Happy Saturday, creatives!

As with many of my newsletters, this month’s issue is all about AI and design. From vibe-coding, to job satisfaction, to new design languages. It’s becoming increasingly clear that AI isn’t something designers can continue to ignore.

Quick correction before we jump in. In last month’s issue I mentioned that AI features were exclusive to Apple Creator Studio. After looking into it further, that currently appears to only apply to certain iWork apps. Apple still hasn’t clearly outlined the exact feature differences between the subscription and one-time purchase versions of each app, which has led to quite a bit of confusion.

Now let’s talk design.

This past week I tested Framer Workshop, and had a blast using AI to create web design elements.

At the same time, Shopify removed “UX” from their job titles. Their roles are now simply called Designer. And, Figma hosted the Figma Makeathon, offering $100,000 in prizes and free access to Figma Make, their AI coding tool.

What keeps showing up everywhere is this strange but exciting overlap between designer and developer. And honestly, it’s kind of beautiful watching them dance.

Designers historically avoided code. It’s technical. Mathematical. Often frustrating.

Coders, in my experience, usually have the opposite problem. They build incredible systems but have no taste in design.

But something interesting is happening. AI seems to be pushing both groups toward the middle.

Designers can now build working apps.
Developers can now create decent designs.

Suddenly everyone can focus on the parts they enjoy most. Design doesn’t just stop at design anymore and that app idea sitting in your notebook can actually be built.

Here are a few of my favorite recent examples:

Figma released their 2026 State of Designer report. They partnered with an independent research firm and surveyed designers across North America, Europe, APAC, LATAM, and the Middle East.

Here are some of the highlights:

Designers using AI also report major workflow benefits:

The most in-demand design skills reported:

Designers using AI are happier

Overall, creative freedom drives happiness. The biggest factors in designer satisfaction were:

The takeaway from the report is pretty clear, AI isn’t replacing designers. It’s reshaping workflows and the designers embracing it seem to be benefiting the most.

Craft, taste, and storytelling are quickly becoming the real competitive advantage. A Brazil-based designer noted: "AI tools make things much faster, but the precise designer’s vision is what makes the difference."

Let’s do our own survey:

This past month Google released a surprising amount of AI-driven design tools.

Here are a few highlights:

That’s a lot of AI activity in one month. Clearly Google believes image generation and AI design are going to be massive over the next few years.

And judging by everything else happening in this newsletter, it’s hard to argue with them.

What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.

In my newest video I break down my thoughts on exactly what designers need to do to stay relevant as these AI tools keep improving. Check it out:

Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Want to advertise in The Creative Brief? Reach out here.