Could there be a better way to welcome the new month than with a new collection of desktop wallpapers? We’ve got some eye-catching designs to make your September just a bit more colorful. Enjoy! https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/desktop-wallpaper-calendars-september-2025/
Prompting is more than giving AI some instructions. You could think of it as a design act, part creative brief and part conversation design. This second article on AI augmenting design work introduces a designerly approach to prompting: one that blends creative briefing, interaction design, and structural clarity. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/prompting-design-act-brief-guide-iterate-ai/
TV interface design is a unique, fascinating, and often overlooked field. It’s been guided by decades of evolution and innovation, yet still firmly constrained by its legacy. Follow Milan into the history, quirks, and unshakable rules that dictate how we control these devices. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/designing-tv-evergreen-pattern-shapes-tv-experiences/
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are a great way to make apps built for the web feel native, but in moving away from a browser environment, we can introduce usability issues. This article covers how we can modify our app depending on what display mode is applied to mitigate these issues. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/optimizing-pwas-different-display-modes/
If you are new to using AI in design or curious about integrating AI into your UX process without losing your human touch, this article offers a grounded, day-by-day look at introducing AI into your design workflow. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/week-in-life-ai-augmented-designer/
AI has introduced huge efficiencies for web designers and is frequently being touted as the key to unlocking sustainable design and development. But do these gains outweigh the environmental cost of using energy-hungry AI tools? This article is an examination of that question, breaking down the sustainability pros and cons of AI use, so you can make informed decisions about the tools you use. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/double-edged-sustainability-sword-ai-web-design/
AI tools are improving fast, but it’s still not clear how they fit into a real product design workflow. Nikita Samutin walks through four core stages — from analytics and ideation to prototyping and visual design — to show where AI fits and where it doesn’t, illustrated with real-world examples. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/beyond-hype-what-ai-can-do-product-design/
Rodolpho Henrique guides you through the essential aspects of color in digital design and user experience, from the practical steps of creating effective and scalable color palettes to the critical accessibility considerations. You will explore the psychological impact of different hues and learn how to strategically leverage color to evoke specific emotions, enhance user experience, and understand why thoughtful color choices are essential for successful digital products. https://smashingmagazi
Your past shapes who you are as a designer, no matter where your career began or how unexpected your career path may have been. Stephanie Campbell shows how those lessons can sharpen your instincts, strengthen collaboration, and help you become a better designer today. Learn how the skills you have learned in your previous jobs can be put to work today in meetings, design reviews, and complicated mid-project pivots. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/from-line-to-layout-past-experiences-shape-
Prompting isn’t just about writing better instructions, but about designing better thinking. Ilia Kanazin and Marina Chernyshova explore how advanced prompting can empower different product & design use cases, speeding up your workflow and improving results, from research and brainstorming to testing and beyond. Let’s dive in. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/designing-with-ai-practical-techniques-product-design/