing evidence that artificial intelligence (AI) will play an important role in the future of graphic design and also get utilized as graphic design trends.

Artificial intelligence is neither a friend nor an enemy. It is not necessary to shift all the duties of a designer to a neural network while demanding a unique and memorable concept and creativity. It’s also a big field for investments. However, there is no need to refuse new opportunities. While ideas and meanings are yours, AI is a great tool for realization.

The art of artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly sophisticated. In a 2023 survey of 504 students at Yale University, respondents could distinguish images created by artificial intelligence from humans only 54% of the time. This may soon become even more difficult. 

Humans and robots can coexist in harmony and create masterpieces through joint efforts. You just need to learn how to have an ecological relationship with new technologies. In this article, we will describe how helpful AI can be for graphic designers.

4 Ways to Use AI in Graphic Design

  1. Optimize Processes

The work of specialists can be significantly simplified by using artificial intelligence functions. However, neural networks cannot work properly without human participation. It is quality queries that allow neural networks to generate exactly those visuals that are needed for a certain task. Thus, it is worth evaluating such services as ideal assistants:

  • AI Image generation from sketches. Presenting the customer with a website layout, you can fill it with generated images, at the same time showing in what style the graphic content should be.
  • Illustration of concepts. It is always easier to show the customer than to tell. With the help of neural networks, you can create a visual concept or a mood board in a few minutes.
  • Creating architectural design. You can use neural networks as an idea generator and then use them to create a design concept.
  • Image animation. Animations are more likely to catch the eye of a website user than static images. Neural networks allow you to animate almost any image in two clicks.
  • Generating ideas for a logo or mascot. The resulting image can be further refined or something new can be created based on it.
  • Create an illustration or graphic elements for a website background/banner. In order not to spend a lot of time on creating the background, you can entrust it to a social network.

Optimization is now seen everywhere, even when working with artificial intelligence. Since 2022, there have already been many books, and guides on how to use MidJourney, Chat-GPT, Bing AI, Bard, Stable Diffusion, Dall-E-2, and other neural networks. Learning doesn't take much time and makes the designer's life easier.

  1. Use AI for Inspiration

AI is a great base for finding inspiration or references. Query a neural network on your topic and see what it suggests. You may want to go backward and create something completely new and different. Or, on the contrary, make sure your idea is unique.

New neural networks know how to work with different styles, which is very convenient. Previously, you had to prescribe the necessary requests yourself, now you can choose from a list of suggested options.

It is true that the main pain of users of almost any neural network - the formation of "artifacts" - has not been solved yet. Three fingers on a human hand is the norm for AI. The image proportions are distorted, something blurs, and, most importantly, the text is always incomprehensible. It is because of such limitations of human neurons that no one will replace humans now, at least in the near future.

A designer with the help of AI can find more ideas and go deeper into a topic. Without neural networks, the process of searching for insights is complicated, and artificial intelligence immediately guides the creator to the right path.

  1. Test Hypotheses With the Help of AI

There is a moment in everyone's work when it seems that an idea is an absolute masterpiece. And you run to implement it, but soon you realize - it is not that. However, you have already spent time, energy, and money. Artificial intelligence will help you check the idea at the initial stage. Do you think that an illustration in the style of a fairy tale would be perfect for this company? Check it out! AI will make a sketch much faster, and you won't waste time.

It takes forever to test hypotheses on your own, and a specialist's time is not rubber. The linguistic model of a neural network, if used correctly, can give recommendations on how to create the concept itself. A common situation: your idea may be unique and suitable for the tasks at hand, but it has flaws. The neural network will identify weaknesses of the design project and make corrections with your permission.

Many neural networks produce several variants of the image at once. You don't like it? The regeneration function will slightly change the result of the work. Thus, the designers play the role of a constructor. They introduce new "variables" rather than change the whole image and just select the best variant.

  1. Use AI to Set Necessary Parameters

Neural networks for image processing can perform many routine processes. With the help of various AI tools, you can work many times faster and more accurately. Many networks allow you to do the following functions:

  • Choosing an image weight. It is used to adjust the ratio of elements in the image.
  • Setting a design quality. The better the quality of the image, the more details are obtained and the picture looks more beautiful. With the help of AI, the designer simply saves time by setting the necessary parameters at once. 
  • Aspect ratio correction.
  • The dorization of a particular image or training based on a particular object.
  • Removing background and objects from pictures;

Adobe recently announced AI in the beta version of Photoshop, which will make things much easier and faster.

To Sum Up, anyone in their field of work needs to keep up with what's going on in the world, to study and evaluate trends. Being able to work with AI is an important skill for a designer, especially when not everyone knows how to do it. It allows creators to pump up their skills, save time, and not burn out.

AI can influence human creativity, and help to look at the creation of illustrations in a different way. Not all specialists can produce the results that a neural network manages to create. Every time it turns out something new and unique. In a few minutes it can come up with four variants of images, a person spends from several hours to a whole day on this.