Our focus this week revolved around the world of design. The rise of mobile in 2007, and the ubiquitousness of social media starting in 2012 drove the consumerization of software. The more time everyone is spending on screens, the more they start to form opinions about the types of digital experiences they prefer. In 2009, the average person spent ~1 hour a day in front of screens; in 2022 this had grown to over 7 hours a day. This week, we dug into the designer class. But what is the designer class? All of the people, both professionals and casual content creators, who shape our digital experiences.
The most obvious evolution in the world of design was the progression from legacy design software, like Adobe, to the new paradigm introduced by Figma. We unpacked the leaps of faith Figma had to take. Historically, design had been something that happened in a back-office. Designers put together mockups and sent it down the value chain. Increasingly, the role of design has become an integrated function. More people were involved in design, which put collaboration front and center. Figma became the leader behind the wave of changes in professional designers.
But professional designers aren't the only ones shaping our digital experiences. Canva rose to become the tool of choice for "citizen designers," the marketers, entrepreneurs, and digital storytellers looking to communicate more effectively through visual artifacts. In a recent interview, Cliff Obrecht, one of Canva's co-founders, described the early skepticism of what Canva was trying to accomplish when they were founded in 2012. Fast forward 10+ years, and Canva's platform is powering over 3.5 billion designs per year.
Finally, we reflected on the way design is changing and what the future of design will look like. Generative AI, the battle to own the website and application layers, the increasing importance of AR/VR, and the way gaming engines like Unity and Unreal Engines will play a more prominent role as the physical and digital worlds continue to overlap.
