Is prompting the same as designing? The answer is maybe.
AI tools are moving at lightning speed, and designers everywhere are asking the same question: can prompting replace designing? My answer is maybe—but not in the way people think.
Prompting doesn’t give me the same creative energy or results as design. What it does give me is time—time to focus on the storytelling, the systems, and the strategy that turn visuals into real brand experiences.
Time saved vs. quality of work
Imagine this:
A designer spends 20 hours building out a campaign visual set.
With prompting, you could generate enough raw material in 4 hours.
That’s a 16-hour difference—a week’s worth of meetings or revisions saved. But here’s the catch: AI’s output isn’t final design. It lacks nuance, polish, and the thought process that connects a brand’s story to its audience.
So I treat prompting as design prep. It’s a way to remove friction early in the process, so I can spend my creative energy where it matters most—concept, craft, and storytelling.
When prompting helps (but doesn’t replace design)
Figma Make
It won’t deliver production-ready designs, but it can generate quick, low-fidelity screens that help teams align. Instead of waiting a week for mockups, stakeholders can react in hours.Synthesia
Voiceovers without the endless back-and-forth with voice actors. Need a product demo or an explainer video? AI can create a clear, consistent voice track in minutes, freeing time for designers to refine visuals and pacing.Canva
Canva is a good starting point for non-designers—or even for designers who want to explore ideas quickly without heavy setup. Its AI integrations (like text-to-image, quick layouts, and branding kits) can turn prompts into usable starting templates. For brainstorming, marketing mockups, or early explorations, it’s a tool that lowers the barrier to entry and keeps momentum moving.Placeholder imagery
Generated images can set the mood and context while you wait for stock photography or custom shoots. They help everyone imagine the end result earlier, speeding up collaboration.Adobe Suite + AI
Adobe is still the leader in creative tools—and now, its AI integrations are catching up fast:Photoshop: Smart object removal, generative fill, and rapid background swaps.
Illustrator: Vector recoloring, auto-layouts, and “turntable” 3D previews.
Adobe XD / Firefly: Faster wireframes, adaptive layouts, and on-brand generative visuals.
Adobe’s AI features don’t replace design skills—they expand what a designer can do in less time, without losing control of quality.
Figma Make
The effects on designers
Some worry AI will dull creativity. My experience is the opposite.
When I spend less time pushing pixels, I have more space for:
Conceptual thinking
Storytelling across campaigns
Building modular design systems
Exploring more variations before committing
Instead of shrinking creative scope, prompting expands it. It lets me experiment faster, discard more, and push ideas further—because the “busy work” is automated.
Stats worth noting
AI is already reshaping the way creative teams work, and the numbers back it up:
67% of creative professionals say AI tools save them at least 3–5 hours a week. That’s almost half a workday freed up to focus on higher-level thinking and storytelling instead of repetitive production.
45% report better collaboration because AI gives teams faster visual references. Instead of debating abstract ideas in meetings, people can see concepts earlier—making alignment faster and reducing revisions later.
72% believe AI will be standard in the design process within the next two years. This isn’t a future trend anymore—it’s becoming table stakes for agencies, in-house teams, and freelancers alike.
56% of marketing leaders say they are already budgeting for AI-driven creative tools. Investment is following adoption, which means the pressure to integrate AI into workflows will only increase.
Over 60% of non-design professionals (like marketers, sales, or product managers) say tools like Canva make them feel more empowered to contribute to creative projects. That’s both an opportunity and a challenge—designers now need to play a bigger role as curators and brand stewards, not just makers.
These numbers confirm what many of us feel: AI isn’t replacing us, it’s reshaping how we work.
Keeping Creativity at the Center
Prompting isn’t designing. But it is a powerful accelerator.
By automating the repetitive parts of the process, prompting allows designers to focus on the craft and storytelling that truly connect with audiences. It helps us:
Move faster without losing creativity
Test more ideas in less time
Free up energy for the parts of design that matter most
In my toolkit, AI isn’t the driver—it’s the co-pilot. And as long as we keep that balance, designers won’t lose their creative edge.
Let’s not lose sight of what makes design powerful in the rush to automate. AI helps us work faster—but it’s still up to designers to create meaning.
