PEOPLE AND CULTURE
The intersection of artificial intelligence and graphic design is rapidly reshaping the creative landscape, opening new doors while posing fresh challenges for designers worldwide. Heer Mandalia, a seasoned graphic designer currently at NBCUniversal, stands at the forefront of this transformation. Drawing on over thirteen years of creative experience—six of those in professional roles spanning branding, digital, and print design—Heer Mandalia offers valuable guidance to designers seeking to thrive amidst the rise of AI technologies.
From her humble beginnings discovering photography at sixteen with an iPhone 4 and a family digital camera, Heer’s journey epitomizes a lifelong curiosity and adaptability—qualities crucial in the swiftly evolving AI era. Beginning with a foundation in photography, Heer Mandalia expanded into graphic design, where her passion for creating impactful visual narratives solidified. Today, as a key designer for NBCUniversal, Heer develops advertising campaigns for market-leading brands like BMW, Uber Eats, Audible, and Target, bridging creative vision with business objectives in a digitally intensified world.
Here, Heer Mandalia shares her top four tips for graphic designers intent on leveraging AI as a tool for innovation rather than a threat to their craft.
- Embrace AI as a Collaborative Partner, not a Replacement
One of Heer’s foundational beliefs is that AI should be harnessed as an augmentative tool—one that enhances human creativity instead of replacing it. “AI can handle tedious tasks like resizing, generating variations, or even preliminary concept ideation, which frees up time for designers to focus on the conceptual depth and emotional impact of the work,” she explains.
For Heer Mandalia, this means integrating AI-driven software to quickly prototype layouts or generate initial palettes, then applying human judgment and intuition to refine ideas….
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