There was a time when drawing by hand was the only way to think about space.
The line revealed hesitation, intention, exploration. Today, parametric
software generates a thousand variations of the same object in seconds.
The abundance is total. The judgement remains entirely human.
That is where the real issue lies. Technology does not replace the designer’s
judgement — it exposes it. When everything becomes possible, every choice becomes
a statement. Choosing a simple form in a world that can generate anything
is a far stronger act than it was when simplicity was a constraint.
The tool does not think for you
Generative artificial intelligence has shaken up design studios in recent
years. It is now possible to visualise a visual identity, a space or an object
before even asking the first strategic question. The render precedes reflection.
This is a real danger — not because the tool is bad, but because it is
seductive. A convincing image can hide an empty idea.
A designer who knows how to use these technologies without becoming their hostage gains
a considerable advantage: they think faster, explore further and communicate better.
Those who submit to them produce something indefinable — neither truly human
nor truly under control.
What technology reveals about design
In my practice — whether in leather goods, graphic design or the design
of spaces — I have observed that every new technology acts as a revealing agent.
It brings out what is sound in an approach and weakens what
rested solely on the technology of the moment.
A logo designed with real intention withstands AI. An identity built
solely around a graphic trend disappears into the stream of automatically
generated work. Technology accelerates the obsolescence of anything without substance.
Paradoxically, this is good news. It forces a return to essentials:
why does this project exist? For whom? With what precise intention?
The questions technology cannot ask on your behalf.
Towards augmented design, not delegated design
The stance I advocate is not resistance — it would be absurd to
reject tools that expand what is possible. It is conscious
mastery. Use technology as you would use a good chisel: precisely,
in the right direction, at the right moment.
Design augmented by technology can produce remarkable things —
provided that technology serves a vision rather than standing in for one.
The difference between the two is not always visible at first glance.
It becomes apparent over time.