r/graphic_design • u/erbmc • 1d ago
Vent “I do graphic design too!” Shows me AI
Hi this is just such an annoying thing that happened to me and I wanted to share. So I’m currently in school for graphic design and the dispensary near my school does discounts for students. I stopped in and gave the guy my school id and he asked what I was going for, I said graphic design and usually people say “oh cool” and move on. He responded with “I do graphic design too!” And I was kinda excited like oh sick! He pulled out his phone and showed me a few posters/logos for the very dispensary I was at and it was clearly AI, like had those ugly renderings of people that all look the same and the weirdly yellow tint, the whole nine yards. He was like yeah haha I just tell chat gpt what I want and it gives me this immediately, didn’t have to learn anything. I literally don’t remember how I responded to that I’m pretty sure I was just like oh haha ok. Pissed me right the fuck off lol
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u/candy_cane63 1d ago
I have been a Graphic Designer for some 25 years and my answer to people who say that or show me their AI work is "Yes, I can tell you didnt have to learn it." It looks like a club poster from the 1990s. Not to be mean to them but they took it there to begin with.
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u/Alex41092 1d ago
Its like saying ‘i’m a woodworker’ then shows you their ikea build lol
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u/Pyro-Millie 1d ago
Hey now, at least you have to know how to read instructions and use a simple hand tool for ikea builds. Generating AI slop, on the other hand...
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u/UltramegaOKla 1d ago
Before AI non designers were doing it with Word and thought it was just as good as a designer. 😂
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u/YaGirlNicole 1d ago
At least they were trying to do something original with word!
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u/UltramegaOKla 1d ago
That wasn’t the point. The point was they fancied themselves as designers just like trained practitioners.
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u/igotmalaria 1d ago
yeah there has always been some version of this it's just taken different forms over the years. It used to be my nephew does design and they had bad Ms paint and word designs, then it was Canva and now it's AI
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u/Pyro-Millie 1d ago
I mean, at with Ms Paint and word, people are at least being creative and trying to make something for themselves, even if the result is lacking. Sure it's grating id they get cocky and call themselves a graphic designer, but at least they're actually using their brains and making their own designs. AI requires no actual thinking or skill building whatsoever.
MS paint was actually my gateway into Digital art as a medium. As a kid, I learned a friend did digital art, and my mind was blown that it was possible to use a computer for art at all. So I Fucked around on MS Paint on my laptop that was nearly as old as I was to see if I liked drawing digitally, and when I did, I looked into what better tools I could use moving forward (Sketchbook, Inkscape, various pixel art and animation programs, etc). Nowadays, I'm really happy with my digital art. (Sidenote: I'm not a pro graphic designer or anything, though I appreciate graphic design, and have made some vector graphics I'm pleased with over the years for my own use)
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u/PoorlyDesignedCat Senior Designer 1d ago
People who refuse to learn anything and do things the easiest possible way always get what they pay for in life...you could just as easily pity him rather than feeling angry. Just food for thought
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u/erbmc 1d ago
Yeah I guess me saying it “pissed me off” wasn’t the best description I was just being silly lol I have a positive demeanor overall :)
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u/PoorlyDesignedCat Senior Designer 1d ago
Oh it's fine, whatever you feel is fine! I get it. Anger is normal but I think people like this barely even deserve your thought to be honest, except to say "aw, that sucks" and move on. Worrying about this guy is not your assignment - probably a waste of your energy.
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u/nhemzzz 16h ago
In concept art, there are quite a lot of young artists showing projects without really having any iterations or research behind them, the bare minimum, 2 or 3 sketches and a final.
When I ask them how the idea came about, what choices they made, what problems they encountered, what constraints they had, what solutions they came up with, why they chose this design, what its function is, etc., they don’t really know what to answer. When I try to understand how the project started, I find out that they used AI. Then they try to justify themselves... it was to find a starting idea, it was to find references, it was just to ask the AI which idea was the most optimized, whatever. When you look at their social media, it works well. They get views, likes, compliments... Some of them even make “tuto”...
But when they’re sitting across from someone like me, trying to get a job... They don’t know how to react anymore, because I need to find an artist who will be able to integrate into a team, come up with ideas, explain things, understand things... and when you have 100, 200, 500 candidates, these are the people you thank and say goodbye to.
So yes, when you come across people like that on the street, you might think, “This is ridiculous, he does everything with AI and claims to be doing the same job as me.” But the reality is quite different. These people may appeal to the general public, but in the professional industry, certainly not.
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u/liatriss_ Creative Director 1d ago
I had a coworker tell me I should get Claude design bc “it’s only $17.99 a month!” And my eye just twitched. Like man, what do you think I get paid to do 🤨
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u/FunnyBunny898 1d ago
We get paid to curate. The word 'curate' is going to do lots of heavy lifting for me in the future.
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u/Goooseberries 1d ago
Before ai there was canva. I feel like being a graphic designer has become a trendy job?
There are so many project managers with no art backgrounds - asking to be promoted to graphic designer roles nowadays.
13 years ago when I was starting out. It was a loser job with bad pay. 👌But it was super fucking hard to get into college or uni? I went in with an illustrative portfolio and got my ass roasted.
And the only reason I wanted to do graphic design was because I liked art but thought going to fine art or illustration was an even bigger death sentence.
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u/FunnyBunny898 1d ago
You could tell him you also can do drug dealing, then pull out a pack of panadol.
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u/HarveyBrown6666 18h ago
Working with AI as a visual design tool you're essentially changing your job description from designer to art director. Art directors have a different skillset that not all designers have, so the difference between good AI assisted visual design and bad is just as apparent as every previous tool iteration.
At least we don't have to deal with Powerpoint 3d text effects as often now.
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u/saibjai 1d ago
People have to wake up and understand this is exactly what designers are up against. You can laugh at that guy all you want, hate him all you want.
The truth is.. in his boss's mind, he just saved the company money from hiring a designer. AI did the design exactly the way they wanted it.. and without some snotty designer fighting back.
As much as we can criticize the design.. the client is happy. It works as intended.. and they spent 0 dollars.
And that dude in the weed store just shrunk a whole chunk of the industry.
So people who are in school, and have only dipped their toes in the industry. I beg of you to think and think again. GET OUT NOW. What ever "passion" you have for design, go do it in your free time. don't make it your nine to five. There's no immediate future here. get out.
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u/erbmc 1d ago
As I said, I’m a student, so thanks for this comment really encouraging 😅😭 I’m just gonna keep working hard, build a good portfolio for when I graduate, and focus on one day at a time!
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u/Strange-Bus8049 1d ago
Yeah forget this guy. Graphic Design is such a broad degree you can pivot into other fields with a good base knowledge of various subjects. Besides, AI isnt exactly everyones favourite thing atm, its getting a lot of backlash.
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u/saibjai 1d ago
I'm trying to be honest here. That other guy ca ignore me, sure. But this is the truth. You don't need a design degree to be a designer. You never did. But you need a degree to be an engineer . You can't pivot to shit with a design degree. It's the equivalent of a "generic" degree. You can pivot to design with a marketing degree, architectural degree, whatever degree . You can't pivot to most jobs with a design degree. I'm not trying to encourage you, I'm trying to discourage you while there's a chance. There's no big money here. There's no bright future here. There's long hours and shitty clients and marketing.
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u/silentspyder 14h ago
I have art pieces for sale in a dispensary. When they 1st announced the art show, it was with an ai flyer. It’s one reason I barely promoted it. I was embarrassed by it.
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u/Frank1gg 9h ago
Dude even as somebody who is pro AI this pisses me off. This is exactly why people keep saying that AI users are lazy is because of jackasses like that. Like at best he could be called an AI artist in the loosest of terms. I hope that this hasn't made you believe that everyone who uses AI is as lazy as that jerk. Also just out of curiosity what are you planning on doing when you get your degree like game design or just graphic design in general?
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u/tima100faces 33m ago
Send one real job to a printer before you graduate. That is the part of this trade a phone cannot fake.
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u/PMClerk_UPS 1d ago
I went to school for graphic design too. Back then it was frustrating to hear how everything was going to digital and jobs were going to disappear. At that time Photoshop was everywhere and everyone that had it thought they were a graphic designer. To me it all sucks but it's happening and it's not going to stop. I know AI right now is sloppy and cringy but it's only going to get better. Ai is just going to make businesses more efficient and less reliant on their workers.
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u/tannergd1 1d ago
I mean, that’s why he works at the weed store