The world is drastically moving forward with graphic design day-to-day with the help of cutting-edge technologies, and it might get you thinking “Is graphic design in demand”, especially now with the presence of incredible graphic design software and AI technology, which is the talk of the town.
Industries and businesses seek growth and ROI, so who should be in demand if not a graphic designer? Graphic designers are the engineers that will transform the raw ideas into an understandable visual language that can be conveyed to customers.
Demand for graphic designers vs demand for Ai
With the high technological advancements that paved the way for AI, something in us feels that artificial intelligence poses a threat to graphic designers. Especially now that Ai technology like Dalle-E and text-to-image Ai software has the ability to create mind-blowing artwork in a matter of minutes compared to its human counterpart.
The question of “Are graphic designers in demand?” Even with the presence of these technologies, there is a heated debate in every corner of the graphic design industry.
Undoubtedly, machines manage tasks efficiently with little or no room for errors, but keep in mind that graphic designers are needed to give directions or commands known as ‘prompts’ to the machine to carry out a particular task.
Without human direction, the machine won’t be able to function and carry out tasks as expected. Even when a machine works in full automation, remember that it is following the prior set of instructions that have been given to it by the human designer.
The demand for graphic designers is constant in every corner of every modern industry and for companies that have an online and offline presence as well. They are vying for attention from their potential clients, who are in need of solutions to their problems. They need a designer to do this.
Brands are born every day, and staying afloat in this sea filled with business titans is a challenging task for businesses to handle, especially for freshers who are just starting out. It’s the job of graphic designers to help them achieve their goals using visual communication.
Business strategies are put in place, and some of them fail because they fail to apply the right business prerequisites, of which graphic design is a part.
Why is the demand for graphic design important for businesses?
Companies and brands that cost millions and sometimes billions of dollars get established every year. They desire exposure and recognition to be able to reach out to their prospects or target audience, especially in this digitalized era aided by technology.
The demand for a graphic designer is a must-use tool that should be added to the list of a brand’s business brand strategy.
In short, the graphic designer should be sorted and given an independent department in the company because they are an essential driving force behind every brand that wants to get the level of popularity it deserves from the public using interesting visuals.
Businesses and brands should consider the need for graphic designers during product and service promotions. They will need the designer to design advertisement content, e.g., flyers, posters, business cards, brochures, and even motion advertising like trailers and commercials.
Companies need to be recognized, which calls for the demand for a graphic designer in branding or identity design whose job it is to create visual identity, also known as logo design.
Is this a concerning problem that requires an actionable solution? future, Will this be a truthful fact in the near future, or will AI snatch this task from the hands of graphic designers, or is graphic design hard to practice?
Every brand needs a means of identification. For example, a logo helps to distinguish a brand from millions of other brands. Most people make this graphic design mistake of assuming a logo to be the brand, but unfortunately, it’s not.
However, it is most often the first component of the brand people come into contact with, and it sticks in their heads for a very long time. It uniquely identifies a brand with a particular shape, color, or font, which together creates a unique icon identity known as a logo.
Every business or company’s advertisement demands effective and compelling visual artwork that has the ability to convey the intended information or message and effectively influences the customers emotions.
A simple advertisement for a blood donation can inspire people to donate blood, or a mouth-watering food advertisement can drive tons of customers into a restaurant to purchase meals.
This is all made possible by the creative ability of the graphic designer.
How much demand is there for graphic designer
The demand for graphic design is constantly increasing across all job sectors: education, public, private, and government. The demand for highly skilled graphic designers in these sectors is crucial for these sectors to effectively accomplish their objectives or satisfy their customers.
The need for graphic designers from top brands and businesses is pivotal for their growth and their public awareness, so much depends on a graphic designer to help create the various facets of the brand.
From knowing how much to design a logo to designing a website, publication design, and so many others, it has been proven that graphic designers are indeed influential.
Studies have proven that it takes 50 milliseconds for visitors to your website to decide if they are going to stay or leave. Choosing the right website design is one sure strategy companies use to give the target audience the right impression and reputation of what the brand is based on.
For this reason, we can see that the demand for graphic designers is pivotal because they are the solution to the visual problem any brand faces.
The first impression a website visitor has is determined by the theme, feel, and design of the company. However, various websites for different brands have their own unique purpose, and why they are created should mingle with the appearance of the website. We have food websites, fashion, eCommerce, kids’ websites, and many others.
This is important to know because the look and feel of a website in most cases influence how visitors feel about a company or brand, their level of authenticity, trust, and other various intangible emotions the target audience emits from the appearance of a brand’s website.
Best on demand graphic design jobs
Logo design
logo design
Logo design is one of the well-known graphic design fields that handles the creation of unique, simple, and memorable visual icons that are used to identify a brand from the rest of other brands.
Whenever someone asks, “Is graphic design in demand in the logo design industry?” We can be sure to say yes to it. Because just as every business needs a form of visual identity, a logo is an essential part that must be inclusive.
Logo design plays an important role in the building of a brand that wants to soar above competitors.
A brand mark is a pivotal element of branding in a company or brand that should not be done arbitrarily because customers will often come into contact with this part of your brand. That is why it is advised that your logo possess the belief system, core values, purpose, mission, and vision your brand is built around.
It is a common occurrence for businesses that just got established to fail to see the importance and value of why a good logo should possess all these properties of the brand and how it influences the brand over time.
Some careless brands take up the responsibility of creating a cheap logo by themselves with little or no experience in logo design, or they visit a generic logo generator site to get a logo that is possibly been used by millions of other businesses.
For this reason, the demand for graphic designers who specialize in logo design is important for any business that needs a unique brand mark that is unique and not generated arbitrarily.
The demand for graphic design is making companies willing to spend thousands and sometimes millions to get their logo design done right, and this requires a graphic designer who is capable of making outstanding logos that will not only look good but also stand the test of time.
Take an exemplary look at the Nike swoosh logo, created in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson and inspired by the wing of the Greek goddess of victory, which still stands in vogue to this day. We also have other timeless brands like Apple, Adidas, Microsoft, and many others.
Motion design
motion design
Motion graphic design, also known as animation design, is one of the major types of graphic design that deals with the creative task of turning static images, objects, or texts into motion pictures. Nowadays, having a brand that is willing to gain the optimum outcome it deserves in the marketplace is essential because millions are spent on building a business, so ROI is what every business owner is looking for.
One has to mingle with a motion graphics designer one way or another because it’s mostly what the media company is all into (it’s either motionless or in motion): social media ads, TV commercials, trailers, YouTube ads, Facebook ads, game trailers, and so on.
Additionally, graphic design demand is essential for any brand that wants to stand out, and this can also be achieved through motion design.
Every now and then on the internet, a product is purchased that is heavily influenced by graphic design and visual content. It’s either a picture or a video that was created by a graphic designer.
Publication design
publication design
Brands are continuously trying out new ways to get in front of their target audience, and one of the traditional and possibly the oldest ways is with publication design. e.g., poster design, flyers, stickers, and brochures. Not all audiences can afford the required electronic device for viewing motion graphics (commercials, trailers, Facebook ads, etc.).
Where video ads can’t reach, posters and flyers can. Also, not all companies and brands are capable of affording the high cost of hiring a motion graphic designer. Therefore, they make use of inanimate ads or print styles of advertisement, which cost less to create by graphic designers.
UI design (user interface)
User Interface Design
UI/UX design has been around for decades and is spoken of every now and then in the tech industry. Both UI and UX sound familiar but have different functionality.
They are essential for creating every digital product, mostly visual products. So is graphic design in demand in this field, and how much opportunity is there for UI designers?
Truthfully, UI (user interface) designers aren’t left out when it comes to graphic design; in fact, UI and UX designers are one of the most needed and highest-paying graphic design jobs right now.
These graphic designers are the ones who handle the user interface of apps, software, websites, and games. They use colors, texts, shapes, and patterns to create an appealing visual interface.
The demand for UI graphic designers has taken over most of the digital design market sectors, and the fun fact about this field is its remote workability, which allows the designer to work anywhere, have a flexible work style, create time for other chores, and also be immune to distractions.
UX (user experience) designer
On the other hand, UX (user experience) design is a term on its own that is used to describe the experience a user gets before and after using a digital or physical product. Prior to using a digital or physical product, as the case may be, it is worth knowing that the experience doesn’t come after the user has interacted with or finished using the product, the experience is already there.
The user might already know what to expect but have no clue what the experience (pleasure, displeasure, surprise) will feel like. The journey the user experiences while using the physical or digital product is what the UX designer is responsible for.
Let’s see what Don Norman, the founder of Nielsen Norman Group Design Consultancy, defined UX as: “User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-users interaction with the company, its services, and its products.”
Don Norman gave a vivid definition, and this tells us that user experience isn’t just focused on a particular aspect of a product but rather all of it. It doesn’t necessarily require a digital product like an app, software, or website.
UX can be perceived or experienced in virtually everything around us. This could be from lamps, tea cups, the unboxing of a newly purchased MacBook, an automobile, and so many others.
UX is simply the experience the end user gets from a physical or digital product.
Digital Illustrator
The demand for graphic designers spans all the way to digital illustrators. Digital illustrators are authentic, they are the type of graphic designer that creates digital art illustrations or drawings from drawings; sometimes with or without a reference image or concept.
With their original idea, they make use of digital drawing tablets like the Cintiq tablet or iPad pro to create drawings with the help of a drawing pen which manipulates the artist’s hand movement into digital drawing that is seen on a display screen.
Is digital illustration in demand, especially now that companies are making use of stock images? Truthfully, as companies are created, new ideas are created that go along with the visual taste and aesthetic of every brand. It’s all a matter of choice.
Lately, website owners have chosen to go original with visual aesthetics that are drawn from the original idea of the brand and blend with the concept of the site or project. They make use of these illustrations on their blog posts and homepage. This aesthetic trend has been in vogue since 2021. We could see this aesthetic on MailChimp.
Web designer
website design- credit:fatematozzohra mit
Web design is a broad term that encompasses various graphic design elements like fonts, color, patterns, and images to create visually appealing websites.
Also, it requires knowledge of UI/UX (user interface and user experience) to tackle the visual aspect and the functionality aspect of the website, as well as other technical know-how like SEO (search engine optimization), which is also an essential measure for a website’s visibility on the Internet.
The need for a web designer is inevitable in this current time, they help create visually appealing websites that encompass the company’s vision, mission, and value in the website’s aesthetics.
The demand for web designers is crucial because, at some point in time, you will need one to maintain, fix, or build your site if you really want your business to be seen online.
App designers
Application designers focus more on the UI and UX of an app for users, but they never fail to make an app that provides the solution to the end user’s problem because that is what every app should do—problem-solving and a good user experience journey before the user quits the app after satisfaction has been achieved.
The application designer should have the UI and UX aspects of the app in mind during development because that is the crucial reason why users would feel appealed to or be interested in making use of an app.
What most users look out for in an app is its aesthetics and functionality (its ability to solve problems besides giving users an unforgettable experience and a nice interface). If an application designer can achieve these two, then the design is a success.
Users will quit or uninstall an app that lacks a poor interface, a poor experience, or is unable to solve their problem. So, a designer should possess any of these skills; the designer should be good with UI and work closely with a UX designer or could specialize in both fields, thereby speeding up the whole process and paying better.
The future of graphic design
Graphic design has been around for a long time. It dates back as far as 15,000 B.C., when the first visual communication was found and was in the form of pictographs and symbols in Lascaux Cave, southern France.
However, graphic design started gaining development in 1800. In the 19th century, there was more technological advancement, and new inventions were discovered that paved the way for what we know as graphic design today.
Graphic design has evolved over the years from what seemed to be a basic form of creativity of just using texts, colors, and signs to a more sophisticated form of using various graphic design elements and apps to transform ideas into informative messages that possess meaning to the user and also have appealing aesthetics.
Because graphic design is transitioning from one style and trend to another, from what used to be a human driven task to an AI task, the question “is graphic design in demand?” rings in our minds frequently.
The truth is this, change is a constant in life, and so does change affect graphic design. New technology, styles, trends, inventions, ideas, and software are introduced. The high demand for graphic design is also influenced by virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
Virtual reality and augmented reality are swiftly becoming important tools in the field of graphic design. VR allows designers to create fully immersive 3D environments that users can interact with, while AR allows designers to overlay digital information onto the real world.
One of the main benefits of VR in graphic design is the ability to create highly realistic and interactive visual experiences. For example, graphic designers can use VR to create detailed, full-scale models of design mockups or product branding that clients can explore and interact with.
This allows clients to get a better sense of the design and make more informed decisions before the design project begins.
Another benefit of VR in graphic design is the ability to create virtual product demonstrations, which can be used to showcase products in a more engaging and interactive way. This can be especially useful for industries such as automotive or consumer electronics, where users can explore the product in a virtual environment and experience its features and capabilities.
In addition to VR, AR is also becoming an important tool in graphic design. AR allows designers to overlay digital information onto the real world, creating a more interactive and engaging user experience. For example, museums and galleries can use AR to provide visitors with additional information about exhibitions and artwork, while retailers can use AR to create virtual product displays that users can interact with.
One of the most popular uses of AR in graphic design is in apps and games. Several mobile apps use AR technology to allow users to interact with digital content in the real world. For example, users can scan a product with their mobile device, and the app will display additional information or animations on the screen.
This can be used to create interactive product catalogs, virtual try-on experiences, or even games where users can interact with digital objects in the real world.
Another benefit of AR in graphic design is the ability to create interactive billboards and signs. For example, billboards can be equipped with AR technology that allows users to interact with the ad using their mobile devices. This can be used to create more engaging and interactive advertising campaigns and to provide users with more information about the product or service being advertised.
VR and AR are rapidly becoming important tools in the field of graphic design, and the demand for graphic design will revolve around this technology. They allow designers to create highly realistic and interactive visual experiences and overlay digital information onto the real world with AR.
These fascinating technologies can be used to create virtual product demonstrations, interactive product catalogs, and engaging advertising campaigns. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative uses of VR and AR in the field of graphic design.
The world keeps getting more sophisticated with technology, and if the future of graphic design is to be secured and continue its existence, then graphic design should move along with this change.
This also goes for every graphic designer who is willing to stay afloat in the business of graphic design.
In the future, hopefully, we are going to have flying cars just like the ones we see in sci-fi and futuristic movies like Star Wars. Believe it or not, virtually every billboard will be digitalized; however, the print form of publication will still be present, but only a few.
Is graphic design in demand: The future of graphic design
The future of graphic designers isn’t under threat at all but rather will be made more easier and fun. There will be a paradigm shift in graphic design, there will be new patterns of creating design with the help of artificial intelligence and computer learning.
There have been a lot of controversies and fretting about if graphic designers will still be in demand after artificial intelligence has been fully introduced into the graphic design community. I give a resounding “no” to that statement.
With the presence of artificial intelligence, graphic designers can not be ditched permanently. Instead, it will raise the bar for graphic designers to show their best. Great designers will not be kicked out permanently.
At some point, the design world will still need a touch of the natural human idea, which carries an authentic and customized feel. AI will simply make tasks easier and more optimized for graphic designers.
As graphic designers, having a smooth workflow has always been something we enjoy. We get fatigued trying to match the best color palette for a personal or client’s project, layout, brainstorming, and so many other tasks.
Imagine when all this will be made easier by AI. AI won’t totally ditch human graphic designers because it feels like we vs. themachines, which were made by us. Very amusing.
No doubt, these machines are intelligent and can store an immense amount of data, but they aren’t intelligent enough to figure out the exact taste of what the user or client might be at all times; they need the instruction and guidance of a human to be able to achieve the exact result.
For instance, we might need a color to be adjusted to a certain value or saturation that matches the design goal. With AI, users can input the needed prompts, and the AI takes those prompts into action.
We have seen amazing artwork and design made by the trending graphic design AI machine, DALL-E 2. Despite its great results in creating art, users found out that some results still had errors. Users found out that the generated art results weren’t in accordance with what they actually expected.
AI vs graphic designers
Artificial intelligence is a game-changing technology that has brought groundbreaking solutions to tech problems. It has eased various design tasks and, hopefully, will do so much more in the future.
Managing various computer tasks has become much easier, and the good thing is that humans are also part of the whole process of making life easier with artificial intelligence because they guide the machine on what to do. Humans have always looked for a way to make life better, and as time goes on, we never stop finding new tech innovations to help achieve what wasn’t achievable in the precision years.
Prior to the industrial revolution, human work was solely based on manpower and was assisted by livestock used to carry out agricultural activities and transportation. Cattle were used to plow the soil for cultivation. AI wasn’t available at that time, but a new means of solving the agricultural problem was later introduced, and those agricultural activities became better, more efficient, and easier.
The plow machine was invented and was introduced to do tasks that require human effort and sometimes animals, but it is important to note that it never made humans obsolete or scraped out humans totally; rather, humans drove these machines, and it made the whole work experience much easier and faster.
Humans could do a lot more with these machines in a short amount of time. That’s just an example of what artificial intelligence will help humans achieve with graphic design.
A human could plow a wide area of land in hours with the help of a machine, the human’s power wasn’t replaced or made useless, but rather he became a curator to the machine, instructing how the machine should work.
He still served an important purpose because, without a human driver, the machine won’t be able to function.
Fast forward to our current time, where virtually everything has been digitized and we can get tasks done with just a click of a button. Our smartphones could do amazing automated tasks.
For instance, back in the day, you could only prove ownership of your smartphone device by inputting just a password to enable you to gain access to it. But now, with AI, you could use your facial identity or biometrics (fingerprints) to unlock your device.
Graphic design has changed dramatically over the years and is still going through new changes that affect the processes and application of design prerequisites. The demand for graphic designers won’t cease or become obsolete, but it will change its approach.
Artificial intelligence in graphic design sounds scary when it crosses the mind of the human counterpart, but what graphic designers should be scared of with the introduction of AI in graphic design is the inability to keep up and not being able to blend in with the skillsets and experience required by AI.
Designers will still retain their title as graphic designers because they have the original idea of what they want to create; AI is just assistance to make it better and faster.
AI could produce results faster than their human counterparts by simply taking ideas from a large database of previously stored and completed tasks to be able to execute and create whatever prompt you give to the AI.
However, as humans, we do the opposite. There are graphic design steps that designers must take to help create something unique. As we try to achieve the idea in mind, we stumble onto trials and errors, and it is this restraint that pushes us to the point whereby we try to create something unique that has a pinch of human imperfection but is yet uniquely produced.
There are so many design activities going on out there, it’s simple, you need to have a standpoint. What is going to differentiate you from other designers and brands, you need to have a point of view or you have nothing.
Is AI threat to graphic design in 2023
No! Artificial intelligence isn’t a threat to graphic designers or graphic design; artificial intelligence is a tool that will be used by graphic designers to enhance the ability and features of graphic design applications, assist humans to be more productive and do more in less time, and also automate mundane tasks.
2023 has a lot of design trends to show off. However, we will be seeing some old design styles and trends that will be reintroduced and revamped. Last year, we saw old design styles like the nostalgic 80s and 90s brought back to life.
What every designer should know about Ai
Teaming
Artificial intelligence could be a threat to some designers who lack a strong footing in design and also make them feel agitated because they do not have what is required from this new AI technology to keep up.
I believe this is the point at which some designers aren’t immune to the AI invention and ask the question, “Is graphic design in demand lately?” Because of the threat, some designers feel AI poses a threat to them. Graphic designers are needed to create designs, and teaming up with AI creates stronger synergy, more experience, and better results.
We know how mundane it is to handle repetitive design tasks over and over. Artificial intelligence could be a game changer in this boring field of design. It could recall previous design processes and create a work flow routine that can be automated when those mundane tasks come up.
We teach them. Without us, there is nothing for them to learn
We feel excited when new technologies are invented and introduced to us because we think about the benefits we could achieve with them and how easy tasks will become with the help of these new technologies.
The demand for graphic design in requires a handful of knowledge of how ai works and how to harness the great potential it comes with. Artificial intelligence (Ai) could create designs much faster than its human counterpart. Humans can harness this golden opportunity for an easier workflow.
Graphic design artificial intelligence is able to create works so fast with the help of machine learning. The Ai uses the algorithm and an immense amount of data fed to them by humans to carry out tasks, analyzes it, and makes a data-driven recommendation, which the user sometimes picks as an option for what the AI should work with.
It’s impressive how Ai machines like DALLE-2 create incredible graphic design artworks using data retrieved from millions of users in previous design tasks and also algorithms given to them by humans.
These machines weren’t born by themselves and lacked the ability to function independently until humans gave them instructions. Humans are needed as their shepherds to instruct them on how to function effectively. These machines run with codes, and sometimes these codes come up with errors, so constant inspections and maintenance are performed on them for a smooth run.
AI is not the whole idea. rather, it is a component within the creativity
Artificial intelligence is no doubt an awesome cutting-edge technology that could do incredible things in graphic design, but it’s important to note that it’s not the absolute creator of the whole art idea. The human graphic designer is the original author of the idea, and he uses various graphic design resources to create it, but artificial intelligence uses previous data resources and algorithms fed to it to create its own art.
Besides the human counterpart, artificial intelligence is there to assist in the graphic design process. Gone are those days when we must adjust every slider in our Photoshop software to help correct the color grading of a photo, now you can get AI assistance to automatically fix those issues in less than seconds with just the click of a button.
Is graphic design a good career in 2023
The graphic design industry is filled with a lot of skilled graphic designers, and they are always finding hugely paid companies to work with or how to make it easier for the huge companies to find them through their portfolio.
There are so many graphic design paths you can take and start earning big cash, all that is required is your unique skill and style as a graphic designer.
If you’re thinking, “Is graphic design in demand and a good career to join in 2023?” Worry less because you are open to a myriad of opportunities with various design paths you can focus on and begin using your graphic design skills to earn easy money.
The common paths to join are: product designer, UI designer, UX designer, illustrator, and motion designer. Last year came with a lot of design trends and skillful designers had fractions of the profit it came with, companies were looking out to recruit skillful designers who could turn their company’s imaginary ideas into realistic products that yielded profit.
Graphic design is as good a career today as it has been in the past couple of years. Companies and brands are transitioning from the print style of graphic design to the digital form.
Designers are really needed more than ever because every brand needs a skilled graphic designer who can encompass the company’s mission and value into every part of the brand touchpoint and every digital platform and medium through which their target audience can be reached.
The world is moving towards the era of absolute digitalization; you either move with the pace or be left behind.
Last but not least, graphic design is a highly in-demand field, with many career opportunities available for those with the skills and knowledge to create visually appealing designs. Whether you’re working for a design agency, in-house at a company, or freelancing, the demand for graphic designers is not going to decrease in the future.
As the digital world keeps growing, the need for visual communication will continue to be an important aspect for many businesses and organizations.