AI in Graphic Design: Creativity or Threat? -By Adamu Ahmad Umar

A decade ago, before AI became a widely used tool for human assistance, graphic design was a rare skill among computer users. Back then, before a graphic designer was able to produce a single design, he had to spend more than an hour. He had to think deeply, develop an idea, and carefully analyze how it would look before bringing it to life through design.

But nowadays, as AI continues to dominate every field, graphic design has continuously evolved. AI has also transformed graphic design, making the process faster and more dependent on giving instructions rather than manual designing.

AI was purposely designed to assist humans, not replace them entirely; AI primarily works to reshape our ideas and guide us. But the question is: Has this Artificial Intelligence improved our creativity or is it taking it away?

One of the major effects of depending on AI for graphic design is how it affects our forethought, creativity, and ideas. In the past, designers had to think deeply and develop their ideas before creating a design. But nowadays, people can simply give instructions to AI and get a complete design within a short time. This can reduce the amount of thinking and creativity involved in the process.

Another effect is the growing dependence on AI among people who previously used manual graphic-design applications such as CorelDRAW, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator. As AI makes designing faster and easier, some people may lose interest in learning and practising manual graphic-design skills. Instead, they may depend on AI to produce designs for them.

AI has also continued to weaken the businesses of manual graphic designers, especially those operating in cyber cafés. In the past, people visited cyber cafés to create flyers, posters, invitations, and other designs. But nowadays, some customers can create these designs themselves by simply giving instructions to AI. This has reduced the demand for some manual graphic-design services.

However, what AI produces is not always as attractive or well-designed as what a professional graphic designer creates naturally. A designer spends time thinking, developing an idea, and using his creativity to bring the design to life. AI may produce a design faster, but sometimes it may lack the originality, creativity, and careful attention that a human designer can bring to the work.

This does not mean AI is completely harmful to creativity. When used properly, it can help designers develop ideas, explore different possibilities, save time, and improve their work. The real concern is not whether AI should be used, but how much we depend on it.

Therefore, AI can either improve our creativity or affect it, depending on how we choose to use it. The challenge is to make AI our assistant, not our replacement for thinking, creativity, and skill.

Adamu Ahmad Umar
Department of Mass Communication
Federal University of Kashere Gombe.
adamxadamx17@gmail.com
09024699894