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MUSHO

Musho is an AI-powered creative assistant in Figma that turns prompts into designs for websites, slides, and branding.

COLOR AI

This tool uses AI to help you find and generate perfect color palettes with sensory and cultural references for your projects.

SEE HOW CONSUMERS ENGAGE WITH YOUR DESIGNS BEFORE THE LAUNCH

Attention Insight provides AI-powered heatmaps and visual attention analysis to help optimize designs, ensuring key elements capture viewer focus for more effective user engagement.

SYNTHETIC USERS

Run your user and market research with human-like AI participants.

THE PERCEIVED VALUE OF GOOD DESIGN

Design significantly influences a brand's success and user experience, though its value may be subjective and not immediately appreciated by clients. To bridge the value gap, designers should focus on communicating the importance of their work through value, data, and problem-solving while understanding and explaining the "why" behind UI design practices.

STUDIO NARI'S BRAND IDENTITY FOR LIVING THINGS MAKES GUT HEALTH LOOK FUN... AND PRETTY REFRESHING

Studio Nari developed a vibrant brand identity for Living Things, a probiotic soda for health-conscious Gen Z and millennial consumers. The design features playful and approachable visuals, including customized wordmarks and lively sticker graphics, to convey the brand's feel-good and health-focused message and ensure that it stands out in trendy delis and supermarkets.

GOING OFFROAD FOR A BETTER DESIGN SYSTEM

The Nissan Xterra exemplifies structured flexibility in design with its interchangeable components providing robust adaptability. Similarly, Cisco's Momentum design system leverages tokens for scalable, flexible design across 30+ products. Momentum empowers designers by balancing structure and flexibility through components, training, and user feedback, ensuring workflow consistency and adaptability.

WAIT, THE OLYMPIC RINGS WEREN'T ALWAYS THE SAME COLORS?

The Olympic rings, one of the world's most recognized sports logos, have seen design modifications since their creation in 1913.

META LAUNCHES AI SELFIE GENERATOR ‘IMAGINE ME'

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR'S NEW TOOL MAKES HI-FI PRODUCT MOCK-UPS AS EASY AS DRAG AND DROP

The new Mockup tool in Adobe Illustrator simplifies the creation of product mock-ups by allowing designers to drag and drop logos and graphics onto images of products like cans or product packaging.

BING'S AI REDESIGN SHOVES THE USUAL LIST OF SEARCH RESULTS TO THE SIDE

Microsoft's new Bing search experience integrates AI-generated answers prominently, relegating traditional results to the side. The redesigned interface for select queries includes AI-generated summaries, additional details like genre history, and links to videos and influential movies, all sourced beneath each section. Google's similar feature, AI Overviews, faced issues with inaccuracy, while Bing's layout aims to provide dynamic, concise search results.

APPLE MAPS LAUNCHES ON THE WEB TO TAKE ON GOOGLE

Apple Maps is now accessible on the web, allowing users to get driving and walking directions, view ratings and reviews, and explore cities in browsers. It currently only supports English and is compatible with Safari and Chrome. Future expansions are planned for other languages and platforms. The web version aims to compete with Google Maps, which has long been browser-accessible. It faces competition from open-source alternatives like those supported by the Overture Maps Foundation.

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO'S NEW LOOK HOPES TO END DECISION PARALYSIS

Amazon is rolling out a global update to Prime Video to reduce search time and make content discovery easier. The update features a new "Prime" tab that curates all Prime subscription content and a "Subscriptions" tab that offers add-on services like Max and Paramount Plus. Generative AI, powered by Amazon Bedrock, will provide personalized recommendations and quick synopses to streamline decision-making. Visual updates such as smoother animations and automatic playback in the "Live TV" section are also included.

QUOTABLE CONFIG

AI's impact on design and engineering was a hot topic at Figma's annual conference. Henry Modisett of Perplexity highlighted AI's role in blurring design and engineering lines, enhancing collaboration. Google's Christian Robertson emphasized creating experiences that spark joy. Jenny Arden from Zillow stressed cross-team alignment for quality. Jessica Hische, a lettering artist and author, celebrated manual creation amidst AI's rise.

THE UX REFLEX THEORY: LESSONS FROM APPLE'S SEARCH BAR EXPERIMENT

Experiments by Apple and Amazon in moving their search bars to the bottom of the screen were met with resistance, highlighting the UX Reflex Theory. Users' conditioned muscle memory, shaped by the consistent use of traditional designs, makes them averse to abrupt changes. While new patterns can be learned, initial reluctance is expected until these new behaviors become ingrained reflexes.

AGENCY WORK VS PRODUCT WORK: A DESIGNER'S CONFESSIONS

Working on their product taught this designer that they were their own toughest client, demonstrating the need to focus on what truly matters rather than overloading proposals with complexity. User research should be ongoing. Marketing is vital, and maintaining a positive attitude while building relationships is essential for success.

AI COLOR COMBINATION GENERATOR

This AI color combination generator uses AI color harmonies on the color wheel to generate beautiful color palettes.

DESIGN TOOL TIPS

This collection of Figma tutorials and experiments includes animations, modular illustrations, loaders, and special effects.

AN AI ASSISTANT THAT DOES THE BORING FIGMA STUFF FOR YOU

Mate is an AI assistant that automates tedious tasks like rearranging elements, creating color palettes, and renaming variables in Figma.

WINNING ISN'T FOR EVERYONE: NIKE DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM LEADING ATHLETES FOR ITS SUMMER CAMPAIGN

Nike's summer campaign, 'Winning Isn't for Everyone,' features insights from leading athletes like LeBron James and Serena Williams, highlighting the importance of determination and excellence. Narrated by Willem Dafoe, the campaign includes films, photography, and global advertising, encouraging aspiring athletes to embrace their competitive spirit and pursue their dreams.

POLAROID AND EAMES OFFICE UNITE TO RELEASE A SPECIAL EDITION CAMERA

Polaroid and Eames Office have collaborated to release the special edition Polaroid Now Generation 2 – Eames Edition camera, celebrating the innovative spirit of Charles and Ray Eames. The camera, which features a design made from 40% recycled materials inspired by the Eames' geometric patterns, includes advanced features like a self-timer, double exposure modes, and USB-C compatibility.

WOULD YOU LIKE A RECEIPT? THIS CLEVER CO-OP ANIMATED AD USES A PRINTER TO GET ITS MESSAGE ACROSS

Co-op's new campaign, "Owned by You. Right by You.," uses a stop-motion animated ad created with receipt paper to represent the cooperative model's lasting values. Developed by VCCP London, Blinkink, and director Sam Gainsborough, the ad highlights Co-op's ethical trading history and encourages greater consumer awareness of cooperative businesses.

DESIGNING THE OLYMPICS: WALLPAPER* INTERVIEWS JOACHIM RONCIN, DIRECTOR OF DESIGN FOR PARIS 2024

Joachim Roncin, Paris 2024 Olympics design director, discusses creating gender-free mascots, Eiffel Tower medals, and inclusive designs.

HOW FIGMA AI CAN SEE YOUR APP – HERE'S HOW TO STOP THEM

Figma AI offers advanced design features but raises privacy concerns.

THIS FORTNITE ARTIST QUIT TO DEDICATE HIMSELF TO MAKING SLIME IN UNREAL ENGINE

Asher Zhu left Epic Games to focus on creating realistic slime physics in Unreal Engine, founding Duck Shake Games to realize his unique game design vision.

ADOBE ROLLS OUT MORE GENERATIVE AI FEATURES TO ILLUSTRATOR AND PHOTOSHOP

Adobe's latest Firefly Vector model powers new Illustrator features like Generative Shape Fill and has an improved Text to Pattern beta feature for creating scalable, custom vector patterns. Style Reference, which produces outputs that mirror existing styles, is being updated. Adobe's latest Firefly Image 3 Model supports Photoshop image generation, including the Enhance Detail feature for Generative Fill and the Selection Brush tool.

'DELIBERATE AND IN BAD FAITH': OLYMPIC COMMITTEE SUES PRIME OVER PACKAGING DESIGN

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee is suing Prime Hydration for allegedly using trademarked phrases and symbols without authorization. The drink, made in collaboration with Olympic gold medalist Kevin Durant, has a packaging design that the USOPC claims can confuse consumers. Prime continued its distribution despite a cease request on 10 July, leading to escalated legal action to prevent further trademark infringement.

MIRO INTRODUCES INTELLIGENT CANVAS

Miro AI transforms brainstormed ideas into polished content by automatically generating product briefs and summaries from your provided content. It removes the need to spend extensive time on diagrams and summaries, as pre-set actions and shortcuts can create structured content quickly. AI sidekicks provide instant expert guidance, helping with strategy refinement, feedback, and more. The Intelligent Canvas unifies tools, content, and data, enabling faster, well-informed team decisions and seamless communication across various settings.

HOW WE DEVELOPED A BETTER WAY TO LEARN AT SLACK DESIGN

Slack Design's "Design Moves" was a week-long, crowdsourced learning program centered around storytelling, engaging the team through various activities, and leveraging internal expertise. The innovative approach illustrated the benefits of utilizing internal talent for learning and development, fostered excitement, built internal knowledge, and created lasting content for future reference.

CANVA'S AI TOOLS ARE LEADING A CREATIVE REVOLUTION

Canva has been recognized as one of the most innovative companies of 2024 due to its integration of AI across its design tools, which has significantly boosted user engagement and revenue. This includes features like the automatic creation of brand templates, realistic image editing, and text translation into over 100 languages.

WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A BRAG DOCUMENT

A brag document is a personal record of career accomplishments, skills, and milestones. They are useful for performance reviews, job interviews, and career discussions. To create one, start with sections for projects, skills, milestones, feedback, and lessons learned. Update the document regularly with specific, quantifiable achievements.

CATALOG OF DARK PATTERNS

Discover a variety of dark pattern examples, sorted by category, to better understand deceptive design practices.

AI-POWERED 2D/3D HYBRID DESIGN AND COLLABORATION PLATFORM

Xspiral is an AI-enhanced 2D/3D design platform that offers real-time collaboration, animation, and interactive prototypes.

DISCOVER THE BEST IN CLASSICAL & MODERN ART

A vast collection of public domain artworks, including paintings, drawings, and illustrations, available for free.

FIGMA EXPLAINS HOW ITS AI TOOL RIPPED OFF APPLE'S DESIGN

Figma pulled its "Make Designs" AI tool after it raised legal concerns by generating designs that resembled Apple's weather app. The company admitted to not thoroughly vetting new components before launch and removed the problematic assets. It will improve its QA process before reinstating the feature.

INSIDE DESIGN AT TEENAGE ENGINEERING

Teenage Engineering, known for innovative products like the playful OP-1 and collaborations with brands like Off-White and IKEA, seamlessly blends design and engineering. Co-founder David Möllerstedt shares insights on the company's creative process, product development, and inspirations.

WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER HIDE YOUR EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE LINK

Making it easy to unsubscribe improves email deliverability and brand affinity, while difficult processes can lead to spam complaints and harm domain quality. Of the eight brands analyzed, only half had good unsubscribe practices, with Braze having the easiest one-click process and Microsoft and Customer.io offering relatively easy two-click processes.

WATCH STEVE JOBS GIVE A KEYNOTE AT THE 1983 INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CONFERENCE IN ASPEN

Steve Jobs' 1983 Aspen keynote, now available from The Steve Jobs Archive, showcases his visionary insights and impact on the future of computing and design.

THE PUSH TO DEVELOP GENERATIVE A.I. WITHOUT ALL THE LAWSUITS

Companies like Getty and Shutterstock are developing AI models with licensed data to avoid legal issues, ensuring content creators get compensated for their work.

APPLE MUSIC VP CLAIMS SPOTIFY HAS ‘STOPPED INNOVATING,' TOUTS BEATS PILL REDESIGN IN NEW INTERVIEW

Oliver Schusser, Apple Music VP, criticizes Spotify's lack of innovation, highlighting Apple Music's advancements and the Beats Pill redesign and emphasizing Apple's focus on premium products and paid subscribers.

META FILES A PATENT TO COPY VISION PRO'S EYESIGHT FEATURE

Meta has filed a patent for a feature similar to Apple's EyeSight. The feature displays a virtual image of the user's eyes and may include health sensors in the face interface, differentiating it from Apple's version. Patent law permits companies to patent their methods, allowing Meta to develop this feature despite its similarity to EyeSight, which Apple may drop in a more affordable Vision model due to its lackluster reception.

FRAMER ANNOUNCES TEXT EFFECTS

Text Effects, a new feature from Framer, enables dynamic animations for characters, words, lines, and graphic elements. It includes real-time previews, pre-built presets, and customizable properties like scale and blur. Text Effects enhance interactivity and engagement with triggers based on page load or user interaction, creating unique and immersive web experiences.

DEADPOOL AND XBOX LAUNCH AN *AHEM* ERGONOMIC LIMITED EDITION CONTROLLER WITH A 'CHEEKY' DESIGN

Teaming up with Marvel Studios, Microsoft has introduced a playful limited edition controller boasting a contoured design inspired by Deadpool's thighs and costume. This unique accessory, available through a sweepstakes competition, includes a custom Series X console and themed stand. Fans can enter by following Xbox on X and reposting the company's sweepstakes post between July 17 and August 11.

CRAFTING THE VISUAL IDENTITY FOR CONFIG 2024

Figma's Brand Studio designed Config 2024's visual identity, which uses a shape-based language and a modular system of geometric shapes to create an immersive experience for attendees. The event featured large-scale structures and installations at Moscone Center, translating the digital language into a physical experience with dynamic motion and a flexible color palette to ensure consistency across all brand assets.

UNDERSTANDING THE EYE-MIND CONNECTION

The connection between the eye and the mind is crucial for understanding perception and interaction, with vision relying on the brain for consciousness. Design exploits the gap between function and perception, using intuitive principles and studies showing that vision and memory can operate subconsciously, as seen in digital advertising, where eye movement predicts clicks.

CO-OP REVEALS NEW IDENTITY WITH REIMAGINED LOGO REFLECTING MEMBER OWNERSHIP

The Co-op has unveiled a refreshed identity by design studio SomeOne featuring a deconstructed logo called 'Membershapes' to emphasize individual ownership. This new branding includes a bespoke typeface and aims to highlight the cooperative's principles and member focus and address consumer confusion about its cooperative nature.

FONTS NINJA

Fonts Ninja allows designers to identify, test, and purchase fonts. It supports type designers and foundries, promotes ethical practices, and fosters a collaborative community.

TYPE EMOJI BLAZINGLY FAST

Catering to emoji enthusiasts, Emoogle is a desktop app with a fast emoji picker, a powerful search engine, an extensive glossary, and customization options.

CSS GRID GENERATOR

Easily create custom CSS grid layouts by customizing columns, rows, and gaps, then dragging, resizing, and positioning elements. Copy the generated HTML and CSS code once you're done.

DESIGN WITH INTENT: CRAFT YOUR PORTFOLIO WITH VISUAL STORYTELLING TOOLS

A UX/UI portfolio should be crafted as a captivating story utilizing typography, color schemes, and layout. In this article, Morgane Peng, Design Director at Societe Generale CIB, highlights the importance of visual hierarchy, readability, the emotional impact of colors, and the use of high-quality images. Every visual element must support the professional narrative, leaving a solid impression on hiring managers and aiding in landing interviews.