“What the heck is a PhotoDisc?” Good question, young people. Let me take you on a quick trip down memory lane. If you were lucky, your agency had a catalogue of CD’s (yes, compact discs) each one neatly categorised by subject matter.
If you were VERY lucky, each CD contained up to 100 images, high resolution at a whopping 300 dpi and about 10MB each. Once you found that perfect image, you’d spend hours in Photoshop integrating it into your design layout – done in Freehand back then, yes, really. We won’t even talk about the pain of exporting of artwork or trying to send files to the printer over the ISDN line, but hey. We had fun.
Are you for real? Enter the Age of AI
Fast forward 20-odd years, and the landscape is radically different. We’ve now got the sheer power and the efficiency of AI at our fingertips. So, how should this affect the design process in a creative agency? The truth is, it shouldn’t.
Ask any seasoned designer or art director and they’ll tell you: your best ideas still come from you. They are your own unique creative thought process. A computer, no matter how advanced, can’t do that for you.
While some of us may be a bit stubborn about embracing new tech, there’s something beautiful about understanding and learning what these new tools can actually do.
Efficiency, yes. Creativity? Still yours
Photoshop’s generative tools can now perform tasks in seconds that used to take hours. Whether it’s cleaning up a photo, extending a background, or seamlessly replacing elements, AI has drastically reduced production time.
Then you have the world of Midjourney and its ilk; platforms that create stunning visuals based on simple instructions. Sure, it’s true, you only get out what you put in, but that’s where the beauty of it lies – you still need to ‘know’ what you want, the AI just helps you get there faster (and with more versions than your human brain might’ve dreamed up on its own).
After having spent years searching and looking at stock imagery, it’s very clear to see when an image has been AI generated and when it’s real. There’s a time and a place for fully artificial images, and video, but when pure authenticity matters, you just can’t beat the real thing.
A tool, not a crutch
AI is becoming more influential across many different industries as a creative tool that can enhance our creativity, not to replace it. As long as we keep pushing boundaries, there’s no limit to what we can create
The brain is undoubtedly the best tool ever designed. Let us not allow it to get lazy as technology propels us towards becoming button-pushers. Keep thinking. Keep being creative. Use the tools. But keep it real!
*CD: compact disc (CD), a moulded plastic disc containing digital data that is scanned by a laser beam for the reproduction of recorded sound and other information. For the youngsters, ask your dad. He still has a Pearl Jam CD lying around or Now That’s What I Call Music 14. Hopefully the Pearl Jam.
DISCLAIMER: NO USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WAS USED TO WRITE THIS ARTICLE.
