Common Thread Studio
A DESIGNER'S JOURNEY INTO AICommon Thread Studio

Pixel & Process

Session 04 — The New Process

Rethink the traditional design process for an AI-native world—without giving up the taste, judgment, and point of view that make the work yours.

Aug12
Wednesday, August 12
3:00 PM - 3:00 PM PDT
Zoom
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About Event

Welcome to Pixel & Process

AI is changing how designers work. But faster tools don't replace strong fundamentals, good judgment, or a clear point of view.

Pixel & Process is a free six-session, learn-in-public series exploring what it means to design in an AI-native world. Together, we'll look at where AI genuinely helps, where human craft still matters most, and how designers can build workflows that make them faster without making their work feel generic.

One journey. Six honest sessions. A better way to work with AI without losing the designer behind the work.

As AI makes execution easier, judgment becomes more valuable. The real craft is knowing what to automate, what deserves your attention, and when to keep pushing beyond the first answer.
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY
What to expect

Less hype. More useful practice.

[01]

Strengthen your fundamentals

Revisit the design principles that matter even more when generation becomes effortless.

[02]

Build a smarter workflow

See where AI can accelerate research, exploration, iteration, and production—and where it shouldn't.

[03]

Develop your point of view

Learn how to evaluate generated work instead of simply accepting what a tool gives you.

[04]

Ship real things

Move beyond prompts and prototypes toward work that can actually live in the world.

[05]

Stay current without chasing everything

Build a framework for evaluating new AI tools instead of jumping on every new release.

[06]

Watch a real process change

Follow the working method as it actually evolves, including the parts that don't survive contact with the work—not a finished highlight reel.

The series

Six honest sessions

A practical exploration of how design changes when AI becomes part of the workflow—and what shouldn't change at all.

View recording
01Jul 22

01 — The Manifesto

Why craft still matters in an AI-native workflow, what designers should protect, and what this series is really about.

3:00 PM - 5:00 PMZoom
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  • Why craft still matters when generation becomes cheap
  • What designers should protect as AI enters the workflow
  • How the six sessions fit together
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02Jul 29

02 — Design Fundamentals

Type, spacing, hierarchy, color, composition—the things AI can't judge for you, and how to build the eye that can.

3:00 PM - 5:00 PMZoom
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  • Type, spacing, hierarchy, colour and composition
  • The judgments AI can't make for you
  • Building an eye you can actually trust
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03Aug 5

03 — The AI Stack

A practical tour of the tools worth paying attention to, where each one shines, and where they still fall short.

3:00 PM - 5:00 PMZoom
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  • A tour of the tools worth paying attention to
  • Where each one genuinely shines
  • Where they still fall short
04Aug 12This session

04 — The New Process

Old workflow vs. AI-native design loop. Learn where generative tools fit without giving up your point of view.

3:00 PM - 5:00 PMZoom
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  • The old workflow against the AI-native design loop
  • Where generative tools actually fit
  • Keeping your point of view intact throughout
05Aug 19

05 — Shipping Real Products

Take an idea from concept to something live—and work through everything that gets messy between the two.

3:00 PM - 5:00 PMZoom
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  • Taking an idea from concept to something live
  • What breaks between prototype and production
  • Working through the messy middle
06Aug 26

06 — Deliberate Practice

Build habits that continue sharpening your craft, judgment, and taste long after the series ends.

3:00 PM - 5:00 PMZoom
View details
  • Habits that keep sharpening craft and judgment
  • Assessing your own work honestly
  • Staying current once the series ends
Speakers

Who's teaching

Elaine Vance

Design Principal & AI Creative Director, StudioSynth

Berlin, Germany

Elena Vance is a fictional Design Principal and AI Creative Director who teaches creative professionals how to transform generative artificial intelligence into a powerful collaborative partner. As the Principal Design Evangelist at StudioSynth, she leverages her decade-long background in user experience (UX) to help designers master rapid prototyping, visual prompt engineering, and automated asset generation. Elena's high-energy workshops and presentations emphasize that while AI drastically accelerates the execution process, human empathy, intuition, and taste remain entirely irreplaceable in the future of design.

Mira Vale

Independent Product Designer & Creative Technologist, Common Thread Studio

Portland, Oregon

Mira Vale is a fictional independent product designer and creative technologist focused on the intersection of digital craft, emerging tools, and human-centered systems. Her work explores how designers can use AI as a creative collaborator without outsourcing the thinking that gives a product its character. Over the past decade, she has worked across early-stage products, design systems, experimental interfaces, and creative tooling. Through Pixel & Process, Mira shares a practical, transparent look at how her own process is changing—what she keeps, what she automates, what she questions, and what she refuses to hand over to a machine.

Registration

Save your seat

Join us for Session 04 of Pixel & Process and explore what a truly AI-native design process can look like.

Registration is free.

Bring your questions, your current workflow, and your curiosity. Leave with a clearer framework for deciding where AI belongs in your process—and where your own judgment matters most.

Free to attend · Hosted on Zoom

FAQ

Questions

Your process is changing. Shape what comes next.

AI can make the work faster. The challenge is making sure it still feels like yours.

Join Pixel & Process — Session 04 and rethink the design process for an AI-native world.

REGISTER FOR FREE