Why I Think “Handmade” Design Will Always Matter in a World of AI

This summer I went on holiday to Turkey. It was one of those trips where you don’t expect to think about work, but somehow, a single object brought me right back to design.

I was walking through a market in Izmir when I came across this handmade ceramic bowl. It wasn’t perfect. The patterns were slightly uneven. The rim was a bit wobbly. But that’s exactly what drew me to it. You could tell someone had made it with their own hands, with care and character, and not by following a blueprint for mass production.

As a UX designer, I couldn’t help but make the connection: there’s something in the “handmade” approach that resonates far beyond ceramics.

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When AI Designs Everything, Will We Miss the Flaws?

It’s clear where things are heading. In the not-so-distant future, AI will be able to generate complete software applications, end to end. UX included. You’ll type in a prompt like “Build me a budgeting app for students, make it inclusive, on-brand, and responsive”, and boom: it’s live in 30 seconds. And honestly, that’s exciting. I’m not anti-AI. I already use it in my day-to-day, and I’m amazed at what it can do.

But here’s the thing: when everything is optimal, when every UI component is perfectly aligned, when every UX flow follows the ideal path… what gets lost?

I believe there will always be clients and users who look for the human touch. They’ll want that handmade flavour, the small imperfections, the unexpected design choices, the unconventional layouts that shouldn’t work, but somehow do. Because they feel alive. They feel like someone cared enough to design it, not just generate it.

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The Trends That Shaped Us (And Will Keep Shaping Us)

When I first got into this industry, gradients were the thing. Then came Web 2.0: glossy buttons, drop shadows, and everything had to look clickable. Ten years ago, flat design took over and stripped everything back to the essentials. Then came neumorphism. Skeuomorphism tried to make a comeback. And five years ago, the 90s showed up again like a surprise guest at a party, pixel fonts, brutalist layouts, and noisy, nostalgic interfaces.

These trends don’t just happen. We make them. Designers. People. The same way we choose what to wear or how to decorate a home. It’s not about following rules, it’s about expression.

And this is something AI doesn’t do. At least not yet. AI doesn’t wake up one day and decide that buttons should look like jelly beans again. It doesn’t feel nostalgia, boredom, curiosity, or rebellion. It doesn’t start trends. It follows them.

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The Value of Imperfection

I don’t think the future is humans vs AI. I think it’s more like humans alongside AI. Tools evolve. Our craft evolves with them. But I do believe that human design, real, expressive, thoughtful design will continue to stand out precisely because it’s not perfect.

The handmade bowl I bought in Turkey isn’t the best one you’ll ever see. It’s not symmetrical. It wouldn’t win a design award. But it tells a story. It carries someone’s energy. And that’s exactly why I love it.

As designers, we don’t just solve problems, we leave fingerprints. We add a little humanity into the digital spaces people move through every day.

And I think that’ll always matter.