Case Study: Integrating AI in Graphic Design Education

Abstract

The rapid advancement and integration of AI tools are fundamentally transforming design education. However, the practical reality of this shift is hindered by significant challenges at the educational and operational levels. A case study on logo design was conducted in a university’s graphic design class to examine how students integrate AI into their creative process. For this project, students were tasked with redesigning a logo for an existing business, basing their justification for the redesign on the brand’s ineffectiveness in both traditional design terms and its failure to align with the company’s mission. The required design process asked students to research the brand, generate preliminary concepts using a combination of AI tools and hand-sketches, develop concept variations, and ultimately finalize a new logo. The results from the cohort of 33 students revealed a strong preference for traditional design methods and indicate that, in this educational context, human creativity, critical thinking, and sketching remain the essential origin points for innovative design work, highlighting the current limitations of AI as a primary conceptual generator.