Balancing Creativity, Efficiency, and Ethical Practice Through Use of AI in Typography and Poster Design Education

This study examines the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in typography and poster design education, focusing on its impact on creative workflows, structural quality, and ethical considerations. Within a graduate Typography course at Yıldız Technical University, original movie posters from the 2023 Academy Awards “Best Picture” category were compared with posters generated by the ChatGPT 4.0 model. Using the Visual Design Principles and Elements Evaluation Form (VDPEEF), expert students evaluated both sets of posters based on design principles, structural features, and typographic elements. Statistical analysis conducted with SPSS revealed that while AI-generated posters demonstrated strong adherence to balance, alignment, and typographic hierarchy, they fell short in emotional depth, originality, and contextual interpretation when compared to human-designed posters. AI outputs showed greater structural variability and repetitive visual patterns, although their rapid generation speed positioned AI as an efficient tool for prototyping and large-scale production. Beyond typography, the study highlights broader educational implications of AI across fields such as language learning, STEM education, architecture, data analysis, and creative writing. It emphasizes the relevance of pedagogical frameworks such as TPACK and SAMR in guiding responsible AI integration. Overall, the findings suggest that AI serves most effectively as a complementary tool that supports—but does not replace—human creativity and cultural intuition. Future research should expand datasets, incorporate diverse evaluator groups, compare multiple AI models, and further investigate ethical, cultural, and cognitive dimensions of AI-assisted design processes. Keywords: AI-Assisted Design, Typography Education, Poster Design Evaluation, Creativity and Efficiency in Design, Educational Technology and Ethics