As the next crop of college graduates get ready to enter the workforce, graphic arts and design students now have more resources at their disposal than at any other time in history.
Equipment advancement has been rapid. A generation ago, tools for graphic artists were little more than a proportion wheel, X-Acto knife, a straight edge and bad coffee. Photoshop was an actual photo shop, a dark room with tables, chemicals and enlargers.
The game has changed, and artificial intelligence adds a new layer of complexity and questions of originality. “AI can now produce design work that appears professional while human designers with decades of experience are simultaneously having their own authenticity questioned,’’ Ben Colman, CEO of Reality Defender, a company specializing in deepfake detection, said in a Newsweek article published in 2025.
Creativity and consistency, however, are not achieved with software, computers, expensive coffee or any other devices now available that might assist designers. The most important assets in a designer’s toolbox are vision, attention to detail, accuracy and dependability – all of which cannot be found in a graphic design toolbox.
Over the years, despite the improved technology, many incoming design professionals enter the field with enthusiasm and skills but lack the understanding of a client’s intent. Designers can’t change type fonts and color schemes willy-nilly. The overarching goal of any graphic element is to remain consistent with the client’s brand, messaging and focus.
Fortunately, we don’t have to look far for examples of inferior graphic design work and how it can dramatically impact a business. The Cracker Barrel rebrand last year could not have been any worse. Widely considered one of the worst rebrands of all time, Cracker Barrel replaced the image of a man sitting in a chair with an emblem featuring only its name. “What they did wrong is they went against their brand story, which was the old logo, that reflected the southern, whimsical atmosphere in stores,’’ David Johnson, CEO of branding agency Strategic Vision PR Group, said in an article published by BBC.
The proposed rebrand went awry so quickly that Cracker Barrel needed to pivot back to the old logo within days. The resultant criticism and customer loss cost the business considerably.
If anything, the availability of creative platforms and programs has set back design standards. Anyone can search online, review and purchase software, and set about developing logos, ads, collateral or newsletters. Just because people discover programs that can help them doesn’t mean that their projects possess any degree of quality. And let’s not even get started on proofreading, a long-lost requirement for any element that includes text.
Skilled carpenters are a good comparison to graphic designers. Each professional has a vast number of specialized resources to complete tasks. Over time, like new gadgets for art directors, those resources have improved and enhanced efficiency. The real work, however, lies in vision, execution and meeting client objectives.
For sure, we’re not hankering for the good ol’ days. The early design tools were primitive, and technology has improved efficiency and options. Still, college degree or not, the best graphic design practices require creativity, execution, and attention to detail, and none of those characteristics can be found in technology.
