WELCOME
Being Designerly 136: AI is reshaping work fast, but the winners won’t be the people who “outsmart” AI. They’ll be the ones who can partner with it: direct it, verify it, and apply human judgment where it matters. This issue connects the dots between shifting job skills, the risks of overly “human” AI, and the designerly superpowers that keep you valuable.
Then, some lighter fuel: LEGO-built logos, a clean inflation visualization, Volvo’s safety-first font (ATL traffic says yes), and a short list of design books worth your attention.
FEATURE
Agents, robots, and us: Skill partnerships in the age of AI
This McKinssey report looks at how AI will change jobs in the US. While AI could handle up to 57% of work, job roles and tasks will change. People’s skills will still be important, especially for working with and managing AI. Multiple designerly skills show up in this report
mckinsey.com
PEOPLE FIRST
Jobs that are AI-proof lead US News rankings
Jobseekers are in a tough spot to start 2026, with an uncertain economy slowing hiring. U.S. News and World Report’s new ranking of the best jobs makes it clear which sectors are growing, and what skills hiring managers are looking for. It reinforces the notion that to AI-proof your career, accentuating creativity, leadership and judgment will go a long way.
“Honestly, the easiest way to talk about it is like … humans have to be better at being humans,” Carly Chase, vice president and general manager of careers at U.S. News said. “We have to be great communicators. We have to have good judgment. We have to be creative. I think that’s really what we bring as humans to the table.”
wtop.com
Humanizing AI Is a Trap
Modern large language models are uniquely potent humanizing technologies. Unlike earlier systems like Clippy or Siri, LLMs are trained to produce fluent, contextually appropriate responses and aligned to follow social norms. These qualities makes them especially prone to anthropomorphization. When organizations incorporate humanizing design choices, such as personality modes, emotional language, and conversational pleasantries, they amplify these risks.
nngroup.com
VISUAL COMMUNICATION
A YouTuber made 100 famous logos from Lego and shared the instructions
IBrickeditUp!, a YouTuber, built 100 logos out of LEGO, including car logos, gaming logos, social media logos, entertainment logos, sports logos and country flags (OK, technically logos, but cool all the same).
creativebloq.com
Visualization: Where Inflation Has Hit the Hardest (2000–2025)
We hear about inflation, we see the impact around us, but this visualization shows U.S. inflation for the past 25 years by category, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
visualcapitalist.com
UX
Volvo Will Make You Safer With Only a Font. Yes, a Font.
Centum is Volvo's new typeface designed with safety in mind to make reading faster, sharpen driver attention, and create a calmer driving experience.
With ATL traffic, I'll take a calming font anyday.
motortrend.com
INSPIRATION
The best design books of 2025
From an accessible history of design to a facsimile of a super rare architecture magazine, these are the books FastCompany loved last year.
I just added The Invention of Design, and Enshittification to my reading list...
fastcompany.com
