a client fired their designer after seeing my carousel workflow. i feel conflicted about what the tools enabled.
manage instagram for 5 clients. one client had a freelance designer doing custom carousel graphics. $800/month.
6 months ago i started producing carousels using a split workflow: hook slides in canva, content slides in Gamma (Canva alternative). the output was comparable to the designer's work.
the client noticed. "your carousels look as good. and you deliver 3x the volume." she let the designer go.
the tool didnt replace the designer directly. it enabled a non-designer (me) to produce work that made the designer feel replaceable.
this is happening quietly. not headlines about AI replacing designers. just clients deciding "good enough from a tool" is sufficient for social media carousels. the designer's best work is still superior. but the client isnt paying for "best." theyre paying for "good enough at volume."
the question i sit with: when a tool levels the playing field, who benefits and who loses?