Graphic design has come a protracted means since I began within the arts almost a decade and a half in the past.
Enhancements in instruments like Photoshop or my private favourite, Procreate, from then to now have helped take away inventive roadblocks and pace up the design course of. Then, user-friendly design instruments like Canva have made design extra accessible to non-specialists.
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Now, it’s 2024, and we discover ourselves within the throes of the “AI revolution.” We’re met with a ton of AI instruments for graphic design that promise to streamline our inventive workflows and extra.
However is the juice actually well worth the squeeze with these instruments? Right this moment, we discover out.
Desk of Contents
Why use AI for graphic design?
From eradicating inventive blocks to saving time, listed below are three causes to contemplate including AI to your graphic design course of.
Take away Inventive Blocks
One of many important advantages I’ve discovered by utilizing AI is that it helps me take away inventive blocks.
So, once I’m writing and hit a wall, relatively than looking at a clean display, I would ask ChatGPT to generate an example use case for something. Even if the text it generates is clunky and unusable, it at least gives me a starting point.
When it comes to design, specifically, the same goes for something like color pairing. Without AI assistance or pre-created palettes, I struggle to choose more than one color for a design. (As you’ll see later, a specific AI tool for graphic design can help remove that creative block.)
Creative Experimentation
As an Illustration graduate who specialized in printmaking, I can tell you first-hand that creative experimentation in real life gets messy.
Not only is the process often messy, but it can take up a lot of space. Before you know it, multiple physical versions of your experimentations are mounting up, and the next issue is where to store them.
Aside from that, non-digital creative experimentation is often riskier. Without the faithful “Ctrl Z” or equivalent at your disposal, you’re always one move away from ruining a design. The crux? It’s enough to put you off even trying, and that’s not good for business.
But I’m not just some random ex-art grad on a soap box lecturing you about creative expression without just cause. I’m also a business owner shouting from the rooftops about one key fact: Experimentation is the driving force behind innovation.
So, the more you can encourage it in yourself and, if relevant, your organization, the better.
Save Yourself Time
Through automation, AI can help you simplify your creative workflow, be it through bulk edits or generating designs in a few prompts. Also, by removing creative blocks and providing a way to experiment at speed, you can get from a concept to a final design much quicker.
That said, there’s something magical about creating a physical piece that you can hold in your hands. And without all those years spent in the print room or experimenting with different mediums — from textiles to gloopy oil paints — I don’t think I’d understand how to use AI to achieve my desired outcome.
How I Tested the Best AI Graphic Design Tools
I tested each tool against the following criteria:
- Price. I wanted to know if you could get started with the tool for free. (As a side note, it’s worth exploring how much it will cost you to actually download and use the end product for commercial purposes.)
- Ease of use. I wanted to test how intuitive and user-friendly the design platform was.
- Design capabilities. I wanted to know how broad each tool’s design capabilities were. More specifically, I tried to understand whether the tools’ AI elements were overhyped or genuinely helpful.
- Licenses and copyright. I wanted to know if you could use the end products commercially. Bonus points if the companies behind the tools actively protect people from potential legal action after using designs created through the platform.
- Ethics. As a creative, I was curious about how each company trained the AI models. I personally would prefer not to use a tool that didn’t work with creatives fairly or didn’t openly state how it trained the models.
AI Tools for Graphic Design
I road-tested six tools for graphic design. Here’s what I found.
1. Adobe Express
Adobe Express is an all-in-one AI content material creation app that permits customers to make beautiful social posts, advertising photos, flyers, and extra.
Its AI instruments are powered by Adobe Firefly, a generative machine-learning mannequin particularly for design.
Although Adobe Categorical is offered for everybody, HubSpot’s latest integration permits HubSpot customers to make use of the AI content material creation app to make aesthetically pleasing advertising supplies with out leaving HubSpot.
A preferred use case for Adobe Categorical is to “create beautiful, life-like photos.” Nonetheless, you too can use the device for AI photograph modifying (i.e., altering backgrounds and eradicating undesirable parts out of your photos).
I made a decision to strive Adobe Categorical for producing photos from scratch. For context, bear in mind what I stated earlier about having an Illustration diploma and spending quite a bit of time in a printmaking studio. So, I’d undoubtedly say my bias is towards the extra painterly/illustrative aspect of graphic design.
My immediate: “A easy black define of a mountain drawn within the type of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings drawings coloured with random splotches of drawing ink in magenta, blue, purple, and gold.”
I used to be really fairly impressed with the output, particularly contemplating I solely prompted the device and didn’t configure any of the settings initially.
However how does Adobe Categorical stack up whenever you get extra particular with the settings? I selected Artwork because the content material sort to search out out.
For my part, the setting change didn’t make that a lot distinction to the output. However that may very well be as a result of the unique immediate was biased in direction of an “artwork” sort of output anyway.
As an extra experiment, I additionally adjusted the immediate to deliver extra whitespace into the mountain portion of the design. Adobe Categorical interpreted that as extra whitespace, basically, relatively than within the mountain part itself. Lengthy story quick, that didn’t work out as I envisioned, so I ditched that portion of the immediate.
I’ll say that with one thing like this (private work), it’s usually in regards to the journey as a lot because the vacation spot. And though it took mere seconds to supply, it wasn’t as enjoyable to create this digitally as it could’ve been by utilizing conventional printing and even with biro and drawing ink.
What I like: Adobe Firefly, which powers Adobe Categorical, first piqued my curiosity in 2023 when Sarah Rogers, a Contributing Artist at Cricut, posted in regards to the tool on LinkedIn.
Finest for: Adobe Categorical is greatest for particular person graphic designers, design groups, college students, college students and lecturers. And anybody trying to enhance their design abilities utilizing a accountable AI device.
Pricing: Get began without spending a dime.
I’d adopted Sarah’s considerate LinkedIn posts about AI for some time. And we each appeared to have an identical mindset relating to its use inside inventive endeavors. I don’t need to communicate for Sarah, however as for me, right here’s my mindset:
- Sure, you would possibly have the ability to pace up your inventive course of with AI — if you know the way to make use of it.
- No, you shouldn’t fireplace your entire inventive staff and change them with AI.
- And sure, you need to hold a wholesome degree of skepticism relating to the applying of AI inside your corporation. (A wholesome degree of skepticism, particularly in regards to the output of the instruments, authorized points like licensing, and the way the fashions are skilled.)
So, what caught my eye essentially the most about Sarah’s endorsement of Adobe Firefly was that Adobe is, seemingly a minimum of, appearing responsibly on this area.
They’re arguably the most accountable people within the design device world relating to AI. That makes me really feel extra assured about any potential licensing points and that “no creatives have been harmed” in coaching the fashions.
2. Canva
Canva is a free on-line graphic design device. You need to use it to create a variety of designs, comparable to social media posts, logos, and displays.
Canva has built-in AI into its platform in a number of other ways, together with Magic Design, a text-to-image generator, and Magic Studio, which incorporates AI-driven photograph modifying options and text-to-video technology.
Nowadays, I principally use Canva to make (some would possibly say, hilarious) memes for my LinkedIn.
Nonetheless, I used the device quite a bit once I provided social media advertising companies, so I needed to make use of Magic Studio to create a social media picture.
I began with a time-saving social media template — an Instagram put up particularly.
I selected Cream Minimalist New Collection Instagram Post by Kinley Creative.
I needed to customise the picture, so I uploaded an image of a few of my very own art work.
I additionally needed to add a font I’d just lately downloaded from Type Colony. (That is TC Kuareen when you’re .)
To add the font, I clicked on the “new assortment” templated textual content, chosen the font drop-down menu, and clicked “Add a font.”
As soon as I’d come this far, I noticed I’d not used any AI options. So my subsequent process was to attempt to discover some. However, strive as I would, I may solely discover two noticeable AI options throughout the picture editor.
One among them was “Magic Write.” I may see that being useful for designers or enterprise homeowners who need assistance writing copy. That stated, when you don’t know how one can use AI nicely, it’s no alternative for working with a skilled copywriter. After all, the identical goes for design.
The opposite AI characteristic was “Translate.” As soon as once more, I may see this being useful. Nonetheless, like copy and design, AI translation isn’t any alternative for having an precise translator to safeguard towards translation mishaps.
This may very well be my misunderstanding of the device, however I discovered it onerous to see a particular AI use case for social media graphic creation.
However I believe the device may very well be actually useful for AI picture modifying. For instance, the “Magic Eraser” edit characteristic eliminates undesirable design parts, and “Magic Edit” provides to, replaces, or edits a picture in a number of clicks.
What I like: Canva is admittedly user-friendly. I really feel like individuals with various ranges of design information, and even these with little expertise utilizing design instruments may use it.
I additionally like that the platform has launched an “industry-leading assortment of strong belief, security, and privateness instruments” via Canva Shield.
It looks like Canva can be safeguarding towards mental property claims for Enterprise clients. Plus, they’re compensating Canva creatives for his or her work via an AI royalty program.
Finest for: Particular person graphic designers, design groups, and small to enterprise companies.
Pricing: Get began without spending a dime.
3. Designs.ai
Designs.ai is an built-in Company-as-a-Service platform powered by AI expertise. It’s a one-stop store for every thing from brand design to social media and picture technology.
You’ll be able to even convert textual content to speech for voice-over content material.
I attempted making a social media picture to see how Designs.ai compares to Canva, primarily as a result of I needed to know if the AI points of this device have been extra distinguished.
My first thought was that when you’ve used Canva earlier than, it received’t take you lengthy to become familiar with the structure for this part of the device. However even when you haven’t, the Designs.ai platform is simple and intuitive. I can see most individuals with the ability to choose up this device and run with it to some extent.
At first look, the social media part is similar to Canva by way of selecting templates to customise primarily based on the channel (Fb, Instagram, and so on.). So, it’s fairly customary stuff, actually. The “Wizard” choice, nevertheless, caught my eye.
The default format is “Enterprise Card,” however you possibly can select from totally different choices, comparable to “Quotes,” “Product Listings,” and “YouTube Thumbnail.” I picked “Instagram Submit” to check the outcomes to Canva.
Along with the totally different design format choices, you too can select from predetermined classes like “Occasions & Celebrations,” “Enterprise, Authorized & Finance,” and “Animal & Pet.” I chosen “Artwork, Design & Inspiration.”
As a aspect word, I had to enroll/register to add my very own title picture. However I did every thing till that time by way of the web site with out signing up for the platform.
After inputting the design variables, I hit Generate. The choices the device spat out weren’t standout designs, however they have been higher than I anticipated — a pleasing shock!
Subsequent, I chosen one of many steered designs to see what the picture editor was like. As with a lot of Designs.ai, the structure is just like Canva.
For the sake of continuity, I may’ve missed one thing, however not like Canva, so far as I’m conscious, you possibly can’t add your personal fonts to Designs.ai.
General, I discovered the platform straightforward to navigate and use. That stated, I don’t suppose this is able to serve your wants when you needed to create complicated designs.
I additionally couldn’t discover any details about how Designs.ai skilled its fashions, so I’m cautious of that side.
There’s information about licensing, although. Typically, “completed initiatives made with our inventive AI instruments could be distributed to advertise and promote your corporation.” Nonetheless, there are particular Do’s and Don’ts segmented by every side of the device (Emblem, Social Media, Video, and so on.) that you just would possibly need to take note of.
What I like: By way of AI, Designs.ai goes a step past Canva. I can even see the “Bulk Edit” perform coming in useful if you wish to automate mass edits.
Finest for: Small companies initially of their journey who don’t have the price range for a designer. Particular person graphic designers or design groups specializing in holistic advertising.
Pricing: Get began without spending a dime.
4. AutoDraw
AutoDraw is an AI device that mixes machine studying and drawings from artists. You need to use the device to “draw stuff quick.” By way of graphic design use instances, you can use AutoDraw to make studying supplies and customized graphics.
And for any design that requires a fast define, I can see Autodraw dashing up the method.
A warning: I don’t have my graphics pill arrange. So every thing you’re about to witness — hilarious although it might be — was executed with only a mouse. I’m guessing the device’s capabilities are far better with a pill or a stylus at hand.
Nonetheless, with out giving an excessive amount of away, it proves that you could enter a horrible drawing into AutoDraw and get one thing higher again.
I made a decision to maintain issues easy with an excellent previous smiley face. First, I used the “Form” device to create a circle define, after which I used “AutoDraw” for the eyes and nostril. As you possibly can see, the AutoDraw parts inputted by me are … missing finesse, let’s assume.
However that’s not an issue. The “Do you imply” part on the highest toolbar provides numerous choices to finesse your drawing. So even when your try to attract a smiley face with only a mouse didn’t prove so nicely, one click on on a smiley face up prime, and also you’re golden.
As you possibly can see the smiley face is now rather less insufferable to behold. Subsequent I used Choose to pick after which delete the preliminary circle form I added. (It turned out to be pointless.) Et voila! A shiny joyful clipart type individual laughing … or one thing.
Concerning coaching the fashions, Google used“the identical expertise to guess what you’re making an attempt to attract,” as Quick, Draw!, which relied upon “artists, designers, illustrators, and associates of Google” so as to add drawings to the doodling knowledge set.
I doubt the artists have been compensated for his or her work. Nonetheless, a minimum of they shared designs willingly relatively than having them scraped by AI with out their consent.
What I like: I actually like that the device is straightforward to make use of, free, and, let’s be sincere, enjoyable! Nonetheless, it wouldn’t be excellent for complicated design work. That stated, when you don’t have loads of time and want to visualise an concept shortly, AutoDraw can assist.
Finest for: Anybody who must convey concepts and ideas at pace.
Pricing: Get began without spending a dime.
5. Khroma
Khroma is an AI graphic design device that helps you match your favourite colours right into a sequence of palettes. The device additionally blocks the colours you don’t like, in order that they’ll by no means discover their means into your palettes.
I like that this device is so specialised for a particular function. And I can see this being a giant time saver when you wrestle with coloration pairing like me.
For context, I can choose a number of colours that I like, no drawback. However I’m not at all times assured they go collectively and might get misplaced in evaluation paralysis. In consequence, I have a tendency to purchase pre-made coloration palettes for my go-to illustrative device, Procreate.
After I clicked Generate, I used to be prompted to decide on 50 colours “to coach a coloration generator algorithm” customized to me. I dove proper in and picked the colours that stood out to me at a look.
As I picked the colours, the “likes to go” part counted what number of colours I nonetheless had to decide on. The colour bar additionally began filling up with those I’d chosen thus far.
After selecting my 50 colours, I hit Begin Coaching.
Then, the outcomes got here in. The structure for the colour pairings is gorgeous, and I see loads of potential on this device.
One other fascinating ingredient of Khroma is that you could visualize your coloration pairings in several methods, together with “Kind” (the view above) and “Gradient” (the view under). You may as well see how your coloration selections look as posters, photos, and inside broader coloration palettes.
Since Khroma helps you pair colours already in existence, I can’t see it being exploitative to creators or needing particular licenses for business use. However I can’t say that for sure, so do your due diligence.
What I like: If you click on the data icon towards every coloration pairing, Khroma supplies you with the colour codes. That shall be such a time saver if you wish to coloration match in one other design device.
Finest for: Particular person designers and design groups trying to save time on coloration choice and pairing.
Pricing: Get began without spending a dime.
6. Looka
Looka is a platform particularly for brand and model design. It makes use of synthetic intelligence and machine studying to create designs primarily based in your enter.
I began my take a look at by getting into an instance firm identify and clicking Get began. From then on, Looka took me via a sequence of steps to assist me create a brand.
Step one was to choose my {industry}. As you possibly can see, there’s a vary of sectors to select from.
I used to be then prompted to pick some logos I preferred, adopted by some colours.
The next steps have been so as to add an organization identify (once more, for some motive?) accompanied by a slogan after which to decide on some image varieties.
An remark: I preferred that Looka gave me notes about my firm identify and slogan selections as I inputted them. This may very well be useful recommendation for rookies. Plus, you too can choose your personal symbols if you wish to be extra hands-on with the design.
After that, Looka generated a number of totally different logos for me. Whereas they have been competent logos, they have been too “out of the field” for me and lacked the inventive aptitude wanted for model differentiation. That stated, I didn’t go too deep into customizing the brand.
This device shines extra within the presentation of the designs than within the designs themselves. For instance, I like that Looka supplies design mock-ups so you possibly can see how your brand will look on a enterprise card, web site, social media, and extra.
I couldn’t discover any specifics about how Looka skilled its AI fashions, however they a minimum of tackle the potential unfavourable impression on human designers here:
By way of licensing and copyright, Looka says:
“You might not use any of Looka’s Finish Merchandise outdoors of the Web site, whether or not for business or private use, with out paying all relevant and respective Charges upfront. This contains each digital and bodily use of the Finish Merchandise.”
What I like: General, the platform is intuitive and simple to make use of. I like that Looka doesn’t use templates; relatively, it generates every design primarily based in your particular enter. There’s additionally a variety of font, structure, and coloration choices.
Finest for: New companies with out the price range to work with a designer. Particular person designers and design groups working particularly in branding.
Pricing: Get began without spending a dime.
Seeking to pair your designs with AI-powered textual content? Get started with HubSpot AI today.
7. Kittl
Kittl is a free, easy-to-use on-line design platform that permits you to create high-quality designs with out the steep studying curve of conventional graphic design software program.
As a result of it is web-based, Kittl is ideal for designers on the go or these searching for a easy design answer with out the effort of installations, updates, and cupboard space.
One among Kittl’s most notable qualities is its emphasis on “fast and simple creation {of professional} designs,” which makes it particularly popular with customers who must shortly and simply create visually interesting social media photos, typography, and logos.
However do not be fooled by its simplicity — Kittl supplies subtle customization choices that can help you regulate each structure ingredient with precision.
Kittl presents a number of AI-based instruments comparable to an AI brand generator, AI vectorizer, AI product background generator, and extra. To have a greater sense of the platform, I made a decision to particularly examine their AI Picture Generator.
Whereas selecting what to create, I found tons of free templates for particular initiatives comparable to T-shirt designs, enterprise playing cards, POD merchandise, and extra. I settled on designing a brand and aimed to create a contemporary but pure look utilizing a pre-made template, an AI picture, and Kittl’s in depth assortment of fonts.
After logging in to Kittl, I began a New Mission, navigated to templates, and chosen a pre-made brand design from a reasonably hefty template library. This added a brand new artboard to my undertaking with a customizable design.
With my template chosen, I wanted to create my AI picture. The Picture Generator was very easy and even when you don’t have a lot expertise utilizing AI design instruments, you need to have the ability to navigate the options with ease.
The idea for my brand design was, “a modern, nature-inspired brand in muted earth tones, with elegant typography.” The immediate I entered into the picture generator was “a dreamy desert oasis.”
I used to be pleasantly shocked that I may select from a wide range of kinds comparable to “cartoon,” and even “synthwave.” I settled on the “watercolor” type.
Utilizing the AI Background Remover, I removed the ensuing picture’s white background with a click on – and viola! I used to be left with the picture under…which is fairly superior.
Image SourceI didn’t suppose the intense picture matched the pure look I needed so I attempted one other AI device: the AI Vectorizer. This was surprisingly straightforward to make use of and I used to be ready to decide on what number of colours would stay within the vector picture.
From right here I tweaked some issues, just like the artboard coloration, textual content coloration, and font. The quantity of distinctive fonts Kittl has made it tough to decide on! I even duplicated the artboard to experiment with different model colours.
After I completed the graphic I went to the mockup part and selected the sticker mockup how actual does that look? The textual content wraps across the contours of the picture!
Image SourceAll in all, making a customized brand on Kittl was tremendous easy. What stood out with Kittl was simply the convenience of navigation and use. It was extremely straightforward to regulate every side with precision in only a few clicks.
What I like: If we’re considering of AI instruments, then I like how Kittl strikes a mixture between ease of use and superior capabilities. As a result of the design instruments are easy to make use of, I may discover and make changes with none problem.
Finest for: Newbie or expert-level graphic designers, design groups, and POD creators. Kitt’s significantly good for people wanting skilled high quality designs with out the steep studying curve of different design software program.
Pricing: Get began without spending a dime.
The Backside Line on AI Instruments for Graphic Design
Let’s be sincere: A device is barely nearly as good because the individual wielding it. So, when you don’t know a lot about graphic design ideas to start with, it’s unlikely you’ll create a brand-differentiating finish product.
Nonetheless, if you already know your means round your colours, typography, alignment, visible hierarchy, stability, and the remaining, AI can pace up your inventive course of.
Personally, I liked testing out Adobe Firefly. The top output exceeded that sterile “out of the field” template, which feels frequent with different instruments. I additionally preferred that you can create one thing painterly in type.
Plus, I like Adobe’s moral method to utilizing AI. They’re working with creatives to coach their fashions responsibly and defending product customers towards potential licensing and authorized points.
