📰 3 THINGS TO CHECK OUT
The Future Belongs to Creative Generalists
- Artist and Creative Director Michelle Higa Fox makes the case that career longevity in an AI-heavy world comes from fundamentals, not specialization. As tools multiply, what remains valuable over time is taste, storytelling, and the ability to understand why a solution works.
- She redefines “generalist” as someone who curates skills with intent. The most resilient creatives, she says, are fluent in fundamentals and comfortable moving across disciplines.
- “When I look around at my friends and peers who have been with me since the beginning, it is their experience, taste, and ability to keep learning that has sustained their careers more than any single technique.”
When Automation Bias Replaces the "Why"
- UX writer Dolphia notes that AI is quietly flipping the order of product decisions, where teams are tempted to jump straight to polished outputs before doing the slower work of problem framing, research, and strategy.
- Automation bias introduces a new risk: organizations start mistaking polish for correctness. The teams that actually succeed with AI, Dolphia says, are the ones with judgment discipline—those willing to slow down and ask harder questions.
- If you want to learn how to work alongside AI without losing craft, critical thinking, or strategic influence, you may want to check out Designlab’s AI for UX Design course. The next cohort launches February 13th.
Designers Need Permission to Deviate from Brand Rules
- Writer Louise North argues that what began as a way to create coherence has hardened into a rigid set of branding rules, where designers spend more time policing guidelines than exploring ideas.
- Being “on brand,” she says, should be a creative compass. Design systems and brand manuals often reward compliance over curiosity, producing work that’s clean, predictable, and easy to approve, but maybe not memorable or emotionally resonant.
- “When your brand feels too polished, people sense it. It reads as curated, cautious, and corporate. Humans don’t connect with that—they connect with imperfection, humor, and the occasional weird choice.”
💜 PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION
Neer Patel's portfolio is a great reminder that good UX can be both practical and accessible. In her DC Parks redesign, she takes a messy civic ecosystem (info scattered across agencies, outdated sites, mobile-unfriendly pages) and turns it into a centralized, mobile-first hub that supports real planning moments: finding amenities, checking policies, and discovering events quickly. She backs up the concept with clear research and a warmer visual system that intentionally breaks from rigid government patterns. In Stratos, she applies that same clarity to a personal finance app, balancing automation with user control and designing for emotion with calm visuals and confidence-building feedback. Overall, Neer’s work stands out for its structure, thoughtfulness, and consistent throughline: making complex systems feel welcoming, legible, and usable for everyone.
Got a portfolio you love that you’d like to share with our audience? Email your suggestions to hello@designlab.com.
💡 INTERESTING STUFF...
- The Most Annoying UX Patterns of the Modern Web
- AI Isn’t Coming for Your Job
- Trends Shaping Visuals in 2026
- The Return of Analogue?
Design...is the enabler of the digital era - it's a process that creates order out of chaos, that renders technology usable to business. — Clement Mok, graphic designer
🧪 FROM THE LAB
Considering a Career Change This Year? Start With UX Academy Foundations
January may be over, but it’s not too late to start a new career path in 2026. If you’re wondering what a transition into UX or product design could look like, it can help to hear from someone who’s been where you are. Like Hannah, whose curiosity about digital products led her to UX Academy, and ultimately, a more meaningful career.
If you’re curious about how to make the transition yourself, UX Academy Foundations is the perfect starting point. In just 4-8 weeks, you’ll gain proficiency with Figma, work 1:1 with an experienced design mentor, join our dynamic student community, and develop the skills you need to move on to UX Academy.
The next cohort launches Monday, February 9th—enroll here.
More Courses Launching Soon
We have several courses launching soon to help designers (and marketers) sharpen their skills, work more effectively with AI, and level up their impact this year. Here’s what’s coming up over the next couple weeks.
Advanced Figma is built for designers who want to move more confidently inside Figma and master the workflows used by top product designers. Launches February 13th.
AI for UX Design also kicks off on February 13th. This course focuses on integrating AI across the full UX design process and helps experienced designers streamline research, ideate faster, and work more efficiently. If you want a deeper look before enrolling, join our live informational webinar on Tuesday, February 10th at 1pm ET.
AI for the Lean Marketer, our newest offering, launches February 20th. Inspired by our slate of AI courses for designers, we created this program specifically for marketers and lean teams, focusing on practical, AI-powered workflows to help you drive results. Register for our live info session on Friday, February 13th at 12pm ET to learn more.
