In October 2022, Microsoft ‘designer’service was released. This service, which includes a designer from the service name, creates designs for various graphics such as presentations, postcards, posters, and invitations, and is a web app similar to Canva, which has many users in Korea. A noteworthy point is that all services are powered by artificial intelligence (AI), and design work is possible using user-created content and OpenAI’s text/image creation AI ‘DALL-E 2’.
With the development of design tools such as Canva, anyone can now easily create design templates. The biggest feature of ‘Microsoft Designer’ is that you can start the desired image based on text (prompt). It will be useful for those who spend a lot of time looking for images, or who have difficulty in specifically expressing the design they want among many templates. Microsoft Designer had user restrictions after its initial release, but now anyone can use it. Let’s take a closer look in this article.
Design work starting with a single line of text
Where you use design tools like Canva is an important starting point. For example, it provides templates according to the size of the space to be uploaded, such as Instagram posts and Pinterest pins. However, Microsoft designers can start by expressing their desired design in text. I first typed in an Instagram post for a food delivery service launching on May 30th. After inputting, I clicked the ‘Create’ button, and without leaving the screen, I was able to see the result converted into an image right away.
As explained earlier, Microsoft designers utilize AI to convert text into images. Therefore, when entering a prompt, you can check the results that fit various templates, and images are also included in the results. If there is an image you want, you can select the ‘Add Image’ button at the bottom of the prompt input window to check the design result that includes the same image. See different results much faster than selecting a template and then adding images.
The created design can be checked or newly created in three sizes. Square, horizontal, and vertical are included, and you can define the proportions through prompts, or you can edit the provided design by changing it to the size you want. The image above shows a design provided in a square shape changed to a horizontal one, then selecting one design and examining it in detail.
The advantage of design work using text like this is that it is easy to edit. Usually, it takes a few clicks to perform detailed editing of images and text, or it takes a lot of time to match the style. This is because in Microsoft Designer, you can check multiple designs right away by changing keywords or tweaking sentences a little. At first, I checked the results by entering only ‘delivery service’, but later, when I added the content of ‘preparing food’, I can see that the image has changed to the related content.
This time, I entered the creation of a post that encourages participation in the bike share program. In this way, you can check various design results with just one line of text, and you can use not only images but also short-format videos, so it is highly usable. Videos, in particular, are more useful than images, as stock-type content is often harder to find.
Further work with various editing tools
Now that we have confirmed the results of the design with images and videos inserted through text, it is time to proceed with detailed editing. Depending on the tool, learning may be required, but those who have used design tools such as Canva can edit without difficulty. Basic editing tools are located on the left, designs completed with text are located in the middle, and additional designs according to the previously entered text are located on the right.
Even if the design has been completed to some extent through text, you can edit it according to more diverse templates through the ‘Template’ tool. You can take a look at the already completed design and see how the current text is applied. However, when using a template, it is not applied to existing images or videos. Still, it provides tools like undo, so you can quickly check if there’s a better template out there with just one click. Templates are also keyword searchable, which is useful for finding similar designs to concepts created with prompts.
You can also continue working by uploading your own media files (videos, images, etc.). It also supports importing images and videos by linking devices such as smartphones and laptops with Google Drive, Google Photos, and Dropbox. When you are not satisfied with the results of images or videos produced through prompts, you can add your own materials. Even if you don’t necessarily use prompts, you can work on your design.
The feature I particularly liked in Microsoft Design is ‘Visual Tools’. It helps you find and utilize graphics, videos, images, etc. The important thing is that it recommends visuals related to the prompts you entered earlier. As an example, after entering the prompt for a bike share program, I selected one design, and in this case, I noticed that it recommended a list mostly related to bikes. This is because Microsoft Designer designed artificial intelligence to be used in all editing processes. Thanks to this, even in the process of changing an image, you can only see content in a similar context, speeding up your work.
The text editing tool is also one of the features that I use often. If you click on the text included in the design result, you can immediately change to edit mode, and you can apply recommended fonts or styles. Even if you do not select one from the suggested font or style list, click the ‘inspire me’ button to randomly apply a font suitable for your design. This is a function that can be used when you do not know which font to use in which situation.
In addition, you can easily change the color to which the recommended font and style are applied. You can change not only the font but also the applied background color, and you can use the ‘inspire me’ button that automatically applies the appropriate color during this process. If you save the brand color in advance, you can check only the brand color separately during the editing process and then apply it.
Why you should try it once
First of all, being able to design by entering text saves us a lot of time and effort. The reason why normal design work feels difficult is because you have to put a lot of effort into materializing your idea. Microsoft designers can view the design results organized to a certain level according to the text entered for the first time, and continue to check the results that match the initial input during the editing process. It is also useful in that it helps you to stay within the set limits and standards. This is especially true in that we do not have much time to create multiple drafts for the same situation during design work.
Finally, if you link your LinkedIn and Facebook (Instagram) accounts, you can upload your design results right away. At this time, it is also noteworthy that suitable phrases and hashtags are created together. Visually, graphics are the most important, but the text that explains and complements them also requires a lot of thought every time. Because Microsoft designers even consider this process. If you are running multiple channels alone and need to use multiple phrases depending on the situation, I recommend using it.
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