Celebrating Creativity and Innovation: A Conversation with Davide Colla on Artificial Intelligence in Visual Design

Davide Colla, a IED Milano alumnus, exemplifies how big dreams can propel one to the peak of success. After graduating in Graphic Design in 2011, his professional journey has been inspiring. Some days you'll find him in IED, where he teaches Graphics, Interaction Design, and Art Direction to the next generation of creators. Or training for an upcoming football match. He's also a IED Alumni mentor. However, most mornings, you'll find him engrossed in his work at 150UP, a flourishing digital branding studio in Milan, where he thrives as Founder and Creative Director. We asked him to share his views on artificial intelligence in the contemporary creative world with the IED Alumni Community.

How do you think artificial intelligence is changing the field of visual design?

AI is completely transforming the entire industry. Despite being a hotly debated and controversial topic, there is no denying that the ability to have such a realistic visual response to thoughts and words is revolutionary. What is even more incredible is that it is accessible to everyone. However, despite AI being a fantastic starting point, it will never be the end result. It is a tool with tremendous potential for research and visualization to support those who design; a fast and hyper-realistic way to represent one's ideas, whether through photographs, storyboards, logos, or mockups. But this is just the beginning, a sound basis for developing real projects created and followed by "real" designers.

Are there specific areas or aspects in which AI has had a more significant impact?

All fields of visual design are heavily impacted by AI. From graphic design to photography, through to web design and even copywriting. While video is still far from the quality that makes everything highly realistic, it's just a matter of months/days. As a teacher, one thing that really struck me about ChatGPT is its accuracy and timeliness in explaining how to use the software. I've tried various software, and for every problem or curiosity, I've always found comprehensive, well-explained, and very interactive answers.

As a designer, do you use AI tools firsthand? Would you like to share a concrete example of a project where you used artificial intelligence to enhance or facilitate the creative process?

For years, I had a project in mind to represent animals in an urban world. As if the real jungle were in the city, in normal everyday life situations, we turned into real animals. To implement this idea, I would have needed a really high production budget, and it would have been unthinkable to self-produce. So as soon as I discovered the existence of Midjourney, I immediately tried to visualize it, and the result really made me fall in love with this tool. This is an independent project for fun, but it's a perfect starting point to propose to clients and brands.

What are the advantages and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence into designer’s work?

One of the advantages I am finding in my everyday work is the pre-visualization of photographic projects. Often it is challenging to explain them to our clients, through the mere proposal of reference images, how we expect the final output of a shoot to be. With Midjourney, for example, I can create shots that combine subject, framing, light, and action and present it to the client to better convey the direction we want to go in. I think one of the biggest challenges is learning to strategically use prompts, i.e., the language with which we communicate with AI. Managing to find formulas that visually return an idea or lead you to find the answer you were looking for in detail.

Could artificial intelligence in any way limit creativity or, on the contrary, enhance it?

The most significant risk of AI is not replacing the professionals who perform that specific role but making people who work in the world of creativity much lazier. I hear a lot about professionals worried about losing their job because of AI. I believe that the creativity and genius that comes from our brains are irreplaceable and that the creation process of any project is something unique, one of those sparks that still make me love this job more and more. Knowing that I can receive a suggestion or inspiration to write a headline starting from a ChatGPT answer is certainly a help. However, if ChatGPT replaces the creative, then something is wrong.