No matter how advanced creative tools get,
I’ll always prefer to work on a canvas.
Simply because I can duplicate my work
every time I get a new idea.
I want to see the progress
and discover gems in past iterations.
Companies that give designers time to refine, iterate, and polish see the return. Those that rush or deprioritize quality see the opposite.
Worth reading if you're trying to make the case for giving your team more space to focus on craft.
www.figma.com/blog/state-...
67% of designers are also happier when leadership invests time in design excellence. That leads to better retention, higher quality output, and stronger team performance.
Craft quality is directly tied to business results.
Figma's State of Design report shows that designers who work at companies that prioritize craft report better business outcomes.
Not just better design.
Better business performance.
I'm also seeing designers creating these for their own workflow or sharing them with the community.
Currently collecting the best ones for a new project. If you've made one or came across something interesting, drop it below!
I'm seeing more studios and in-house teams building brand-specific visual tools.
They generate on-brand backgrounds, illustrations, and compositions. Custom outputs that feel native to the identity.
This fractal glass effect generator by Studio Justified for Indicium AI is a good example.
It's that same move from clean perfectionism to authenticity I wrote about yesterday.
Not sure how I feel about this one yet.
It feels less like a tightly art-directed commercial and more like a mixed media edit.
I'm seeing this a lot lately, especially in launch videos. Brands going with multiple visual influences instead of sticking to one aesthetic.
The iPhone 17e video doesn't look like Apple.
Usually it's all minimalism. One system, one look, everything controlled.
This one mixes visual styles: Retro typography, clean product shots, comic-style bursts, cinematic footage, all with different filters.
“Make it feel human”
That’s something I’ve been hearing more and more lately. Clients asking for work that feels hand-drawn, more organic, less polished.
You can already see it happening with brands like Granola. There’s personality in it. It doesn’t scream "look at me". The tone feels grounded.
Personally, I’m all for it.
But now, as AI-generated design becomes better and more accessible, that kind of perfection feels easier to replicate.
And therefore it stops being special.
Brands are moving toward something that feels more real. More ownable. More personal.
It’s interesting to watch the shift. For years, we leaned heavily into ultra-smooth, gradient-heavy, almost sci-fi aesthetics (Think Stripe, Linear). Everything felt crisp, precise, and digital.
Shapes that aren’t mathematically flawless. Colors that feel grounded and warm instead of hyper-saturated purples and glowy gradients. More texture, more character.
“Make it feel human”
That’s something I’ve been hearing more and more lately. Clients asking for work that feels hand-drawn, more organic, less polished.
Excited to be part of the jury for the @mobbin design awards 2025!
Visual Research — 160226
Visual Research — 160226
The Ferrari x LoveFrom collab is just 🤌
Vercel just released Geist Pixel
Loving these new Granola illustrations
You can now turn any image into a vector in Figma 👀 (without plugins)
Wandering — Made in @Figma
Loving these new Granola illustrations
Wandering — Made in @Figma
Now, if you share something, it gets fed into AI tools and recreated instantly. Even if the output often doesn't come close, it has still changed how I think about sharing work.
Did AI kill sharing work in public?
I used to post WIPs all the time. Designs, ideas, things in progress. Clients loved it too because feedback happened early.
I love exploring other designers' project files and seeing all the iterations and artifacts.
You can literally watch the creative process unfold through the artboards.
