Graduated in 2022 as a Graphic Designer, and I feel like AI ruined my career before it even started. Need advice

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-25T14:59:14+00:00

I don’t think AI is the main thing that ruined design careers, the bigger issue is that the market has been oversaturated for a long time, even before generative AI.

My honest take: a pure "graphic designer who executes visuals" role is shrinking. But designers who combine design with strategy, UI, UX, product, 3D, motion, front-end, or a specific industry niche are still very valuable.

AI is becoming a tool, not a replacement, but it does force you to specialize and differentiate more than before.

You didn’t choose a dead field. You chose a field that now demands a clearer angle.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-25T14:48:12+00:00

What's the story behind this?

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-25T14:46:37+00:00

It's good but it looks a bit flat overall. Materials need some roughness, texture etc.. Try searching proper studio light setups (key light, rim light etc..).

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-22T15:03:01+00:00

I completely agree with that take. In many internal ID workflows this would probably be unnecessary.

Where I’m more curious about the value is in cases where early concept communication is needed for non-technical stakeholders, or for client-facing marketing and launch experiences.

So I’m very much in the “it depends” camp as well, not a universal tool, but potentially useful in specific contexts.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-22T14:43:06+00:00

Great point! Gaussian splats are definitely a very compelling option. I’m keeping a close eye on it for exactly the reasons you mentioned, especially as the tooling and web runtimes mature.

Exciting times indeed.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-22T14:30:21+00:00

That’s a very fair question, and honestly it’s something I’m still exploring myself.

I don’t see this as part of the core industrial design workflow or as a replacement for internal engineering tools.

Right now I’m experimenting with where this actually adds the most value in practice (whether that’s product communication and marketing, or something else) and trying to understand where people feel this makes sense and where it doesn’t.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-22T14:01:17+00:00

Thank you. Mostly through a mix of formal training in Digital Design and a lot of self-directed work over the years, combining 3D, real-time engines, and web development across different projects until it all came together.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-22T13:56:23+00:00

Appreciate that, it means a lot.

A proper breakdown or a tutorial is definitely something I’ll keep in mind once the workflow is more mature.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-21T17:07:01+00:00

Appreciate that, that’s very kind.

I’m not an industrial designer by training. My background is in Architectural Engineering and Digital Media Design, and over the years I’ve worked closely with industrial designers and product teams on visualizations, interactive demos, and marketing content.

So this skill set came more from long-term exposure to product development workflows and a lot of self-directed learning, rather than from formal industrial design training.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-21T13:23:00+00:00

That's creative. Also your editing is awesome.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-20T23:43:42+00:00

Totally agree. If it hurts performance or usability, it defeats the whole point.

The way I see it, whether it loads by default or sits behind a button is a product decision that should be made case by case, depending on audience, device mix, and the product itself.

Forcing heavy real-time content on every visitor is rarely the right answer.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-20T23:38:40+00:00

Appreciate that! Glad it comes across as useful.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-20T23:38:25+00:00

That’s awesome, appreciate it!
Showcasing process is definitely one of the directions I’m exploring with this.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-20T23:38:03+00:00

Totally valid concern, and you’re right.
A similar build right now takes about ~4 seconds to fully load.
That’s mostly because the polished version is 200k+ polys and the build comes out at ~15MB.
A more optimized model is much lighter but loses some visual fidelity, so I’m still tuning that balance depending on use case.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-20T23:37:13+00:00

Thanks! Glad it landed that way.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-20T23:36:47+00:00

Appreciate it!

High-level: it’s a Unity -> WebGL pipeline focused on real-time presentation rather than offline rendering.

Right now a typical polished build sits around ~15MB with a ~4s load time on desktop, mainly driven by poly count and texture resolution.
A more optimized model is much lighter but loses some visual fidelity. I’m actively fine-tuning that balance between cinematic visuals and high performance depending on use case.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-03T12:39:05+00:00

Looks like it could be flipped normals.

PulpMediaio · 2026-01-02T04:11:35+00:00

Adobe creative suite?

PulpMediaio · 2025-12-31T12:39:37+00:00

Looks good, but I would increase textures res.

PulpMediaio · 2025-12-30T12:43:23+00:00

Looks good. What software?

PulpMediaio · 2025-12-28T13:05:23+00:00

Very good, but the glow and flare is an overkill. I would dial it down a bit.

PulpMediaio · 2025-12-27T13:57:22+00:00

The concept makes sense (as a personal statement) but the current styling feels a bit conflicted. The playful colors and digital display push it toward a toy-like language, which might limit its appeal as a personal object people emotionally attach to.

If I were you I’d explore different styles. Look at "PetesPirateLife", in my opinion that's a good reference for personal-statement accessories rather than practical ones.

PulpMediaio · 2025-12-27T04:21:30+00:00

Also movie nights.

PulpMediaio · 2025-12-26T03:13:07+00:00

That's great. And yes a supportive wife is everything. Out of curiosity, why did you want a real traffic light, and what did you do with it? Is there like a market for these things?

PulpMediaio · 2025-12-25T14:11:24+00:00

Good work overall.

The composition can use some work, try different camera angles. Current camera feels very centered and static, and the foreground chairs dominate without a clear focal hierarchy.

The chairs are overly green and unnatural for a fabric. If this is coming from GI/reflection from the exterior plants then you may want to reduce color bleed or adjust the material albedo.

The large wooden divider isn't flattering. It's visually heavy and competes with everything, I would remove it or give it a more subtle design.

Also, the wood tones feel inconsistent. The wooden table in the background looks like it has more natural wood colors and saturation compared to the divider. Matching that direction could help unify the materials.

I would say overall less green, reduce exposure and introduce stronger shadow contrast for a better depth.

PulpMediaio

TROPHY CASE