AI Design Tools That are Changing How Graphic Designers Work

Any graphic designer will tell you that there’s a certain rhythm to how they work. It’s true of any field that involves creativity: from data gathering to brainstorming to iteration after iteration until the finished product gradually emerges from the mist.

As attached as we get to the habits of creative design, that has never stopped any creative individual from continually searching for ways to streamline the process. We want to make it better because making the process better holds the potential to make us better at what we do.

Enter the fledgling world of artificial intelligence in the realm of graphic design.

The Brief History of AI in Design

Reportedly, AI design tools first began to be used in graphic design around 2016. As with many fields, the introduction of AI raised questions about whether it could potentially make the human element — in this case, graphic designers themselves — obsolete eventually. One research paper on the subject, published by the Journal of Physics, even noted the use of AI design as a “severe threat to the graphic design industry” and to “people engaged in graphic design” (a paper),  which, interestingly enough, was recently retracted by the publication in which it appeared, as of just 2022).

But other researchers were also concerned. Development of AI graphic design tools was spearheaded by computer scientists, not by the graphic designers themselves, which led designers to worry about a lack of communication — or, more importantly, understanding — between two very different disciplines. Would AI design tools be able to combine both form and function or would the rapid generation of artificially-created images edge out the human touch simply based on convenience?

Is it possible that AI design tools might completely change how graphic designers work?

The quick answer? Yes.

But it’s a good thing.

From Theory to Practicality

After years of working as a graphic designer and with others to implement new tools and techniques in order to continually better the process of graphic design, I can say that AI design tools are not only here to stay, they’re here to make design better. I say this because tradition isn’t paramount when it comes to great design; just because something has always been done a certain way, like how designers often follow the golden rules of logo designing, doesn’t mean that way is the most optimal.

The real plus with AI design is that the initial reaction of fear from the design community has been put to rest: design tools cover a range of functionalities that leave the power in the hands of the designer themselves.

Want to focus on creativity and cut down on some of the more generic tasks of graphic design? There’s a tool for that.

Want software that will provide suggested edits? There’s a tool for that.

Stuck on a project and need some help with ideation? There are tools for that.

How about an iteration tool that creates multiple variations of your design? There are tools for that, too.

Enter some of the top AI design tools that are fundamentally changing now only how graphic designers are used by brands and clients, but how graphic designers themselves complete their creative process.

Khroma

A new favorite (and free to boot) for some designers I know, Khroma was created as a color combination generation tool, allowing designers (and anyone who wants to give it a try) to browse and compare palettes for their projects. It was created by a designer, George Hastings, and can both speed up palette development for designers and stimulate creativity with AI-generated suggestions.

The tool also offers a personalized aspect to color choice, asking you to choose 50 colors before generating a list of personalized choices to consider. You can upload your in-process images to try colors out in-context of the project.

Uizard

Uizard is an app and website design tool that can be used by both experienced graphic designers and newbies to the design world. It even bills itself as the “design tool for non-designers,” but it comes in handy for web and graphic designers as well. Initially a machine-learning project at its outset, it now boasts over 8,000 new projects each week.

It’s designed to be utilized for wireframe development, web and mobile app development, and rapid prototyping. With a rise in the demand for mobile apps, it’s a great place to start for graphic designers who may not have dipped their toes in the app design waters yet but are interested in expanding their skillset. As a big believer in using pencil and paper for brainstorming and initial iterations, the “sketch to design” feature is particularly appealing.

Deep Art Effects

Deep Art Effects is a fun and functional AI design assistant for the ideation and iteration process of graphic design. It includes basic functions such as ideal cropping suggestions, grayscale and color optimization, and intelligent scaling, but the real focus of this tool is the transformation of your graphic design into a variety of different art styles - over 120, at this writing.

And this isn’t just a question of Snapchat filters. The tool alters and refines your design “into a work of art.” Interestingly, some designers associated with big-name brands use Deep Art Effects, including Samsung and Huawei. 

Adobe Sensei

Sensei is a design tool that is focused more on the post-design process, cutting down on the time designers might spend on refining and implementing their designs by streamlining the process of adjusting image size and quality, ensuring discoverability, and guiding marketing and campaign optimization. 

Alibaba’s Luban

Designed for e-commerce businesses processing hundreds, if not thousands, of products, Luban uses intelligent algorithms and user-generated provisional input to create images and banners for marketing and product promotion. Alibaba officially released the tool in 2015, and since then, it has created tens of millions of images each day, providing them with a one-click input according to the needs of the business. 

Understandably, high output by the AI and low input by the human graphic designer can lead to a lower-quality end product. However, the main point of AI design tools is to provide what’s needed, and Luban certainly meets a need for Alibaba’s e-commerce merchants: image generation, done quick. Luban well illustrates the wide variety of AI design tools for graphic design; at the same time, it makes clear that the human touch in graphic design is here to stay. 

Out With the Old, in With AI

While using AI design tools can deeply alter the ability and process of a traditional designer, the end result is a range rather than a single point. It’s up to each designer to decide how much they want AI tools to be involved and to what extent they want their output changed or enhanced by new technology. In the end, while the full use of AI tools can totally derail the way that graphic designers go about their jobs, the net result is for the good of design — and for the continuation of human designers, hand in hand with AI. 

Will some companies abandon human designers and utilize AI design entirely? Alibaba’s experience with Luban suggests that some certainly will, and perhaps more as AI continues to develop. But ultimately, AI tools are just that: tools, not whole-cloth solutions. The fear of AI replacing human graphic designers entirely should be put to the side as unrealistic. In the meantime, graphic designers have a choice: stick to the old ways of working or add a few new AI design tools to your graphic design toolbox.

I know which one I would choose.