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How Artificial Intelligence is Revolutionizing Graphic Design

Artificial Intelligence has taken the retail and medical industries by storm over the last few decades. Defined as a computer system able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, Artificial Intelligence can come in many forms. Most of us naturally think of AI as the voice that responds on our phone or home device. In recent years, developers have also been working to integrate AI into website design. What does AI look like in web design – and what does it mean for the role of graphic designers?

The Promise of Artificial Intelligence

Many companies have worked to develop AI systems to aid the less trained user in creating quality web designs. These technologies include Firedrop’s chatbot Sacha, Adobe’s Sensei program, The Grid’s Molly system, Wix’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), and DesignScape from the University of Toronto. The goal of these systems is to make graphic design a more intuitive, user friendly process. Some of these companies originally made huge promises alongside their technology, such as:

●  Little to no work for users

●  Unique web designs

●  Utilization of audience trends to influence site structure

●  Replication of graphic designer logic

Many of these promises could have meant that graphic designers would be on the hunt for new jobs, which was the fear of some speculative content creators. The possibility of businesses being able to create their own original site designs had the potential to disrupt the current industry. Instead, the presently available AI systems have so far fallen somewhat short of their high expectations. The Graphic Designer’s Role in AI Web Design As it turns out, graphic designers are still in high need, even with Artificial Intelligence systems in web design. Many users of AI systems found that their site felt unoriginal. The created site designs were closer to a drag-and-drop template than a uniquely tailored experience. Some of the less than positive reviews from early users included:

  • Look alike sites
  • Limited creative freedom
  • Requirement of hands-on human use
  • High prices with finite results

Conclusion

Overall, the feedback from users pointed to AI as an enhanced web design tool, not quite the game changing technology it was marketed as. Although this wasn’t the best news for the developers in charge of the AI systems, it did leave a very specific niche for graphic designers within web design. Graphic designers can often feel overrun by the tedious details of site design. With its ability to predict audience trends and provide aesthetically pleasing color palettes, AI has optimized the process of web design to be much quicker.

Now graphic designers can take a step back and focus on curating the ideal site for their clients. This change from creation to curation gives designers more opportunity for out-of-the box thinking and problem solving.

The Future of AI in Web Design Since all of the current AI programs still require a human user to achieve an ideal web design, graphic designers have more of a partnership with these systems than a competition. With the future development of more adaptive AI, designers are able to flex their creative skills beyond the basic site details that previously consumed the majority of their time.

This freedom to step beyond their ordinary design work can potentially spark more ingenuity and user-friendly content. Over the last 40 years we have witnessed graphic design develop from a hands-on, paper and pencil process to a digitalized, interactive experience. As AI continues to grow, program developers and graphic designers alike hope to improve web design to meet all user needs with intuitive and unique solutions.

What’s Trending in 2020 for Creative Hires

Creative hiring is important for so many people! Many say that finding the right professional is difficult in this sector. The trends are in for 2020, and people are planning to add both full-time team members and freelancers to fill creative roles at their companies.

Most of the roles are in things like web design and user experience. With tech-related jobs leading the way, better salaries and freelance rates can be expected.

Creative development and web production round out the creative roles that managers are looking to fill out this year.

People are looking for those with skills in relationship-building, with content marketing and strategy as well as social media and digital strategy topping the list of in-demand skills.

Vacancies also exist in AI, machine learning, data analysis, A/B testing, and UI design. It seems that everyone wants an excellent web experience, and companies are here to deliver!

Creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills are the most needed soft skills within creative fields.

These skills contribute to a lot of things in the workforce, but likely they are wanted because of the sheer volume of content and advertising needed online.

These skills help people create massive amounts of content that really differentiate companies as they try to appeal to consumers.

It’s a candidate’s market this year, and that means perks for senior employees and those with in-demand skills.

Some areas employers are seeking to improve are with employee wellness, flex options, and signing bonuses. While wages haven’t risen much in the U.S. for the last few years, it could be the year that trend discontinues if the field remains a candidate’s market for long.

Image is everything, as they say, and that remains true for online. This is the year companies are seeking to elevate their online offerings and presence. Candidates who help them stand out in this area will find themselves with more competitive packages than others.

You might be surprised to find data analysis and AI listed in the creative category. But these jobs, while not related to content and branding as much as some other creative jobs, require some creativity as well as a sense of numbers.

Without information, companies don’t have much to go on when it comes to the creative materials and agenda needed. So these newer fields of AI and data analysis are integral to companies who want their creative departments to make informed decisions about direction.

In addition to skills and experience, employers are still looking for the old stand-by’s: collaboration, adaptability, business acumen, curiosity, and a killer portfolio.

5 Ways To Give Your Logo A Facelift

Your logo is essentially the face of your brand. It’s the eye-catching, memory-evoking nugget of gold that keeps your brand in the forefront of everyone’s mind. Just like anything else in life, logos need to be updated periodically. Trends change constantly which is why it’s important to make sure your brand’s logo doesn’t get stale like an 80’s power mullet.

K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simply Stylish

Nowadays, many people are convinced that less is more. This isn’t always the case with logos but if your logo is packed full of details, then it may be time to simplify things. Get rid of excess details and focus on simple, clean lines.

The simplistic logo options aren’t a fit for every brand. For example, if you are an antique dealer then a modern and sleek logo probably doesn’t line up with your brand’s identity. But, you can still give your logo a quick revamp by swapping out image or text elements for fresh, new options.

Update The Colors

Colors go out of style, right? There aren’t too many people picking out pink shag carpet and orange wallpaper for their living room anymore. Colors are one of the fastest changing trends in all aspects of design.

Keep your logo relevant by updating the color palette. This doesn’t necessarily mean changing all of your colors entirely. You can achieve an entirely new look by eliminating one or two out of date colors or by increasing the visual presence of one color that is still trendy. Navy blue, greys and greens are all really popular colors currently.

Embrace A New Image

If your logo has an image element then it may be time to spruce it up. Technology and graphics have advanced over the years. Depending upon when your logo was created, it may quickly be showing signs of aging. Think of the quality of cartoons when you were a kid compared to the quality of animations now. That’s how far digital design has come!

You can either work with a graphic designer to make your current image more relevant or opt for a new image entirely. Or, if you really want to take a leap, forget the image all together. Logos that are text only can be just as visually appealing and thought provoking as their image-laced counterparts.

Try A New Font

A new font for a logo is like sending your logo for a day at the spa and having it re-emerge as a new person. You’ve heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, so is a font! There are different types of fonts for everything and each one creates an entirely different feeling. 

Pairing fonts together is another easy way to give a logo an additional boost. If you want to try your hand at pairing a couple new fonts, you want to be sure to choose fonts that contrast and yet still complement one another. A script style usually pairs well with a serif. You can also manipulate the look and feel by using all capital letters or making one of the fonts bold.

Play With Ratios And Positioning

If you’ve ever repositioned your furniture in your home, then you know what a little repositioning can do. Feng shui goes a long way! Moving your couch to a different wall can make your living room feel entirely different. It’s the same thing for a logo.

If your logo has a combination of text and an image, play with the scale and positioning of each. What if you moved the text below the image or reduced the text size and placed it vertically? There are so many possibilities when you start thinking outside the box of conventional placement and positioning.

A little bit of imagination and a lot of trial and error will set you on the right path to a killer new logo in no time!

Why Teams Are Important

 

Teams in business are essential. They are what help your business run and have new ideas brought to the table. Pretty much every business needs teams for delegating all kinds of different jobs in a company. Writing, design work, phone calls, social media, and so many more jobs are essential to have a team on. You name the job and a team is necessary.

Down below are a few reasons why you need teams in your company and why unlimited teams are even better.

3 Reasons Why You Need Teams In Your Business

1. New ideas. ​Different team members offer different advice and point of view on ideas. When you only have one team member doing all the work, then you don’t have anyone else putting in feedback and sometimes this can result in bad decisions for the company. You just have one person coming up with all the ideas that are all the same, which means no other input and no original thoughts. When you have a team, you have multiple people working on ideas and coming up with new ways of doing tasks.

2. Time. ​When you have a team of workers, you have everyone wanting to do their best and go as fast as they can, because they know other people are waiting on them to do their part. They feel motivated to keep going and are less apt to procrastinate when they know other team members are dependent on them. Teams work together, therefore, teams all have to do their part, so the work doesn’t get held up.

 

3.​ ​People to go to. ​Teams work better because they can help each other with tasks. For example, they can go to each other with ideas and get advice on their thoughts. When you have team members who can work on ideas together and bring a thought to life, it can be extremely valuable. A good team will benefit from their other team member’s thoughts and opinions, as well as their constructive criticism.

All different kinds of teams are beneficial and need to be in any business that wants to build their company successfully. The same goes for having an excellent team of creatives to take care of all your copywriting, graphic design, web development, video editing, and custom illustration needs. You can find businesses that offer all of these teams to you for one set fee a month. Unlimited graphic design teams are very important in a business, and the same goes for the other teams; they’re all necessary for a business to grow and thrive. Working with a company that can give you all of those teams for unlimited is fantastic.

​ Unlimited Voice-Over

 

 

You know those videos you watch, and it has the animated guy or girl walking around and talking? Or the video where someone is talking while all you’re seeing is them showing you stuff on a computer screen? If the answer is yes, then you might know that this is voice-over. Every business needs voice-over to make fun advertising videos, or videos in general to show people how to use stuff. Down below are a few reasons why unlimited voice-over is essential.

A Few Reasons Why You Need Unlimited Voice-Over:

1.​ Number one reason is that when you’re creating an animated video that you are going to use to explain how something works, voice-over can be very helpful. It can make it so when you are looking at that animated person you can imagine what’s going on better. And that right there will make your video ten times nicer.

2.​ Voice-over is the thing that can make someone want to take action after watching your video. Because voice-over can be very persuasive if you have the right person talking.

 

3. ​When it comes to choosing the voice for your voice-over, it is very important that you find one that can make people trust you. Because when people trust you and your brand, they will want to do business with you. This is why it can be helpful to work with a place that can offer you unlimited voice-over. That way, you have more than one voice to choose from.

Voice-over is something you need, and the business next to you needs, and the business next to them needs. Finding a place that you can get unlimited voice-over from is important. Because you will get the most out of it. You can also find a place that will give you unlimited voice-over and more for one set fee a mouth. Either way, if you decide to go with getting voice-over, you should try to get unlimited voice-over at least.

Why You Need Custom Illustrations For Your Business

We have discussed unlimited graphic design, web development, copywriting, and much more. So I think it’s time to talk about custom illustrations! Illustrations are something that everyone should use, whether for a t-shirt design or a mascot. If you get the right designer, then you can get amazing illustrations.

Anyway, let’s talk about why illustrations can make your business better and overall are great.

Three Reasons Why You Need Illustrations For Your Business:

One: ​To start with, illustrations are perfect because they are 100% unique and one of a kind. That means that your mascot is your mascot. Your t-shirt design is your business’s t-shirt design that is original and amazing.

Two:​ If you are a business that creates coloring books or books in general, then illustrations are the way to go for you and your business. Illustrations make it so your business can create pages that are something you came up with, and told someone to bring it to life for you. And 99% of the time, it will come out exactly like you thought or better.

Three:​ When it’s comes to things like icons, you need custom icons because they will make your website shine and stand out like no other. That’s right, custom icons are something every business needs and something your business needs.

Overall, custom illustrations are fantastic for your business and are something every business should have. However, one thing to remember is that if you are going to use custom illustrations, then get them from a place that offers unlimited custom illustrations, and it will be a much better deal.

When you work with a business that offers unlimited custom illustrations, you can get as many versions as you want and run as many projects as you wish. Custom illustrations are what your business needs, so get out there and find a place to get them!

Growing Your Business with Unlimited Graphic Design and Web Development

 

Many business owners don’t realize how important graphic design and web development are to their business — until it’s too late. Cue frantic branding efforts or landing pages hastily thrown up.

It’s understandable. There’s a lot to think about when launching a business, and sometimes it seems easy enough to buy a $5 logo on Fiverr or build a quick Wix page. But what happens when you need new content on the website? Or designs for a new marketing campaign? Or multiple versions of your logo? You need a plan for unlimited graphic design and web development.

Unlimited Graphic Design

As your business grows and you launch new products or services, you’ll need brochures, flyers, billboards, Facebook page banners, Instagram posts, and countless other design elements. Still, the work may not be constant enough to warrant a full-time designer.

Why hunt for a new contractor each time you need work done? Sign up for an unlimited graphic design service such as Flocksy and never worry about not having someone to whip up a social media graphic or print an ad for you ever again.

 

Unlimited Web Development

Your website needs will change as you grow. You may need to build new pages to showcase new products or services, or set up landing pages for your latest marketing campaign. Again, a full-time developer or web content editor may not be needed, but having a team of designers on hand should you need anything is invaluable to maintaining a professional, functioning web presence.

By signing up with unlimited design and development service, you can prevent frantic searches for freelancers or having to rope your employees into working outside their scope. A service like Flocksy offers unlimited graphic design and web development along with so much more. Keep a team on standby and enjoy a sense of security that your business needs will be met.

Why You Need a Copywriter

 

Content marketing is quickly proving to be one of the most effective ways to market your services and grow your business. In fact, studies show that customers are a whopping 131% more likely to purchase from a brand after reading their content.

But why should you hire a copywriter? What stops you from writing and publishing your own content? Nothing. However, there are some very good reasons why you should consider hiring a professional to provide you with unlimited copywriting rather than doing it on your own.

Quality Content

Not surprisingly, poorly written blog posts, peppered with typos and grammar mistakes is not going to do your business any favors. The key to effective content marketing is publishing informative, engaging blog posts, not the opposite.

So, although most people can string two sentences together, not all of us can create the engaging, professional content needed to set our businesses apart from the competition. Copywriters can. So don’t short yourself. Instead, hire a copywriter and see for yourself what unlimited copywriting can do for your business.

Time Management

Maybe you could find the time to write and publish exceptional content on your blog. But just because you’re able to do something doesn’t mean it’s the best use of your time. Want more time to pour into other aspects of your business? Consider hiring a professional to provide you with unlimited copywriting and free up your time.

 

Objectivity

Regardless of whether or not you are a decent writer, as a business owner, you have another problem. You see, great content marketing isn’t telling your audience what you need them to know; it is giving them content they want to read.

Because while you might know that your products and services are standing between your audience and a better life, they don’t. And chances are they are tired of being preached at.

What your audience wants, and what your business needs, is a reason to trust you above the competition. For this to happen your content needs to be educational and engaging, not just a thinly veiled advertisement in the form of a blog post.

A copywriter can help you with content that will engage with the right audience, build their trust, and increase your sales.

Branding

A good copywriter will get to know your brand. They will understand your motivation, your business goals, and your approach, and then channel all of that information into copy that will wow your audience.

You want to hire a copywriter that can offer unlimited copywriting and that is willing to get to know your brand as well as you do. The key difference between you and your copywriter will be that they can put your brand and purpose into words better than you can.

Hire a copywriter. There is no reason to be a one-man (or one-woman) show. Not when there are so many ways for your business to access unlimited copywriting.

Why You Need a Team of Creatives

 

Starting up a business requires two things: a lot of work and a lot of money. It’s tempting to try to save some money by doing your own graphic design, ask a tech-savvy friend to help with web development, or do your own copywriting. However, just because it’s tempting, it doesn’t make it smart.

The growth of your company depends heavily on your marketing success, and if you want to succeed at marketing, you are going to need a skilled creative team.

Your creative team should be made up by web developers, graphic designers, and copywriters. Together they will do things like produce ads, design newsletters, logos, or t-shirts, write emails or social media posts, or develop websites.

Unfortunately, high-quality graphic design, web development, and copywriting costs money. Having access to your own creative team will save you both time and money.

For instance, you’ll save money on hybrid projects like ads that require both copywriting and design work. An outside agency might charge you hourly for both the graphic designer and copywriter, but if you have your own team this cost disappears.

Another benefit is that your own creative team will pay better attention to your brand than a randomly outsourced designer would, making it easier to maintain consistent branding and style.

Hiring your own creative team, however, takes time and effort. Creative candidates have to be vetted and tested, you need to make sure they have real world experience, can adapt to change, are flexible, etc.

If you own a small business, you might not need enough graphic design, copywriting, or web development work to justify having a full time creative team on your payroll. This is why many small businesses decide to outsource this work to a creative agency.

 

However, there’s an even better solution. A subscription service offering unlimited graphic design, web development, or copywriting will give you all the perks of having your own creative team, minus the hassle of finding, vetting, and hiring the creatives yourself.

The best way to get an unlimited graphic design team, unlimited web development team, and unlimited copywriting team is to hire a business that offers all three.

In fact, a subscription service is a lot like having your own in-house team. Your creative team is on standby at all times, meaning they can step in quickly to work on urgent projects.

For small businesses, finding a subscription service that offers affordable, unlimited graphic design, copywriting, and web development is much better than trying to hire individual teams. The best way is to work with a business that can give you all three at an affordable price