Me again…Here are some things I’m not going to talk about in this month’s newsletter. I’m not going to talk about the weather. I mean, it’s finally really Fall and all that “seasons changing” stuff, but not in this month’s newsletter! Nope. And Tulsa. Seems like I talk about Tulsa a lot because of some of the fun projects I’ve had going on there this year. But this month we’re going to pretend Tulsa is not a thing. And I’m definitely not going to mention any artwork I may or may not have on sale in my online store. I feel like you folks already know about all of that and it would be unnecessary to tell you again. Especially since the holidays are coming up soon. Daylight Savings Time? God I hate it, but I’m not going to bring it up.
So, what should we discuss? What’s the number one thing that people say to me these days when they find out I’m a graphic designer? “Are you afraid AI is going to put you out of business?” And there’s a really short answer: “No.” And there’s a longer answer…and I almost hesitate because I don’t want to sound like “old guy rants about AI.” But here we go…
Have you seen any really good graphic design done by AI? I haven’t seen a single logo that I thought looked like anything but AI generated. I’ve seen presentations or social media posts that work ok. Maybe could be used as a starting point. But mostly they just look like AI did them, and they usually have really weird errors and misspellings and nonsensical sentences. And sadly, sometimes the people who used AI to get the bad work don’t pay attention. And these weird, obvious things make it out into the world anyway. I’ve seen press releases written by AI that were absolutely bizarre and yet they were about to get sent out as an official statement. From a writer’s perspective, it’s almost harder to “fix” the bad AI version than it is to start from scratch and write it correctly the first time. And usually I hear “I know it’s not great…just a rough draft I put in ChatGPT to get the ball rolling.” I get it. But you could just give me the same brief and I’ll make it work the first time. In a good way. With some personality. And sentences that don’t sound like an alien wrote them.
And what about ownership if AI makes it? You can’t copyright anything written by AI since it’s all derivative of someone else’s original work. And when it comes to logos, there are instances where you CAN trademark an AI-created logo, but you have to make sure it doesn’t infringe on anyone else’s previously trademarked design…and since AI by design is mimicking previously created artwork, it would be hard to prove that. Don’t you want to be able to trademark your logo? Why not just hire a real designer or writer and get good quality work and actually value the design process. I wouldn’t use ChatGPT to do my accounting work or my taxes. I want a human being who understands the nuances of what my business is all about and how little things affect each other and meet certain criteria and on and on. Surely anyone in any business can appreciate the need for their human touch on what they do for a living. We’re not talking about a robot who welds the same two pieces of metal together in a factory assembly line. We’re talking about the creative arts and how it affects our lives every day, whether you outright notice it in your face, or you just accept the beautifully designed world around you, created by your friends in the design community.
And I know that AI is only going to get better and continue to evolve and change and hopefully by then I will have secured new employment at Barnes & Noble. Or I could be a greeter at Walmart. But not yet. AI isn’t there yet and I think people still value good design. So I’ll keep plugging away, doing good work and trying to make the world a better place visually. I’m sure I’ll be a good greeter at Walmart too.
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