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AI and the Future of Design: Is There Still a Future in Graphic Design?

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AI and the Future of Design: Is There Still a Future in Graphic Design?

From $5 logo designs to websites like Canva to artificial intelligence is there still a future in graphic design?

Is Artificial Intelligence Taking Over the Design Industry? 

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the landscape of the design industry as we know it. Many creatives believe that it’s just the beginning of the end for designers, and that mindset of resistance to this technology will leave you in the dust if you are slow to adapt. 

For over a decade stock websites have been giving creatives a shortcut to the creative process, eliminating hours and hours of creating basic design elements like photos, videos, and illustrations from scratch.

Yet you never hear anyone talking about how stock websites are ruining the design industry, so why is that? 

The truth many of us hate to admit is that time is the most valuable thing that we possess as human beings; it’s a finite and limited resource that we can’t create more of.

Here’s a great example: Imagine if you had to create every font, photo, or illustration from scratch- would you charge your client more money and would the quality of your design improve?

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The answer is clearly no, based on the fact that millions of dollars are being generated by creatives just in the stock graphics niche alone. So, why should AI be any different? 

I’m not here to debate the morals and ethics of AI- I want to talk about facts and how we can use AI as a tool to streamline the design process, save ourselves time, and give our clients the best end result possible.

The people that adopt this technology first and use it properly will become “pioneers” in the design industry, using a technology that will only continue to grow and evolve in good and bad ways whether we like it or not. 

Those of you who stay rooted in your limiting beliefs about AI being bad for the design industry will stay exactly where you are now or even worse, move backwards.

Like the famous quote by William S. Burroughs says “When you stop growing you start dying.” I’m not saying that it’s not going to be uncomfortable but change never is and you either adapt and evolve or you resist and regress. 

Breaking the Time Barrier 

When I started my career as a rookie graphic designer in 2005 we did not have stock graphics like we have access to now.

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In fact, the only thing we did have was clip art and it was terrible! I was designing on MS paint because there was no way I was going to be able to afford an iMac. Everything I designed was from scratch and my idea of stock images was Google Images which at the time I had no clue was unethical. 

It wasn’t until I learned about Photoshop, thanks to my brother, that I stopped using paint to design flyers and logos. I spent thousands of hours of my life downloading countless images from Google and photoshopping all types of designs and graphics, mostly for print, like business cards, flyers, and brochures.

I did it out of necessity because the image I had envisioned didn’t exist to just download so I had to create it. 

I learned to essentially paint with images in photoshop which helped me dramatically when it came to learning how to design for the web. 17 years later and after 9 of those now using stock graphics I can tell you first hand that I would not have the financial success I have today without it. It’s made me hundreds of thousands of dollars and helped build a creative business that’s generated over 100 million dollars in revenue.

AI will be an exponentially larger opportunity, mark my words, and it will be a daily reality of life.

Ideas that come to your mind will come to life instantaneously and your creative flair will create things even better than what you imagined in seconds. One of the most valuable pieces I see is the speed of implementation of information. 

Streamlining the design process will be about taking existing designs and making them better, faster.

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If I want to create a line of t-shirts for my Motocross Brand and I creatine original design of a guy on a dirtbike shooting a rooster tail from the back tire, then I can upload that art to MidJourney and have 4 different and better designs in a matter of seconds with just the click of a mouse! Think of the hours saved!!! 

AI and the Future of Design Is There Still a

From an Idea to Real World Application in Seconds 

The speed of ideas being brought to life will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen, almost like thinking something into existence.

Be careful though, like Stock images the AI design tools will be just that, a tool, and if it is overused and abused, it will blend into the noise, and I promise you there will be more noise than ever.

If you’re only using Stock graphics in your designs and never using your creative flair or heart, then you will look and feel unoriginal and be overlooked. 

I was recently on a phone call with a fellow creative Wes Frick, a renowned outdoor billboard advertising designer who’s been sharing some incredible AI art recently. I asked him what his take on AI was and he enthusiastically shared with me:

“AI art is a powerful tool that both clients and artists should use to formulate their ideas and bring them to life easily.”

In just a few minutes, while on the call, Wes made at least 16 different designs for me. 

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So let’s hypothesize here for a moment…

If I charge a flat rate of $250 for a design, let’s say it’s a t-shirt design, and the client wants 12 designs, that project would typically take a minimum of 2-4 hours of my time. So, at the bare minimum that’s 12 hours of work for $3k. If you divide that per hour that’s $125 hour minimum. Not bad right? 

Now let’s say I use an AI design tool like Midjourney. I can make just one unique design and get 12 unique images that are just as good, in under 10 seconds. How much does that now make you per hour? Could you lower your prices, reduce turnaround time, or improve profitability?

The good news is you can do both if you use AI technology as a tool- it now becomes a win-win win for everyone. 

At the end of the day the most valuable thing to the client is that the design problem they have is being solved at the highest level and quality possible, regardless if it was designed with AI or without it. 

A Question Well Asked is a Problem Half Solved 

How you communicate your vision to AI design tools is the skill you will need to improve on. The better the question you ask- the better the answer (design) these tools will return. If you ask for a banana this tool will just create a basic image of a banana by itself. 

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If you ask it to make a large green banana on a sunny tropical beach that’s in the hand of a monkey who is handing it to his monkey girlfriend that looks like an oil painting from the 1920’s that’s exactly what it will give you.

Can AI replace graphic designers? Here's an image created from Midjourney
First image draft of the inquiry above input into Midjourney.

The biggest limitation to the design is in how you communicate it to the tool you are using. This will be the creative flair needed to make something truly unique and memorable. 

The biggest limitation to the design is in how you communicate it to the tool you are using. This will be the creative flair needed to make something truly unique and memorable. 

The other part that is so unique is that it learns as you go along, taking information from your previous questions and solving the problem even better each time.

As you get your first design back you will notice things that you wish you would have added or that are missing entirely and you will be able to make iterations to that design simply by rewording or better communicating what it is that you want. 

It’s this continued clarity of vision that will power the growth engine for AI. As it produces more it learns more, and that puts us in the driver’s seat for how this technology can be used to improve the creative process. You will have to identify the problem, diagnose it, then be able to effectively communicate the solution you are looking for to the AI in order for it to solve the problem. 

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AI Will Replace Some Designers 

Yes, people will lose their jobs to AI. Companies will cut their expenses and implement cost effective tools to save themselves money.

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In my opinion this is going to shine a light on the designers that have been hiding in the shadows who were in it for the wrong reasons. Essentially shaking out the loose hands and exposing the people who are doing it for just the money instead of creative impact. 

I believe it will reward the truly passionate designers that love creating the best design possible for their clients, regardless of the tools that are being used to do it. Their initial investment into the creative process will become better and the designs will stand out from everyone else.

Ever heard of a “Happy Accident” this is what I refer to as Creative Flair. Some of my favorite designs came to life from me accidentally hitting the wrong key on my keyboard, and altering my design in a way that actually makes it look better unintentionally. AI can’t replicate human creativity and flawed nature, it runs on rules! 

Communication is everything when it comes to AI.

In order to connect with people we have to possess empathy. To be a great communicator you need to understand human psychology, emotions, and culture.

An AI can’t have a heart to converse, be vulnerable, or understand what it’s like to grow up in a broken home experiencing trauma, and hurts that influence the way you think about life or how we make decisions. 

The only people that will be replaced are the ones that dig their feet in and bury their heads in the sand as this becomes more of a way of life and business. They will pass up on opportunities, and opportunities won’t even come their way because of their close mindedness.

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All for what, our ego, or some “greater good” virtue we let ourselves believe is more important than us having success? 

AI Will Help Good Designers Become Great Designers 

The people that will benefit the most from this unstoppable force that is AI are those who go all in, learn the platforms, and implement it in a way that is most authentic to their wants and needs.

Designers will spend more time making their main designs better so they can produce multiple unique designs that are just as good as the original or better and that will be hard to compete with! 

Creative flair, out of the box thinking, problem solving, and communication skills are going to become more valuable than ever. I believe that this will push us to be more innovative, and break the rules of what we think good design looks like in all disciplines.

My advice to you: Focus on stacking skills that will improve your creativity, help build stronger relationships, become a better problem solver, and become your best and most authentic you possible. 

Key Takeaways from The Future of Design 

Up to this point the design industry has seen countless changes, websites like fiverr have made the design industry and many industries for that matter more competitive, AI will be yet another innovation that challenges and changes the landscape of graphic design in various ways.

Designers will need to become more creative, and learn better problem solving skills by asking better and better questions.

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If you overuse, get lazy, and don’t use ai properly you will blend into the noise of everyone else trying to make a quick buck. This is your chance to do your best work ever and then use AI to enhance your art beyond what you thought was possible.

Lastly, it’s unavoidable that AI will become mainstream in design and people that resist it will regret it. Ai will only be used more frequently as time goes on and it will be a part of our daily life as designers in the future..


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How To Combine PR and Content Marketing Superpowers To Achieve Business Goals

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A figure pulls open a dress shirt to reveal the term PR on a Superman-like costume, reflecting the superpower resulting from combining content and PR.

A transformative shift is happening, and it’s not AI.

The aisle between public relations and content marketing is rapidly narrowing. If you’re smart about the convergence, you can forever enhance your brand’s storytelling.

The goals and roles of content marketing and PR overlap more and more. The job descriptions look awfully similar. Shrinking budgets and a shrewd eye for efficiency mean you and your PR pals could face the chopping block if you don’t streamline operations and deliver on the company’s goals (because marketing communications is always first to be axed, right?).

Yikes. Let’s take a big, deep breath. This is not a threat. It’s an opportunity.

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Reach across the aisle to PR and streamline content creation, improve distribution strategies, and get back to the heart of what you both are meant to do: Build strong relationships and tell impactful stories.

So, before you panic-post that open-to-work banner on LinkedIn, consider these tips from content marketing, PR, and journalism pros who’ve figured out how to thrive in an increasingly narrowing content ecosystem.

1. See journalists as your audience

Savvy pros know the ability to tell an impactful story — and support it with publish-ready collateral — grounds successful media relationships. And as a content marketer, your skills in storytelling and connecting with audiences, including journalists, naturally support your PR pals’ media outreach.

Strategic storytelling creates content focused on what the audience needs and wants. Sharing content on your blog or social media builds relationships with journalists who source those channels for story ideas, event updates, and subject matter experts.

“Embedding PR strategies in your content marketing pieces informs your audience and can easily be picked up by media,” says Alex Sanchez, chief experience officer at BeWell, New Mexico’s Health Insurance Marketplace. “We have seen reporters do this many times, pulling stories from our blogs and putting them in the nightly news — most of the time without even reaching out to us.”

Acacia James, weekend producer/morning associate producer at WTOP radio in Washington, D.C., says blogs and social media posts are helpful to her work. “If I see a story idea, and I see that they’re willing to share information, it’s easier to contact them — and we can also backlink their content. It’s huge for us to be able to use every avenue.” 

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Kirby Winn, manager of PR at ImpactLife, says reporters and assignment editors are key consumers of their content. “And I don’t mean a news release that just hit their inbox. They’re going to our blog and consuming our stories, just like any other audience member,” he says. “Our organization has put more focus into content marketing in the past few years — it supports a media pitch so well and highlights the stories we have to tell.”

Storytelling attracts earned media that might not pick up the generic news topic. “It’s one thing to pitch a general story about how we help consumers sign up for low-cost health insurance,” Alex says. “Now, imagine a single mom who just got a plan after years of thinking it was too expensive. She had a terrible car accident, and the $60,000 ER bill that would have ruined her financially was covered. Now that’s a story journalists will want to cover, and that will be relatable to their audience and ours.” 

2. Learn the media outlet’s audience

Seventy-three percent of reporters say one-fourth or less of the stories pitched are relevant to their audiences, according to Cision’s 2023 State of the Media Report (registration required).

PR pros are known for building relationships with journalists, while content marketers thrive in building communities around content. Merge these best practices to build desirable content that works for your target audience and the media’s audiences simultaneously.

WTOP’s Acacia James says sources who show they’re ready to share helpful, relevant content often win pitches for coverage. “In radio, we do a lot of research on who is listening to us, and we’re focused on a prototype called ‘Mike and Jen’ — normal, everyday people in Generation X … So when we get press releases and pitches, we ask, ‘How interested will Mike and Jen be in this story?’” 

3. Deliver the full content package (and make journalists’ jobs easier)

Cranking out content to their media outlet’s standards has never been tougher for journalists. Newsrooms are significantly understaffed, and anything you can do to make their lives easier will be appreciated and potentially rewarded with coverage. Content marketers are built to think about all the elements to tell the story through multiple mediums and channels.

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“Today’s content marketing pretty much provides a package to the media outlet,” says So Young Pak, director of media relations at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “PR is doing a lot of storytelling work in advance of media publication. We (and content marketing) work together to provide the elements to go with each story — photos, subject matter experts, patients, videos, and data points, if needed.”   

At WTOP, the successful content package includes audio. “As a radio station, we are focused on high-quality sound,” Acacia James says. “Savvy sources know to record and send us voice memos, and then we pull cuts from the audio … You will naturally want to do someone a favor if they did you one — like providing helpful soundbites, audio, and newsworthy stories.”  

While production value matters to some media, you shouldn’t stress about it. “In the past decade, how we work with reporters has changed. Back in the day, if they couldn’t be there in person, they weren’t going to interview your expert,” says Jason Carlton, an accredited PR professional and manager of marketing and communications at Intermountain Health. “During COVID, we had to switch to virtual interviewing. Now, many journalists are OK with running a Teams or Zoom interview they’ve done with an expert on the news.”

BeWell’s Alex Sanchez agrees. “I’ve heard old school PR folks cringe at the idea of putting up a Zoom video instead of getting traditional video interviews. It doesn’t really matter to consumers. Focus on the story, on the timeliness, and the relevance. Consumers want authenticity, not super stylized, stiff content.”

4. Unite great minds to maximize efficiency

Everyone needs to set aside the debate about which team — PR or content marketing — gets credit for the resulting media coverage.

At MedStar Washington Hospital Center, So Young and colleagues adopt a collaborative mindset on multichannel stories. “We can get the interview and gather information for all the different pieces — blog, audio, video, press release, internal newsletter, or magazine. That way, we’re not trying to figure things out individually, and the subject matter experts only have to have that conversation once,” she says.

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Regular, cross-team meetings are essential to understand the best channels for reaching key audiences, including the media. A story that began life as a press release might reap SEO and earned media gold if it’s strategized as a blog, video, and media pitch.

“At Intermountain Health, we have individual teams for media relations, marketing, social media, and hospital communications. That setup works well because it allows us to bring in the people who are the given experts in those areas,” says Intermountain’s Jason Carlton. “Together, we decide if a story is best for the blog, a media pitch, or a mix of channels — that way, we avoid duplicating work and the risk of diluting the story’s impact.”

5. Measure what matters

Cutting through the noise to earn media mentions requires keen attention to metrics. Since content marketing and PR metrics overlap, synthesizing the data in your team meetings can save time while streamlining your storytelling efforts.

“For content marketers, using analytical tools such as GA4 can help measure the effectiveness of their content campaigns and landing pages to determine meaningful KPIs such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, lead generation, and conversion rates,” says John Martino, director of digital marketing for Visiting Angels. “PR teams can use media coverage and social interactions to assess user engagement and brand awareness. A unified and omnichannel approach can help both teams demonstrate their value in enhancing brand visibility, engagement, and overall business success.”

To track your shared goals, launch a shared dashboard that helps tell the combined “story of your stories” to internal and executive teams. Among the metrics to monitor:

  • Page views: Obviously, this queen of metrics continues to be important across PR and content marketing. Take your analysis to the next level by evaluating which niche audiences are contributing to these views to further hone your storytelling targets, including media outlets.
  • Earned media mentions: Through a media tracker service or good old Google Alerts, you can tally the echo of your content marketing and PR. Look at your site’s referral traffic report to identify media outlets that send traffic to your blog or other web pages.
  • Organic search queries: Dive into your analytics platform to surface organic search queries that lead to visitors. Build from those questions to develop stories that further resonate with your audience and your targeted media.
  • On-page actions: When visitors show up on your content, what are they doing? What do they click? Where do they go next? Building next-step pathways is your bread and butter in content marketing — and PR can use them as a natural pipeline for media to pick up more stories, angles, and quotes.

But perhaps the biggest metric to track is team satisfaction. Who on the collaborative team had the most fun writing blogs, producing videos, or calling the news stations? Lean into the natural skills and passions of your team members to distribute work properly, maximize the team output, and improve relationships with the media, your audience, and internal teams.

“It’s really trying to understand the problem to solve — the needle to move — and determining a plan that will help them achieve their goal,” Jason says. “If you don’t have those measurable objectives, you’re not going to know whether you made a difference.”

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Don’t fear the merger

Whether you deliberately work together or not, content marketing and public relations are tied together. ImpactLife’s Kirby Winn explains, “As soon as we begin to talk about (ourselves) to a reporter who doesn’t know us, they are certainly going to check out our stories.”

But consciously uniting PR and content marketing will ease the challenges you both face. Working together allows you to save time, eliminate duplicate work, and gain free time to tell more stories and drive them into impactful media placements.

Register to attend Content Marketing World in San Diego. Use the code BLOG100 to save $100. Can’t attend in person this year? Check out the Digital Pass for access to on-demand session recordings from the live event through the end of the year.

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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

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Trends in Content Localization – Moz

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Trends in Content Localization - Moz

Multinational fast food chains are one of the best-known examples of recognizing that product menus may sometimes have to change significantly to serve distinct audiences. The above video is just a short run-through of the same business selling smokehouse burgers, kofta, paneer, and rice bowls in an effort to appeal to people in a variety of places. I can’t personally judge the validity of these representations, but what I can see is that, in such cases, you don’t merely localize your content but the products on which your content is founded.

Sometimes, even the branding of businesses is different around the world; what we call Burger King in America is Hungry Jack’s in Australia, Lays potato chips here are Sabritas in Mexico, and DiGiorno frozen pizza is familiar in the US, but Canada knows it as Delissio.

Tales of product tailoring failures often become famous, likely because some of them may seem humorous from a distance, but cultural sensitivity should always be taken seriously. If a brand you are marketing is on its way to becoming a large global seller, the best insurance against reputation damage and revenue loss as a result of cultural insensitivity is to employ regional and cultural experts whose first-hand and lived experiences can steward the organization in acting with awareness and respect.

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How AI Is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy

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How AI Is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy

AI and startups? It just makes sense.

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