Why hire a Graphic Designer – there’s now an App for that!

Summary

Who needs a designer anymore – there’s an app for that! 

Did you ever notice how everywhere you look, there is software trying to replace the services people provide? From graphic design to customer service and even coding – there is a misconception that you don’t need a person anymore!

The gents have a go at the misconception that AI logo generating software can replace a designers role. It takes much more than logo generating software to make you a graphic designer. Using Photoshop doesn’t automatically make you a Graphic Designer.

Touching on what a designer actually does, the differences between a designer & artist, limitations of software and when to use these online, budget friendly tools, this episode will leave you feeling vindicated  that your job is more secure now than ever.

Episode Transcript


 00:00:00

Guess what? So I actually had a customer (I love my customers) we were behind on a project and they said, what? Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. My daughter knows Photoshop. I'll have her design, the logo for us!


 00:00:17

So I love my customers. I was like, okay, great. That's great. Thank you. 


 00:00:24

It just kind of goes to this idea. 


 00:00:26

Yeah. You know, Photoshop, you know, Photoshop. That just because you have the tools, doesn't make you a graphic designer? what I mean? Really? Just because, I mean, again, before Photoshop, before illustrator, Adobe creative suite, before all this wonderful Mac world that we live in breathe, there was always pens, paper, paint, brushes that didn't make people able to just pick up and be like, start creating ads or logos or this or that. Right. Like it's not the tool. It's what goes into it. Yes. It's amazing how people underestimate or undervalue the skill involved to actually do this. Yes. It shocks me. I okay. Being a designer is hard to explain to your parents what the hell it is that you're going to do for them. ? So what does it do you want to do? I want to be a designer. 


 00:01:19

What is that? Or you just draw pictures are huge. You draw it out and it's one thing. 


 00:01:25

Okay. So, my parents, I, I love them old school, Italian, ? And so it was, they come from a different world, different life. It was hard for them to understand. Yeah. My brothers, I figured would understand this. I figured I had my brother tell me your own brother, my own brother, who has a niece, who I love very much. You know, she was a creative girl. He was like, I found this software that builds logos and she can now build logos just like you would, this software on his PC for the record is PC, not even a Mac. So the software. He's like, so now she can do what you do, right? 


 00:02:05

Yes. I'm already into this game by 10, 15 years. 


 00:02:09

Now that she has a business off where she can do what I do. 


 00:02:15

Disappointing, disappointing to say the least boy that makes Easter awkward, 


 00:02:23

It just kind of comes down. It's more than just building the damn thing. It's not skin deep. Yes. It's like saying, Hey, I can come up with a title for your book. So I'm an author, right. I'm an author. I don't write the 300 page story in between the covers. I'm an author. I came up with the title. I can do that. Anybody can like, you know, okay. The graphic design process, we w we do what we, I mean, you break it down. Even in the basic stage. I mean three stages, right? We try to analyze the need. We try to understand like, analyze figure what the hell we have to listen. You have a company it's more just a logo, right? It's what is behind the logo? What does Australia, w w what is it that you need? How are you going to use this? What's the bigger picture, ? And then we take a creative approach. 


 00:03:09

We try to consider the context of what it is that we're using, how to use it, where to use it, right. How, how it's best going to be represented. We start with the whole prototyping and creating the presentation material and creating the car. Like, I mean, there's so much more as opposed to just. 


 00:03:26

Click, click topic, fruits, purpose brochure. 


 00:03:35

Here is your brochure on oranges. I don't need a graphic designer. 


 00:03:41

I bought software. Oh shit. Oh, geez. He's a good man. I'm sure he meant, well, boy, did he. 


 00:03:51

Under value? And that's just, it's, he's just the tip of the iceberg. 


 00:03:54

Everybody's like, that's true. I. 


 00:03:56

Would expect more family buds, just the tip of the iceberg on this one, like ice burger. I just said ice burger. 


 00:04:05

Burger, like, 


 00:04:07

Not saying that graphic design is the end. All I think is just design on a whole is so undervalued. 


 00:04:16

Really? I would agree with that. Like, and there is some, you've seen this off, 


 00:04:21

Out there, right? You've seen the whole design software where it's like, it's now they're trying to scare graphic designers thinking, this AI we'll replace you in no time. Right. Replace the millions of people that make up Fiverr and, people per hour and all these great, like 99 design sites, which suck. Yes. But, and cause they're claiming that if you put in a couple of keywords, a couple of this, couple of that I will take over. And honestly, I've seen what they do. I've seen what comes out. It's like, it gives you, it spits out 20, 30, 40 different concepts using trendy shit. Again, you can't give a customer something that's trendy because what's going to happen in two or three years. That it's done. It's like, they're gonna have to replace it. As soon as that trend evolves. Right. I want to hipster font. It is sir. 


 00:05:14

When everybody hates the hipsters, which has already happened, like, seriously, you got to go replace your font. You change it again. When all of a sudden people don't like coffee, cup icons, well guess what? The AI software put the icon. You can't think that far ahead in advance. No, we can't be replaced by software. Absolutely not. ? So it's like, it's whether it's AI or whether it's just the tool itself. I mean, that does not replace what we. 


 00:05:40

No. So, so when they design these logos, they get shat out the back of the machine, or however it works, the logo grinder. Exactly. And it comes up with the colors. Does the client have to base their entire brand off of those right color, I guess do. And. 


 00:05:58

It's is it black. 


 00:05:58

White? So here's the so here's so sadly, 


 00:06:01

Some of them recently I've come a cost, a couple of them. They will actually try to sell. 


 00:06:07

The whole package. It'll create the logo, then it will take. 


 00:06:11

So, but here's the thing, the software doesn't design things from scratch. It picks from 2030, 50 predesigned templates and then drops the logo into that. Okay. If it's a small local mom pop shop, somebody, restaurant or a Cakery or a cupcake shop, or even a little coffee shop and they want to do something local. All right, fine. If there's a structure and a budget, I'm all for making something look good. Right. As an artist should. Yup. The thing is, as a designer, if it's a bigger project and they don't think ahead, it's going to hinder their future. Yes, absolutely. Well, because how do you take your brain to that next level? If you're using shitty trendy fonts with no tagline, with clip art that everybody owns and how do you make it your own, like really it's not, it's ridiculous. Unless you have a billion dollars to throw towards it, like Uber did, how do you own something that is so generic? 


 00:07:10

You can't right. Right. 


 00:07:12

People don't realize the implications so fine. You want to make it something small, local type strapped cash. Fine do it. But it still doesn't replace the design. It doesn't. No, absolutely. Doesn't. I mean, there's so much more that makes a real designer. There's a difference between somebody who does this for a living and somebody who just wants to make a quick buck. Yeah. Honestly, assuming that, Oh, art's easy. Anybody can do it. I'll just buy software, all, just, go on these sites and create a logo for a hundred dollars and undercut everybody else by 10 times. Right. Or the worst, fake it till you make it. Oh my God. Right? Like again, these people, they drive me nuts. People who claim that they can do this. They're just in for a big, quick buck. Seriously. They slapped some ideas together. There's no process. There's no talent. 


 00:08:01

And like, honestly, there's no end result. There's no depth to what it is. Like they just treat it as like art. Like they treat it like, they're just trying to create something that looks pretty. And they sell that shit. Yes. Right. We're honestly designers when they're actually passionate, when they're engaged, they're committed. Right. They dig deep. They listen, they listen to understand. They try to solve the customer's problems and they create things. If they're really good at it, they can make a shit ton of money. Right. Well doing it. So they're happy. They love what they do. They get up those ranks quick and they can make some it's fulfilling. It's it's like the golden handcuffs, but they're not handcuffed. Right. They're making money and they're happy with what they're doing. Why would they ever change? They never have to retire. There's no retirement. My future, my retirement, my future. 


 00:08:50

I'm going to do this. 


 00:08:52

Until a day till you're going seriously. Like. 


 00:08:56

Honestly, if they don't understand people, if they don't have empathy, if they can't solve problems, they're not designers. They're artists. Yes. Honestly. And there's a huge differentiating factor here. Like an artist creates things to make the world better for themselves where a designer creates things to make the world better for everybody else. For the end user. Right. Do design is about making the end user's life to be a texture. That is kind of a cool, t-shirt great. But that's true. That's absolutely true. Geez. Honestly, it's like they do people undervalue what designers do. They just assume that we're artists and the tools will help them make things pretty, just like they do for us. And it just, it drives me nuts. 


 00:09:43

It drives me nuts. I just want to go. 


 00:09:46

Kick them in the teeth show. Just kick them in the teeth. 


 00:09:49

Yes. Considering how far this goes back for you. 


 00:09:55

It's the only thing I know. Yes, that's Holy, there was a rant that was really passionate about that one. 


 00:10:04

Right. It's true. I think that translates into what you do, right? Like you, because you're so stoked about this kind of stuff. You, and to me, I think, that's infectious to other people, right. To decline. It's like, cool. They see, you're totally jacked about this. Yeah. They're going to be like, fuck. Yeah. Right. Okay. Okay. This is, this is really good. 


 00:10:27

Well, it's funny you say that because I think my passion sometimes comes across with customers and they total trust a lot more. They're like, wow, if you feel that strongly about this, I will go with urines, which is cool. Like it's, they don't always listen and that's fine. They don't have to this. Isn't like this, isn't a dictatorship relationship here, especially because they pay me. Exactly. I think they realize because they pay me so much. If I'm passionate and not, there's no snobbery. No, no. I'm not pretentious. And you're not a Dick about it. I'm just like, dude, listen, I know what you're saying, but you got to believe me this time. Again, if somebody is just in this for the arts, because they can make things look pretty. Yeah. Shit, dude. Then they're not gonna, 


 00:11:10

Yeah. You're absolutely right. Grab, grab your paints and go become an artist. Right. Right. Exactly. Go and live that lifestyle to satisfy you. Exactly. Exactly. That's that's that is a brilliant statement. Yeah. Yeah. 


 00:11:29

In truth bombs over here is pretty good. Right? So seriously having the tools, having Photoshop, knowing Adobe creative cloud, honestly, this doesn't make you a designer. Like it really doesn't. You can take clip art and piece it together as much as you want. It doesn't mean anything. It means you're making able to make something look pretty. There's no, LUNGevity, there's no passion for the customer. There's no long-term thinking here. That's what you guys pay. That's what people pay designers for. Yep. Right? To think of the bigger picture. Yes. Otherwise they're just hiring a graphic artist yet. Not a graphic designer. And to me, that's a difference. That's a huge differentiator, but that's another product that's altogether, seriously designers. We solve problems for end-users and we put a process in there and the process generally tries to make life better for the end user. Yes. That's what a designer does. 


 00:12:18

Yes. Right? Yes. And that is. 


 00:12:22

No flash in the pan. What I mean? Like that doesn't happen by accident. It is knowledge based that is, this goes back a long time. Lots of experience. I mean, these are things that you just can't get your friend's daughters to understand and comprehend, 


 00:12:40

Right. To try to help them with their aspirational needs of being boys at school and stuff this week. I want to be a graphic. 


 00:12:47

Yeah. That a graphic design app? So I could be a designer. Of course you can Matilda. You can do anything. If you set that in your mind, you put your mind to it. Yes. You're a unicorn baby. 


 00:13:04

There is nobody like you. 


 00:13:08

I think kids aspire to be graphic designers. Like. 


 00:13:11

I think it's still pretty cool. Yeah. Well, 


 00:13:14

I don't know. I would say I would hope so. I hope so. 


 00:13:17

So what's cool. Yeah. Again, I have two girls, right? Well, no, I have three, actually my two older girls, the two older ones sometimes. Yeah. This is total nerd ready. We play a game, design a logo for, and it's like, they sit down and they're like, okay, give it to me. And I will make up. 


 00:13:36

A fake company. They just. 


 00:13:39

Scribble it together. Something silly, like an ice cream Shaw or with a funky name. And they literally, 


 00:13:46

And that I did is, are incredible. I love this. I love this. Oh my. 


 00:13:52

God. It's the real creativity. 


 00:13:54

Do you think maybe you have two graphic designers on your hands? Possibly. 


 00:13:59

Honestly, they're very creative kids. They love this idea. For some reason they think they're going to just take over this business. Okay. I'm hoping they do something, but, it is pretty damn cool that we play this narrative. 


 00:14:13

That does not nerdy at all. Right. Of course, that sounds like fun. It's like creative. It's like Lego or something like that. Right. You're using your brain. It's not like, so it's not like you're doing Madlibs or, what I mean? Or the drawings where you connect the dots that yeah. Hell yeah. That's for sure. That's out of the box thinking. Yeah. Okay. That's cool. It makes me feel better. Yeah. No, that's a great game. I thought it was just like, as long as you're not using the stuff that they're making. 


 00:14:44

I never said that though. I didn't say I wasn't using. 


 00:14:46

It. It's really a brilliant job. I'm going to that job college fund. Yeah. Jamie's going to get a new TV. That's amazing. Oh, damn. All right. 


 00:15:05

That's a good recap thing. That is really good. All right. Well buddy, I don't know if I have anything. I think if I open up my mouth anymore, I'm going to take us into a new direction. 


 00:15:16

We'll save. 


 00:15:16

That for another time. I think we'll save that. I think, I think we're rocking it tonight. I think this is good for now because God knows. People's use of, 


 00:15:26

Thank you. 


 00:15:27

Heard anything that you liked. Didn't like made you laugh, made you get angry, that's all right. Keep following us. It gets better. I'm sure it will. As we keep doing this, please subscribe and remember to share us with everybody that you love. All right, Mr. Sean. Good job. All right. Mr. Moss. Good job. YouTube. My friend. I think we are outta here pose. 


Graphic Design is a marathon, not a sprint. Join us on this journey.

While we're still working on our email game, we do want to remind you that by signing up, you agree to receive emails from this design podcast. Stay Angry!

This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Previous Episode

Next Episode