by jydesign | Sep 8, 2022 | Blog, Roundup
AI Image Generators Introduce New Creative Possibilities
Updated December 24, 2021.
Artificial Intelligence or AI Image Generators are a nascent technology that is rapidly evolving. Multiple initiatives are competing to mature their capabilities and capture market and mindshare.
Below is my ongoing attempt to round up the notable players in this space, along with some useful utilities and helpful resources.
DALL-E 2 explanation from their website
There’s a lot of great content already out there to be searched for and consumed. I’m not attempting to compete with that here. In addition, the Discord channels for the actual AI technology companies themselves offer a treasure trove of information and community support.
Let me know if I missed any resources that belong on this list.
Survey
Gallery
See some of the images that I’ve created while experimenting with multiple AI image generators.
I created the top-most illustration with Midjourney, using the prompt “an artist telling a Robot what to draw, 50’s era, bold, graphic, colors, futuristic”
The Bigger Picture
See the December 2022 report from Antler, Mapping the Generative AI landscape.
by jydesign | Apr 6, 2021 | Blog, Roundup
Here’s a roundup list of some of my favorite podcasts with a focus on topics of design, product development, business strategy, and tech news – a Podstack so to speak.
Podcasts deliver on the promise of the internet in a way that many other resources don’t. Up until recently, they had been a shining example of open, accessible, and decentralized content (this is changing, and that may not be a good thing but that’s a discussion for later).
Here’s a continually updated list of Podcasts that I frequent. Many are design and technology-focused, but not all. I’m always interested in learning about new Podcasts so please get in touch or Tweet at me with suggestions.
I’ve attempted to link to the publisher’s main website so that you can decide how and where to subscribe via your favorite Podcast player service.
Illustration: podcast by achmad mulyana from the Noun Project
by jydesign | May 16, 2020 | Blog, Roundup
Updated March 18, 2021. See this twitter thread for details.
I’ve shared various lists, roundups, and reviews of different prototyping tools in the past – usually on Twitter. Sometimes, people will point out that a particular third-party roundup review has overlooked a specific product or seems biased.
I’ve created a running list of all the screen design and prototyping tools I’m aware of in an Airtable database. The live-updating list is embedded below for your reference. I have only used some of these solutions. If you are interested in my opinion or think I missed anything, please get in touch via email or on Twitter (TLDR, my primary tool right now is Figma).
The list is simple in format and has a direct link to the product’s website. I do not expect this will be enough information to help you decide which tool(s) to choose.
There are lots of great product reviews already out there. If you find a tool of interest, I’m sure you are a quick Google search away from a detailed article or comparison.
Happy prototyping, and don’t forget to get feedback from actual prospects & customers!
Illustrations: Website Prototype by Creative Stall, and prototype by David Gomez from the Noun Project
by jydesign | Feb 29, 2020 | Blog, Roundup
Updated January 18, 2021. See this twitter thread for details.
The design services landscape has undoubtedly evolved in the last decade.
Regardless of size or model, there’s been a rich history of graphic design services being a “relationships businesses.” Firms typically became known and trusted for their leadership, teams, and results. Reputation is still a factor today, but the variety of means for engaging with design practitioners continue to expand.
Outside agencies still exist and are now competing with the impulse within some companies to either build or acquire their own internal design teams. Individual freelancers and small boutique shops are looking for ways to specialize in countering these pressures. Freelancer marketplaces have been around for a while and focus on a race to the bottom in affordability.
An even more recent trend is the rise of design service companies that commoditize typical graphic and digital design production services and outputs and wrap them up in a SaaS (software as a service) styled capabilities model that offers predictability of pricing and flexibility of commitment.
The business world loves its acronyms. Perhaps this is model could be known as “On-Demand Design Services (ODDS)” or “Unlimited Design as a Service (UDaaS)” 🤓
What do these companies have in common?
- Emphasis on a tiered fixed-price model, quite similar to SaaS companies
- A contract-less monthly commitment that can be canceled any time
- Ability to increase or decrease the scale of services needed month to month
- They are usually remote-only, nobody shows up on-site to help you
- Anonymity and variety, no guarantees that you can choose or know the designer(s) working on any given project
- Proprietary online portals track all workflow processes, job requests, feedback, iterations, and sign off – asynchronously online.
- They are headquartered around the globe
- Many offer unlimited revisions
- A promise of end-product ownership (IP, files, assets)
- Some offer a “risk-free” trial period
- Some target a mix of end-customers, from companies seeking design help to other agencies and freelance designers that need immediate assistance
- Most emphasize graphic design production, NOT strategic thinking or brand creation
Here’s a copy of this list in an Airtable database that you can bookmark, follow or copy.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the above services, nor have a had the opportunity to work directly with any of them. This article is meant for information purposes only and is not a recommendation to purchase or use these services.
If I’ve missed any related companies, or if you are a business that has hired any of these companies in the past and wish to share your experiences – please get in touch.
Illustration: productive by Becris from the Noun Project
by jydesign | Dec 29, 2017 | Blog
Q: What happened to Sketch Hunt (sketchhunt.com)?
A: I’ve retired Sketch Hunt starting in 2018, in favor of my personal Twitter & Blog – please follow @jydesign and bookmark jydesign.com
My original impulse to maintain Sketch Hunt was to fill a void at that time. I saw an opportunity for sharing relevant news, resources and the op/ed content I enjoy writing on occasion. Kind of like a Macrumors.com for Sketch.
In a bit of a fluke, the blog gained traction for a good period of time thanks to being featured on Product Hunt, the very site it was intentionally riffing off of.
Sketch has since drastically improved its online resources for product-specific news, plugins, development, events, community, etc.
There is still an archive of notable cross-posts available in the Sketch Hunt Medium account.
I’ve seen the landscape evolve to include other amazing tools and services. Great things keep launching at a dizzying pace. I will now shift to using my personal blog and Twitter feed to share news, resources, and opinions on all sorts of things related to product design and development.
Thanks to anyone who followed my Sketch Hunt experiment.
