What role does a human designer play these days?
It's interesting - especially after having a l-o-n-g time to think about it over the summer break - to consider the role of the human when designing a new logo or branding for an exciting new business venture. All over the internet, there are advertisements advocating for Artificial Intelligence to save business owners time, making short work of tedious tasks, not to mention taking away the need for a logo designer - or any graphic designer, for that matter.
AI is a wonderful tool; it's incredible, if not completely overwhelming in its enormity and unimaginable potential. Every week, there is another amazing AI advance, but it's hard to keep up with the ever- expanding possibilities... Even if I know there is a quick way to achieve something I'm trying to do, it's hard to find it in the growing smorgasbord of potential free or paid online design paths.
Knowing what prompts to give AI (this used to be the 'brief' for a designer) requires the client to have an idea of what they're trying to achieve. As a designer of 30+ years, that search, that quest to find the winning design or idea, is seldom directly related to the client's initial request.
As a human designer, finding the design solution is usually about meeting the client's brief in a manner completely unexpected, but perfect! (It's a complete cycle, as a designer of 'I don't know if I can do it!... I'm a fraud!' to 'what if I tried this?', to: 'AHA! That's it!' (Imposter Syndrome is hard to shake.)
Ideas that settle when one is walking the dog, or drawn in the steam on a mirror - they can't happen in an instant, they need time to come together. Time to be considered, doodled, taken apart, and obsessed over...
The easy option is to use AI to do that churn for you. But…
Does the AI design reflect all the considerations of a good logo?
Has the spacing between letters been carefully considered?
What about the 'leading' (space between the lines of text)?
Is it just a word in a particular font, or has care been taken in the relationship of each letter's form?
Are ligatures required, or are bespoke joins or links between words or letters acceptable?
Will the colours chosen represent well in print, or will they only be viable with light streaming through them on a screen?
Does the logo speak in the brand's voice?
Are the right values reflected?
Are there logo versions for small, narrow spaces or for a more square format?
Can the logo be sewn onto a shirt?
Would it be possible to represent in a single colour?
Is there a version of the logo that would be suited for the side of a vehicle, perhaps?
What about additional branding patterns or illustrations?
Is there a relief zone in the design for the brain to relax between all the visual demands?
Is there fluency within the design?
These are just some of the thoughts consuming your (human) logo designer...
By all means, pursue an AI-designed logo/brand. It might give you some cool ideas. It's certainly a nifty tool.
But... yeah. There is a bit of agony that goes into the presentation to a client - a lot of heart and soul is poured into the options to present. Not to mention the anguish of waiting for the feedback.
Human designers immerse themselves to gain an intricate understanding of your business venture; they find that human connection and unlock your brand's personality.
It's also a little bit magic.
I hope to maintain a design service of spectacular delight for clients seeking my assistance with their new ventures.
If you've been waiting to get your brand redone or feel something isn't quite resonating with your logo, let's have a chat. Let's find that magic!
