Noticed something in our industry thats been bugging me: designers are increasingly responsible for writing copy, not just designing around it
used to be: copywriter writes the words, designer designs the layout. clear division. now especially at startups and small agencies, the designer IS the copywriter. and thats where AI writing tools come in
my experience with using AI for design copy:
- landing page headlines: AI is genuinely good at generating 20 variations quickly. i pick the best one and refine it. saves tons of time
- microcopy (button text, error messages, tooltips): AI handles this well because its pattern-based. “sign up” vs “get started” vs “create account” - AI can generate these options efficiently
- brand voice copy: this is where AI fails hard. trying to write copy that captures a specific brands personality, humor, values? AI produces generic professional-sounding text every time. needs heavy rewriting
the dilemma: AI writing tools make designers CAPABLE of producing copy. but should we be doing it? are we taking work from copywriters? are we producing worse copy and getting away with it because clients dont know the difference?
and the quality question: is AI-assisted copy from a designer better or worse than human copy from a professional copywriter? because in my experience the answer is “worse, but cheaper and faster, which is what clients actually optimize for”
designers who write your own copy: do you use AI tools? which ones? and do you think this trend of designer-as-copywriter is good or bad for the industry?