AI + Human Design Workflow: What AI Can and Can’t Replace

TL;DR – Many brands are exploring AI tools for design services to streamline the production of their visual assets. However, there are risks to relying on AI alone. The key is to use these tools alongside human talent to ensure that visuals stay relevant, emotionally engaging, and aligned with the brand.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing business workflows around the world. After all, almost 6 out of 10 respondents said responsible AI improved their return on AI investment, while 55% said it enhanced customer experience and innovation.

Among these solutions are AI tools for design services, which are changing the way brands create content. But how can brands balance the power of AI-powered design tools and the complexity of human context? That’s what we’ll tackle in this article.

Why Are Businesses Suddenly Using AI Tools for Design Services?

With the rising demand to produce more content in today’s digital-first world, many businesses turn to AI tools with varying assumptions about how AI is changing the future of graphic design. 

In fact, 36% of businesses surveyed said they use AI for marketing and sales, which includes AI for graphic design.

Most people assume that using AI in graphic design saves time and energy. Yes, you can, indeed, generate visuals in seconds, but there is a caveat: not all AI-generated designs are usable due to:

• Lack of consistency
• Misalignment with brand identity
• Generic-looking visuals
• Weak emotional storytelling
• Overused styles

In short, AI reduces production time but not decision fatigue. It won’t be surprising if you spend more time and energy filtering through or editing AI designs compared to partnering with a design-as-a-service platform with professional designers, and pair it with an AI creative workflow.

What Can AI Actually Do Well in a Design Workflow?

It goes without saying that there’s no replacement for human-centered design, and there’s no question why brands still need human creative strategy.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use AI tools for design services to streamline your workflow. After all, 83% of visual creatives said they integrate AI into their artistic process.

Whether you’re hiring a graphic design service or using AI-assisted design alongside a D.I.Y. platform, here are a few ways AI tools for designers can help your project:

• Speed up repetitive design tasks (e.g., resizing images, changing backgrounds, etc.)
• AI-assisted creativity through brainstorming and ideation (e.g., moodboards, concept generation, etc.)
• Clearer design briefs (more detailed and specific design briefs or revision instructions) 

What Can’t AI Replace in Graphic Design?

Simply said, AI can’t replace crucial aspects of graphic design. The irreplaceability of human creativity in graphic design is reflected by a survey where 76% of respondents expressed their view that AI-generated images should not be considered art.

Here are the major aspects where AI graphic design tools can’t replace human creativity in design:

1. Brand strategy and creative direction

AI can generate visuals, but not brand intuition. That said, you can use AI tools to generate images, but it certainly won’t be able to understand:

• Brand goals
• Positioning
• Target audience psychology

Human designers understand nuances and know how to craft visuals that stay consistent with the brand identity. 

Here’s another hidden cost of fully AI-generated branding: the rise of AI art sameness. A study found that, when used to generate images, AI tools often produced results that fall within 12 common aesthetic styles. 

2. Emotional storytelling

A limitation of AI design is the lack of understanding of human emotion, which is why AI struggles with emotional storytelling for visual communication. After all, AI tools only rely on patterns from existing data. 

Human designers, on the other hand, can intentionally use design elements to evoke:

• Excitement
• Nostalgia
• Urgency
• Humor

3. Understanding context and culture

AI can analyze patterns, but it can’t fully process context clues that humans can understand. That said, full generative design services won’t be able to produce designs anchored on:

• Audience behavior
• Nuanced social trends
• Cultural sensitivity

With all these factors in mind, it’s best to treat AI as a junior designer, not a creative director. Your AI design workflow must always include human intellect, emotion, and creativity.

What Does the Best AI + Human Design Workflow Look Like?

Though it’s not ideal to rely on AI design services alone, you can harness its efficiency through a hybrid design workflow with a human designer + AI collaboration.

Here’s how to implement this type of workflow:

1. AI: Generate a Content Calendar

Start with a content calendar and a campaign plan, which will serve as your blueprint for all the projects you’ll request from your human designer. Doing so will allow you to prioritize projects according to schedule.

2. Human: Partner with a Graphic Design Service 

Partner with a human graphic design service to ensure that your designs look and feel human. On-demand graphic design services like Penji offer unlimited graphic design at a predictable monthly rate.

2. AI: Generate a Clear Design Brief and Moodboards

Use ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or any other AI tools for design services to generate a clear and detailed design brief. 

You can also use these tools to generate mood boards that inspire the design. Even though AI lacks the emotional depth of human creative projects, data shows that 45.7% of artists found text-to-image tech very useful in their process.

The key is to abide by this principle: AI creates options; humans create direction. Once your brief is ready, submit your request to your human design team. 

3. Human: Review the Design Draft

Once you receive the design draft, use your human intuition to review whether it truly aligns with your brand identity and campaign goals.

4. AI: Refine Your Revision Requests

If you want anything revised, fine-tune your comments using AI tools. Doing so will help clarify the changes you want to describe and ensure that your feedback is actionable rather than vague.

Once you’re happy with the design, you can approve the project and download the file. You can also use AI platforms to resize the design, should you need it in different sizes. 

The Bottom Line

How can businesses build a smarter AI + human creative process? It all boils down to using AI to automate repetitive tasks while letting human designers handle:

• Branding
• Creative storytelling
• Strategic direction

If you’re looking for a graphic design services partner that pairs human design intuition with AI workflows, reach out to Penji. 

Check out the platform’s portfolio to see why Penji is the top-rated unlimited graphic design platform.

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