Discoveries #8 | The Young Design Talent Moment
Welcome to Edition 08 of Discoveries. Each week, I share inspiration on design, product building, and what's next.
The Young Design Talent Moment
When I graduated college, I remember panicking: “Why would someone hire me, when there are so many other talented candidates with actual experience?”
But slowly, I found my footing. Turns out, being curious, scrappy, and genuinely interested in solving problems got me further than I expected.
Now, it feels like we’re entering a similar inflection point—this time, driven by AI.
Everything’s shifting: tools, workflows, interaction patterns—even what it means to be “good” at design. It’s messy, exciting, and wide open.
If I were starting out in design today, this is what I’d be thinking about—not as advice from someone who has it all figured out, but from someone still learning (just with more tabs open):
Self-Taught is the New Taught
According to Designer Fund, 96% of designers using AI tools are self-taught.
Schools are trying, but the pace of change is wild. The designers who will thrive are the ones who aren’t afraid to fumble their way through new tools, tutorials, and experiments.
Importance of Fresh Eyes
Every piece of software you use today is ripe for reinvention. The best ideas aren’t coming from those with “10+ years experience in Figma” — they’re coming from folks who ask, “Wait… why is it done this way?”
Be the person with weird, wonderful, original ideas. The future needs more of that.
Hustle Still Matters
When hiring, I’ve often leaned toward people who have hustle. Give me the hungry 23-year-old with Notion tabs open at 2am over the seasoned vet who stopped learning in 2019. Drive still matters. A lot.
Creativity > Execution
With AI, anyone can ship fast. But what really stands out now are the experiences that feel human. Emotional resonance, surprise, delight—those things are still rare, and still hard to fake. The world doesn’t need more MVPs. It needs more magic.
If you’re a designer looking to get ahead of the curve, check out AI for Product Designers. No affiliation—just a great resource I wish existed when I was starting out.
Product Inspiration
Everything about this startup just clicks — the brand, the story, the design. It’s all super buttoned-up in the best way. Hardware is a brutal game, but they’re going for it. Can’t wait to watch them build.
What I'm Reading
🔗 Y Combinator's call for more Design Founders
Some takeaways:
- Great design is foundational to successful startups — companies like Airbnb and Stripe wouldn’t have worked without it.
- AI is a tool, not a threat — designers should use emerging tech to build products, not fear replacement.
- Designers are well-equipped to be founders — they already possess key traits like empathy, problem-solving, and high standards for quality.
Other Finds
See you next week,
Blake
P.S. I'm always looking for feedback. Reply and let me know what you think! (I reply to every email)
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