How I work
Working with AI, on purpose
How I used Claude, Figma Make and Gemini in this portfolio, and where I kept the decisions to myself.
What I used it for
I use Ai on a daily basis. I direct and Ai produces, I use it to sharpen my reasoning, while the thinking is mine. Ai is my project assistant who pushes back sometimes and that’s a good thing.
What came out
In the end I didn’t change much in the website. The illustrations I already had, didn’t match the vibe of the site, so I created new one. Other than that, having used Claude for a while, the outcomes are very close to what I am looking for.
What I learned
Using Ai in design work is smart, knowing where and how to use it is crushial. I use Claude mainly, as I have taught it on how I work, and what I want my outcomes to be like.
Case study · Designing the designer
Who did what
I made the decisions. AI did the heavy lifting. Building a library by hand means hours of repetitive setup, so I used AI for production and kept the design choices for myself.
■ Me ■ AI
Direction and design decisions · Me 90% AI 10%
I chose the colours, the font, the grid spec and what the library needed. AI offered font alternatives and ran contrast checks.
Variables and foundations · Me 20% AI 80%
I set the rules. AI built 176+ variables across five collections with light, dark, desktop, tablet and mobile modes.
Components · Me 35% AI 65%
I designed the originals and decided what to keep. AI audited duplicates, merged variants and built the missing pieces.
Responsive templates · Me 25% AI 75%
My Small, Medium and Large grid spec. AI built six templates in three sizes.
Animation and interaction · Me 75% AI 25%
Rolling text, word change and the cursor reveal idea were mine. AI developed the reveal into desktop and mobile versions.
Documentation · Me 15% AI 85%
AI built the variable spreadsheets and checklists. I decided what they needed to track.
Review and corrections · Me 80% AI 20%
I tested, caught what broke and decided what to fix or leave.
Overall · Me 45% AI 55%
AI did most of the hours. I did most of the deciding.
Where AI got it wrong
My first font was installed only on my computer, so AI couldn’t edit the text styles. That pushed me to choose a Figma hosted font, and I picked Fira Sans for its human feel. AI also flagged that teal on plum might feel harsh in dark mode. I looked at it and kept it. Not every flag needs a fix.
What I learned about AI
AI is fast, but it builds exactly what you tell it. A clear spec gave me a clean library. A vague request gave me something I had to clean up afterwards. The quality of the output was decided before I typed the prompt.
“I decide where the furniture goes, and whether the room works for the people living in it, Ai does the hoovering.”
Elina, Designer
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