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Elizabeth Goodspeed on why graphic designers can’t stop joking about hating their jobs

The cynicism our current moment inspires appears to be, regrettably, universal. For millennials, who watched the better-world-by-design ship go down in real time, it’s hard-earned. We saw the idealist fantasy of creative autonomy, social impact, and purpose-driven work slowly unravel over the past decade, and are now left holding the bag. Gen Z designers have the same pessimism, but arrived at it from a different angle. They’re entering the field already skeptical, shaped by a job market in freefall and constant warnings of their own obsolescence. But the result is the same: an industry full of people who care deeply, but feel let down.

I still believe in good design. Everything is designed (intentionally or not), but little is designed well. I have a soft spot in particular for graphic design since that is where I started my career.

I hope what we’re seeing is a fallow period leading into a regroup where graphic designers, in particular, can re-propose their economic worth in a world where AI has trended visual design to the mean. But it’s hard to say that will happen because culture has gone through long periods of accepting mediocre design before. It may happen again and AI, while enabling it, won’t be the core reason it happens.