Cognitive disciplines like graphic design are not dying

Cognitive disciplines like graphic design are not dying; I’d like to counter this perception, which often stems from misunderstandings about the industry and its practitioners who, like any industry, have a range of skill sets depending on whom you hire. While it’s true that automation and AI tools are handling some repetitive design tasks, the demand for skilled graphic designers who can bring creativity, strategy, project management, budgeting, and human insight to the table is far from fading.

I’d argue it’s history repeating itself
—the year when the design and printing community was first introduced to personal computers, the advent of Aldus PageMaker, QuarkXpress, CorelDraw, and Macromedia Freehand, to name a few software applications. At the time, creatives had to adjust, retool, learn new workflows, invest in expensive equipment, purchase typefaces from a service bureau for their electronic layout, and, let’s not forget, sneakernet. Having to save the artwork to a SyQuest Drive or a CD-ROM. After the transition, graphic designers were much better off and emboldened, as they had greater control over the creative process.