Designer vs AI: How To Stay Employed When Midjourney Exists

Graphic design is now the 11th fastest declining job according to the World Economic Forum. Two years ago, it was a "moderately growing" field.

Freelance design work is down 5%. Earnings down similar. And one illustrator with 20+ years experience put it simply: "In 2023, it seemed like overnight all jobs from advertising agencies disappeared."

Midjourney costs $20/month. A mid-level designer costs $5,000+/month. The math is brutal and clients know it.

But here's the twist - UX/UI design is the 8th fastest growing job category. Some designers are getting wrecked. Others are thriving.

Here's the difference.

Who's Getting Replaced

Let's be real about who's fucked.

Design roles in the danger zone:

• Stock imagery creators - Midjourney generates unlimited variations for $20/month
• Basic logo designers - Fiverr + AI is a deadly combo
• Social media graphic designers - Canva + AI killed this market
• Basic illustration work - Character concepts, editorial illustrations getting automated
• Template designers - Anything formulaic or following patterns
• B-roll animators - That market "completely dried up" per freelancers
• Documentary graphics - Simple motion graphics automated

The pattern? If your design work is predictable, formulaic, or executional, AI can do it faster and cheaper.

Experienced, high-quality freelancers got hit hardest. Why? Because cheap clients just wanted "good enough" - and AI delivers that at 1% of the cost.

What AI Actually Can't Do

Good news - AI is still garbage at certain types of design. Not just worse. Genuinely terrible.

1. Taste & Design Judgment

AI can generate 100 variations. It can't tell you which one is actually good.

Taste is built from years of experiencing great design, understanding what works and why, and having aesthetic judgment. AI doesn't have taste - it has pattern matching.

This is your superpower. The ability to say "this is shit" or "this is brilliant" and actually be right.

2. Strategic Design Thinking

AI can make a logo. It can't determine your brand strategy, understand your market position, or define your visual identity system.

Strategic thinking - understanding business goals, user needs, competitive landscape - is still human territory.

3. UX Research & User Empathy

AI can't interview users. It can't observe behavior. It can't understand complex human needs and motivations.

UX design requires empathy, research skills, and understanding how humans actually think and behave. That's why UX/UI is the 8th fastest growing job while graphic design is declining.

4. Conceptual & Systems Thinking

AI generates images. It doesn't create design systems, develop brand architectures, or solve complex product design challenges.

The ability to think systemically - considering touchpoints, interactions, edge cases, scalability - that's still firmly human.

5. Client Communication & Iteration

AI can't sit in a meeting with a difficult client, translate their vague ideas into concrete direction, and iterate based on feedback.

Soft skills - communication, collaboration, presentation, justifying design decisions - these still matter immensely.

What To Do Right Now

Stop panicking. Here's your survival playbook.

If You're A Graphic Designer

The "make pretty things" job is dying. Time to evolve.

Strategy 1: Move Up The Value Chain

Stop being an executor. Become a strategist.

• Brand strategist - Define visual identity, not just execute it
• Art director - Direct AI (and humans), don't just design
• Design systems architect - Build scalable systems, not one-off deliverables
• Creative director - Concept and strategy, let AI execute

Let AI generate the variations. You bring the strategy, taste, and judgment.

Strategy 2: Pivot To UX/Product Design

UX/UI is growing while graphic design is shrinking. The market is telling you something.

Skills to develop:

• User research and testing
• Information architecture
• Interaction design
• Prototyping (Figma, Framer)
• Design systems thinking
• Product strategy

Your design skills transfer. Add research and strategic thinking and you're competitive.

Strategy 3: Specialize In Complex Work

AI handles generic design. Specialize in what's hard.

• Motion design & animation - Complex, not just B-roll
• 3D design - Product visualization, environments
• Package design - Physical products with manufacturing constraints
• Experiential design - Events, installations, environments
• Typography & lettering - Custom work that requires craft

If You're An Illustrator

This one's rough. Midjourney hits illustrators hardest.

But here's what's working:

1. Develop Unmistakable Style

AI can imitate styles. It's harder when your style is weird, unique, and signature.

Generic editorial illustration? Dead. Highly distinctive personal aesthetic? Valuable.

2. Focus On Storytelling & Narrative

AI generates images. It's shit at visual storytelling with emotional depth and narrative coherence.

Children's books, graphic novels, editorial narratives - these require storytelling ability.

3. Become The AI Director

Use AI as a tool, not competition. Generate concepts with AI, then refine with human craft.

Position yourself as someone who can deliver 10x faster using AI while maintaining quality control.

4. Build Direct Audience

Freelance client work is drying up. Build your own audience and sell to them directly.

• Patreon for supporters
• Prints and products
• NFTs (if that's still a thing)
• Art books and zines
• Teaching and courses

If You're A UX/UI Designer

You're in the best position of any designer. UX is growing, not shrinking.

How to stay ahead:

1. Master research skills - User interviews, testing, data analysis
2. Develop product thinking - Understand business, not just design
3. Build systems fluency - Design systems, component libraries, scalability
4. Learn to use AI tools - Figma AI, v0.dev, etc. - work faster
5. Focus on strategy - Why we're building this, not just how it looks

AI can generate UI mockups. It can't determine product strategy or understand user needs.

Skills To Develop Now

If you've got time to upskill, here's where to invest:

High Priority

1. AI tool mastery - Midjourney, DALL-E, Figma AI, v0.dev - use them better than competitors
2. UX research - Interviewing, testing, data analysis
3. Strategic thinking - Understanding business and user needs
4. Design systems - Building scalable, systematic approaches
5. Taste & aesthetic judgment - The one thing AI genuinely can't replicate

Medium Priority

1. Motion design - Animation, video, interactive
2. 3D design - Blender, Cinema 4D, Spline
3. Front-end development - HTML/CSS/JS basics
4. Product management basics - Understanding the full product lifecycle
5. Presentation & communication - Selling and defending work

Lower Priority (AI Already Does These)

1. Basic social graphics
2. Stock illustration
3. Template design
4. Simple logo creation
5. Icon design

Still useful to know, but don't build your career on them.

The Pricing Reality

Here's the uncomfortable truth - rates are down.

Clients know they can get "good enough" design from AI for $20/month. They're not paying $5,000 for what Midjourney delivers in 30 seconds.

How designers are adapting:

• Value-based pricing - Charge for strategy and outcomes, not deliverables
• Retainer models - Ongoing relationships vs project work
• Speed + AI - Deliver 5x faster using AI, charge mid-tier but do more volume
• Consulting over execution - Get paid for thinking, not making
• Product-based income - Templates, courses, products vs client work

The "$150/hour for Photoshop work" era is over. Evolve or starve.

The In-House vs Freelance Question

Freelance design work is getting hammered hardest. Clients are cheap and AI is cheaper.

In-house positions are more stable - but only for designers who bring strategic value.

If you're purely executional (even in-house), you're at risk. Companies realize one strategic designer with AI can do what three execution-focused designers used to do.

Safe-ish in-house roles:

• UX researchers
• Product designers (strategic)
• Design system leads
• Brand strategists
• Creative directors

At-risk in-house roles:

• Production designers
• Social media designers
• Junior/execution-focused designers

What Clients Actually Value Now

Clients don't need designers who make pretty things anymore. They need designers who:

1. Understand their business - Not just aesthetics, but strategy
2. Solve complex problems - Not just execute what they ask for
3. Bring unique taste - Aesthetic judgment AI lacks
4. Work fast with AI - Deliver more, faster, better
5. Communicate and collaborate - Translate between stakeholders

If you can't articulate why a human designer adds value beyond "making things look nice," you're in trouble.

Bottom Line

Graphic design as a pure execution craft is dying. Not "might decline." Dying.

But design as strategic thinking, taste development, user understanding, and problem-solving? That's growing.

The split is brutal: Generic designers getting replaced. Strategic designers thriving.

Your move:

1. Master AI tools - use them to work 5x faster
2. Develop strategic and research skills
3. Build unmistakable taste and aesthetic judgment
4. Shift from execution to strategy and systems thinking
5. Consider pivoting to UX/product design

Stop competing with Midjourney at making pretty pictures. Start doing the design work that requires human judgment, taste, empathy, and strategic thinking.

You've got maybe 1-2 years before the next wave of AI design tools drops. Use them wisely.