CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GRAPHIC DESIGN
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
CHAMPAIGN IL
Jena Marble is a graphic designer, art director, and clinical assistant professor of graphic design at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign whose research focuses on emerging trends in generative AI and its impact on design. With extensive experience across industry, academia, and government, she has worked with clients including Arizona State University, Baylor, Kohl’s, the National Institutes of Health, Toyota, the US State Department, USAID, and Vienna Beef.
Through her creative practice, Marble Made, Jena brings her expertise to small, women-owned businesses, specializing in custom brand identity design. When not designing, she can be found listening to audiobooks with a single headphone in, writing unique creative briefs at Creative Cues, and dreaming about Don Draper’s conversation pit.
LOOKING FORWARD TO 2025, ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT YOUR DESIGN PRACTICE/BUSINESS? MORE GENERALLY, ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC THAT GRAPHIC DESIGN WILL CONTINUE TO BE RECOGNIZED AS BRINGING VALUE TO THE TABLE IN COMMERCE AND CULTURE?
Advancements in digital tools are revealing the value of graphic design with remarkable clarity, showing why human creativity matters more than ever. As we navigate through the sea of AI-generated content (remember that viral shrimp Jesus?) I believe a renewed appreciation for human craftsmanship will emerge.
Yes, generative AI offers exciting new possibilities for exploration and efficiency, however designers offer something machines cannot easily replicate: the combined application of technical proficiency, creativity, and complex problem-solving abilities. Human designers, with our unique blend of emotion, intuition, cultural understanding, and professional experience will continue to be invaluable to businesses that care about authentic storytelling and purposeful brand experiences.
HOW DO YOU SEE AI AND OTHER EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IMPACTING THE FUTURE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN? ON CREATIVITY? PRODUCTIVITY? EMPLOYMENT?
As designers, we’re already adept at using various tools to brainstorm and ideate before creating that first artboard in Illustrator. Generative AI has the potential to become an important part of this creative process. Tools like Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini can act as collaborators, helping to explore historical influences, connect cultural threads, and bring deeper meaning and intention to our design choices.
When we approach these technologies with responsibility and transparency, when we lead the way while maintaining autonomy and creative direction, we are empowered to solve problems in thoughtful and novel ways. That’s what humans do best.
