AI replaces neither your eye nor your idea. It speeds up exploration and execution: mood boards, directions, icons, retouching, prototypes, mockups. You sort, you decide, and you finish in your own tools.
AI helps designers with tasks such as “Clarify a client brief before you start,” “Build a mood board for the client,” and “Explore twenty ideas before you draw.” Start with a single task, in Claude: allow 10 minutes the first time, and always review the result before you use it.
For each task: how it goes today, then with the tool. And the time it takes the first time.
TodayThe brief is three lines and a “make us something modern,” and the real expectations only surface at the second presentation.
With ClaudeA list of precise questions for the client, then a one-page brief for them to approve.
Adobe Firefly · “Firefly Boards”
TodayHours spent hunting for references, only for the client to pick a direction from three images that aren’t quite right.
With Adobe FireflyTwo or three named directions on a single board, for the client to compare and comment on.
Midjourney · “Draft Mode”
TodayYou get attached to the first idea for lack of time to try ten others, and the client has nothing to compare.
With MidjourneyAbout twenty sketches sorted by direction, to choose the one you will draw yourself.
Also
Krea · “Realtime,” “Draw” mode
A concept render that moves with your sketch, to settle on a composition with the client.
Recraft · “Create” tab, “Vector” model
A set of SVG icons in the same line style, which you finish in your drawing software.
Adobe Firefly · “Generative Expand”
The same photo, in the requested format, with an extended background that you check before delivery.
Figma · “Make”
A prototype the client can click through, at a link you send them.
Figma · “Agents” button, in a Figma Design file
A list of flaws ranked by severity, and a first phone version to rework.
Recraft · “Mockup” type
Your design placed on a poster, packaging, or a screen, for the client presentation.
Claude · Word file, in the conversation
A one-page rationale that ties each design choice to one of the client’s goals.
All 10 use cases on this page are in Nova, each with its steps and its prompt.
Try the interactive demoWhat to check
A brief can contain an unannounced launch: remove the client and product names, or work in an incognito chat.
Clarify a client brief before you startClaudeThe prompt to copy
You are helping a graphic designer clarify a brief before starting. Here is the brief as received: [paste the text]. Project: [visual identity, poster, website, packaging]. Restate in five lines what the client is really asking for, and what is still unclear. Then list the twelve questions to ask them, grouped: goal and audience, competitors and references, technical constraints and formats, deliverables, approval, budget and schedule. For each vague word in the brief, such as “modern” or “premium,” suggest a question that forces them to give an example. End with the three risks of misunderstanding.
In Nova, “My path” starts from your level: one next step at a time.
The first moves, with free tools.
In your jobWrite the design rationale for a proposal
In your jobExtend the frame of a client photo
In your jobClarify a client brief before you start
For a team: everyone moves forward in their own job. You see the team’s progress, never one person’s activity.
Mood boards in “Firefly Boards,” plus retouching and expanding a photo. Adobe’s AI models are described as suitable for commercial use.
Recommended planFree, €0: credits that renew every day. Then: Firefly Standard, €11.08 per month, incl. tax. First check what your Creative Cloud subscription includes.
Figma Make builds a clickable prototype from a description, and the agent in design files critiques a design or adapts it to another screen size.
Recommended planStarter, $0: limited trial of Figma Make and the agent. To create: Professional, Full seat, $16 per user per month.
Explore lots of visual directions fast in draft mode, then keep the same style from one image to the next.
Recommended planStandard, $30 per month, or 20% less if you pay for the year up front. To keep your images private: Pro, $60 per month.
Icons and illustrations in true vector, exported as SVG, and mockups on a poster, packaging, or a screen.
Recommended planBasic, $12 per month, or $10 per month billed yearly. The free plan does not allow commercial use.
In “Realtime,” you lay down colored shapes and the render updates before your eyes: handy for working out a composition with the client.
Recommended planFree, $0: 100 compute units per day. Then: Pro, $35 per month, or $21 per month billed yearly.
Restating a vague brief, preparing the questions to ask the client, writing the design rationale that goes with a proposal.
Recommended planFree to start. Pro, $20 per month ($17 per month if billed yearly).
Prices taken from the vendors’ official pages, dated on each tool page. These subscriptions are not included in Nova. Brands are named to identify the tools. No affiliation.
Nova recommends 6 to start with: Adobe Firefly, Figma, Midjourney, Recraft, Krea, and Claude. 4 of them can be used for free to get started.
Mood boards in “Firefly Boards,” plus retouching and expanding a photo. Adobe’s AI models are described as suitable for commercial use. The plan to choose: Free, €0: credits that renew every day. Then: Firefly Standard, €11.08 per month, incl. tax. First check what your Creative Cloud subscription includes.
With “Clarify a client brief before you start,” in Claude. Allow 10 minutes the first time. A list of precise questions for the client, then a one-page brief for them to approve.
No. Nova is software, not an accredited training provider: it issues no diploma or certification. It costs €19 per month for one person, and €129 per month for a team of up to ten people.