Apple made an AI image tool that lets you make edits by describing them (3 minute read)
In collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, Apple researchers have developed the MGIE model, which enables users to describe desired photo edits through text rather than directly using photo editing software. MGIE, which stands for MLLM-Guided Image Editing, performs tasks like cropping, resizing, and adding filters based on textual prompts. It combines multimodal language models to interpret user instructions and generate corresponding image edits, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in photo editing tasks.
Snap is Looking to Unify User Experience Across Spotlight and Stories (3 minute read)
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said the company is taking steps to fuel growth including unifying Stories and Spotlight experiences. The update will enhance ad interactions across platforms and increase engagement and user growth. To improve engagement even further, the company plans to migrate ranking mechanisms and recommendation engines from TikTok-rival Spotlight to Stories, merging the interface and navigational gaps between these two segments.
Apple Vision Pro: Exclusive Interview with the Apple Design Team (10 minute read)
Richard Howarth, VP of Industrial Design at Apple, and Alan Dye, VP of Human Interface Design, explains how hardware and software worked in unprecedented ways to transform ideas into reality during the development of the Vision Pro. The tech giant's design team understood that the device was a tool for connecting people, bringing them together, and enriching their lives. The Vision Pro needed to feel not too techy, so Apple invested a lot in flexible, soft materials and designed natural and comfortable gestures. Its hardware and software work together symbiotically, sharing common design principles and high-level goals.
Midjourney’s New Game-Changing Style Reference Tool (2 minute read)
The Style Reference tool extracts visual style cues incorporated into your outputs by referencing images as Midjourney inputs. The new tool will be crucial to most prompting due to its high effectiveness at increasing term value. It produces even better results with other features, like reference images and image weights.
Unintended Design Consequences (4 minute read)
In a world where innovation is driven primarily by speed, many designs can have unintended negative consequences. Despite their noble intentions, when Toms Shoes pledged to donate a pair of shoes for every pair it sold, it put local shoemakers out of business. Designers are responsible for the intended and unintended consequences of their work. The only way to do that is to step back and explore all sides of our big ideas.
Honda’s O Series EVs Take Us Back to the Future (3 minute read)
Honda unveiled its 0 Series electric vehicles at CES. The two concept cars, the Saloon and the Space-Hub, designed to enhance daily life, are slated for production in 2026. Honda introduced a new logo, a departure from its traditional 'H mark,' marking a significant change since 1981.
Blurr Bureau tackles nostalgic brief for Flings (2 minute read)
Flings partnered with Blurr Bureau, a brand-building agency, to develop branding and packaging that evokes memories of simpler times. Blurr Bureau's approach balanced nostalgia with modern health consciousness, resulting in a successful product launch that exceeded sales targets.
Iconic Readings (6 minute read)
If you are an icon designer or just curious about the evolution of symbols, paper is still your best choice. Despite some of these being hard to find, the books on this list will help you dig deep into the world of iconography.
In Loving Memory of Square Checkbox (3 minute read)
There are many different styles and formats for checkboxes. However, there has always been one constant: checkboxes were square. Until now. Despite four decades of tradition, Apple abandoned the standard with its new visionOS.