I co-founded my first design agency, Horseman Cooke, in 1983. The following year, with the intention of always staying a step ahead, we invested in our first Apple Mac.
It took a while for digital to replace traditional methods of working – thinking time, drawing skills, and all-nighters were still the order of the day.
The digital revolution accelerated everything. It enabled us to work more efficiently than the slower, hand-drawn processes I grew up with. Technology was a brilliant tool; it fast-tracked skills and opened up new possibilities. However, without strong foundations, corners were cut, and the attention to detail that once mattered began to slip. Before we knew it, anyone with access to desktop publishing software was calling themselves a designer.
Today we're at a new crossroads. Simply sign up for the latest AI course or newsletter on social media, and “Bob's your uncle” – many people with no previous experience are now self-proclaimed designers, videographers, and film directors.
"Slop" now floods our social feeds. Yet at the same time, more illustrators, artists and craftspeople are sharing the real process behind their work – the skill, patience and talent it takes to make something original or special. There may always be an appetite for surreal cute kitten videos, and world leaders portraying themselves as superheroes, but for those who value genuine creativity, I designed the NO AI Logo. Your work should speak for itself, but for those who are a little hard of hearing, mark it, so they can recognise, celebrate, and admire the real thing.
GARY COOKE
I hail from Bolton. It was there I established my love of Lancashire Hotpot, the underdog and learned to appreciate a glass half-full. As a lifelong supporter of Bolton Wanderers, I have found this useful over recent years. I studied graphic design at the Royal College of Art before establishing the design agencies Horseman Cooke and Open Agency. In 2011, I left London, moved to the Cotswolds and inadvertently became part of the Chipping Norton Set, where I set up Brand Cooke (with an E) – a branding consultancy.