Wix acquired Israeli startup Base44 for $80 million, with potential increases based on revenue targets through 2029. The AI app-building platform was founded by 31-year-old Maor Shlomo as a side project after military reserve duty, attracting over 100,000 users within months. Base44's no-code tool allows users to create apps and games through simple text prompts, generating $189,000 in recent profits with just six employees.
Adobe's Project Indigo is a free computational photography camera app for newer iPhones that captures multiple photos and combines them for enhanced image quality. The app was developed by Marc Levoy, a former Google Pixel camera engineer. It offers manual controls while producing natural, SLR-like photos with reduced noise and higher dynamic range. Adobe plans to expand the app with features like Android support, portrait mode, and video recording to build an integrated mobile photography experience.
To drive meaningful transformation with an AI-first approach, start by mapping a specific area of the customer journey in detail, focusing on five layers: the customer's perspective, internal team workflows, low-impact customer tasks, communication touchpoints, and reimagined possibilities in an AI-native world. Prioritize areas where AI can add value, collaborate across teams, and treat the customer journey as a living system that evolves with organizational maturity and technological capability.
Relying on "taste" in product management introduces subjective biases rooted in cultural norms, often distracting from core goals like functionality, accessibility, and user value. A craft-based approach — focused on deliberate, inclusive, and ethical design choices — ensures that products are genuinely useful, equitable, and sustainable, rather than just aesthetically appealing or superficially impressive.
2025.06.23·links.tldrnewsletter.com·7 min read·TLDR Design "Skill Surfing" involves navigating careers by following curiosity rather than predetermined plans and adapting to changing opportunities like surfers ride waves. This approach emphasizes testing new skills through hands-on practice, focusing on one area at a time, and maintaining patience during extended learning periods. The method prioritizes continuous growth and flexibility over traditional linear career planning.
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While circles have symbolic and aesthetic appeal, their use as overlays in logo presentations—often seen in redesigns—has sparked debate among designers. Some see them as helpful tools for visual consistency or client persuasion, while others argue they're often post-rationalizations used to add credibility or visual flair without real design benefit.
True multitasking is a myth. What users do is serial task switching, rapidly shifting attention between tasks, which increases errors, reduces productivity, and heightens stress. Designing for this reality means creating interfaces that support flexibility, reduce friction, and help users stay oriented through features like split screens, background task handling, and clear navigation, while also including safeguards like undo options and confirmation dialogs to mitigate common mistakes.
Designers increasingly integrate AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude into their workflows for ideation, research analysis, and UX optimization rather than fearing replacement. Adaptive designers use AI as a "second brain" to enhance creativity and efficiency across tasks like generating feature ideas, analyzing user interviews, and crafting microcopy. Success depends on designers evolving to leverage AI strategically while maintaining their unique human advantages in empathy, context, and storytelling.
2025.06.23·adplist.substack.com·10 min read·TLDR Design Future web designers will function as behavioral economists, using techniques from psychology to nudge users through algorithmically tailored dark patterns rather than empowering user autonomy.
Adobe Firefly Boards, a collaborative mood-boarding tool, has officially launched after exiting beta.
Midjourney has launched its V1 video generation model, which creates clips up to 21 seconds long by animating existing AI-generated images. Users can customize video length, motion levels, and animation style through prompts, with the service automatically extending initial 5-second clips. The company positions V1 as a building block toward developing interactive 3D simulations following the recent release of its V7 image generator.
Figma acquired the team behind Payload, a popular open-source headless CMS and application framework, to enhance developer tools across both platforms. Payload will remain open-source while contributing to Figma's upcoming CMS for Figma Sites, which will combine powerful backend customization with intuitive content management. The acquisition supports Figma's vision of becoming a central hub for digital product creation, bridging the traditional gap between design and development workflows.
Shutterstock has rebranded to reflect its evolution from a stock image provider into a full-scale creative partner, embracing roles in ad production, generative AI, and model training for companies like OpenAI and Google. The sleek new identity—featuring updated typography, a broader color palette, and a redesigned logo—underscores its growing ambitions and commitment to removing creative friction for businesses through AI-powered tools like its new Generative AI Pro tier.
2025.06.20·links.tldrnewsletter.com·4 min read·TLDR Design Subtle rebrands are becoming increasingly popular as major brands like Amazon, Walmart, and Adobe evolve beyond their original offerings, focusing on refining brand systems and architecture rather than overhauling core logos. These updates often involve just as much strategic and creative effort as full rebrands, aiming to maintain recognition while improving flexibility, consistency, and emotional resonance across expanding touchpoints.
AI tools have transformed workplace expectations, making "10x employee" performance the new standard while eliminating traditional learning opportunities for newcomers. Entry-level roles now require senior-level judgment as companies automate foundational tasks, leaving new designers with fewer chances to develop crucial decision-making skills through gradual experience. While AI accelerates output and capabilities, it cannot replace the slow, iterative process of building creative judgment from hands-on practice and proximity to experienced professionals.
Ten designers shared their ideal changes for the design industry, calling for greater respect, transparency, and collaboration, ranging from ending free pitching and improving pricing frameworks to valuing the design process and writing better briefs. Their visions emphasize elevating design's strategic role, fostering kinder discourse, encouraging creative risk-taking, and reclaiming space for experimentation and meaningful work.
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EMUNARQ architecture studio created an animated series called "Fluidity in Form," featuring dreamlike architectural sketches that blend polished areas with pencil sketch elements. The renderings showcase organic, curved forms inspired by spatial harmony and movement. These flowing designs control pedestrian traffic through gentle walkways and appear influenced by Zaha Hadid's curved architectural style.
Brand Brothers created a bold, typography-led identity that balances sophistication with an alternative edge for Paris-based micro-roastery Datura, intentionally avoiding literal visuals to preserve the brand's mystique. Drawing on intuitive design processes and rhythmic letterform experimentation, the branding combines a refined logo, the rugged-yet-graceful Tor Grotesk Bold typeface, and a rich, organic color palette, reflecting both creative freedom and a close, trusting client collaboration.
2025.06.20·the-brandidentity.com·3 min read·TLDR Design UX teams often treat symptoms—like low conversions or user confusion—with their favorite tools without properly diagnosing the true root of the problem. Using Jesse James Garrett's five-layer model (strategy, scope, structure, skeleton, and surface) as a diagnostic framework helps identify where issues truly lie, ensuring the right methods are applied to resolve them effectively instead of masking deeper issues with superficial fixes.
Each object showcases timeless design principles where form perfectly meets function, often remaining virtually unchanged for decades due to getting the design right from the start.
Chromatic aberration, once seen as a flaw in printing and photography that caused color fringing at the edges of objects, has transformed into a popular design trend.
Figma has introduced “code layers” in Figma Sites, enabling designers to build fully interactive, production-ready web elements directly within the design interface using AI-powered assistance and a built-in code editor. This feature allows for rich customization—such as animations, real-time data, and interactive tools—without requiring deep coding skills, bridging the gap between design and development.
Meta announced new generative AI features for its Advantage+ advertising platform at Cannes Lions, including tools that transform still images into dynamic videos and enable consistent branding at scale. The updates include video highlights that extract key scenes, Virtual Try-On expansion, and Creative Sticker call-to-action buttons for Facebook and Instagram content. Meta reports that existing Advantage+ campaigns already boost return on ad spend by an average of 22%, with backend AI improvements increasing conversions by up to 5%.
YouTube has introduced new Shopping product stickers for Shorts to help creators better monetize their content by making products more easily shoppable. In testing, Shorts with these stickers saw over 40% more product clicks than those using the older Shopping button format. The feature allows creators to customize sticker placement and display multiple products. It is rolling out globally this week.
The 2012 London Olympics' celebration of the NHS served as a powerful symbol of national pride and the importance of care in public service. Today, as technology—especially AI—increasingly shapes public systems, there is a growing need to prioritize thoughtful, human-centered design that resists carelessness and ensures equity, trust, and meaningful impact in people's lives.
Apple's new “Liquid Glass” design language, introduced with iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe, has sparked a resurgence of glossy, translucent UI elements reminiscent of past trends, raising questions about aesthetics versus usability. While visually striking, the return to glass-like interfaces may be less about improving user experience and more about preparing users for future technologies like XR, where layered, semi-transparent UI could make practical sense.
AI-powered "vibe coding" tools like Stitch quickly generate app designs from simple prompts but produce generic solutions based on assumptions rather than genuine user needs. AI should assist designers as "eager apprentices" rather than dictate design decisions, since effective design requires human questioning, problem-solving, and understanding of user needs that AI currently cannot provide.
Design Beyond Barriers is an accessibility guide made by designers, for designers, with a clear goal: to prove that accessibility does not limit design.
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Effective product feedback surveys capture valuable user insights to improve products and user experiences. Key steps include defining specific objectives, writing clear questions, choosing appropriate formats and distribution channels, timing surveys strategically, and using proper tools for delivery and analysis. Best practices emphasize keeping surveys short, mixing qualitative and quantitative questions, and following up with respondents to close the feedback loop and show that their input drives meaningful product improvements.
Vibe coding tools will intensify tensions between product managers and UX designers as prototyping becomes where interaction design decisions are made. UX designers should use vibe coding platforms for prototyping while collaborating on whiteboards, freeing PMs to focus on business value like monetization and market strategy rather than micromanaging product details. Teams should leverage each member's unique strengths, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively rather than stepping on each other's toes in overlapping responsibilities.
“Raise the Roof” is a music-led campaign by Centrepoint that blends high-energy performances with a powerful mission to raise awareness and funds for youth homelessness. Designed by Kit Studio, the visual identity strikes a balance between joy and urgency. It uses a hand-raise symbol with a house motif to unify the branding across digital and physical platforms, aiming to create a lasting and meaningful movement.
15 techniques for achieving Hewlett's distinctive punk art style.
Hamburger menu icons are now widely recognizable, unlike a decade ago when they caused usability issues, including reduced engagement and task success rates.
Alyson Petruncio revives the eerie charm of kidcore horror through surreal, soft-toned illustrations that transform suburban unease and childhood discomfort into haunting yet cathartic visual narratives.
Reddit has launched a new alpha advertising feature called Conversation Summary Add-ons that places positive user posts directly below advertiser content. The feature allows users to scroll through community posts under ads and view summaries of user opinions about advertisers. Reddit also introduced Reddit Insights, an AI-powered social listening tool, as part of announcements made alongside the Cannes Lions Festival.
TikTok has launched new AI advertising tools, including image-to-video and text-to-video capabilities, plus a Showcase Products feature that allows AI avatars to hold or wear advertised items. These additions expand TikTok Symphony, the platform's existing AI advertising toolkit. The new features, which reflect an industry-wide trend toward automated ad creation using generative AI, will be available globally to advertisers in the coming weeks through TikTok Symphony Creative Studio.
Max has rolled out autoplaying video previews for its content library, using an AI tool to identify “standout” scenes from shows and movies. The AI aims to reduce manual editing by selecting clips that highlight key moments, which editors will then finalize for preview placement. This update is part of broader changes to Max's interface and branding, including an official rebrand back to HBO Max later this summer.
Despite its critical importance, design education fails to teach business fluency; as Netflix's VP of Design, Steve Johnson, emphasized, "Design without business is just decoration." Early-career designers can bridge this gap by taking marketing courses, networking with cross-functional professionals, consuming business-focused content, and gaining hands-on experience building real products. Understanding business goals enables designers to collaborate more effectively and create a greater impact since design, craft, and business strategy work together rather than in opposition.
Stakeholders often suggest specific design solutions, creating anchoring problems that limit design exploration and can lead to suboptimal outcomes. The 5 Whys technique helps uncover underlying business needs, while "How Might We" statements reframe solution-focused requests into neutral problem statements. Addressing these anchoring issues immediately in meetings prevents weeks of frustration and opens up better design possibilities.
2025.06.18·dataanddesign.substack.com·7 min read·TLDR Design Google's Material 3 Expressive design system reflects a shift toward creating emotional connections through design. Research shows that expressive designs perform better across usability and user satisfaction metrics. Don Norman's three levels of emotional processing (visceral, behavioral, and reflective) and Aarron Walter's Hierarchy of User Needs demonstrate that emotional design must build upon functional, reliable, and usable foundations. Emotional design helps products stand out in competitive markets by creating lasting user connections and increasing engagement and loyalty beyond basic functionality.
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