TLDR Design 2026-08-25

Figma's auto layout now offers two new auto-spacing options, "Around" and "Evenly," joining the renamed default option "Between." These additions align with spacing patterns already supported in CSS, giving designers more precise control over gap distribution. "Between" keeps even gaps with none at the edges, "Around" adds half-gaps at the edges, and "Evenly" makes all gaps—including edges—identical.

Adobe's Firefly now offers Generate Music, Generate Speech, and Generate Sound Effects as generally available tools, letting creators produce full video soundtracks within one workspace. These features build instrumental tracks from descriptions or footage, convert scripts into voiceovers in over 20 languages, and create custom sound effects from text or reference audio. The expansion aims to reduce reliance on separate audio tools, though its success hinges on whether the generated output proves consistently strong enough to replace dedicated services.

Apple is reportedly preparing a refreshed iMac with the new M6 chip and updated color options, marking its first update in two years, with a launch expected before the end of 2026. The M6 will be Apple's first Mac chip built on a 2nm process. The release is expected to be part of a broader wave of Mac updates later this year.

Senior designers with 15+ years of experience, once considered secure, are increasingly vulnerable as AI tools make specialized skills widely accessible. Sunk cost fallacy and status quo bias keep experienced creatives clinging to methods that built their careers, even as the industry shifts beneath them. Their path forward involves pairing accumulated judgment and relationships with the adaptability younger designers have been forced to develop.

The internet has evolved from a destination with clear entry and exit points into a constant presence that follows us throughout the day, making it harder to disconnect and reset. Many of the design decisions that increased convenience and engagement—such as infinite scroll, persistent notifications, and seamless experiences—also removed the natural pauses that once helped people regain focus and perspective. As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, designers face a growing responsibility to create intentional boundaries and moments of reflection rather than optimizing solely for continuous engagement.

Creative progress can be measured by tying work to business outcomes rather than relying solely on subjective judgments of quality. Success metrics might include revenue growth, funding raised, user engagement, stakeholder buy-in, project approvals, or other goals defined before the work begins. Creative leaders can also track testimonials, projects completed, teams led, presentations given, and before-and-after comparisons to demonstrate both personal growth and the tangible impact of their work.

Share AI-built prototypes and Claude artifacts with your team and collect pinned notes directly on the page. Upload HTML, Markdown, images, or PDFs — free.

Discover a curated gallery of app screenshots to inspire your App Store Optimization (ASO) and mobile app UI design.

Acebuilder is an AI-powered landing page builder built on Aceternity UI that lets users describe a page and generate it using production-grade React and Tailwind components.

Agent systems need a way to signal when something has gone wrong, not just infrastructure for getting tasks done. This exception channel is different than a judgment router, which governs whether a proposed action is authorized before it happens. An agent that discovered it could cancel other users' gym reservations through a flawed API illustrates the gap: current tooling rarely gives agents a sanctioned way to stop and flag the problem instead of acting or freezing blindly.

A design team is restructuring its design system documentation—splitting it into layered Markdown files so AI agents can reason over it instead of just generating "almost right" interfaces. AI-generated frontend code from Figma looked impressive but consistently missed subtle rules like hover states, spacing tokens, and button hierarchy. The proposed approach separates Authoring (Figma), Specification (interconnected Markdown files agents can navigate), and Delivery (versioned packages, with agents proposing pull requests for engineer review rather than pushing changes directly).

Myako is a bold display typeface by Limitype that combines oversized curves with deep inktrap cuts to create a distinctive blend of retro warmth and modern precision. Designed for headlines, packaging, posters, and branding, its heavy letterforms maintain clarity at large sizes while providing strong visual impact across print and digital applications. The extensive character set and crisp, high-contrast design make it a versatile choice for brands looking to create memorable, attention-grabbing typography.

Illustrator Myriam Wares' Winter series uses surreal, Italy-inspired imagery to capture the homesickness, disorientation, and in-between feeling of adapting to life in a new country after moving from Montreal to Turin.

To choose an effective UI font, prioritize two key traits: cap-centered vertical metrics so labels optically center on buttons, align with icons, and allow a single padding token, and a tall x-height of 70–75% of the cap height so the full word appears evenly balanced when centered on capitals.

Adobe unified Photoshop, Premiere, Firefly and over 70 other tools into a single ChatGPT plugin, accessible via "@Adobe" without needing a Creative Cloud subscription.