(WACO, Texas) – Artificial intelligence and graphic designers are rapidly creating a new era of creativity.
And it is only going to get more immersive as technology develops.
“I have learned AI on the job,” said Ryan Spracklen, of Groesbeck, a graphic designer at Neighborly in Waco. “It’s really blown up a lot in the past couple of years. The ability to create with AI has grown with each and every day since it has become a more mainstream and easily reachable tool to use.”
Spracklen uses the Adobe Creative Cloud suite to design advertisements, billboards, vehicle wraps and other items. But AI is not perfect, and sometimes the end result is not what he envisioned.
“We have to understand it to be able to utilize it as a tool, as opposed to a lot of people thinking they can just create with just AI,” Spracklen said. “There are still a lot of human touches that come with the ability to design that AI cannot recreate.”
Spracklen sees the role of a graphic designer as a problem-solver who knows how to convey a message to an audience in a visual manner, oftentimes with fixed or limited space.
Jose Degollado is a graphic artist at Hole in the Roof in downtown Waco. He works with clients and production teams to create artwork and designs for promotional products such as apparel, custom merchandise, and signage. He uses Adobe Photoshop and CorelDRAW to create and finalize artwork.
“Staying current is very important, especially in the apparel industry where trends change rapidly,” he said. “Refreshing my knowledge of fundamentals like color theory, typography and emerging design trends helps me stay inspired and continue producing relevant and effective designs.”
Degollado said he uses AI for productivity to streamline some stages of his design process, but in the end the work he produces reflects his clients’ needs combined with his artistic decisions.
“While AI isn’t a required skill, having some familiarity with it has been helpful in improving my creative process,” he said.
Tony Pena, a multimedia coordinator at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, uses Adobe Firefly and Perplexity to enhance his AI skills. His work involves creating animations, graphics, photography and video, along with overseeing the zoo’s website and other digital channels.
“Initially I was opposed to using AI as I believed it undermined the role of traditional designers,” he said. “However, after attending the Adobe MAX seminars, I recognized how numerous AI add-ons could streamline my workflow and facilitate the integration of AI into my practice.”
Pena is a graduate of Texas State Technical College’s Digital Media Design program at the Harlingen campus. Degollado and Spracklen are graduates of TSTC’s Visual Communication Technology program at the Waco campus. The Visual Communication Technology program has since been merged with the Digital Media Design program.
TSTC’s online Digital Media Design program offers an associate degree, two certificates of completion and an advanced technical certificate.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.