Framer Founder: This Is What Designers Need to Focus on in Age of AI

It has never been easier to make a website or graphic with AI tools, but Jorn van Dijk, the cofounder of AI website builder Framer, says designers still need to put in some grunt work to stand out in the field.

Van Dijk told Business Insider that designers must nurture their sense of taste as they develop their careers.

“Taste and quality go hand in hand. With AI, it’s super easy to make something sloppy very fast. That’s why it’s called AI slop,” he said.

“A way to stand out is to focus on quality and making something unique to yourself, to the individual, and to the brand,” he added.

This is critical for businesses, which rely on their designers to develop a brand that “people like to engage with and get excited about,” van Dijk said.

“That is increasingly hard and not easy to do,” he said.

To refine one’s taste, van Dijk said designers should go back to the basics and “hone your hard skills.” That involves getting practice with tools to create good design and producing more work.

“Do a lot of exploration, make a lot of mock-ups, make a lot of icons, draw a lot of logos,” van Dijk said.

“What worked 10 years ago is probably still true today. It’s just that the tools have changed, and we can leverage AI to do better work,” he added.

Van Dijk started Framer in 2014 with his cofounder, Koen Bok. The company has over 130 employees and is based in Amsterdam, per PitchBook. In August, Framer raised $100 million at a $2 billion valuation in its Series D funding round.

Van Dijk and Bok cofounded Sofa in 2006, a software company that made apps for Apple’s MacBooks. Meta acquired Sofa in 2011, and the pair worked as product designers at the social media giant between 2011 and 2013.

Van Dijk told Business Insider that AI can benefit many creative fields, such as graphic design and film, but it hasn’t leveled the playing field between professional artists and the average person.

“It’s never been easier to create good video, but I haven’t really seen the amount of amazing videos or ads skyrocket because of that,” he said.