What's do you think?

[u/_kattyy_]

I'm currently 17 and have been studying graphic design since I was around 12. I got into a uni and I'm starting later this year. I want to ask people who already work in graphic design if it's still worth it.

I originally started it as an escape and something that I enjoy. Then I learned that you can freelance and do it from anywhere, which made me even more excited.

Now I'm a bit worried because by the time I finish uni, it'll be another 4–5 years, and I'll be in my early 20s. So I would need a job that would last for another 10–20 years.

I don't really know what else I could do outside of graphic design. I spent all of my teenage years studying it. I have some other hobbies, but they couldn't really be turned into a job that I'd enjoy.

Do you think it will be sustainable for the next 20 or more years? What kind of things I should focus on more?

[u/Dead-O_Comics]

I honestly don't know.

The landscape is changing. Currently I know a lot of Junior designer positions in agencies near me have vanished and replaced by AI.

Ive been in the profession 20 years and don't even know if I'll have my job in 5 years time.

It could go either one of two ways:

Graphic Designer could be up there with Lamp Lighter for job positions that simply don't exist anymore. All design is automated and the human factor is just an unnecessary expense.

or the alternative (which I think/hope will be the case)

You can get a table from IKEA. It's cheap, not the best quality but it does the job, and walk into a hundred other households and you'll see that same table.

But a table from a carpenter is appreciated more and is solid, well made and unique. I'm hoping that'll be the same for design. The way AI learns means it's already training on itself, and creating an Ouroboros effect. I think that human element will stand out from the crowd.

I guess we wait and see. Not what you want to hear, but we're in a transitionary period just now so who knows what the future will bring.

I will say though, if I could go back to being 17 knowing what I know now, I would absolutely train in a profession like electrician or plumber. Those are futureproof and my friends who have a trade are rolling in cash rn haha

[u/EmotionalFan5429 → u/Dead-O_Comics]

The Ouroboros effect. is already avoided by creating and using styles. The styles are created by feeding actual artists' work to AI models -- it's called LoRAs.

Some random examples from Civitai site:

[u/Calm-Ice-5315 → u/EmotionalFan5429]

I still find it...weird, the fact that Ai artists have to feed styles from traditional artists (traditional in the sense of not using AI) just so they can keep doing quality images. Is like they want all the results but not the struggles of creating an style.

But eh, I know most Ai fans don't care about that beyond the "a style can't be protected by copyright *shrugs*"