Design employers want Adobe Illustrator, InDesign AND Canva/chatgpt, experience!

[DL Signs]

Welcome to the future. I get their logic, AI saves time in the idea phase, simple basic art can be generated in seconds, for everything else you need graphic design skills to make them work or create/ redraw to get vectors.

AI is OK for web, desktop publishing, hobbyists, crafting, etc, and adds functionality for small businesses on tight budgets for general small format needs. On the complete other end of the spectrum is a graphic designer, who, usually by contract or agreement, is tasked with creating specific designs for customers, not just general art. We do the stuff where just "good enough" just isn't good enough. When one node needs to be moved a few points to the left or right, a curve adjusted, the spacing done a little different on the text, a specific color applied or changed somewhere in the design, a designer can do these tweaks and edits in vector art, where neither designer nor AI can on what it spits out. Every time you enter new prompts you get new artwork, not minor edits and tweaks your client is expecting. I've actually had clients ask right up front if we created our own vector art or did AI garbage. Many things need to be full vector for infinite scalability and editable. AI can't do that.

Large format is usually off the table with AI, because it can only output sizes and resolutions based on raster models in it's database that were scraped from web images. Most are small, and low resolution, some models came from icons. It not only can't create anything new, but it's restrictive in size and resolution because of this. It can't replace designers, and if all you have is AI to call yourself a designer, you're not one. Companies will be seeking more. I don't think we'll see AI doing vectors on command in our lifetime, too many variables that are way beyond current machine learning technology, infinite possibilities of nodes, curves, shapes, order, colors, etc, etc. It has it's place for basic art and decorations, but doesn't replace a graphic designer.

I don't need AI (even though I have a generative AI server for the geek factor), I'm old, set in my ways, started hand lettering trucks in a family body shop before child labor laws said I shouldn't have been breathing paint fumes, or putting in 12 hour days. But I will use AI to my advantage with clients. I currently have a one opening a new business, and rather than sitting with him for hours on the clock drawing out idea after idea for a logo (he didn't really have anything etched in stone), then having him look at the bill and faint, I told him to turn to AI for some ideas. He came back with a few that intrigued him, I drew a couple based on what parts of each he liked, tweaked one to his liking, he saved money, and has a working vector logo. He was so pleased that we're putting up all his new building signage next week, after that we'll be doing vehicle graphics, and more. It works when someone understands that AI can give many ideas quickly for a real designer to work with, but doesn't produce usable files for everything. If saving a client a little up front helps close deals for the bigger stuff, I'm good with using it for that.

If any designer is worried about losing their career, it ain't happening in your lifetime. The herd may get thinned because those in the professional realm will have to do it all, art, decorating, designing, AI and manually, vector and raster, and do it all cohesively. Those who make the cut and can do it all will be worth their weight in gold. One of my grand kids is learning, and even he understands this, he says he'll never abandon one way for another, he's gonna learn it all. And that's what it's going to take in the future. We will need to adapt, learn new things, but we'll never be obsolete, at least not in the foreseeable future.

AI did hit a wall recently, which is why after such a long stretch of progress you don't see many big advancements anymore, it's near the end of what it can be with current technology. It's kind of like how EV's cant evolve much right now because they hit a wall with battery technology, you can only go so far with what you have. How long will it take to move past it? Weeks, months, years, decades, never??? Who knows. It was probably 35 years ago, give or take, when I first experienced computer chess games that were almost competitive, rudementary yet buggy voice control for computers that would open and close programs, sort of. Dictation software that sort-of, almost worked... It's come a long way, but it's been about 4 decades in the making, and computer technology was also advancing fast, until it wasn't anymore. Everything is pretty much stalled today in the tech world, updates to everything aren't huge anymore, they're small, and coming slow. We're at a lull.

The bad part about AI for us professionals is timing. Right now, few of the wanna-be designers who have no formal experience or training actually understand anything about art, decorating, or designing, printing. We're tasked with trying to educate amateurs on file-types, vector vs raster, color spaces, why these cool looking things they do on their little phone screen or tablet can't be printed or used, or how it needs a different layout to fit a space, but it's not editable, all as they hand it to us with such pride that we have to shatter. Still not sure if I'm pro or con on the shattering part, it's the struggle between the good side of me and the "get off my lawn" crabby old man side.

We're supposed to solve all our problems, our client's problems, all the AI wanna be designer's problems, and it's expected we do it for nothing because AI gives it to them for free, or at worst, almost free. I can't wait till people realize generative AI and chat bots don't make you a designer, or a musician, or a writer, or a poet, that it's all just an illusion. And if statistics are correct, a few of you reprobates are currently pursuing or in active relationships with chat bots... STOP IT!

Rant over... Have a great weekend

 

[Bobby H]

Yeah, I really don't get the whole trend of people developing relationships with a chat bot. It's not real.

At best, the AI stuff is useful for brain-storming. Even in that regard it still can be frustrating to use due to the slot machine effect. Type in a text prompt and you'll get a different result every time, and you don't know exactly what you're going to get. Various companies, be it Adobe, OpenAI, etc are wanting to charge money for these services. Adobe Creative Cloud gives you only so many generative credits you can use before you have to start paying money for more.

These LLMs do indeed seem to be hitting a plateau. The gains between ChatGPT4 and ChatGPT5 are incremental, but ChatGPT5 uses a lot more computing resources and consumes a lot more electricity. The effect on utility bills is going to be a BIG problem going forward with these AI companies. Not many people like getting price gouged with their electric bill. Here in Oklahoma a state senator just filed a bill calling for a moratorium on new data centers until November 2029.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Yeah, I really don't get the whole trend of people developing relationships with a chat bot. It's not real.

Given modern relationships and all that that entails, I can actually see it. Now, maybe that will change with the latest generation (the ones not in the workforce just yet), but with the two generations before that, yea, I can easily see them going for one of these.

At best, the AI stuff is useful for brain-storming. Even in that regard it still can be frustrating to use due to the slot machine effect. Type in a text prompt and you'll get a different result every time, and you don't know exactly what you're going to get. Various companies, be it Adobe, OpenAI, etc are wanting to charge money for these services. Adobe Creative Cloud gives you only so many generative credits you can use before you have to start paying money for more.

What I worry about here is the losing of knowledge. There is not anything that "AI" does not we couldn't do. Can't really mention the efficiency of it all, because it's not (at least for those that actually should know what's going on, for the normies, yea that's something different). In that context, it's not even really good for brainstorming. While one may not think it's an issue offloading a little bit here, a little bit there with regard to what we turn over to "AI", problem is, use it or lose it. The brain (even for creative endeavours) has to be given a workout (and there are actually health benefits to that as well, but I digress) and what "AI" affords people (even assuming that the models are spitting out correct info all the time) is not the correct way. Unfortunately, for quite a lot of things the journey is just as important (if not more so) to the destination (although most customers don't really care unless it bites them in the ass).

Pretty soon, we will end up with a handful of "models" (if we are lucky) that have very little difference between them (in terms of what they render, the user facing UI maybe the only meaningful difference) and everything will just be more of the same (which for corpos is safe and what they like). And not only that, we are at the ouroboros stage of it all and I can see renders actually getting worse.

 

[jcskikus]

I've seen job postings looking for a graphic designer, but requiring some experience with Canva. I simultaneously laugh and cringe.

We have a customer whos the head of graphics at their in-house graphics dept... he requires using Indesign for EVERYTHING. They do a lot of stuff (it's for a casino) and we do a lot of signs for them. I was really surprised by this. We had a row about what is the correct software for what... in the end, I guess as a creator, you have to use what the boss wants you to use. adaptability.

I've had the same thing when getting files from Subaru. All promotional ads, whether it be those LOVE car wraps, 20'x80' banners, to retractable banners are all designed using InDesign. It gets annoying at times.

 

[pro-UP]

Yeah, I really don't get the whole trend of people developing relationships with a chat bot. It's not real.

At best, the AI stuff is useful for brain-storming. Even in that regard it still can be frustrating to use due to the slot machine effect. Type in a text prompt and you'll get a different result every time, and you don't know exactly what you're going to get. Various companies, be it Adobe, OpenAI, etc are wanting to charge money for these services. Adobe Creative Cloud gives you only so many generative credits you can use before you have to start paying money for more.

These LLMs do indeed seem to be hitting a plateau. The gains between ChatGPT4 and ChatGPT5 are incremental, but ChatGPT5 uses a lot more computing resources and consumes a lot more electricity. The effect on utility bills is going to be a BIG problem going forward with these AI companies. Not many people like getting price gouged with their electric bill. Here in Oklahoma a state senator just filed a bill calling for a moratorium on new data centers until November 2029.

There was an article in the Wired that discussed the limitations of these LLMs. It feels like the scenario of the emperor has no clothes. They are trying to convince themselves and each other of their greatness, while at the same time acknowledging they need guardrails because the hallucinations will not stop. It's a solution seeking a problem to solve. This seems perfectly encapsulated in the sunk cost fallacy. I would imagine there is utility in the LLMs, I'm no computer scientist or engineer and couldn't guess what they may be, but the amount of work done would have to have some sort of good use case. Another article I read recently discussed that it's mathematically impossible to improve them because there is no more data to train on. (I can't recall that one or I would share it.)

This being said duck.ai has been a useful tool for improving business communications. It will rephrase and offer suggestions. Half the time I keep what I started with but occasionally I'll use the output provided.

The Math on AI Agents Doesn’t Add Up

A research paper suggests AI agents are mathematically doomed to fail. The industry doesn’t agree.

www.wired.com

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Another article I read recently discussed that it's mathematically impossible to improve them because there is no more data to train on. (I can't recall that one or I would share it.)

Ironically, they are feeding off themselves as well. Some of that data is from the renderings of other models (or the same, "model collapse"), so we are going to be seeing a lot of even more sub par results because of that.

 

[Bobby H]

That's the "snake eating its own tail" -which is something some of the AI experts warned about. The artificial intelligence isn't really intelligent after all.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

That's the "snake eating its own tail" -which is something some of the AI experts warned about. The artificial intelligence isn't really intelligent after all.

Yes, we are at the ouroboros stage of it all. Given how it "learns" this should have been a concern for the normies, if they actually paid attention instead of just doing their slop memes (and I like a good meme, but this just goes to show that quantity != quality). But considering how people thought that Win 10 was the last Windows version when it had an EOL since the very beginning, I might have been hoping too much.

What passes for "AI" now, is just excuse for people to be lazy (offload work to "AI" in the name of efficiency) or cheap (cutting down on staff).

EDIT: A little interesting read to go further on this topic of "AI". Article.

 

[Stacey K]

I was talking with my friend last week and she's the HR for a large warehouse branch. They have some kind of HR AI software they are requiring her to use which "listens" to disciplinary conversations she has with employees then based on the employees answer it generates what she should say based on WI state law and the employee handbook. She hasn't been using it because she's old school and headquarters warned her if she didn't get with times and start using it, she will end up out of a job. She's a little concerned she might not make it to retirement before being replaced.

I did see on TT some guy who was "an employee" of an AI company and he had full blown conversations with the AI HR department. I'm sure he was just a tester for the software. Not sure if it was real or fake but the AI HR certainly knew the rules and laws but was unable to decipher slang and human reactions correctly. The guy called one of his AI coworkers a "clanker" and got into trouble but the "clanker" had called him something derogatory also but the AI HR was unable to decipher it as derogatory.

I guess we aren't the only ones that are being forced into the AI world.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I was talking with my friend last week and she's the HR for a large warehouse branch. They have some kind of HR AI software they are requiring her to use which "listens" to disciplinary conversations she has with employees then based on the employees answer it generates what she should say based on WI state law and the employee handbook. She hasn't been using it because she's old school and headquarters warned her if she didn't get with times and start using it, she will end up out of a job. She's a little concerned she might not make it to retirement before being replaced.

I did see on TT some guy who was "an employee" of an AI company and he had full blown conversations with the AI HR department. I'm sure he was just a tester for the software. Not sure if it was real or fake but the AI HR certainly knew the rules and laws but was unable to decipher slang and human reactions correctly. The guy called one of his AI coworkers a "clanker" and got into trouble but the "clanker" had called him something derogatory also but the AI HR was unable to decipher it as derogatory.

I guess we aren't the only ones that are being forced into the AI world.

I got to say that if the HR business isn't too concerned with developing their own skill set to be able to think for themselves, I think it's time for HR to take a powder.

The thing with "AI", is that it's programmed with certain proclivities (and some of which tend to be on the delicate doily side of things) and it's going to miss a lot. This is where it's going to be to have that human/human interaction.

"AI" isn't really "AI". It's just easier to sell that it terms of marketing to the normies. And plus, a lot of companies are banking that this is going to be a thing. I doubt it will go anywhere, but trying to shoehorn it everywhere is just going to lead to a cluster.

 

[RighteousDude]

asking for someone experienced in all of this just shows someone that can adapt, I don't think it insinuates that the design employee will be asked to use these things on a regular basis... whether we like it nor, ai is here to stay and it's a great time saver in brainstorming, so understanding good prompting is useful. As for canva, it's garbage but there is a high rate of customers that use it to design for themselves and when it comes time for production, the designer needs to know how to get into canva and pull that design out in proper format (or as best possible with canva's limitations) so that's obviously useful knowledge to have experience using canva. Adobe is the devil, but it's consistently the most used design software in our industry so obviously they would want experience there. I might add that having experience in Corel and Affinity is a plus, though not necessary. I'd argue that indesign is probably the least useful out of all this software with regards to sign and branding design... it should really only be used for stationery type layouts such as brochures, pamphlet/booklets, magazines or entire book publishing.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

asking for someone experienced in all of this just shows someone that can adapt, I don't think it insinuates that the design employee will be asked to use these things on a regular basis

If the products are useful, I would agree with this. But there is at least two pieces of technically there that are actually limited

... whether we like it nor, ai is here to stay and it's a great time saver in brainstorming, so understanding good prompting is useful.

Ironically, one is going to have to be well versed in order to be able to handle when "AI" goes off the rails (and it will) and if one is at that point, it actually waste more time compared to where it saves. If it takes me a few prompts to render something, but it takes me 4 hrs to clean it up to where it's usable versus only 2 hrs to actually have done it myself, what good is it? Although, like most things, the more people offload to this (brainstorming etc), creativity (as well as a lot of other things) needs to be constantly practiced, use it or lose it. I imagine most people, even if they are fully capable, are going to offload more and more to it and at some point will actually need it at that point. If the services goes down are they going to be able to handle it and still get "stuff" done?

As for canva, it's garbage but there is a high rate of customers that use it to design for themselves and when it comes time for production, the designer needs to know how to get into canva and pull that design out in proper format (or as best possible with canva's limitations) so that's obviously useful knowledge to have experience using canva.

Canva is the one that I would say is the least appropriate and the reason being is that it's on the web platform. Even it's so called "native" builds are really just webviews to connect to their servers. That "sandboxing" inherently has some issues. It does not handle printing all that well, it's output is mainly for screens, certainly large format printing is going to be a concern. The efforts that the paid users have to do to even remotely be able to use system fonts is a big one (and while most users don't care about the licensing of fonts (and some even on here don't), that does present issues as well as most do not allow for that type of sharing period or if they do, it really bumps up the cost of the fonts). For hobbyists/DIYers, maybe, I would still say Inkscape would be a better choice (or even the free version of Affinity (from the same people as Canva now), especially since printing workflows are being worked on, I can't say the same for Canva.

Adobe is the devil, but it's consistently the most used design software in our industry so obviously they would want experience there. I might add that having experience in Corel and Affinity is a plus, though not necessary. I'd argue that indesign is probably the least useful out of all this software with regards to sign and branding design... it should really only be used for stationery type layouts such as brochures, pamphlet/booklets, magazines or entire book publishing.

Adobe has gone from a vendor of software for creatives to an "AI" data collection company (as most have). While it does have history and can't really discount that and the pipeline that people have built around it, it's also one with the most alternatives, so if being able to be proficient in any software called upon to be proficient in, this would be the time to show that it can be done.

As much as I despise "AI" (or what passes for it), I do agree that it isn't going anywhere, however, unless it really has a "glow up", it's really just an high level abstraction that enables people that really couldn't otherwise hang with the big boys. While yes it would still take longer, I firmly subscribe to the quantity != quality (and we are seeing that as the fruits of "AI" already).

 

[pro-UP]

Something I ran into today was how insurers, specifically Berkley's, specifically is excluding coverage for anything done with ai. There is a short video that summarizes this issue as well. "Pivot to ai"

It may well be a boon to the insurers if they can duck claims that included ai in the "workflow" of the business. This will put businesses in a tough spot. Deny ai to retain coverage, advertise ai to gain market share and customers.

 

[DL Signs]

Something I ran into today was how insurers, specifically Berkley's, specifically is excluding coverage for anything done with ai. There is a short video that summarizes this issue as well. "Pivot to ai"

It may well be a boon to the insurers if they can duck claims that included ai in the "workflow" of the business. This will put businesses in a tough spot. Deny ai to retain coverage, advertise ai to gain market share and customers.

Saw a couple of articles recently that said insurance companies were turning to AI to review, and basically find ways to deny claims. Yet if AI is used in the workflow it's disqualified from coverage.
Does anything really make sense anymore???

 

[Bobby H]

I still think "AI" is due for a big come-down.

The price valuations of these AI-related companies are ridiculous, particularly OpenAI. So that's one problem.

Politically, these AI-related data centers are quickly turning into a big problem. Angry backlash from voters is worsening. The backlash spreads across party lines. No one likes seeing the price of their electric bill or water bill spike. Companies wanting to build these data centers are expecting local city council people to just automatically offer up big tax incentive deals. That's despite the fact many of these data centers employ minimal staff and may yield a net negative effect on a town's local economy.

It looks like at least some companies are having buyer's remorse for aggressively adopting AI and slashing their human work force. This AI stuff is not perfect at all. A law firm that fired its paralegals and leaned on AI might find the resulting documents are riddled with errors. Humans have to come to the rescue to proofread and repair the work.

Adobe is the devil, but it's consistently the most used design software in our industry so obviously they would want experience there. I might add that having experience in Corel and Affinity is a plus, though not necessary. I'd argue that indesign is probably the least useful out of all this software with regards to sign and branding design

I try to recommend Affinity to DIY/amateur users who want to take a crack at making their own artwork, especially now that the desktop application can be used for free. The Affinity art files can be more useful and production-ready than the junk Canva routinely outputs. But the new app combined the Designer, Publisher and Photo apps into one thing, which makes it easier for amateur users to go down the wrong path if they don't understand the basic difference between pixels and vectors.

Despite improvements to Affinity Designer in recent years and the recent move to make it free (as a loss leader to get people to sign up for a Canva AI subscription) I'm still not seeing any afdesign files from clients.

Proficiency with CorelDRAW can be useful for someone to have on their resume. But that is only going to appeal to employers in specific fields where CorelDRAW still has a strong presence -like the sign industry, embroidery and screen printing.

InDesign has its uses. I would say anyone wanting a job composing pages in a newspaper or magazine publication would need InDesign experience (plus Illustrator and Photoshop). InDesign isn't so great for sign design purposes. The PDF files it generates are not at all friendly to open and edit in Illustrator.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Politically, these AI-related data centers are quickly turning into a big problem. Angry backlash from voters is worsening. The backlash spreads across party lines. No one likes seeing the price of their electric bill or water bill spike. It looks like at least some companies are having buyer's remorse for aggressively adopting AI and slashing their human work force. This AI stuff is not perfect at all.

There have been a lot of things that business have pushed through that helped their bottom line (some of which people may agree with, because of how it was used as a "trojan horse", but I digress on that one) . There are a lot of things that have wide citizen support that don't quite go the way that you would think that they would go. There is going to be some use of it somewhere. It doesn't help that we are in the "Wild West" phase of it all, but at some point that will be tempered.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like it, not at all, but I don't see it going away either. Will there be a reckoning? Hopefully, but I don't think it will be to the level that most would like.

A law firm that fired its paralegals and leaned on AI might find the resulting documents are riddled with errors. Humans have to come to the rescue to proofread and repair the work.

We have already had issued of lawyers getting sanctioned for using it in various trials (one I think was for a hearing to keep a person in jail). I worry a lot when it gets in the medical field (of course, I worry a lot about the medical field in ancillary concerns giving what nurses are posting out there, but I digress).

Critical thinking, which is already an endangered skill for so many, will be non existent. If people look at the evolution of tech itself, as things got easier to use, more abstracted for the user, the less users were actually able to do on their own. Automation has it's place, but this isn't actually going to help the workforce, this just allows for companies to have a rotating door of employees (while depressing the wages), at least on it's face. Why do you think that companies are mandating "AI"s use? I even saw where GOG (for the gamers out there) is wanting a C++ dev, but part of their job is to help and enhance "AI" acceptance in the business.

 

[Bobby H]

The speculative bubble related to AI that global investors have inflated is going to pop. It isn't a matter of "if," it's a matter of when. The bubble will pop eventually. Actual revenue from real customers doesn't match up with these sky high stock valuations. The math ain't mathing. The situation isn't quite the same at the dot-com boom/bust cycle in 1999. But conditions are in place for the stock market to crash every bit as bad since so much of the run-up in the last couple years has been all due to AI.

Even if companies like OpenAI crash and burn some of these AI-related tools will survive. The AI style thing I use most often is the Generative Fill feature in Photoshop, mainly to remove certain distracting elements from an image. The feature definitely works a lot better than the Content Aware Fill feature. But it comes at the cost of a generative credit each time you use it. Creative Cloud subscribers get only so many credits per month before they have to pony up extra cash for more.

But those AI style functions rely on those data centers that are drawing increasing amounts of hatred from anyone who lives near them. That presents another problem for these American companies doing AI stuff. Their LLMs aren't efficient at all. ChatGPT5 is only marginally better than ChatGPT4 yet requires a hell of a lot more compute resources. Reportedly some of the rival LLMs from China are just as good yet consume a mere fraction of compute resources; the LLM's can run on cheaper hardware or do a lot more work when using top of the line hardware.

Critical thinking, which is already an endangered skill for so many, will be non existent.

The American government and American society will pay very severe, existential consequences if AI-tech is allowed to devalue job skills in all sorts of fields from computer software engineering to graphic design. Our computing systems will be more vulnerable to black hats who haven't let their coding skills perish. If AI ruins the value of creativity it will end America's dominance in driving world popular culture via its movies, TV shows and music. The far worse problem would be the widespread economic damage AI could cause by eliminating tens of millions of white collar jobs.

It might not be such a bad thing to see a lot of people re-train for blue collar jobs. But America's demographics situation is already in a bad state. The cost of parenthood isn't coming down either. If we want to allow a small number of tech bros strip-mine the American economy for their personal gain what we'll end up with 20 years from now is a rapidly aging and completely financially broke nation vulnerable to military invasion from emerging super powers in Africa. Nations with the most youth are going to have all the power in the future. Africa is the only place is the world where demographics aren't heading into some kind of high priced decline. I think the situation in America is funny in a dark, macabre way since wealthy, likely bigoted people helped create this situation where parenthood in America is increasingly a life style choice affordable only to high income earners. Yeah, go ahead with that. But the cost over time is a country not having the manpower it needs to defend itself.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

The speculative bubble related to AI that global investors have inflated is going to pop. It isn't a matter of "if," it's a matter of when.

I think with governments involved and using these things as rallying cries will probably lessen the blow at the cost of our money though.

If AI ruins the value of creativity it will end America's dominance in driving world popular culture via its movies, TV shows and music.

It amazes me when you mention movies, TV and music, yet video games eclipse them all, COMBINED, and no mention of video games. Plus the cultural impact of said games. I'm a Gen Xer and they were still a big deal back in my day, actually started to blow up big.

However, creativity has taken a nose dive even without "AI" and this is the reason why some normies what "AI", is because the avenues of culture have already been degraded. We have people that haven't experience life, don't really know what things are like in the real world and they are writing our entertainment (plus they don't respect the lore of what came before). They don't like stories that actually appeal to everyone, they just want to tell the story that they want to tell and more often, it's not a good one (also given that reading/writing has taken a nose dive in school, isn't helping as well). I imagine that we will have more fragmented culture. The likelihood of a Beatlemania is probably nonexistent for future generations, unless it really happens organically. Which might be a better thing.

The far worse problem would be the widespread economic damage AI could cause by eliminating tens of millions of white collar jobs.

Lessening the salary started long before, the erosion if you will. Once the customer based doubled and the hiring pool doubled as well, that raised cost of goods and contracted wages. That and at least one other thing (which would be a very divisive topic) also contributed to what we are going through.

The cost of parenthood isn't coming down either.

There are so many factors that go into this issue (some of which I know will drive some people up the walls my even mentioning). It isn't the straight cost of parenting. Have the dynamics of men/women (shoot, it's hard for people to define those (which has other issues as well, the irony) even with basic biology (yes, one of my degrees is in a hard science (reproduction at that as well, just equine)). There has been a long concerted effort to push college first (something that isn't necessary for 90-95% of the jobs out there from a realistic standpoint (and some are doing away with that requirement for a variety of reasons from jobs that don't need them, one of which not good for colleges)), that already puts a strain on family and adds to the cost, get into geriatric parents that tends to mean different needs, more expensive needs. But that also adds into the cost of college that will probably still be paying on while trying to start a family. A lot of that is due to how college loans are handled and colleges (like with institutions that deal with insurance) jack up the prices, because they know for the majority of people are paying via loans. Thankfully, I never had loans, worked my ass off, but never had loans.

Along with that push for college first, need to have college in order to do something with your life, there was a damning of blue collar jobs. Even though, when shit hits the fan, it's those blue collar jobs that come to the rescue. Oh the irony. Even just having some of that type of knowledge can help one survive without needing to depend on the help of others a little bit longer. Being an aggie is often used as a pejorative, yet my family tends to survive just fine when the weather acts up or people have a run on supplies because there is a disruption of the supply chain for whatever reason. Even though I did go to college (although still went for aggie related (2 out of 3* degrees are ag related)), the one thing that I always didn't like is the damning of the blue collar jobs.

In actuality, if people weren't always trying to live the high life, some things would be more affordable. It's called "living within your means", most young people especially have forgotten about that and with some of the mentality that the younger generation has, it isn't going to help them in the long run.

This is a very big topic, certainly going to get a lot of TLDR'ing to it and there are a lot of things that people aren't going to like being brought up that have contributed to this mess, but they were wrapped up and sold as something else. Something good and it's biting us in the ass, because even though it may have had it's place, it was abused.

 

[Ron at Forest Litho]

I get art from clients that they made in Canva or Powerpoint (or on some online printers website and they they saved a screen image of it). It's usually some sort of RBG garbage, but sometimes they unknowingly made it is such a way that a good image to use can be extracted. It's almost always a work-around because most of those type of programs have no facility to export a high res CMYK output or to even work in CMYK (or it's secretly hidden in the program and the novice user cannot find it.) If not, and its not too complicated, I load their crappy image into Coreldraw and recreate it on the layer above. Then I have a vector image of it!

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I get art from clients that they made in Canva..

It's usually some sort of RBG garbage, but sometimes they unknowingly made it is such a way that a good image to use can be extracted.

It's almost always a work-around because most of those type of programs have no facility to export a high res CMYK output or to even work in CMYK (or it's secretly hidden in the program and the novice user cannot find it.)

CMYK is linked to those that have Pro accounts (yet another thing behind a paywall, really that "free" isn't all that great). Keep in mind as well, since Canva is on a web platform, they also need to use CMYK friendly RGB colors as there will be shifting when exporting to that CMYK output for the Pro users (good luck with that explanation to the normie user). Which is understandable as Canva is, again, built on a web platform (even their "native" builds are really just webview wrappers to call their server).

Right now, Affinity's (ironically now owned by Canva) free version would be better (I think the only thing behind a paywall there is the "AI", which designers should be able to work around without that, harder to work around CMYK renders or lack thereof (again, listing of this programs for experience is only good if the programs are on equal footing and they really aren't)). Even Inkscape would be as well once their "New Color System" refactor is done.