The progress of graphic design was not necessarily complex but was rather a laborious process. A marketing banner could take an hour or more to create, while a social media campaign could consume an entire day of resizing images, exporting files, refining designs, and attending to minute details that may not capture the attention of others but are of the utmost importance for graphic designers. And then came artificial intelligence.
Now, it is possible for graphic designers to create layouts, stretch images, delete objects, create illustrations, and even conceptualize design ideas in the span of mere minutes. This is not magic, though it may seem so at times. However, nobody taught artificial intelligence that the concept of graphic design exists. Artificial intelligence simply became an integral part of the design process.
Canva, Figma, and Adobe Firefly are not merely design tools but rather design assistants that not only speed up the design process but enable the graphic designer to focus on the aspects of the design that truly matter ideas. Therefore, how do these tools function today? Which tools are worth using? And what are the specific areas of expertise for these tools?
What AI Actually Does in Graphic Design ?
There is a lot of hype around AI, but essentially, design tools offer three types of automation:
1. Generative Design
Artificial intelligence can create visual content by using a prompt as a query. If a prompt such as “modern tech startup Instagram banner” is used, it can create multiple design options. While it can be extremely impressive at times, it can also be quite disappointing at other times. While it may not always be the best design, it can still give a great direction to a designer, which could save a lot of time in the long run.
2. Smart Editing
This is an area where AI can perform exceptionally well. The AI can take an object out of a photograph, change the background, or change the sky in a matter of seconds. This used to require multiple steps, but now it can be achieved with a single prompt.
3. Design Automation
Modern marketing requires a huge variety of designs. A single marketing campaign can require designs such as Instagram posts, YouTube thumbnails, LinkedIn banners, website graphics, mobile ad designs, and many other designs. AI can create all these designs within a single tool. This used to require a lot of effort, but now it can be achieved with AI. While being candid, it must be said that most designers are comfortable with letting AI perform this function.
Why Designers Are Actually Using AI ?
Nevertheless, there is still a general understanding that AI design tools are created for novices. This might have been real in the past, but today, this is no longer the case. Rather, today, AI design tools are used by professional designers in a significantly more advanced and sophisticated way, as the following explanations will reveal.
The importance of speed has never been greater
In today’s world, the amount of visual content created by a brand is significantly higher than that created in the past five years, primarily because of the constant need for new content on social media channels. AI can help in speeding up the process of creating the first draft of the design.
Exploration of new ideas has become more accessible
Finding the right idea for a design is the most difficult part of a design project. AI can produce dozens of new ideas in a matter of seconds. Though most ideas are useless, there is a small probability that a better idea might emerge from a useless one. This is the main reason behind the effectiveness of AI in this domain.
Small teams can accomplish substantial outcomes
Small teams, such as startups, might not always have the luxury of employing a large number of designers on board. AI design tools enable marketers to produce professional-grade designs without requiring them to be designers themselves, and this is a major reason behind the popularity of AI design tools.
Canva: The Fastest Way to Design Marketing Graphics
If one talks to people involved in managing social media accounts, working as freelancers, or owning businesses, one name seems to be commonly mentioned: Canva. Although it may not be considered one of the most advanced design software packages available, it does not intend to be. It intends to achieve something rather more attainable: to offer high-quality design to the masses. This is achieved with the help of its AI tool package named Magic Studio.
AI tools that users actively employ:
Magic Design: By providing a prompt or image, it allows users to generate different designs instantly. This can be extremely useful in meeting marketing requirements.
Magic Resize: This in itself is something rather impressive, allowing one design to be converted into different sizes for Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and other social media sites.
Background Remover: The background of one image can be removed with one click. This feature can be extremely useful for product images or thumbnail creation.
Magic Write: This feature may not be considered useful for design but can be useful in other contexts.
Areas of Canva’s success
It excels in areas where speed matters more than precision and excels in:
- Social media graphics
- Meeting quick marketing requirements
- Creating presentations
- Creating content
However, it may be somewhat limiting for designers to use it due to it not being highly advanced in terms of control.
Adobe Firefly: AI for Professional Designers
On the other end of the spectrum is Adobe Firefly. Rather than creating a new design tool using AI technology, Adobe created a design environment and incorporated AI technology into Photoshop, Illustrator, and Express. Rather than focusing on simplicity in design tools, Adobe focused on enhancing design tools, a strategy in which they have been successful.
The premier features of Adobe Firefly
Generative Fill
The Generative Fill tool in Photoshop is almost futuristic in design. By clicking on a portion of a picture, a prompt can be entered, and an algorithm can generate content.
Text to Image
With Text to Image, an image or illustration can be created using a prompt. While not all results are ideal, the overall quality is much improved.
Text to Vector
The Text to Vector tool automatically creates vector graphics and is ideal for icon design, logos, and illustrations.
The premier features of Adobe AI
Adobe is the standard in design tools for a reason. They offer precision tools, professional editing tools, and integration between several design tools. However, they also offer a learning curve that intimidates new users. For professional design tools, Firefly is a welcome addition.
Figma AI: Built for Product Designers
Figma has carved out a specific segment for itself. Its focus is not on the marketing-related features offered by Canva or the whole range of creative tools offered by Adobe. Its focus is on user interface/user experience design, where product designers create applications, web pages, etc. Now, Figma has also started adding artificial intelligence features that can improve the design of products.
What Figma’s AI offers
AI-based layout creation: The AI can assist in the creation of the interface layout, thereby reducing the time taken by the product designer.
Component creation: The AI can create the components of the interfaces that can be used for the product.
Design to code: The features can create the components of the interfaces in a form that can be used for converting it into code, thereby reducing the time taken by the development team.
Why Figma’s AI has gained tremendous popularity among startups
Figma’s main advantage was the collaborative feature. This allowed multiple designers, developers, and product managers to work on the same file at the same time. This makes it particularly attractive for startups that are involved in the development of digital products. However, it is not appropriate for creating marketing graphics or images.
Quick Comparison: Canva vs Figma vs Adobe AI
Each of the tools is designed for a specific purpose. The following is a brief overview of the tools explained in simple language.
| Tools | Best for |
| Canva | For rapid creation of marketing graphics |
| Figma | For UI and product design |
| Adobe AI | For professional design work |
Further information on the tools:
Canva: Best for :
- For rapid visuals
- For social media managers
- For preferring simple tools
Figma: Best for :
- For designing applications
- For product teams
- For preferring collaborative tools
Adobe AI: Best for :
- For being a professional designer
- For requiring advanced editing
- For handling complex visuals
In fact, many designers use all three tools depending on their needs.
Other AI Design Tools Worth Knowing
The field of AI design has seen a tremendous rise in terms of tools and technology. However, in all of these tools, Leonardo AI is a notable one for its ability to create stylized illustrations, concept art, and game design visuals. It can assist artists in creating content in a much more innovative manner. Another tool for AI design is Runway, which is focused on video editing and motion graphics. It is mainly used by content creators and filmmakers. Microsoft Designer has brought a simple tool for creating graphics for social media using AI in an easy manner. Though it is not as advanced as Canva and Adobe, it is definitely user-friendly.
The Reality: What AI Still Can’t Replace
Despite all the hype, artificial intelligence is still limited in some ways in design, but these are exactly where design can produce the greatest impact. Design direction is not just about aesthetics; it is also about understanding brand strategy, audience, positioning, and storytelling. While a machine can mimic these factors, it cannot understand them in a meaningful way. A good designer is a person who inherently understands design sensibility. Design sensibility is a quality that a machine still cannot learn.
Similarly, UX thinking is all about understanding people. Creating an experience that is compelling is beyond artificial intelligence.
How to Choose the Right AI Design Tool ?
If you are looking for guidance on how to start, then the best course of action varies depending on your field. For content creators/marketers, Canva is a game-changer. For product design or startups, Figma is almost essential. For designers/design agencies, Adobe’s AI tools provide the most flexibility. The best course of action is not to pick a tool but to create a process in which AI tools can enable your creativity instead of replacing it.
The Future of AI in Graphic Design
Artificial intelligence will certainly continue to have an impact on design, though probably not to the degree that many people hope. Instead of replacing the designer, it is becoming an integral part of the design process. Those designers who are able to become proficient in its use will, very quickly, be able to work more effectively, explore more possibilities, and spend less time on repetitive work. And this is a good thing. The value of design has never been the tools used; it has always been the ideas behind it.
