As you can see from our roundup of new tools for designers this month, almost everything is based in artificial intelligence. Most of the tools in development and launch right now are designed to supercharge workflows and make you more efficient. Nearly all of these tools live up to that billing. Here’s what’s new for […]
As you can see from our roundup of new tools for designers this month, almost everything is based in artificial intelligence. Most of the tools in development and launch right now are designed to supercharge workflows and make you more efficient. Nearly all of these tools live up to that billing.
Let’s start with something fun and educational! Neat Photo, which is still in beta, turns daily photography into a game. Instead of filters or passive scrolling, you get a fresh theme, a rotating AI critic with unique preferences, and just three shots to compete on a daily leaderboard. It takes just 5 minutes a day, and there are 50 photo levels to engage with. It’s intentional, playful, and built to make you a better photographer. This is a fun way to hone your composition skills.
Typmo uses AI to convert your brainstorming drawings into working wireframes, helping projects move from the whiteboard to concept much faster. Write UI in simple text syntax, like markdown, or generate from prompts and sketches. With 60+ components, there’s zero learning curve. Iterate freely when changes are cheap, share with stakeholders, gather feedback, and then export implementation specs. This tool might change how you think about wireframing.
DesignLumo is a tool that uses AI to help you create ads for all kinds of projects. You can create almost any design or ad from a prompt, and the tool “understands” layout, typography, and color structure to produce a design you can adjust and use. All of the designs are layered, making editing easy, and you can try it without a credit card. Plans start at $7 per month.
CyberCut is a video editing tool that uses AI to help you edit more efficiently. What’s different about this editor is that it can also help you think more creatively about editing, with help cutting videos to be shorter and even edit in an auto mode. (Manual editing is also supported.) This tool is free to use and try, although the website indicates it may shift to a paid tool in the future.
X-Design is an AI-based branding tool. Start with a prompt that describes your concept or idea, and it will generate models to jumpstart your creative process. It can create logos, brand kits, and store-ready materials such as menus, posters, signag,e and packaging. X-Design uses Google’s Nano Banana Pro to generate, making it fast and precise. This tool has free and premium plans, based on your usage needs.
Need a design review, but don’t have time to connect with a focus group? Gleam gives your design a structured review from 10 AI panelists, each with their own specialty — UX, visual design, accessibility, product strategy, and more. Upload a screenshot and get scores, directional insights, and a short list of high-impact fixes to guide your next iteration.
Userflow is another productivity tool for designers that helps create some of the not-so-fun elements of product development, including in-app onboarding, checklists, surveys, and product tours. Plus, you can do it without code thanks to the system’s AI.
Google’s AI-based presentation software just got an update, and the 2.0 release includes Nano Banana Pro, support for additional file types, and the ability to have multiple boards per project. If you are looking for a digital mood board tool, this is a great option.
8bitcn UI is a nifty set of retro-designed, accessible components and a code distribution platform. It’s all open source and open code.
This tool, thefrontkit, combines design and coding UI kits so that things feel like a real app and not a mockup when you are designing. It includes two kits: AI UX (prompt→ streaming→ citations→ feedback→ upload→ export) and SaaS Starter (auth, dashboard, tables, forms, settings). Note: These are developer kits and require coding.
Draftly uses prompting to turn plan English thoughts into editable user interface components and designs. It can do anything from give you ideas for a SaaS dashboard to creating a portfolio website.
DockBuddy is a file organization tool for Mac users. Drag and drop photo or video files onto the dock icon, and they’ll be automatically organized and sorted by EXIF information and file type. It will help you name, organize, and even spot duplicates so you spend less time managing assets.
If you struggle with curves, this tool is the ultimate visualization tool for generating cubic Bezier curves and spring physics for CSS, Tailwind, Framer Motion, and GSAP. There’s nothing to install; go to the editor and export your code when done.
Runway is a gen-4.5 video creation tool that features state-of-the-art motion, prompting, and visual fidelity. If you can prompt it, Runway can turn it into a video. From the tool’s website: “Runway Gen-4.5 is the world’s top-rated video model, offering unprecedented visual fidelity and creative control. It produces cinematic and highly realistic outputs while providing limitless creative freedom and precise control over every aspect of generation.” The preview videos are pretty impressive.
This is just pure fun for all the work-from-home Mac users. Odies are AI coworkers that help you be your best, most productive self. They live on your screen and work and chill with you. They remind you to move, stay hydrated, and cheer you on from time to time. But that’s not all: Double-tap Odies and they can provide contextual help with any app.
Meet Bubble Punch, the irresistibly joyful display font designed to brighten up anything it touches. Chunky, soft, friendly, and full of personality — this font instantly turns your words into pure serotonin. Whether you’re creating kids’ branding, cute merch, cheerful posters, playful apps, uplifting quotes, or social-media graphics, Bubble Punch brings the perfect balance of charm and clarity.
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