A Designer’s Challenge: 30 days and 30 Different AI Design Tools

After 20+ years in tech and advertising, I felt pretty confident with all the design tools out there. I never imagined I’d need to change the way that I design, but AI has been changing the design world faster than I could have ever imagined. After seeing the latest technology, I realized I needed to explore AI to stay up-to-date. At first I was overwhelmed with where to start, so I enrolled in a class at Babson College called Mastering AI in Business. One day, they flashed a slide up with this quote by Alvin Toffle,“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn¹” The message profoundly resonated with me, emphasizing the importance of adaptability in an era of rapid technological advancement. This quote was a turning point for me and I knew that I could not fall behind. I challenged myself to pick one new AI tool a day. And so, I set myself a challenge: 30 days, 30 different AI design tools.

‍

My morning routine was to grab a cup of coffee, read up on the new tools, select one that jumped out at me, and start a screen recording. I made sure to try out different categories and areas of design. Once the demo was completed, I created Instagram and TikTok videos and uploaded them to my website.

I started with programs I use every day, like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and tested their AI tools. I then jumped into all kinds of new apps, mostly finding a ton of start-ups with individualized tools. Meanwhile, Canva, Adobe, and the other big names kept dropping new updates like clockwork. Each day felt like I was discovering a new superpower for design. 

So what have I learned? 

AI isn’t here to take over designers' jobs; it’s here to make our productivity more efficient. It handles the repetitive stuff, giving us more time to focus on what we love—like testing new visuals, experimenting with animations, and adding interactivity that we might not have time for otherwise. 
‍

I tested everything from photo editing to tools that help with layouts ensuring cohesive color schemes and the perfect typeface. I incorporated these new skills into my day to day at work. At Yahoo Creative, AI is a big part of how we work. We utilize AI to help us stay efficient and free up more time to focus on being creative. We use tools to enrich low-quality images and to extend backgrounds. These tools let us fix minor changes without the back and forth with clients. We also use features like background remover, magic eraser, and magic grab to make designing ads faster and simpler. And like most people, we use AI language models—to help brainstorm text for calls to actions and headlines, as well as finding tips for design programs. 

Below is a list of a few of my favorite AI tools, and my thoughts on them! Check out my AI website if you want to see all 30 tools that I tested.  

Generative Text-to-Images 

Often designers look for the perfect image and have to choose what is available on a stock photography website. Now we can type the exact image we’re looking for. For example, a photograph of a Persian pastry in the shape of a Cavapoo dog can be generated in seconds. That would’ve been a tough one to find!
‍

Automation and Productivity

These AI tools are designed to boost productivity by automating time-consuming tasks. A Text-to-Presentation Maker can generate fully designed presentations, complete with speaking points, in seconds. You can even create a video speaker to narrate your presentation! The Auto Resizer adjusts images to fit different formats, whether you’re converting a flyer into a social media post or resizing for a website header. These tools free up valuable time, allowing designers to focus on refining their creative vision.
‍

‍

Generative Text-to- Illustrations

Text-to-Illustration is my personal favorite. I feel like an art director who is texting with a very talented illustrator. I can ask for the illustrations to be simple or extremely detailed. A color wheel lets me see drawings in different color schemes in seconds. Because I do have illustration skills (enough to be dangerous), I’m then able to go in and adjust any of the elements needed.
‍

‍¹ Alvin Toffle, Future Shock, 1970