Will AI Powered Logo Tools Drive Designers Out of Business?

These days, it’s easier than ever to create a piece of graphic design, and this is especially true for logo design. These small graphic works tend to be simple, with relatively few elements and limited colors. They serve the purpose of identifying a brand and have few requirements. However, the design must be memorable, unique, and do the job for which they were designed.

Theoretically, logo design is so easy that anyone can handle a DIY logo. Even if they don’t have much experience in graphic design, they can turn to the plethora of AI-driven logo design tools that have flooded the graphic design world in the past decade.

That may be great news for the newbies and the DIY-ers. But do artificially powered graphic design tools mean the death knell for human logo designers?

The Time-Honored Job of Logo Designers

Logo design as a concept has technically been around since about the Middle Ages, which is when some bright shop and pub owners realized that using a pictorial representation of what their establishment provided would circumvent the issue of illiteracy entirely.

However, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that logo design began to rise as an art form, with carefully-chosen elements that accurately reflected not just the services provided by the store or restaurant, but also the “personality” behind it. It was around that same time that “branding” began to be utilized as a way to draw new consumers and influence the loyalty of existing customers.

Logo design played a large part in that. Well-designed logos tell the viewer essential facts about the brand they represent. A great logo can communicate:

• What audience the brand caters to
• Services the establishment provides
• Promises that will be fulfilled
• Details like the name, location, etc., of the store or organization

Like any creative endeavor, there’s “good” and “bad,” and what individuals think about a piece of graphic design may depend on their personal taste just as much as how effective the logo actually is. For example, a business owner may love their logo. Still, it may not draw the intended audience or cause a disconnect between the brand personality and the logo’s message.

Generally speaking, logo design is far more nuanced than it may appear on the surface, and iterations and variations are common in order to fine-tune the design to its best. And the more experienced a logo designer, the more readily they will provide an excellent design early on in the process.

The Rise Of Artificial Intelligence-Driven Graphic Design

Logo design isn’t solely in the purview of logo design companies. Instead, new business owners can turn to independent designers or even consider crowdsourcing logo design.

But outside of these human designers, there’s also the option of design tools driven by artificial intelligence.

AI in graphic design covers a wide range in the function it carries out, the deftness and accuracy of the design, and the extent to which it is used. For example, tools like Adobe Illustrator and other graphic design software offer some automated settings and filters to assist designers to iterate logos quickly and easily. On the other end of the spectrum, some sites and software provide fully artificial logo designs, pulling pre-existing graphics and fonts and putting them together randomly as suggested logos.

Experienced human designers can use AI design tools. DIY-ers, too, can use these tools to complete a design for a lower budget, or even for free.

But can AI-powered logo design tools entirely replace human designers?

Pros and Cons of AI Design vs. Human Designers

One thing the experts seem to agree on is that AI design has its place. It’s useful, but it can only go so far.

Logo design, like other aspects of graphic design, is essentially a creative endeavor. However, to achieve a truly effective and unique design, it needs a creative spark that can’t be found in AI design tools — at least not at this juncture.

However, AI design tools are continuing to advance year by year. So is there a chance that they might entirely drive human designers out of business?

It’s difficult to say for sure, but it’s hard to imagine that human designers would ever become entirely moot. Even if AI design becomes the industry standard, human designers would still be needed to proof and fine-tune the designs.

That being said, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a decline in graphic design jobs over the next several years. So it’s a good bet that logo designing positions will be more difficult to find in the next few years. AI logo design tools may be a part of that.

AI lowers the budget for graphic design, making it more appealing for new business owners, and more accessible to all.

Smart designers will stay on the cutting edge of technology as it relates to graphic design. In addition, they will learn how to incorporate AI into their design process to make the most of new developments.

Like any other business, it’s essential to be ready to adapt. But the human touch will remain a vital part of creative endeavors like logo design.

The Missing Link

Artificial intelligence continues to flood all industries, advancing more and more every year. And the area of logo design is no exception.

It’s very unlikely that human designers will ever be entirely eradicated from the industry. Like other graphic design areas, Logo design requires a detailed understanding of complex issues that vary for each brand. To achieve a unique, memorable, and accurate logo, the human touch remains a vital component of great logo design.

That being said, the best designers will continue to adapt and learn how to incorporate new tools into their design process.

Image Credit: Brad Neathery; Unsplash; Thank you!

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