Undergraduate Thesis

Automation in Graphic Design

Abstract

Advances in technology have had dramatic impacts throughout history on a myriad of industries outside of the technology industry itself. These changes are showcased through a brief examination of the changes within the graphic design industry since the recorded birth of the graphic. With the advent of popularized artificial intelligence seen in the modern day, many are predicting the end of graphic design. Through an analysis of current automated design products within the consumer market and a dive into the research alongside design automation professional Peter O’Donovan, it is evident that the role of the graphic designer will most likely be forced to adapt to the changing landscape. However, while the role of the graphic design professional may pivot or disappear entirely, the need for a thoughtful design will likely persist for the foreseeable future.

Takeaway

During my final year at Georgia Southern, I had the opportunity to work closely with my professors to publish an undergraduate research project. Over the course of my research, I examined cutting edge software utilizing artificial intelligence, as well as, machine learning and analyzing its current and potential future impact on the Graphic Design field. This has piqued my interest as it directly assists me in looking ahead to prepare myself for where the industry may be going and how I can do my part to push it forward.

My thesis was published and presented April 2019.

Conducting this research process helped me to learn a lot about a thesis process:

Keeping on topic while describing detailed support proved challenging as this topic could be analyzed to fill many more pages should one wish to dive into more detail.
Conducting a study was a difficulty as finding voluntary participants without incorporating a bias in your selection process may be almost impossible as "paid vs unpaid" or "long vs short" survey tactics will always push results one way or another.
I had a great experience gathering expert testimony and learned sometimes people passionate for their field are very ready to dump their wisdom to anyone willing to lend their ear- especially a student conducting research.
Research will never be perfect, but I strove for perfection and described how error may be present.
The imposter effect hit hard causing me to doubt if my work was worth publishing into the sea of professional theses. Eventually I felt confident that my first attempt at this process taught me a lot and will elevate my next attempt during my master’s program, so it created value reguardless how miniscule.

Below is my proposal form submitted to the Honors Program before conducting research.