A BANDWAGON ?
First it was crypto, then NFTs, now its AI. Each new innovation promised to make lives better, yet somehow the world feels more depressing and soul-less than ever before. Maybe it's because we have lost our sense of individual identity. We bend with the wind instead of standing for something meaningful.
My issue isn't with progress, it's when society points fingers at those who choose to maintain their own creative identity. I am not losing mine.
THE LAST HUMAN DESIGNER.
I am Rahil H. - The Last Human Designer. (I added that em dash btw)
I belong to a group of traditionalists, inspired by real artists and creatives that enjoy the process of actually making things. Our current world is too fixated on getting to the destination, that is why AI was allowed to further suck the joy out of the process.
Your KPI and metrics don’t really matter when the people involved in getting you there are dying daily on the inside.
Passion and love are contagious. If your work was built with those as the foundation, the people on the receiving end would feel it too. But if your work was devoid of them, built solely to serve some other motive (fame, money, etc.), that lack of soul would be felt just the same.
A LOSS OF PERSPECTIVE.
Most companies have jumped on the AI bandwagon without thinking about what they're actually doing and losing in the process, not to mention most have adopted AI out of FOMO.
The industry has undergone a terrible mindset shift, where they have started caring more about trendy tools than the humans using them.
Here's the truth: A recruiter today would probably reject Massimo Vignelli just because he never learned ChatGPT. Think about that for a moment.
HUMAN - FIRST.
I don't use AI because I'm talented enough to create without it. I love having to think, to solve problems within constraints, to push my mind until I find the perfect solution. That struggle is essential for growth and self-discovery. Why would I want to skip the best part of being a designer/creative ?
I was raised on the work of masters – Hideo Kojima's storytelling, Massimo Vignelli's systems thinking, Josef Müller-Brockmann's precision, Hiroshi Yoshimura's soundscapes, Van Gogh's raw humanity and desperate artistry. These artists didn't need algorithms. They simply had the courage to be human.
Your AI tool will be forgotten in a few years. Human creativity is eternal.
I won't abandon tradition for your data training.
TRADITION.
Rahil's Museum uses a custom derivative version of Van Gogh's Kop van een skelet met brandende sigaret as its logo. The painting is in public domain. It looks cool and aligns with the brand, but I don't smoke nor do I promote smoking. Keep your lungs healthy. The smoking and the skeleton here are a metaphor for preserving your creative soul in the age of AI.
All photographs were taken and edited by me. Second image contains a super impose of Claude Monet's Flowered Riverbank, Argenteuil.
WORK.
Everything human-made. Full case studies on my personal website.
Get in touch if you value authentic human craft. RMDA website under active development, more soon.
emailrahilcity[at]gmail.com