Although octupoles, decapoles, and longitudinal gradient bending magnets (LGB) have been studied for many years, they are not usually included in light source lattices. They can, however, be beneficial in order to realize ultralow emittance and attain sufficient dynamic aperture. We present methods for achieving ultralow emittance and discuss optimization of the nonlinear dynamics with multipoles. We demonstrate how control of amplitude-dependent tune shift makes octupoles a powerful tool for dynamic aperture optimization. Control of higher-order chromaticity by octupoles and decapoles is straightforward; however, since this turns out to be not quite as efficient in high-brightness lattices with low arc dispersion, we apply it to a conventional lattice to demonstrate the potential. This paper also illustrates how high-field LGBs can be used to build a compact, bright hard x-ray source. Finally, we demonstrate in detail the application of octupoles as integral components of the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring lattice.