Flawed by design
A graphic designer argues his job is safe from artificial intelligence. Here's why...
Letter from the Editor
Hello there! Welcome to the November 2024 issue of The Stationer.
The thought of a computer taking over the world may sound like the eerie plot of I, Robot or an episode of Black Mirror. Indeed, the ascendancy of artificial intelligence has created endless opportunities for growth. However, rather understandably, there are grave concerns about how this advancing technology poses a threat to job security.
According to a recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research, almost 8 million roles could be lost to AI in a ‘jobs apocalypse’, with women and younger workers most at risk from automation. The content and communications industries are no exception.
Some workers in marketing — who duties include writing and social media coordination — have already been made redundant as a result of AI’s impressive ability to generate text and images. Automated accounting software can also perform traditional bookkeeping tasks, which is already affecting those working in libraries, advertising agencies and publishers. And last year, German tabloid Bild — the biggest-selling newspaper in Europe — undertook a brutal €100million cost-cutting programme that led to around 200 redundancies, including sub-editors and print production staff .
But one man who is not feeling the heat is graphic designer Ben Platten, who has written this month’s feature. Read his compelling case below. Is AI changing your profession for better or worse? I would love to hear your views. As always, if you are interested in contributing to The Stationer, wish to share a job opportunity, or simply fancy having a chat, feel free to drop publisher Rob Wilding a line at robert.wilding96@gmail.com.
Enjoy the issue!
Bill Bowkett, Editor of The Stationer.
‘Artificial intelligence will never replace me’
By Ben Platten, Junior Graphic Designer at ConsultMyApp
WHENEVER I am at a gathering and reveal that I am a graphic designer, there is one recurring question that I am asked: ‘What do you make of the rise/threat of artificial intelligence?’ Honestly, it is a fair question. AI is a rather opaque thing for laymen to get their heads around. I fully admit, I am still getting to grips with it as it is constantly innovating. There are websites where you can prompt an AI to create a logo. And Squarespace has introduced AI features so you can create a ‘beautiful, personalised’ website at the touch of a button.
AI Models have existed in some form or other since the 1960s. Researchers can ‘train’ a model to recognise patterns in speech, text or images and replicate them or apply them in new contexts. This is done by collating mass amounts of training data, often without regard for copyright or ownership. Recent developments within the field of Generative AI models have captured the attention of the public with text and image outputs.
In the mid-eighties word processors were introduced. Before designs had to be laid out by hand and this could be very technical and time consuming. With these new machines the entirety of production could be done from the designers desk. The design world began wondering what makes a designer.
The thought was now anyone had access to the tools of design from beginning to end. This is true. Anyone could become a designer. But graphic design is not just a technical pursuit, it is a creative one. With this all-in-one software we were able to see a brief from concept to deliverable on our own. To paraphrase Ellen Lupton, designers became producers.
What would take a design team weeks if not months can be created, tested and implemented in days by one designer. This is not to say that the old ways have fully died out, they have just become more niche. If someone is willing to pay for hand-crafted pieces. there are studios that specialise in that. This is the way of design. Technological innovation creates new modes of creation and disrupts stagnant processes.
This is a blueprint to how AI and design will most likely interact. It will be used as a tool for idea generation. A designer will use it for research or as a catalyst for pathways, as I myself have done, the output is never an end point but a way of boosting our own ingenuity. Personally, I am not afraid AI is going to replace me. AI is a useful tool and pretty neat, but I do what it cannot: think for myself.
Ball of a time
By Annie Couldrey, Creative Director of Rebel Stationery
WHEN we were first tasked with organising the Young Stationers’ Winter Ball, we knew we really had to go for it! This was our opportunity to showcase why it is such a fantastic organisation for young people in our industries to join. So we went full pelt. With more than a few aces up our sleeve (Shakespeare, tick. The beautiful Stationers’ Hall in London, tick. Several mad hat ideas, tick), we were supported all the way by the wonderful events and management team of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, without whom it would not have been possible. The response to our requests for donations of fairy lights, pumpkins and foliage from the elder members of the Livery was wonderfully encouraging — and another example of how much support is available to our younger members when needed.
With everyone’s time, generosity and enthusiasm, we were able to transform our Great Hall into a wintry, medieval wonderland, just bursting with the magic we all imagine when diving into A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the first time. You could hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ echoing around the room when it was unveiled following the harp-accompanied drinks reception.
Katie Robinson, who just this week became a freeman of the Company, said: ‘The Midwinter Night’s Dream ball was an exceptional night - from a delicious two course meal in the beautiful hall to networking with other Young Stationers, we were spoilt for fun.’
The demand for tickets was such that there are already calls for a Christmas meet up, so stay tuned for that. We are plotting many things for the year ahead, including how to top last week. Keep an eye and an ear out for pub quizzes, beer tastings, hall tours and museum trips. And if anyone would like to be involved in our unique and ever-growing Company, or has any ideas for our next do, please get in touch with communications@stationers.org. The more the merrier.
Industry takeaways
Lord Kinnock has joined a chorus of journalists and editors warning against The Scott Trust’s potential sale of The Observer to Tortoise. Speaking to Press Gazette, the former Labour leader said he fears the media start-up — which was co-founded by former Times editor James Harding in 2018 — does not have ‘the capacity or the inclination to sustain’ the two century-old newspaper.
Writer Samantha Harvey has become the first woman since 2019 to win the Booker Prize with her science-fiction novel ‘Orbital’. Read her interview in the Daily Telegraph in which she ‘talks about success, the crisis in our literary culture and how she plans to spend her £50,000 prize money’.
Television grocer Greg Wallace will step down as a presenter on MasterChef, the show’s production company Banijay UK has revealed, while complaints made to the BBC from individuals about historical allegations of misconduct are investigated.
Children in Australia will be banned from using social media from the end of next year after Anthony Albanese’s government's world-first legislation was approved in parliament with bipartisan support. ABC has the details.
Could seaweed replace plastic packaging? Companies such as Notpla are experimenting with new ways to reduce plastic waste, The Economist reports.
Opportunities board
Literary Agent Assistant, LBA (London), — Apply by December 3
Assistant Editor, Biteback Publishing (London) — Apply by December 9
Events Managers, Women in Film & TV (Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) — Apply by December 12
Journalism Apprenticeship, i (London) — Apply by December 20
Junior Designer, Premier Comms (London) — Apply ASAP
The Stationer is edited by Bill Bowkett. Please send thoughts, feedback and corrections to bill.bowkett@btinternet.com. Follow the Young Stationers on Facebook, X and Instagram. For more information, visit www.stationers.org/company/young-stationers.