Julian lechnerandClaude Opus 5.5
d841ce6ead
Keep the decision steps in SKILL.md and move catalogs, examples, and checklists verbatim to references/ to reduce the context cost of loading the skill. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
1.3 KiB
1.3 KiB
Design Tools
For templated, brand-consistent work where AI generation is overkill or too unpredictable.
Canva
Best for non-designers who need polished output fast.
- Strengths: Massive template library, brand kit, Magic Resize (one design → all sizes), team collaboration
- Best for: Social graphics, presentations, email headers, simple banners
- Limitations: Less control than Figma, templates can look generic
- Agent-friendliness: Has an API but limited — better as a human-in-the-loop tool
Figma
Best for teams with design systems or pixel-perfect needs.
- Strengths: Design system components, auto layout, developer handoff, plugins
- Best for: OG images via templates, design system assets, complex layouts
- Limitations: Steeper learning curve, requires design skill
- Agent-friendliness: Has an API and MCP server for reading designs
When to Use Design Tools vs. AI Generation
| Scenario | Design Tool | AI Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Exact brand guidelines must be followed | Yes | Maybe (with strong ref images) |
| Need 20 size variants of one design | Yes (Canva Magic Resize) | No |
| Unique hero image for a blog post | No | Yes |
| Recurring social media template | Yes | No |
| Product mockup with real UI | No (use screenshots) | No (hallucinated UI) |
| Abstract/creative visual | No | Yes |