Are graphic designers weakening their own artistic talents? Are new digital tools stripping away fundamental skill sets? Are we becoming an unoriginal, regurgitated production line?
My belief has always been that “design is a great idea.” Execution is important, but the process is paramount. To generate an idea, one has to shuffle through her imagination as well as outside influences. That’s the easy part. Translating that into a clear and tangible thought, and then onto paper, is the challenge. To be able to sketch what’s in one’s own head is far more convincing than just referencing other peoples’ work.

Am I the only one who fears that the tools we use today are taking away from fundamentally important skill sets? For example, keyboards are now affecting the original art form of clear and legible handwriting. As Paul Bloom of Yale University notes, “With handwriting, the very act of putting it down forces you to focus on what’s important... maybe it helps you think better.”

To cap it off, the digital tools and programs of today are mesmerizing but poor substitutes for individuality and thought. This could be a trap into which the next generation of designers and artmakers is falling. We end up producing “robotic”, and often too similar, designs.

“No one will be able to tell a machine-man from mortal.” - 'Metropolis', film, 1927