Artificial intelligence (AI) has unlocked the world of design for millions of people who haven’t cultivated graphic design or fine art skills. They are also saving tons of time and resources for professionals who have those skills. Have you used AI to unleash your inner designer yet?
From deciding on a good resume layout to launching a global marketing campaign, a great design can make all the difference. But with thousands of AI-enabled applications to choose from, which ones are right for you?
Below, we will discuss some of the AI tools you can start using today, whether you’re or freelance designer or a large company operating at scale. Each of our selections is available for free—at least for a trial period or with basic features—so you can try them out with zero risk or obligation.
Design Everything with Canva
Canva’s popularity has risen steeply since its launch in 2023, and it’s no wonder why. It’s chock full of templates for Instagram posts, stories, and reels; YouTube videos; background and cover images; business cards; webpages; media kits; resumes; and so much more.
In September 2022, Canva launched an in-dashboard text-to-image AI generator. If you couldn’t find the right image in their royalty-free collection, you could conjure it up with a few descriptive words. Now, Canva also offers AI text-to-video generation of 4-second clips.
All of these features are available to users with free Canva memberships. Canva Pro paid memberships unlock Resize & Magic Switch options, which automatically convert your creations to different formats for streamlined branding.
A “Central Nervous System” for Content
Jasper AI topped Forbes’ 2024 list of the best AI tools for work. A self-described “central nervous system for all your content,” Jasper has tools to communicate clearly with your whole team, build single pieces of content into multichannel campaigns, create on-brand content based on what you feed it (even making suggestions if your own designs start to derail), and analyze data for market insights.
Jasper offers a 7-day free trial followed by a subscription service.
Brainstorm Ideas With Google Gemini
Gemini is an AI text generator that is great for brainstorming and generating ideas. Ask a question or enter a text prompt, and Gemini will scour the knowledge of the internet and compile the most relevant information.
How can you use a text generator in design? Enhance your marketing campaigns by describing your product or service and then asking for ad copy examples. Ask it to create an outline for your next blog post or suggest a color scheme for your project.
Don’t Pay for Stock Photos When You Can Create Them
Stock photos have long been a staple for designers. You don’t have to hire a photographer to travel or set up a scene when you can download a ready-made photo that fits your needs.
With text-to-image generators like DALL-E, buying image packages from your favorite stock photo sites may be a thing of the past. Image generators are now capable of creating photorealistic images, ClipArt, art images, and even short video clips. All you have to do is describe what you want. You can also describe changes to the image if the first one isn’t quite right. The same process works for art images for your Instagram feed or the product you’re designing.
DALL-E provides a limited number of free credits per month. Open Art, a similar service, provides a handful of sample credits. Both services offer subscriptions for additional image generation credits.
Use Comics to Attract an Audience
Many AI applications are delightfully niche. AI Comic Factory is one of them.
AI Comic Factory is a text-to-image generator with an intriguing twist—it gives you not just one image but an entire comic book page layout based on your inputs. You can select from 13 art styles and four grid layouts.
Comics are attractive to young and old alike, and using them can add a fun element to your projects.
Prompts that use well-known characters produce the most consistent results, but users should consider copyright and intellectual property laws when creating images for commercial use. You can also upgrade to a premium plan for “faster generation and character consistency.”
Embrace the Future
AI is deeply embedded in the future of technology. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and machine learning will be seen in even more consumer products—someone will be needed to design them. Image generation will be needed for all sorts of projects, including augmented and virtual reality. And someone will need to be there to sort out the messes that can arise from the misuse of text and image generators.
When you get comfortable with the AI tools that are on the market now and keep up with the latest advances, your skills will remain in demand on the cutting edge of your industry. Unleash your inner designer today and let the world see what you, together with AI, can do.
