The Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Unicorn Designer

Why designers who code—and use AI—are having a moment.

Back in 2012, I was juggling three jobs disguised as one. I was designing mobile apps, crafting pixel-perfect responsive websites, and writing front-end code in CSS, Sass, and a little JavaScript. Some folks called this being a “unicorn”. I called it Tuesday.

I wasn’t a full-blown unicorn—more like one in training. But I had enough horns to confuse HR.

The Age of the Generalist

At the time, the line between designer and developer was blurry. You could design it, build it, and ship it. You didn’t need ten roles to get an MVP out the door. Knowing HTML and CSS gave me more than credibility with engineers—it gave me empathy. I understood constraints. I could speak their language. And that mutual respect made the work better.

Then Came the Great Specialization

Around 2014, the industry changed its mind. Unicorns? Nah. Let’s slice the job into UX, UI, Research, Strategy, Interaction Design, Motion, Systems, and more. And just like that, we entered the era of hyperspecialization.

I leaned into UX. That was my jam. But truth be told, I still dabbled in markup. It kept me sharp. It gave me an edge—not just technically, but creatively. There’s something satisfying about seeing how your design behaves in a browser—how a flexbox tweak can tighten a layout or how performance budgets shape design choices.

Now We're Looping Back

Funny thing: what goes out of style eventually comes back—just like low-rise jeans and desktop apps.

Designers today are picking up dev tools again. But this time, we’ve got a secret weapon: AI.

Figma’s rolling out tools that blur the line between design and build. Site generators. Realistic AI prototypes. Vector tools that look a lot like Illustrator, but friendlier. Canva-style layout tools. It’s no longer a question of whether a designer can build—it’s whether they’ll need to.

The tools are more accessible. The barriers are lower. The expectations? Shifting.

Designers Are Founding Again

While the 2010s saw many developer-led startups, there's a growing trend of designer-founded ventures. Equipped with AI, low-code tools, and design expertise, designers are increasingly able to create and lead startups without deep technical backgrounds—complementing, not replacing, the continued importance of technical founders.

One of the best ways to get there? Start a side project. It doesn't need to be a big, world-changing app. It could be a design tool, a resource site, a niche product idea, or even just a concept you prototype for fun.

Side projects build skills, reveal patterns, teach you how to scope and ship, and they offer proof of momentum when the right opportunity appears. In this new era, treating your side hustle like a small studio might just open doors you never expected.

Stay Curious, Stay Capable

Want to ride this new wave? Then sharpen more than your Figma skills.

Brush up on your front-end. Understand how the browser works. Learn a bit about tokens, accessibility, and performance. You don’t have to become a full-stack engineer, but knowing what’s under the hood helps you drive smarter.

Because AI won’t replace you.

But a designer who uses AI… absolutely might.

The future of design isn’t just about better tools. It’s about becoming more interdisciplinary—tech-savvy, critically minded, and endlessly curious.

A New Type of Unicorn

We’re not going back to 2012. We’re going forward to something weirder and more exciting.

The modern unicorn designer isn’t just good at lots of things. They’re good at learning new things—fast. They don’t wait for permission. They prototype, test, and ship. They use AI like a second brain. They stay human, but evolve constantly.

And they understand that the real magic still comes from them—not the tools.

So yeah, the unicorn is back. And this time, it’s got a jetpack.

To borrow some famous words from a guy who knew a thing or two about design and disruption:

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.