Will AI replace graphic designers? Not the ones who adopt the tools first and attach their work to client outcomes. Andy Milligan's answer to a worried creative is that experienced designers stand to gain the most from AI, because their cost of production just dropped while their judgment did not.
The question came from a member of his network. A friend of theirs, a freelance product photographer who shoots makeup, was finding less work as companies and agencies used AI image generation to remix product shots into new scenes. It is the same question graphic designers, illustrators, and other creative freelancers are asking right now. This post is part of our resources for growing as a marketer, where Andy answers questions like this one from the Columbus community.
Will AI replace graphic designers? What the data says
The worry is not irrational. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook projects employment of graphic designers to decline 2 percent from 2025 to 2035. The same page still projects about 16,000 openings a year, on average, and reports a median annual wage of $62,960 in May 2025.
About 20 percent of graphic designers are self-employed.
Locally, the BLS May 2025 occupational estimates count 1,470 graphic designers working in the Columbus metro. And creatives are not alone in feeling uneasy. In a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. workers published in February 2025, 52 percent said they were worried about the future impact of AI in the workplace, and 16 percent said at least some of their work was already done with AI.
So the field is not disappearing, but it is not growing either. That makes how you position yourself matter more than it used to.
Andy's answer: the experienced designer is the prime beneficiary
Andy's first reaction surprised the person asking. "When I read a question like this, I think, wow, she is the one at the prime beneficiary now that her cost of production has gone down so much," he says. "It's interesting for me to hear her lens on it that she's scared of these tools when in actuality I'm excited for her."
His reasoning is about authority. A designer who has done the work by hand for years understands composition, brand, and client taste in a way a prompt does not. "If you're in a position where you have done this for a long time manually, people will be coming to you and asking for your opinion on how they should be using the tools," Andy says. "You become the thought leader."
The risk, in his view, belongs to the designer who refuses to touch the tools, not the one who learns them first.
Two moves that protect a creative career
Andy's advice comes down to two moves, and they work together:
- Pick your market: gravitate toward niches where replacement is slower.
- Pick your posture: use the tools to make yourself more valuable, not cheaper.
1. Gravitate toward niches where replacement is slower
Some buyers will not swap an expert for a tool, no matter the savings. Andy points to regulated industries. "Regulated industries like healthcare, finance, things like that. They will always be looking for experts and they would never consider taking that in-house no matter how significant the cost savings are," he says.
For a freelance designer, that means looking at clients where accuracy, compliance, and brand risk matter more than speed. Andy's own studio, MMG Design, does web and SEO work for healthcare brands.
2. Use the tools to make yourself more valuable, not cheaper
The second move is a mindset shift. Andy suggests every creative ask one uncomfortable question. "That's like the first exercise that every creative, every marketer should do is okay, how can I actually try and replace myself out of the technical side of my job?"
He admits this is hard for people who love the craft. "Believe me, I would love to sit in Figma all day, be creative, and I would get really fulfilled by doing that," he says. "But at the end of the day, it doesn't pass on value to the economy, to our clients, and if I'm not using the tools in a way that passes value onto our clients, then they shouldn't be paying me."
In practice, that means using AI to deliver faster first drafts, more variations, and more time on strategy, then charging for the outcome rather than the hours. Andy frames it as "wielding the sword in a way that actually moves you forward." For the broader version of this argument across marketing roles, read his take on AI in marketing.
Where community fits
Tools change faster than anyone can track alone. The designers who adapt fastest tend to be the ones comparing notes with peers, hearing what clients are actually asking for, and seeing which niches are still paying for expertise.
Columbus Marketing Organization is a peer community for marketers, freelancers, and service providers in Columbus, Ohio, founded by Andy Milligan. Members share leads, introductions, and job opportunities, including the weekly Columbus Marketing Jobs newsletter. If you are a designer rethinking your path, Andy's marketing career advice covers the bigger picture, and Columbus Marketing Jobs shares new creative and marketing roles every week.
The bottom line
Will AI replace graphic designers? It will replace some of the technical work, and BLS projects a small decline in the field. It is far less likely to replace experienced designers who pick niches that value expertise and use AI to deliver more for clients. Start by finding the part of your process a tool could do, then spend that time on the judgment clients cannot get from software.
Come talk it through with other Columbus creatives at an upcoming event, or join the Columbus Marketing Organization community on Skool.
If you're in a position where you have done this for a long time manually, people will be coming to you and asking for your opinion on how they should be using the tools.
Frequently asked questions
Will AI replace graphic designers?
Not entirely. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 2 percent decline in graphic design employment from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,000 openings a year. Andy Milligan argues experienced designers who adopt AI early and focus on client outcomes are the ones most likely to benefit.
Which design clients are least likely to replace designers with AI?
Andy points to regulated industries such as healthcare and finance. He says those organizations will always look for experts and would not take that work in-house with AI tools, no matter how large the cost savings are, because accuracy and brand risk matter more than speed.
How should a freelance designer start using AI?
Start with Andy's exercise: identify which technical parts of your job a tool could do, then hand those off. Use the time you save on strategy and client results. The goal is to become more valuable to clients so they pay you more, not to compete with the tools on price.
Where can Columbus designers talk through AI changes with peers?
Columbus Marketing Organization, founded by Andy Milligan, runs in-person events and an online community for marketers, freelancers, and creatives in Columbus, Ohio. Members compare notes on tools, niches, and pricing, and share leads and jobs through the weekly Columbus Marketing Jobs newsletter.
Read the video transcript
Kind: captions Language: en Andy, my friend is a freelance product photographer for makeup and is finding less work as companies and agencies use agentic AI image generation to create the kinds of images she has been creating through her studio photography and using Photoshop. For example, shooting the product on white than remixing it with in different context with AI. What should she do? This is a really interesting one. And I've had different takes on AI replacing certain industries, especially in creative. And it's funny, I listened to an Alex Horoszi quip where he had a web design agency owner come up and say almost the exact same thing, like, "Hey, Alex, what should we do? Our industry is at significant risk of being interrupted by AI. How should we prepare for this?" And while Photoshop design and mockup design is obviously a different industry than web itself, you kind of have to take a step back out and view the market on its whole. There are certain industries in which they will never be using AI tools to replace the work that they hire agencies for. regulated industries like healthcare, finance, things like that. They will always be looking for experts and they would never consider taking that in-house no matter how significant the cost savings are. It's not even the same discussion or conversation. Secondly, if your friend is a freelance product photographer and has been doing this her way for a long time, she has multiple clients, she's kind of an authority in her space, when I read a question like this, I think, wow, she is the one at the prime beneficiary now that her cost of production has gone down so much. It's interesting for me to hear her lens on it that she's scared of these tools when in actuality I'm excited for her because all the first thing I think is wow her job just got so much easier. If you're in a position where you have done this for a long time manually, people will be coming to you and asking for your opinion on how they should be using the tools. You become the thought leader and if you're adopting these tools and not scared of them, you can be the prime beneficiary, not the ones who are using it to replace you. I've also found a lot of value in taking on the mindset that how can I use my new advantage of the tools and pass that along to my clients rather than fearing the fact that they'll replace me completely. How can you use them to make yourself so valuable that people will now pay more and view you as more valuable they ever could trying to replace you with the tools? That's like the first exercise that every creative, every marketer should do is okay, how can I actually try and replace myself out of the technical side of my job? This takes a lot of focus and it's hard, especially as a creative myself, having to marry myself with outcomes rather than process. Believe me, I would love to sit in Figma all day, be creative, and I would get really fulfilled by doing that. But at the end of the day, it doesn't pass on value to the economy, to our clients, and if I'm not using the tools in a way that passes value onto our clients, then they shouldn't be paying me. That's just the way the world works. So, a combination of gravitating towards niches where replacement is slower and using the tools, wielding the sword in a way that actually moves you forward is a great mindset to