The design AI stack
AI-assisted design workflows. From concept to component to production. Generate assets, explore variations, stay on-brand. Pro settings for maximum creative velocity.
Back to verticalsRecommended stack
6 tools · Concept to production
Figma AI
Component generation, design handoff
Canva AI
Quick graphics, templates, variations
Adobe Firefly
Generative fill, text effects, expansion
Midjourney
High-quality AI images, concepts
Ideogram
Photorealistic renders, typography
Leonardo AI
Rapid asset generation, training
Why these tools?
Figma AI integrates directly into your design tool. No context switching. Auto-generate components, layouts, and design systems while you work.
Midjourney and Ideogram excel at conceptual work — mood boards, hero images, brand photography. Midjourney for artistic, Ideogram for realistic.
Leonardo AI is the fast prototyping tool. Generate hundreds of asset variations instantly. Train custom models on your brand assets.
Canva AI handles the 80% of routine design work: social posts, email headers, ads. Save Figma and Midjourney for high-impact work.
Adobe Firefly lives inside Photoshop and Illustrator. Generative fill eliminates 30% of manual pixel-pushing. Expand images without upscaling.
Stack these tools by use case: Conceptual (Midjourney) → Brand direction (Leonardo) → Component design (Figma) → Quick iterations (Canva).
Getting started
Setup time: 2.5 hours · Impact: Save 15+ hours/week
Set up Figma AI workspace (1.5 hours)
Create a new Figma file for AI experiments. Build a design token system for colors, typography, spacing. Configure Figma AI to use your tokens for all generated components.
Train Leonardo AI on your brand (45 min)
Upload 10-20 brand examples to Leonardo. Train a custom model. Now every generated asset matches your visual language automatically, no prompt tweaking needed.
Create Midjourney style reference (30 min)
Write down your brand aesthetic in Midjourney terms: colors, mood, composition style. Save as a reusable prompt template. Use for all hero images, illustrations, and concepts.
Build Canva brand kit (30 min)
Upload logo, fonts, colors to Canva. Now every design stays on-brand automatically. Canva AI respects your brand kit when generating variations.
Common use cases
Real design workflows · Real time savings
Complete design system (1 week → 2 days)
Use Figma AI to generate component variations. Midjourney for brand imagery. Leonardo for marketing assets. Canva for social. Full cohesive system without freelancers.
Hero image for website
Describe concept in Midjourney. Generate 20 variations. Pick top 3. Use Ideogram for photorealistic versions. Upload winner to Figma. Done in 1 hour.
Social media content calendar (50 posts)
Canva AI generates 50 variations of your core design. Leonardo AI creates background assets. Figma exports templates. Schedule all 50 in Buffer in 2 hours.
UI component refinement
Start with Figma AI auto-generated component. Use Adobe Firefly to fill details. Export to web developers. Zero back-and-forth revisions needed.
Product mockup variations
Photo of your product. Adobe Firefly generative fill creates 5 different backgrounds and scenarios. Each for different marketing channel.
Landing page visual refresh
Current landing page → screenshot. Midjourney reimagines style. Figma AI generates layout. Canva fills in graphics. Deploy new design in 24 hours.
Design at the speed of thought
Each tool in this stack has detailed pro guides with configuration tips, prompt templates, and advanced design techniques.