umar khalid

Founder & Designer | Crafted - Human design at AI speed

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

From static screens to living Generative UI… design jobs in 2026 are about directing the AI magic, not pixel pushing

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@rdbuilds7 https://t.co/iZFcukrXir

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@itschatto @lemonsqueezy Congrats!

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@kyleanthony This is so beautiful! Love the work!

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

Good design doesn't make you look bigger than you are. It makes you look as good as you actually are.

There is a difference between design that pretends and design that reveals. The best startup brands don't fake it. They show exactly who they are and what they are building, clearly and confidently. That honesty is what actually builds trust.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@marcelkargul Agreed! I always feel like simple beats everything out there.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@soltwagner I like second one better, keeps the product at focus!

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@AdityaSur11 Looks super cool! Love how realistic it looks!

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

Your logo is not your brand. Most founders don't know the difference.

Your logo is just a symbol. Your brand is the feeling someone has when they encounter your company. The logo is part of that, but so are your colors, your typography, your deck, your website, and your email signature.

Fixing just the logo and calling it a rebrand is like fixing the hood of a car and saying you fixed the engine.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@m4npreet006 This is exactly right, too much design kills the message. we simplified our own and clarity won.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@alfredarnaud_ Spot on about that first 60 seconds. we learned the hard way that empty states kill momentum.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@dangi_dp building @crafted_so, always down to connect with other founders in the ux space. what are you working on right now?

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@basit_designs Design really is the first pitch deck now, Couldn’t agree more!

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

Before they read a word of your deck, they've already made up their mind about you.
Investors make snap judgments. A brand that looks solid tells them you've thought things through. A brand that looks like a free template tells them the opposite.
That decision happens in seconds, not minutes.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

Love this “What if” approach, designing a Seed app with no brief and just pure instincts and taste. Personal projects like this are the best way to level up skills. Beautiful design!
#ProductDesign #UIUX #PersonalProjects

[Racheal James @ui_jaymez]

What if Seed had an app?

That’s the question I’ve been sitting with, and instead of just thinking about it, I started designing it.

No brief. No client. just me, Figma, and a brand I actually respect, asking myself what I’d build if it were mine to design.

“What if” projects are underrated.

They’re one of the best ways to test yourself as a designer, because there’s no one to impress, no spec to follow, and nowhere to hide.

It’s just your instincts, your taste, and your process.

This week, I’m giving daily updates on the Seed app concept, sharing the screens as they come, but also the thinking behind them.

The decisions, the dead ends, the moments where something clicked.

Starting with onboarding.

More tomorrow. 👀

P.S: This is one of our playtime activities at @quaevstudios :)

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@goneflyin @badlogicgames I completely agree and it is freeing. AI forces us back to asking what actually makes design good instead of settling for safe corporate templates that lack conviction.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@jxnlco You would love Pencil! Absolute game changer.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

The first iPhone didn't look futuristic. It looked obvious. That's what great design does.

Every founder wants their brand to look premium. That's the wrong goal. You want it to feel like there was never another option.
Most brands never get there.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

Agreed! Models feel interchangeable now but the tools around them like dynamic workflows are what actually multiply output.
Builders win by focusing here

[GREG ISENBERG @gregisenberg]

I didn't cover Claude Opus 4.8 on my pod because I don't think it's MEANINGFULLY better than GPT 5.5 as of May 29th.

We're entering the era where model releases start to feel like iPhone releases. Remember when every new iPhone was a genuine leap? Now it's a slightly better camera and you can't really tell the difference. That's where models are heading. 4.6 to 4.7 to 4.8. Each one is a little different. Nobody can agree if it's better or worse. The benchmarks say one thing, the vibes say another.

The thing that actually matters right now is what's happening around the models. Claude Code shipped dynamic workflows this same week and that genuinely changes what one person can build.

Codex shipped a desktop app with an in app browser that combines coding and knowledge work in one surface. Those are the releases that move the needle for people. The model underneath is becoming interchangeable.

I think we're maybe 6 months from nobody caring which model they're using the way nobody cares which engine is in their Uber. You just want to get where you're going.

When something genuinely changes the game for builders, I'll cover it on @startupideaspod. Opus 4.8 wasn't that. Dynamic workflows was.

I'd rather save you the hour.

[umar khalid @umar_crafted]

@Swaraj524 The level of detail and polish in this product design work is impressive. Every element feels intentional.