Thinking Outside The Box: Digital Design In The AI Era — Smashing Magazine

MacPaw's design team shares their philosophy and process behind Eney, a character-based AI assistant designed to feel personal and approachable rather than transactional. The piece explores why they chose a circular pink figure with expressive eyes over the typical chatbox format, how human designers controlled every creative decision despite AI tooling support, and argues that human artistry, empathy, and taste remain irreplaceable in the AI era. Designers are encouraged to use AI as a tool within their workflow rather than viewing it as a replacement.