Member-only story
When Everyone Feels Like a Designer
Revisiting the Relevance of the Graphic Designer Profession in the Digital Era
As a design lecturer, I’m not a graphic designer by profession. But the uneasiness felt by many graphic designers today echoes strongly in the broader design community — myself included. It’s a question that keeps coming up in conversations: Is the graphic design profession still relevant today?
You can read the Indonesian version of this article for free here
This question arises in response to the rapid rise of technologies that make it incredibly easy for anyone to create visual designs. Platforms like Canva, Figma, and print-on-demand services like Snapy or Revo offer quick, accessible solutions for people who need designs. In fact, some people know Snapy better than they know what a graphic designer actually does. Many think, “Why hire a designer when I can just make it myself?”
On the surface, this seems fair. But that’s exactly where the problem lies.
People often forget that design is not just about creating something that looks nice. Design is a way of thinking. In our world, we call it problem-solving — a strategic and thoughtful process that uses visual elements to communicate messages effectively. Dragging and dropping elements on Canva…
