AI can make images. Is design a risky career?

It depends on the kind of design. The WEF lists graphic designers among the fastest-declining jobs and UI and UX designers among the fastest-growing. Design that solves problems for real users is in a stronger position than routine image production.

Does my child need to be good at drawing?

Sketching is important for NID DAT and UCEED, and it improves with practice. Ideas and observation matter as much as polish.

Which stream is required?

Design schools generally accept students from any stream. Check the current rules for NID DAT, UCEED and NIFT.

How should my child prepare in Class 9 to 11?

Keep a sketchbook, redesign everyday things they find annoying, and build a small portfolio. Visiting a design school's open day helps too.

What kind of design has the best outlook?

Based on the WEF and ILO data we checked, product and user-experience design look stronger than routine graphic production. A designer who understands users, technology and business has the widest range of options.

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DharmaCode Agents · Future-proof careers

Designer

Product, UX and communication design. Some design work is growing fast; some is being automated. Which kind matters.

Medium AI-resistance

What the job is

Designers shape how things look, feel and work: products, apps and websites, interiors, fashion, packaging and visual communication. Product and UX designers spend much of their time understanding users and testing ideas.

O*NET's task list for commercial and industrial designers includes sketching and refining designs, evaluating ideas for safety, cost and function, and working with engineering, marketing and production teams.

How AI is changing it

Image generators can produce logos, illustrations and layouts quickly. Routine graphic production is under the most pressure.

Understanding what users need, solving a real problem within cost and manufacturing limits, and working across teams remain human design work. The WEF expects user-experience design to grow even as routine graphic work declines.

AI-resistance outlook

MediumMedium AI-resistance

The outlook depends on the kind of design. Product and user-experience work is growing; routine graphic production is among the most affected.

What "Medium" means here: AI can already help with a fair share of the work, but the core of judgement, responsibility or hands-on craft stays with people.

Why we say this

The WEF lists UI and UX Designers among the 15 fastest-growing jobs to 2030, and Graphic Designers among the 15 fastest-declining. Source: World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025, Figure 2.2.
The ILO's 2025 index places Product and Garment Designers in its 'Minimal Exposure' group, and Graphic and Multimedia Designers in Gradient 2. Source: ILO Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (2025), Table A1.
O*NET's task list for industrial designers mixes sketching with evaluation, cost and production work and teamwork across departments. Source: O*NET OnLine, Commercial and Industrial Designers (27-1021.00).

No one can promise how any career will look in ten or twenty years. This is our reading of the sources above, not a forecast for your child.

Skills to build in school

Drawing and sketching every day, on paper.
Noticing problems in everyday objects and apps, and imagining better ones.
Making things: models, posters, simple apps.
Presenting your work and taking criticism well.
Using AI image and design tools as a starting point, not the finished work.

Exams and paths in India

NID DAT
The Design Aptitude Test of the National Institute of Design, for its B.Des programme.
Official site: admissions.nid.edu
UCEED
The Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design, for B.Des at IIT Bombay and other participating institutes.
Official site: uceed.iitb.ac.in
NIFT
The National Institute of Fashion Technology runs its own entrance test for design programmes.
Official site: nift.ac.in

Rules, dates and eligibility change every year. Always check the official site before applying.

Who tends to enjoy this work

O*NET gives commercial and industrial designers the interest code ARI:

Artistic: creating, designing and expressing ideas.
Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.
Investigative: working with ideas, research and problems that need thinking through.

These are O*NET's Holland interest types for the occupation, from its Commercial and Industrial Designers page. DharmaCode's own quiz and report do not use this test.

Closest DharmaCode pattern: The Builder.

Choosing a stream first? Read how to choose a stream after Class 10, or see a sample report with ten ranked careers for one child.

Ask the DharmaCode Agent

Questions parents ask about this career. These answers were written in advance by the DharmaCode team in the voice of a DharmaCode Agent. They are not generated live.

AI can make images. Is design a risky career?: DharmaCode AgentIt depends on the kind of design. The WEF lists graphic designers among the fastest-declining jobs and UI and UX designers among the fastest-growing. Design that solves problems for real users is in a stronger position than routine image production.
Does my child need to be good at drawing?: DharmaCode AgentSketching is important for NID DAT and UCEED, and it improves with practice. Ideas and observation matter as much as polish.
Which stream is required?: DharmaCode AgentDesign schools generally accept students from any stream. Check the current rules for NID DAT, UCEED and NIFT.
How should my child prepare in Class 9 to 11?: DharmaCode AgentKeep a sketchbook, redesign everyday things they find annoying, and build a small portfolio. Visiting a design school's open day helps too.
What kind of design has the best outlook?: DharmaCode AgentBased on the WEF and ILO data we checked, product and user-experience design look stronger than routine graphic production. A designer who understands users, technology and business has the widest range of options.

A lesson from the texts

"Why still, and silent, and apart, / O hero of the dauntless heart?"

Ramayana, Kishkindha Kanda, canto 66 (Jambavan to Hanuman), translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith (1870 to 1874). Public domain.

Hanuman sat silent until Jambavan reminded him of his strength. Many creative children are quiet about their gift. A parent who notices and names it can change what the child believes is possible.

See all 20 careers

Sources on this page

O*NET describes jobs in the United States, and the WEF and ILO figures are global. Training and licensing in India differ, so treat these as signals, not certainties. This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor.