AI is ushering in the era of designers. In my opinion, knowing how to design will soon become more valuable than knowing how to code. I'm not saying code won't matter; without it, there can be no design, but the weight of importance is shifting. What makes a product succeed today is no longer just whether it functions, but how it feels. And thanks to AI, any idea, at least at the level of an MVP, can now be brought to life by almost anyone. That means the real differentiator, the thing that sets one idea apart from another, will increasingly be Design. Taste. Vision.

For the past few decades, coding has been the golden ticket. Learn to code, and you could build anything. It was the bottleneck, the gatekeeper between ideas and execution. Without coding, you couldn't have built many of the things you wanted to, regardless of your other talents. You always needed a “dev.” But today, tools like Replit, Cursor, ChatGPT, and other AI agents are removing that barrier at lightning speed. You can describe what you want, and the machine will scaffold it for you, sometimes in minutes. (It sounds easy, but it's not that simple yet. There's still work required to fully develop and launch your app.)

The walls are coming down. What used to require teams of developers can now be prototyped by a solo creator on a weekend. Again, I emphasize it's not effortless (yet), but this shift is thrilling. Absolutely thrilling. The deeper implication is clear: something fundamental is changing.

There is one thing that happens when execution becomes democratized: originality becomes priceless. That's where design starts to matter more. By design, I'm not referring to just “how it looks,” but also to how it works, how it feels in your hand, in your head, in your heart. Design is the soul of a product. The difference between a tool you use once and forget, and one you keep returning to. Think of the products you love... You do so not because they're the most powerful, but because they are the most thoughtful. Because someone, somewhere, cared enough to make every interaction feel smooth, meaningful, maybe even beautiful. That's design.

Now you may say that what I've described above can be automated by AI as well. And to be honest, I would disagree and say that it is much harder to do. You can teach an agent to write code. You can train it to generate layouts, mimic trends, even analyze patterns of user behavior. But what you can't teach it (at least not well enough) is taste, that intuitive sense of what feels right. The ability to distill chaos into clarity. To craft an experience that makes people feel something.

Taste is scarce (in my opinion, the scarcest thing ever because rarely, if ever, do people have 100% similar taste). And that's exactly why I believe it's about to become one of the most valuable assets in tech.

As creation is being democratized, and we are about to step into a world flooded with products (apps, platforms, tools), the barrier will no longer be “Can I build it?” but rather “Will anyone care?” And in my eyes, the answer to that depends almost entirely on the designer's eye. On their ability to strip things down to their essence and make decisions that are not just functional but emotional, human, enduring.

For many, design is just decoration. But I've learned that it is actually intention. It is design that transforms something usable into something unforgettable. It's how Apple turned a phone into an object of desire (it's not the best product on the market. I am an Apple customer but if you ask me, in many ways Samsung > Apple). How Notion made note-taking feel like play (Notion is the app I use the most. I've tried several note-taking apps, but none of them compares to Notion. I refer to it as the Apple of note-taking). How an indie app with no budget can outshine a corporate one with millions in funding. Why? Because their design is unmatched. It speaks directly to the soul, and code alone can't do that.

Thus, I arrive at my conclusion that in a time when everyone can code, those who design will lead. Of course, the dream is to master both. To be able to bring an idea to life with your own hands (from the logic that powers the interface to the interface that invites people in). There's a rare kind of magic in being a builder and an artist at once. When you understand code, you're not limited by what's been made before. When you understand design, you're not limited by what people expect. Put the two together, and you become dangerous in the best way.

But, if someone asked me today to choose only one, I'd go for design. I believe that code is becoming a commodity, thus making design still a compass.

You can ask an AI agent to generate a login page, a database schema, a working prototype (almost anything that comes to your mind) and it will give you something that works. But what it can't do is tell you why something should exist in the first place. It can't tell you what it should feel like, or how to make someone care. Those are questions of taste. Of judgment. Of empathy.

These are the things that make design so powerful. It's not just about making things look good, but also about making them feel right. It's about choices that can't be reasoned by logic alone: the placement of a button, the curve of a corner, the silence between two moments. It's about knowing when to leave something out. When to go bold. When to do less, because sometimes, less is more.

I love to say that design is where the soul enters the process. The part that refuses to settle. It's the part that makes you ask yourself not what you can build, but what you should build. What will make people feel something real? Look at design as the refusal to be forgettable. (Think again about your favorite apps.)

I believe that in the present moment, and in the future, the most important question won't be “can I create it?” but rather “do you know what's worth creating?” That's the reason why I'd choose design. As a creator, a designer myself, I have to think about what this means for me as well. What does it mean for someone with an idea, a vision, a need to make something real? I have great news.

It means the tools are no longer the problem. The gatekeepers are gone. The EXCUSES are fading. You don't need to know everything. You don't need permission. You just need taste. You need to care deeply about what you're creating and for whom. You need to observe the world with precision, notice what others overlook, and shape something that speaks.

We are entering the era of designers. Not just those with Figma files and moodboards, but those with clarity. Those who can cut through complexity and make things simple, honest, beautiful. Those who can make a thousand invisible decisions and have it all feel effortless to the person on the other end. That's what will matter now. That's what will set my and your product apart.

Study design. Develop your eye. LEARN TO TRUST YOUR GUT. Make things that feel like you. Think about how anyone in this world can create the same thing as you do, at the same speed (even faster) as you. What will make the difference then? The care you put into details, the intention behind your choices, and the taste you bring to the table. You don't need to be the loudest. Just the most thoughtful. That's how you'll be remembered.

I am repeating it, with different words this time...

The playing field is being leveled, but not in the way people expect. It's not just about who can move the fastest; it's about who can move with feeling. As the technical barriers fade, what remains is the human layer: the vision, the aesthetic, the care.

If everyone can build, then the ones who stand out will be those who create with taste. Those who obsess over nuance. Who notice what others overlook. Who dare to strip things down until only the essential remains. That's the new edge.

This is the era of designers (not just in the traditional sense, but in the broader sense). The era of anyone who shapes experience with intention. Anyone who sees not just what's possible, but what's worth making. Your time is now.

If you're learning to build, don't just learn to code. Learn to feel. Learn to see. Learn to design.

Thank you!🌹

Eduard🌹