Unless you have a suuuper AI-proof service like maintenance. You need to think about your strategy for 2027 as a freelancer/agency.
A simple way you can adapt is by:
>>Stacking Services
Stack 2 or 3 that naturally flow from your main service (smtg clients have asked you before).
Use the tools to deliver. That's the whole idea. You have better tools today than 2 yrs back which make it infinitely easier.
The "focus on 1 thing" gimmick isn't going to help.
Has AI killed design jobs?
No. I don't think so.
At the end of the day, AI is still (yes still) a tool. You need someone to actually operate it.
It's easy to say that a tool can replace an entire team. But if you don't know what goes into the work done, it's hard to make that assumption.
And it's the same with design.
You still need someone who understands what they're trying to achieve, provides direction, makes decisions and actually knows how to use these tools to get the desired...
...desired output.
And that's what this major "shift" is more about.
It is changing how much a designer can do.
So a more accurate way of putting this:
"Designers who use AI to produce good work in significantly less time, or produce a higher volume of work, will replace designers who don't leverage AI."
Because I do understand the benefits of AI, and we can't ignore how much these tools are improving.
Has AI killed design jobs?
No. I don't think so.
At the end of the day, AI is still (yes still) a tool. You need someone to actually operate it.
It's easy to say that a tool can replace an entire team. But if you don't know what goes into the work done, it's hard to make that assumption.
And it's the same with design.
You still need someone who understands what they're trying to achieve, provides direction, makes decisions and actually knows how to use these tools to get the desired...
- Restaurants have no moat.
- Anyone can vibecook their own meal.
- You can build your own burger at home at a fraction of the cost it takes you to get it from a restaurant.
- If a restaurant builds a really good recipe, copycats will instantly reverse taste it and steal it.
Restaurants are dead.
A few months back, I built the website for a 7-figure construction firm.
They had just finished their branding and were ready to launch their site.
But Most B2B owners treat their website like a simple checkbox to tick once the logo is done.
That is a missed opportunity...
You don't owe anyone 24/7 access to you.
Early in my freelance journey, I'd complete client requests within minutes as long as I wasn't asleep. But over time, I realised that's not a moat.
And now I acknowledge and let the client know when I'll get them done.
Speed is great, but this subconciously trains clients to expect the same every time.
And if you're not mindful, this can very easily disrupt your work and personal time.
Be sustainable.
If you manage a website, do this atleast once every month (you don't have to be technical)
>> Open google analytics
>> Select the **correct** account
>> Open advisor on top right (usually next to profile picture or help icon)
>> Ask "what are my top 3 traffic sources this month", "what are my most visited pages", "how many key events do I have this month" (if you setup custom events)
This should give you an idea on what sources you can focus on & how you can improve key pages.
Seeing a lot of Webflow to Astro migrations. Sad.
Also seeing a lot of WordPress to astro migrations. Sad but hit me up if you need help moving your site :)