Newsletter 3 / AI has the design industry changed forever, and that's a good thing

The design industry isn't what it used to be, and the way we learn design has changed, too, and I think that's a good thing.

I've been doing design for more than two decades. I still remember the first time I saw Photoshop. I was amazed at its magic. I spent a whole weekend learning how to swap heads from one body to another. It was fascinating, but if I look back, the process was complicated and tedious. I dived into tutorials, books, and online forums during my school holidays. It was in the 2000s when the internet was nothing like it is now. Learning was slow, but by the end of the holiday, I felt confident, even though I still had a lot to learn.

With some courage from nowhere, I read a job ad in a printed newspaper for a part-time graphic designer to create posters for a restaurant. I applied, went for the interview, and got the job. That's how I stepped into the design world.

Fast-forward to now. I haven't touched Photoshop in nearly two years. My design process now involves Figma, Miro, Confluence, Slack, and many meetings(of all those fancy tools, paper and pen are still my favourites). Design isn't just about pixels anymore; it's about communication, alignment, and achieving business goals. But that's another story.

The tools we use today are different from those decades ago. They are easy, powerful, simple, and much cheaper now. Getting into design meant a significant commitment to time, money, and effort back then. It was a long process, and you spent heaps of cash on industry-standard tools. The outcome required lots of complicated steps.

Adobe established the "Pro" standard for professionals and clients, and it became a successful business. Now, it's changed.

Now, anyone can create with simple tools like Canva, FigJam, and CapCut. The gap between a professional and an enthusiastic amateur is much smaller. The feedback loop is much shorter now, and you don't need just the creative director's approval(well, you still do if you work at a design agency).

If I were a new kid in my early 20s wanting to learn design, the process would be much shorter and more straightforward—no need to spend thousands of dollars or all my school holidays learning big tools. Pick a tool that seems worth it, subscribe, and start creating. Within days, you can get feedback from social media audiences. Within weeks, you can build your reputation.

As someone who's been in this industry for two decades, how do I feel about this? It's great. It enables more people to start designing and realize the value of design. Professionals still get the potential outcomes or values they deserve.

You may wonder why I'm talking about design in an AI newsletter. Well, AI is currently shaking up the design industry. These new tools make design more accessible, faster, and more efficient. AI does the same for the design process and other industries.

It speeds up processes, creates more possibilities, and generates more value if you know how to use it. Some professionals who survived the last decade might have a big pushback on AI and be unhappy, but it's inevitable. And it's a great thing. Suppose you're genuinely professional and confident in the value you create. In that case, AI can help you work more efficiently, better, and faster.

That's today's thought.

Here’re five cool things I’d like to share with you today 🙂

设计行业已经今非昔比，我们学习设计的方式也随之改变，我认为这是件好事。

我从事设计工作已有二十多年。我还记得第一次看到Photoshop的情景。我被它的魔力所惊艳。我花了整个周末学习如何换头。这令人着迷，但回想起来，这个过程复杂而繁琐。在学校放假期间，我沉浸在教程、书籍和在线论坛中。那是在2000年代，那时的互联网还远不如现在。学习进展缓慢，但到假期结束时，我感到自信，尽管我还有很多需要学习的东西。

出于某种莫名的勇气，我在报纸上看到一家餐厅招聘兼职平面设计师制作海报的广告。我申请了，参加了面试，并得到了这份工作。就这样，我踏入了设计的世界。

快进到现在。我已经近两年没有碰过Photoshop了。我的设计过程现在涉及Figma、Miro、Confluence、Slack和很多会议（在所有这些花哨的工具中，纸和笔仍然是我的最爱）。设计不再仅仅是关于像素；它是关于沟通、协调和实现业务目标。但这是另一个故事了。

我们今天使用的工具与几十年前的不同。它们现在简单、强大、易用且便宜得多。那时，进入设计领域意味着在时间、金钱和精力上的巨大投入。那是一个漫长的过程，你要花费大量资金购买行业标准的工具。结果需要很多复杂的步骤。

Adobe为专业人士和客户建立了“专业”标准，并成为了一个成功的企业。现在，这一切都变了。

如今，任何人都可以使用像Canva、FigJam和CapCut这样简便的工具进行创作。专业人士和热情的业余爱好者之间的差距变得小得多。反馈回路现在也短得多。如果你在设计公司工作，仍然需要创意总监的批准。

如果我是在二十岁出头，想学习设计的新人，过程会简短而简单得多——不需要花费数千美元或所有假期时间学习大型工具。选择一个看起来不错的工具，订阅并开始创作。几天之内，你就可以从社交媒体观众那里得到反馈。几周之内，你就可以建立自己的声誉。

作为一个在这个行业工作了二十多年的人，我对此有何感受？这很棒。它让更多的人开始设计，并意识到设计的价值。专业人士仍然能够获得应得的潜在成果或价值。

你可能会想，为什么我在AI新闻通讯中谈论设计。嗯，AI正在撼动设计行业。这些新工具使设计变得更容易、更快、更高效。AI对设计过程和其他行业起到了同样的作用。

它加快了流程，创造了更多的可能性，并在你知道如何使用它时产生了更多的价值。一些在过去十年里存活下来的专业人士可能会对AI产生强烈的反对，并感到不满，但这是不可避免的。而且这是一件好事。如果你是真正的专业人士，并对自己创造的价值充满信心，AI可以帮助你更高效、更好、更快地工作。

这是我今天的想法。

以下是我今天想分享的五件很酷的事情 🙂