01 / Dear AIGood design isn't just about making something look nice.
It's about knowing what happens next.
A beautiful image on screen is only the beginning.
What happens when it needs to become a brochure?
A poster?
A vehicle wrap?
A printed report?
That's where experience matters.
AI can create the image. But can it prepare the artwork?
Generative AI has changed the way designers work.
It can help create concepts, explore ideas and speed up parts of the creative process.
But there's a difference between creating an image and creating a finished piece of design.
A printer doesn't receive a prompt.
They receive a file.
And that file needs to work.
The things AI doesn't automatically know
A production-ready design still needs human judgement.
Resolution
A beautiful AI-generated image might look perfect on screen.
But print has different rules.
A 72dpi image that looks sharp on a laptop can quickly fall apart when enlarged for print.
Understanding image resolution means knowing:
where an image will be used
what size it needs to be
whether the quality will hold up
Colour
Screens and printers don't see colour the same way.
RGB is designed for light-emitting screens.
CMYK is designed for ink.
A design that looks perfect digitally may shift when printed.
Knowing when and how to manage colour is part of delivering reliable design.
Bleed and artwork setup
A printer needs more than a pretty page.
They need artwork prepared correctly.
That means understanding things like:
bleed
crop marks
safe areas
packaging files
PDF standards
Small details that make the difference between a smooth production process and a last-minute problem.
The role of AI in design
I don't see AI as a replacement for designers.
I see it as another tool.
Used well, it can remove repetitive tasks, speed up exploration and give creative teams more time to focus on the things that matter.
But judgement still comes from experience.
Knowing what works.
Knowing what doesn't.
Knowing what questions to ask before something goes to print.
The future isn't AI versus designers
It's designers who know how to use AI.
The best creative work will still need people who understand:
audiences
accessibility
production
communication
the real-world context a design needs to work in
Because good design isn't finished when it looks good.
It's finished when it works.
Faster work. Same human judgement.
Written by Steven Bannister
Graphic designer specialising in accessible design, with 20+ years' experience across print, digital and brand projects.