Contact

Design

March 13, 2025

SHARE:

As AI increasingly makes its way into the UI designer’s toolkit, Midjourney is fast becoming one of the most popular image generators. 

With a simple text prompt, you can use Midjourney AI to create custom digital artworks, whip up an app screen, design individual UI elements, and generate colour palettes—all in a matter of seconds.

For UI designers, this can really accelerate the ideation process and help you expand your own creativity. 

So how does Midjourney AI work? And how can you leverage it in the UI design process? Let’s take a look. 

What is Midjourney AI and how does it work?

Midjourney is a generative AI tool created by Midjourney, Inc.—an independent research lab based in San Francisco.

Midjourney AI generates images and digital artworks based on text prompts. If you enter a prompt asking for an image of a mermaid swimming underwater surrounded by marine life, Midjourney will generate four versions for you to choose from. The more specific your prompts, the better—but we’ll get to the art of prompt-writing for Midjourney in a later section. 

Midjourney works within the Discord platform. Discord is an instant messaging app, commonly used to create communities where users can chat via text, voice, and video. Discord essentially facilitates communication between the user and the Midjourney bot.

Midjourney uses two key machine learning technologies:

  • Large Language Models (LLM): this is how Midjourney understands and interprets the text prompts provided by the user.
  • Diffusion Models (DM): in very simple terms, this technology converts random visual noise into a meaningful image. You enter a text prompt, which sparks a field of visual noise. The AI then progressively removes that noise in incremental steps, eventually resulting in an image that resembles what you’ve asked for. 

Now we know what Midjourney is and how it works, let’s drill down to some key functions and features. 

What can Midjourney AI do? Key features

Midjourney’s core function is to convert text prompts into images. This allows you to generate unique digital artworks and graphics in a range of styles. 

You can guide the image generation process by applying custom parameters to your prompts. You might specify a certain aspect ratio, for example, or a particular style such as ‘watercolour’ or ‘flat design’. 

You can also customise the quality of your images by specifying, within your prompt, a value for the rendering quality. You might specify ‘q 1’ (that’s the default quality level) or request that images be rendered to a higher quality by specifying ‘q 2’ in your prompt. 

Once you’ve entered your prompt, Midjourney will give you four different image versions. You can choose to upscale a particular version, which will increase the size/dimensions of the image and also improve the quality. 

Beyond image generation, Midjourney serves as a great source of community and inspiration. You can share your creations and browse images created by others, allowing you to see what’s possible with Midjourney and sparking ideas for your own work. 

How to get set up on Midjourney AI

To use Midjourney AI, you’ll need to create both a Discord account and a Midjourney account. 

If you’re not already a member, first head over to the Discord platform and follow the instructions to create your account. Once you’re signed up, join the official Midjourney Discord server by clicking the ‘Accept invite’ button. 

You’ll then find yourself in the “Getting started” channel, where you can create your Midjourney account (if you haven’t already done so) by clicking “Get your Midjourney membership” (visible in the chat):

This will take you to a separate page, the Midjourney showcase, where you can click “Sign up” in the bottom left corner to create your Midjourney account. 

Once you’re signed up and logged in to Midjourney, you can navigate back to the Midjourney Discord server and enter one of the so-called “newbie” bot channels. You’ll find available newbie channels on the left-hand side.

You can then enter your own prompts into the chat box to start generating images. 

At the time of writing, Midjourney is no longer offering a free trial for new users. If you want to start prompting, you’ll need to sign up for a paid subscription. 

How much does Midjourney AI cost?

Midjourney offers four price tiers:

  • Basic Plan for $10 per month or $96 per year with an annual subscription (that’s around €9 per month / €89 per year)
  • Standard Plan for $30 per month or $288 per year with an annual subscription (that’s around €28 per month / €267 per year)
  • Pro Plan for $60 per month or $576 per year with an annual subscription (that’s around €55 per month / €533 per year)
  • Mega Plan for $120 per month or $1,152 per year with an annual subscription (that’s around €111 per month / €1,066 per year). 

For more information about each price tier and what’s included, visit the official Midjourney pricing page.

How to use Midjourney AI in UI design (with example prompts)

Midjourney can generate custom visuals in a matter of seconds—making it an incredibly interesting tool for UI designers. You can use Midjourney to quickly create screens and individual UI components, come up with themes, styles, and colour palettes, and generate unique digital artwork. 

Note, however, that the graphics you create with Midjourney won’t necessarily be directly usable—and working with Midjourney doesn’t eliminate the need to create your own screens and elements using the usual UI tools like Sketch and Figma. If you generate an app screen with Midjourney, for example, you’ll still need to actually create that screen from scratch yourself. 

Where Midjourney really comes in useful is helping you to explore different ideas and concepts and gather inspiration. You might use your AI-generated artwork to inspire mood boards, kick-start an ideation session, or serve as a guide for certain layouts or colour schemes. 

With that, let’s consider some examples of how to use Midjourney for UI design. 

Use Midjourney AI to generate app screens 

If you’re designing for mobile, Midjourney can help you ideate layouts and designs for various app screens. If you’re designing a dating app, for example, you might try the following Midjourney prompts:

  • /imagine a vibrant and fun login screen for a dating app, with an eye-catching background, username and password fields, and buttons for login and social media sign-ins
  • /imagine a user profile screen for a dating app, featuring a large profile picture at the top, user bio, interests, and match percentage displayed in a clean layout
  • /imagine a match screen for a dating app, showing potential matches with profile pictures, a brief bio, and buttons to like, dislike, or super like
  • /imagine a chat screen for a dating app with a clean interface, message bubbles, timestamps, and an input field at the bottom

Create UI components such as icons, buttons, and logos 

Perhaps you want inspiration for the finer details of your app or website. In that case, try using Midjourney AI to create individual UI components such as icons, buttons, and logos. Here are some prompt examples to guide you:

  • /imagine a set of modern buttons for a mobile app, including primary, secondary, and disabled states, using a black and white colour scheme
  • /imagine a collection of minimalist icons for a mobile app, including icons for home, search, messages, settings, and notifications
  • /imagine a sleek and modern logo for a dating app, incorporating elements of connection and love, with a vibrant colour scheme

Generate theme and style concepts 

In the early stages of the design process, you might focus on coming up with an overall visual style for your website or app—and Midjourney can help with this, too. Specify your vision or initial ideas and let Midjourney bring them to life. 

Consider the following prompt examples:

  • /imagine a light mode theme for a productivity app, featuring white backgrounds, soft grey UI elements, and navy blue highlights
  • /imagine a dark mode theme for a music app, with black backgrounds, dark grey UI elements, and neon pink highlights
  • /imagine a vibrant and colourful theme for a creative design app, with bold colours like orange, pink, and teal, playful typography, and dynamic UI elements

Create custom website imagery 

Imagery plays an important role in UI design, helping to reinforce brand identity and enhance the visual appeal of your website or app. 

Whether you want to create cartoon-style illustrations, abstract artwork, or realistic images of products, places, or people, Midjourney can generate custom imagery that reflects your brand and vision. 

Here are some examples of how you might prompt Midjourney to generate images for different use cases:

  • /imagine a stunning hero image for a tech startup website, featuring abstract technology elements and a modern cityscape in the background
  • /imagine a set of custom illustrations for a health and wellness website, featuring people doing yoga, eating healthy, and meditating
  • /imagine a unique background image for a creative agency website, with abstract shapes and vibrant colours

Generate colour palettes 

Perhaps you want help coming up with the perfect colour palette, or you’ve already got a colour scheme in mind and want to see how it looks in practice. Again, Midjourney is an excellent source of inspiration here. Simply specify the kind of look and feel you’re aiming for and Midjourney can generate multiple colour palettes accordingly.

Consider the following prompt examples to guide you:

  • /imagine a pastel colour palette for a wellness app, featuring soft shades of mint green, blush pink, lavender, and light grey
  • /imagine a bold, split-complementary colour palette for a fitness app, comprising three colours
  • /imagine a monochromatic colour palette for a finance app

How to write effective prompts for Midjourney AI

As with all generative AI tools, the quality of the output depends on the quality of the input. In other words, it’s up to you to tell the AI what you want—and to master the art of prompt-writing for the specific tool you’re using. 

Here are some tips to help you write effective prompts for Midjourney AI:

  • Start each prompt with the /imagine command, followed by a description of what you want the AI to create.
  • Keep it simple and specific. To quote the official Midjourney guidelines for prompt-writing: “The Midjourney Bot works best with simple short phrases that describe what you want to see. Avoid long lists of requests and instructions.”
  • Specify what you want the image to include, rather than what you don’t want it to include. Even if you specify “no flowers” in your prompt, the AI will likely only focus on the word “flowers” and therefore create an image that does indeed contain flowers. If you absolutely want to exclude something from the image, use the “no” parameter. For example: – – no flowers.
  • If necessary, specify your desired aspect ratio using the following parameter: – – ar [value]. If you wanted to generate an app screen, you could specify – – ar 16:9.
  • Use the stylize parameter to control the level of artistic flair that Midjourney injects into each image. If you imagine that the default level, 2500, gives you a medium level of stylization, you can dial it up or down by specifying values higher or lower than 2500. If you wanted to generate an image of a garden that’s more realistic than artistic, you might specify – – stylize 500. If you wanted to create an image of a garden that looks magical and fantastical, you might specify – – stylize 3500.
  • Use the quality parameter to adjust the level of quality and detail in the image. – – q 1 is the default, so work from that value to dial the quality up or down. 

Most importantly, be prepared to experiment. The more you use Midjourney, the more intuitive the art of prompt-writing will become. You’ll start to get a feel for what works and see how different words, phrases, and parameters influence the output. 

Ethical considerations when using Midjourney AI

If you’re using Midjourney AI (or indeed any AI tools) throughout the design process, you must take care to use it responsibly. Here are some of the most important ethical considerations to bear in mind.

Intellectual property and copyright

When generating images with AI, be careful about replicating existing images or artworks created by other artists or designers. You might use a famous logo for inspiration, for example, but you wouldn’t want to emulate the style too closely to the point of copying. 

Deceptive and misleading content

This is like the visual equivalent of fake news—creating image-based content that deliberately deceives, misleads, manipulates, or spreads misinformation. Don’t do it!

Stereotypes and bias

It’s well-documented that AI can and does perpetuate harmful stereotypes and biases. As a human user, you must be diligent about actively looking out for such biases and taking steps to mitigate them.

Strive to generate images that are inclusive and representative of diverse groups. If you generate an image that doesn’t feel inclusive or could potentially exclude or harm certain people, don’t use it. You can learn more about the importance of designing inclusive content in this guide. 

As a general rule: always review AI-generated content with a critical eye, and use your better judgement. As a human user, it’s your responsibility to consider the impact of any content you create—and to ultimately decide what makes it into the public domain. 

The takeaway

Midjourney AI can generate custom images in seconds, making it an excellent tool for gathering inspiration, sparking your own creativity, and ideating and exploring different design concepts, layouts, and styles. 

Whether you use it to generate fully-fledged app screens, individual UI elements, impressive artworks, or colour palettes: Midjourney AI is a powerful addition to your UI design toolkit. 

Ready to get started with Midjourney AI? Experiment with different prompts and use cases, explore other Midjourney users’ creations, and be mindful of the ethical considerations we’ve laid out in this guide. You’ll soon be generating images like a pro! 

Related Articles

an_tran_banc

Stories

An Tran Turned a Receptionist Job Into a 25-Year Journey to Executive Leadership in Banking

When you first meet her, you feel her warmth—grounded, welcoming, and full of passion. With over 25 years in the banking industry, An Tran, Market Executive at Banc of California, has become known not only for her distinctive leadership but also for the deep care she gives to her family—and for her dedication as a passionate skincare and self-care advocate.

Yet behind these roles lies a journey marked by resilience—a story not only of her own, but of many Vietnamese immigrants who navigated life in a new country with hope for a brighter future and the American dream.

An Tran | SVP Market Executive at Banc of California
An Tran | SVP Market Executive at Banc of California

A Humble Beginning, A Lifelong Commitment

Banking wasn’t part of her plan at the start of her career. In fact, her first job was as a receptionist at a bank in San Francisco. But she didn’t let that humble beginning define her. Fueled by passion, relentless effort, and the sense of responsibility that came from being the eldest of eight children, she turned what she lacked in experience into unstoppable drive.

“My professional life has always revolved around service and sales, with a natural inclination to care for others, perhaps stemming from my role as the eldest of eight,” she says. 

Over the years, she took every opportunity whenever she could to learn, grow, and serve her clients better. Her work ethic and trust-building skills propelled her forward, step by step, until she eventually became the Market Executive for Banc of California—a role she holds today with pride and purpose.

A Journey Rooted in Sacrifice and Survival

By her own admission, she doesn’t have any news-breaking stories. She is simply a daughter born to Vietnamese immigrants who came to America during the 1970s and ’80s. Yet it was her generation that first began to rise out of poverty, despite arriving in the U.S. with nothing in hand. “Through relentless hard work, we’ve not only achieved the American dream but also built the lives our parents envisioned for us when they first arrived,” she reflects.

Her family’s story, like so many others, is one of hope and sacrifice. And through years of determination and resilience, she has proven the grit and strength of her community—successfully building the life her parents once dreamed of when they left Vietnam.

An Tran has successfully built what her parents imagined for their children in the US. 
An Tran has successfully built what her parents imagined for their children in the US. 

Facing Challenges with Grace and Grit 

Climbing the banking ladder over the past 25 years was no easy feat for a young woman like An. She faced unique hurdles—from skepticism to subtle sexism in the workplace.

But instead of letting those experiences hold her back, she used them as fuel to move forward.

“Every challenge throughout my life and career has been a positive force, shaping me into the person I am today,” she shares. “These experiences pushed me to find new ways to grow and overcome adversity. I believe challenges are essential for growth—without them, we can’t truly learn. Remaining a lifelong student, absorbing both small and significant lessons daily, is key. The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop achieving.”

An Tran has faced criticism with grace and determination, climbing the banking ladder step by step.
An Tran has faced criticism with grace and determination, climbing the banking ladder step by step.

Empowering the Asian Community, One Role Model at a Time

From receptionist to executive, her journey is a remarkable one. But for her, the real achievements aren’t just titles—they’re the impact she’s had on others and the example she’s set for her children, her colleagues, and her community.

“I’m incredibly grateful to be where I am today, creating the life I envisioned and providing for my family in a way my parents dreamed of when we left Vietnam. My pride extends to every step of this remarkable path,” she says. 

She’s living proof. A former refugee who arrived in America with nothing is now leading in one of the most competitive industries in the country—and doing so with compassion, integrity, and purpose.

Connect With An Na Tran 

“My goal is to be a resource for the Asian community, showing that we are strong, career-driven, and incredibly successful.”

LinkedIn: An Na T.

  • 4 min read
AHS EMAIL ANGLE (1)-png

Blogs, Development

Unlock Your Growth Potential: Harness the Power of AIDA

Your audience is busy — if you want their attention, you need to earn it with a message that cuts through the noise.

AIDA is a time-tested framework that guides your messaging from first glance to final action, helping you craft marketing that actually converts.

  • Attention – Grab your audience with a bold headline, eye-catching image, or intriguing question.
  • Interest – Share a benefit or story that keeps them reading.
  • Desire – Build an emotional connection by showing how your product solves their problem or improves their life.
  • Action – End with a clear call-to-action so they know exactly what to do next.

Why Asian Hustle Solutions?

At AHS, we specialize in helping brands capture attention and inspire action — whether you’re launching a new product or scaling your business, we’ll guide you to marketing that resonates and delivers results.

Book a FREE call with us

If you want to learn more about our services, visit the Asian Hustle Solutions website at asianhustlenetwork.com/services/

  • 1 min read
KyLanActivewear-png

Stories

From Code to Culture: How Hải Bùi Left Tech to Build a Brand for Second Generation Asians

Embracing Heritage Through Style

Kỳ Lân is the first activewear brand deeply rooted in Asian aesthetics, created with a powerful mission: to empower second-generation Asians worldwide to embrace their heritage with pride. Born from Hải’s personal journey growing up Vietnamese in Hungary and struggling to find a sense of belonging, Kỳ Lân reflects what it truly means to live between cultures, and finally feel proud of that identity.

For Hải, Kỳ Lân isn’t just about clothing. It’s about rewriting the narrative for second-generation Asians and bringing Asian representation to the forefront of mainstream sports- and streetwear. 

Kỳ Lân’s mission is to help second-gens embrace their Asian heritage through clothing

The Meaning Behind Kỳ Lân: A Symbol of Heritage and Unity

Kỳ Lân is a mythical creature from Asian folklore, often described as having the head of a dragon, the body of a horse, and the tail of a lion. It symbolizes peace, prosperity, and good fortune. Versions of the Kỳ Lân appear in Vietnamese, Chinese (Qilin), Japanese (Kirin), Korean (Girin), and Thai (Kilen) cultures, highlighting the deep cultural connections shared across Asia.

Hải chose this name to honor that shared heritage. As part of his efforts to reconnect with his roots, he began volunteering in the Vietnamese community and eventually became the organizer of a 6,000-member Asian Meetup and Discord group. This community centered around 1.5-generation and second-generation Asians, those who either immigrated as kids or were born abroad to immigrant parents. Together, they explored questions of identity, belonging, and the desire to reconnect. These conversations sparked the idea for Kỳ Lân: a brand that celebrates Asian aesthetics but, more importantly, gives voice to the in-between experience many second-generation live daily.

Kỳ Lân is more than just a clothing brand, it’s a tribute to these stories and a movement towards proudly reclaiming culture.

Hải volunteering in his local Vietnamese community

The Origin Story: From Hungary to the U.S. and Back to His Roots

Growing up in Hungary in the 1990s, often as the only Asian kid in school, Hải vividly remembers the bullying, the stares, and the relentless pressure to fit in. Like many second generation Asians, he spent much of his youth trying to blend in, often distancing himself from his Vietnamese roots just to feel accepted.

It wasn’t until years later, after moving to the U.S., that everything shifted. For the first time, Hải saw second-generation Asians unapologetically taking up space, celebrating their identities through art, food, fashion, and film. Vietnamese cafés were opening everywhere, Asian artists topped the charts, and streetwear inspired by Asian heritage became more mainstream. Gradually, pride replaced shame.

He became proud to be Asian, and curiosity toward his culture blossomed.

Hải, his little brother and his mom in Budapest

His parents’ story deeply influenced him, too. They immigrated to Soviet-era Hungary on scholarships and chose entrepreneurship over low-paying engineering jobs after graduation. Their hard work and resourcefulness deeply shaped Hải’s values, even though they initially encouraged him to take a safer path.

That growing sense of cultural pride deepened during a visit to Vietnam, where Hải saw relatives and locals running small storefronts straight from their homes. Every corner was buzzing with hustle. “That’s when it clicked,” he says. “Entrepreneurship is ingrained in our DNA. No wonder I felt this constant pull to build something of my own.” 

From Software Engineer to Fashionpreneur: Finding Purpose

For Hải, the realization that entrepreneurship was in his blood didn’t make the decision to quit his job any easier. Like many children of Asian immigrants, he grew up with a very clear definition of success which included stability, a good education and a respectable job. And he achieved exactly this: a successful career in software engineering, after decades of hard work and sacrifice from his parents, who had moved to Hungary in search of a better future.

For a while, he was unsure whether to commit to building a business or return to the comfort of a tech job. However, the dread he felt preparing for software interviews made it clear that he had to make some kind of business idea work, no matter what.

Like so many second-generation Asians, Hải carried an unspoken responsibility to make his parents’ struggles worth it, to succeed and stay on the path they paved.

Eventually, the pull toward his purpose was stronger than the fear of failure.

In a twist of fate, Hải is following in his parents’ footsteps. After immigrating to a foreign country and getting a degree in Engineering, he decided to leave it all behind and pursue Entrepreneurship.

Hải’s parents threw away their Engineering degree to open their heavy metal t-shirt business back in the ‘90s.

The Birth of Kỳ Lân: A Perfect Fit 

Inspired by his parents’ own clothing business selling heavy metal t-shirts at marketplaces, Hải worried initially that they might disapprove of him following a similar path. Instead, they became his biggest supporters once they saw his dedication.

While it might seem like a waste to throw away his engineering career, Hải’s background turned out to be a great asset in building Kỳ Lân. His time at Amazon Ads taught him how to run effective digital campaigns, his logistics experience at Convoy helped him navigate supply chains, and his coding skills meant he could build his own websites without outsourcing. Even his parents’ experience running a clothing business became unexpectedly useful. 

Looking at it all together, it started to make sense. This wasn’t him starting from scratch, it was him finally using all of his skills in one place.

A Movement Rooted in Identity, Representation, and Pride

Kỳ Lân is more than just activewear, it’s a cultural movement. It celebrates the rich fusion of Asian cultures and modern sportsmanship while giving second-generation Asians a platform to proudly reclaim their identities.

Through Kỳ Lân, Hải is not only creating clothing but also rewriting the story for second-generation Asians around the world – one that embraces heritage, community, and pride.

Kỳ Lân’s mission is to help second generation Asians embrace their heritage through clothing

Connect With Hải Bùi & Kỳ Lân Activewear

To celebrate Kỳ Lân’s pre-sale, Kỳ Lân is offering the Asian Hustle Network community an exclusive 20% off with the code AHN20 – valid for one week only.

Website: Kỳ Lân Activewear

IG: @kylan.athletics

  • 6 min read
AHS EMAIL ANGLE

Blogs

Build a Brand That Connects: Start with the Identity Prism

Every brand has a story worth telling—and how you tell it matters just as much as what you’re building.

One of the effective tools is the Brand Identity Prism—a simple but powerful framework that helps define what your brand stands for and how it connects with your audience.

  • Physique – What people see (logos, colors, visuals)
  • Personality – The voice and tone your brand speaks in
  • Culture – The values and beliefs driving your mission
  • Relationship – How your brand interacts with your community
  • Reflection – How your customers see themselves through your brand
  • Self-image – How they feel when they’re part of your world

Why Asian Hustle Solutions?

At AHS, we’ve seen firsthand how powerful a clear brand identity can be — not just in standing out, but in building real, lasting connections. 

Book a FREE call with us

If you want to learn more about our services, visit the Asian Hustle Solutions website at asianhustlenetwork.com/services/

  • 1 min read