Product Identity
A small ask, and an open invitation
Two things going on right now
13th Jan 2026
Two things going on right now
Christopher Butler
visual journal – 2024 July 05 - September 30
Relative Dormancy
Star Trek: TNG will always be my measure of a tablet. We’re still not...
30th Sep 2024
Relative Dormancy
Star Trek: TNG will always be my measure of a tablet. We’re still not there yet.
Paid a visit to the Field Museum in Chicago.
Vibe.
Koos Looijesteijn -...
Spent most of the day in bed with a cold. Head feels pretty clear though. I feel bad, but I’m...
1st Feb 2022
Spent most of the day in bed with a cold. Head feels pretty clear though. I feel bad, but I’m...
Koos Looijesteijn -...
Bringing markers back to UI design
Many designers know: the best design tool is a marker. Not Figma, not Sketch and no, not a pencil....
8th Jul 2021
Many designers know: the best design tool is a marker. Not Figma, not Sketch and no, not a pencil. With...
The personal website...
Changing all the fonts on WSJ.com
“Change the fonts.” It’s a simple mission statement.
In reality, changing the fonts on wsj.com has...
11th Dec 2017
“Change the fonts.” It’s a simple mission statement.
In reality, changing the fonts on wsj.com has involved years of coordination and planning between nearly every team at the Wall Street Journal. In the past month, the last few coordinated steps were executed with an incredible...
Ryan Mulligan
Full-bleed Table Scrolling on Narrow Viewports
I found the following to be a rather decent solution for having HTML tables overflow the inline...
20th May 2023
I found the following to be a rather decent solution for having HTML tables overflow the inline edges of smaller/tighter/narrow viewports. Try resizing the width of the browser window if viewing this page on a larger screen.
Open CodePen demo
Notice that the table...
Nela Dunato Art &...
How to tactfully answer awkward client questions
The first time you get a challenging question will always feel uncomfortable, and you’ll probably...
24th Nov 2022
The first time you get a challenging question will always feel uncomfortable, and you’ll probably say something you’ll regret later. But that interaction is a valuable lesson, and the trick is to get prepared for the next time someone asks you the same question—because there will...
UX Collective
When the canvas starts acting, who’s really in control?
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
a week ago
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
Retail Design Blog
HAVV by Widarto Impact
OVERVIEW Soy milk commands 37.4% of the $23.8 billion plant-based milk market, holding the largest...
5th May 2026
OVERVIEW Soy milk commands 37.4% of the $23.8 billion plant-based milk market, holding the largest share of any plant milk...
Ryan Mulligan
The Fifty-Fifty Split and Overflow
The fifty-fifty split—or 50/50 for a dash of brevity—is a classic layout pattern where two elements...
19th Feb 2024
The fifty-fifty split—or 50/50 for a dash of brevity—is a classic layout pattern where two elements occupy the same amount of inline space inside a row. These two elements will stack once it becomes too narrow to properly display them side by side. Both flexbox and CSS grid can...
Oykun Yilmaz
Stop charging hourly! Start charging for the Value!
Money has always been an uncomfortable topic to talk about, especially for us creatives. We value...
10th Aug 2022
Money has always been an uncomfortable topic to talk about, especially for us creatives. We value our creation, get satisfaction from the process and the result so much that we often do not really give the importance it deserves to this money topic.
I have been designing for many...
The Turn Signal RSS...
Why Do New Cars Have Speed Limit Warnings, and Do They Work?
New cars have one feature that's infuriating: a beep when exceeding the speed limit. Why are...
1st Oct 2024
New cars have one feature that's infuriating: a beep when exceeding the speed limit. Why are carmakers adding this and does it actually work?
Product Identity
Annoucning Niche design: The Creative Practice
Inside the next issue + patronage
4th Aug 2026
Inside the next issue + patronage
The personal website...
The Role of Doubt in Design
At a recent happy hour, I struck up a conversation with a product manager. I told him I was a...
17th Jul 2019
At a recent happy hour, I struck up a conversation with a product manager. I told him I was a product designer, and he asked “one of the good ones, or one of the bad ones?” A designer on his team — a “bad one” — asked too many questions. Questions like “Why are we building this...
The DESK Magazine
How to make a copywriting portfolio
Talk to any creative person about building their portfolio and they’ll tell you: copy is the hardest...
1st May 2022
Talk to any creative person about building their portfolio and they’ll tell you: copy is the hardest part.
Jakob Nielsen on UX
Hamlet Remixed: Using AI to Convert Content into Alternative Formats
AI can translate a single source across media, styles, and audience frames. That makes it possible...
2nd Apr 2026
AI can translate a single source across media, styles, and audience frames. That makes it possible to reuse core material in formats better suited to different platforms and audiences. Shakespeare’s Hamlet serves here as a case study in a wide range of AI media transformations.
Oykun Yilmaz
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
More details and reviews on Amazon
Interesting take on creative minds and struggles. It is almost...
17th Mar 2023
More details and reviews on Amazon
Interesting take on creative minds and struggles. It is almost like a religious book, the author talks about Muses, Angels, how God has created us for a specific purpose equipped with genes/soul to achieve that purpose and how we are destined to...
The Turn Signal RSS...
Apple's Risky Bet on CarPlay
Drivers love CarPlay. Apple's WWDC 22 keynote revealed that And it's easy to see why. Even compared...
1st Apr 2024
Drivers love CarPlay. Apple's WWDC 22 keynote revealed that And it's easy to see why. Even compared to the best native infotainment…
The DESK Magazine
Objects of Affection — From the Desk of van Schneider — Edition №257
As always, if you missed last weeks email, its now on my blog. Last week I shared my big bucket list...
3rd Feb 2025
As always, if you missed last weeks email, its now on my blog. Last week I shared my big bucket list "Designs of my Dreams" with you. Feel free to forward this article to friends or colleagues if you like, its now open to everyone to read.
Designs
Nela Dunato Art &...
How to create a brand mood board
A brand mood board is a collage that represents your core values and aesthetic brand qualities in a...
9th Jun 2023
A brand mood board is a collage that represents your core values and aesthetic brand qualities in a visual way. It’s the first step in translating these abstract concepts into visual language. Whether you decide to work with a designer or by yourself, creating a mood board is a...
Jakob Nielsen on UX
Gestalt Principles for Visual UI Design
Users parse a layout before they read its labels. Whitespace, borders, alignment, color, and motion...
2 weeks ago
Users parse a layout before they read its labels. Whitespace, borders, alignment, color, and motion determine what belongs together. When these cues fight the content, users attach the label, price, warning, status, or action to the wrong object. Proximity, similarity, enclosure,...
Jakob Nielsen on UX
UX Roundup: UX Leaders Need Profits | In-depth AI | Emotional Avatar Animation | Construction Time |...
UX should quest for profits, not a seat at the table | In-depth AI reviews of draft academic papers...
1st Dec 2025
UX should quest for profits, not a seat at the table | In-depth AI reviews of draft academic papers | Emotional lip-synching of avatars when singing | Time needed to build AI supercompute data centers | Discover user needs
The personal website...
Datum ipsum
tl;dr — I’ve created a tool called Datum Ipsum to enable designers to use realistic data when...
27th Jul 2016
tl;dr — I’ve created a tool called Datum Ipsum to enable designers to use realistic data when mocking up data visualizations. Also, this is a written version of a talk I gave at Data Viz Camp 2016 in NYC. The slides for that talk are here.
In my career as a designer, both at...
The personal website...
Research, empathy, simplicity, speed
photo by Toa Heftiba
Earlier today, I read a thought-provoking tweet from John Maeda:
"Salt Fat Acid...
17th Oct 2018
photo by Toa Heftiba
Earlier today, I read a thought-provoking tweet from John Maeda:
"Salt Fat Acid Heat" as the perfect set of ingredients for a meal makes me wonder what a similar set of essential ingredients might be for digital products. https://t.co/z1w1PUyQsD
— John Maeda...
The personal website...
A website to call my own
Most of this site was built at my favorite coffee shop of late, Sump.
I make a living designing and...
2nd Dec 2013
Most of this site was built at my favorite coffee shop of late, Sump.
I make a living designing and developing, among many many other things, websites. So, for the past few years, I’ve had the embarrassing task of explaining something to all my clients and — worse, if you can...
The personal website...
What happens when things go wrong
The rise of the startup economy – and the abundance of millennial entrepreneurial wisdom it has...
6th May 2014
The rise of the startup economy – and the abundance of millennial entrepreneurial wisdom it has produced – means you can hardly go a day without seeing Samuel Becket’s words writ large:
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
In celebrating...
Melissa Penfold
WHERE TO FIND EXCEPTIONAL FLOWERS IN FIVE DIFFERENT CITIES
Not only do fresh flowers bring joy and delight into a home, they’re also a symbol of important...
3rd Oct 2025
Not only do fresh flowers bring joy and delight into a home, they’re also a symbol of important moments in life: they are the decoration of choice at weddings and funerals, and also the ultimate gift of love on Valentine’s Day. Their delicate nature, however, can make it tricky...
Product Identity
The Dumbification of our smart screens
Re: Enshittification: How screens might become dumber
3rd Jul 2024
Re: Enshittification: How screens might become dumber
The Turn Signal RSS...
A UX Review of Peugeot’s New Interior: When Design Ambition Meets Software Reality
The Panorama i-Cockpit is the latest iteration of the i-Cockpit that debuted in the 2012 Peugeot...
1st Jun 2025
The Panorama i-Cockpit is the latest iteration of the i-Cockpit that debuted in the 2012 Peugeot 208. The i-Cockpit's main innovation is…
Jeffrey Zeldman...
Advice for job seekers
I recently heard from an accomplished former colleague who had failed to impress the recruiter...
2nd Mar 2026
I recently heard from an accomplished former colleague who had failed to impress the recruiter evaluating their initial application for an open position. It was a position for which they were more than qualified. So why hadn’t they scored so much as an initial interview?
Turned...
Product Identity
Designing for a single purpose
What do a Dutch chocolate chip cookie and a thousand-year-old teahouse in Kyoto have in common?
7th May 2024
What do a Dutch chocolate chip cookie and a thousand-year-old teahouse in Kyoto have in common?
The personal website...
Expansion artifacts
The information age has been defined by bandwidth. The internet is limited by how much data we can...
20th Apr 2026
The information age has been defined by bandwidth. The internet is limited by how much data we can squeeze into the narrow pipes of transmission infrastructure. So we invented compression, ways of representing the same object — a website, a picture, a song, a movie — within ever...
Joshua Smith
Discolandia
Based on the old Discolandia Record Shop, Mission District, San Francisco. Scratchbuilt 1:20 Scale...
17th Apr 2018
Based on the old Discolandia Record Shop, Mission District, San Francisco. Scratchbuilt 1:20 Scale Miniature created from MDF, Wood, cardboard, plastic card, chalk pastels, spraypaint, wire, plastruct. Created for Through That Which is Seen Exhibition at the Palo Alto Art Centre,...
Christopher Butler
Doing (and Directing) Great Design Requires Detail Obsession
Every great design has one organizing detail that unlocks everything else, and the best design...
15th Aug 2025
Every great design has one organizing detail that unlocks everything else, and the best design leaders never stop looking for it.
Every good piece of design has at least one detail that is the “key” to unlocking an understanding of how it works. Good designers will notice that...
Melissa Penfold
THE 23 MOST DEFINING PIECES OF FURNITURE FROM THE LAST 100 YEARS
How do we define furniture? It might seem like a silly question, but it’s one that kept coming up in...
20th Jan 2025
How do we define furniture? It might seem like a silly question, but it’s one that kept coming up in October of last year, when, in a conference room on the 15th floor of The New York Times building, six experts — the architects and interior designers Rafael de...
UX Collective
Designing for AI means designing like it’s 1999
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
1st Jun 2026
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
Retail Design Blog
CELINE store
For any luxury brand, it’s a prerequisite to have a retail presence in Hong Kong, and that has...
2nd Sep 2024
For any luxury brand, it’s a prerequisite to have a retail presence in Hong Kong, and that has certainly been...
Christopher Butler
Replication Is Not Innovation
AI’s efficiency gains don’t justify trillion-dollar valuations.
The economy is both thriving and...
2nd Feb 2026
AI’s efficiency gains don’t justify trillion-dollar valuations.
The economy is both thriving and failing, depending on where you’re standing. The stock market remains strong, driven almost entirely by the valuations of seven companies. Meanwhile, most people experience a daily...
The personal website...
Know thyself
Throughout the series, we’ve covered four of the major ethical movements in philosophy. Here’s a...
8th Jun 2020
Throughout the series, we’ve covered four of the major ethical movements in philosophy. Here’s a brief recap:
Virtue ethics is the belief that well-being comes from having the right personality traits or dispositions. The key to virtue ethics is finding those special skills that,...
Identity Designed
Big C Charters
Designed by Mucho, San Francisco.
7th Jul 2022
Designed by Mucho, San Francisco.
The Turn Signal RSS...
How We Designed a White-Label In-Car Infotainment System
Infotainment systems are often overcomplicated and poorly built. Until recently, it was difficult to...
1st Aug 2024
Infotainment systems are often overcomplicated and poorly built. Until recently, it was difficult to change this because each carmaker had…
Identity Designed
Donut Shop
Designed by TwoPoints.Net, Hamburg, Barcelona.
11th Mar 2024
Designed by TwoPoints.Net, Hamburg, Barcelona.
Retail Design Blog
phenom israel
Phenom is a global HR technology company that delivers a single-platform solution and...
2nd May 2024
Phenom is a global HR technology company that delivers a single-platform solution and hyper-personalized experiences for candidates, recruiters, and employees....
Retail Design Blog
FOGO E ÁGUA at ALEA RESORT
FOGO E ÁGUA was built in Bad Orb, near Frankfurt, a place where salt was traditionally extracted...
1st Oct 2024
FOGO E ÁGUA was built in Bad Orb, near Frankfurt, a place where salt was traditionally extracted from a brine...
Koos Looijesteijn
Learnings from years of technological progress wasted
26th Mar 2024
The personal website...
Design from the inside
Imagine you’re an architect hired to redesign the floorplan of an office. The company hiring you has...
5th May 2026
Imagine you’re an architect hired to redesign the floorplan of an office. The company hiring you has grown from 10-100 employees and wants to make sure the space is easy to navigate and the common areas are in the optimal location.
You ask the client for the existing floorplan,...
Oykun Yilmaz
2023 Letter with 10 Lessons
Write
I've been writing for years, however, I gave the focus it deserved in 2023 as I felt the urge...
30th Dec 2023
Write
I've been writing for years, however, I gave the focus it deserved in 2023 as I felt the urge to express my ideas more in words than colours and shapes. I didn’t resist the urge and I have seen amazing benefits.
Articulating my ideas, feelings,
Alex Baldwin
IAM FINE Mix
While in Korea, I used Shazam to record all the songs played in coffee shops.
Here’s a mix I put...
18th Sep 2015
While in Korea, I used Shazam to record all the songs played in coffee shops.
Here’s a mix I put together of all the discovered tracks.
julian.digital
Multi-layered calendars
Traveling through time in three dimensions 01 Intro Time is a curious thing. It’s a constantly...
6th Jul 2023
Traveling through time in three dimensions 01 Intro Time is a curious thing. It’s a constantly flowing stream that can’t be paused, stopped, or repeated. We experience it, but we can’t control it. We can’t even touch or feel it. To get a better grasp of this weird, intangible...
Ryan Mulligan
CSS Grid Gap Behavior with Hidden Elements
I was recently prototyping a component layout that included a way to toggle the visibility of...
14th Feb 2023
I was recently prototyping a component layout that included a way to toggle the visibility of sibling elements inside a grid display. What tripped me up was, while these elements were hidden, all of the container's gap gutters remained, leaving undesired extra visual spacing. I...
Christopher Butler
Periodical – 10
It’s a grey afternoon here in Durham. I’m about to shut down for the evening, put on some music, mix...
1st Dec 2023
It’s a grey afternoon here in Durham. I’m about to shut down for the evening, put on some music, mix up a gin and tonic, and get dinner together for the family.
The kids are eager to open the first drawer of our advent calendar.
These evenings of the twilight of the year are...
Koos Looijesteijn
New design pattern: Drag To Tag
10th Sep 2013
Sarah Parmenter
The New Macbook Pro with Touchbar
I purchased my new MacBook Pro on a flight from London to San Francisco in the Autumn. I felt all...
21st Mar 2017
I purchased my new MacBook Pro on a flight from London to San Francisco in the Autumn. I felt all futuristic as I secured one of the new machines whilst on a poor internet connection, blazing through the sky. I felt even more nerdy when the Apple Store in Union Square was one of...
Permanent Style
The rules and how to break them: Your socks should match your trousers
Well, hello there. Welcome back to our series on the menswear ‘rules’, where we explain why these...
2nd Feb 2026
Well, hello there. Welcome back to our series on the menswear ‘rules’, where we explain why these conventions exist and as a result how they should be broken. The key is not to follow any rule blindly. Instead, see these rules as advice fr... > Read more
Jan Miksovsky’s blog
Promoting a design and development tool through comics
8th Jan 2026
The personal website...
Making an audio waveform visualizer with vanilla java script
You can read this article on UX Booth.
12th Nov 2019
You can read this article on UX Booth.
ramsés cabello
summer & new inspector panels @ sketch
hi everyone 〜 ദ്ദി ( ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ )
it’s been a few months since i sat down to write an update on the...
22nd Aug 2025
hi everyone 〜 ദ്ദി ( ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ )
it’s been a few months since i sat down to write an update on the journal.
we’re almost at the end of august and all my memories of the last few months include really high temperatures. most days i escaped the heat by going to a cafe and ordering a...
Permanent Style
The silks of Como: A reminder of the value of craft
I miss this. Visiting a mill is such an enjoyable, often inspiring experience, yet I don’t do it as...
2 weeks ago
I miss this. Visiting a mill is such an enjoyable, often inspiring experience, yet I don’t do it as much as I used to. Perhaps because once you’d done one worsted weaver it’s hard to justify more. But we’ve never done silk. I did go to Vann... > Read more
Oykun Yilmaz
2023 Letter with 10 Lessons
I’ve been writing my 2023 reflections for myself and I thought I’d share them with you. This is a...
18th Jan 2024
I’ve been writing my 2023 reflections for myself and I thought I’d share them with you. This is a bit of a long and personal one. Feel free to skip it if you like.
OK, let’s get to it!
Write
I've been
Fonts In Use – Blog...
Ramones presidential seal logo
Contributed by Nick Sherman
Source: sinistersaladmusikal.wordpress.com License: All Rights...
4th Nov 2020
Contributed by Nick Sherman
Source: sinistersaladmusikal.wordpress.com License: All Rights Reserved.
Source: i-d.vice.com License: All Rights Reserved.
Arturo Vega had the logo tattooed on his back with his own name incorporated and a type style that is less stylized...
The personal website...
How to pick the least wrong colors
I’m a self-taught designer.1 This has its upsides: I learn at my own pace (in my case, slowly over...
31st May 2022
I’m a self-taught designer.1 This has its upsides: I learn at my own pace (in my case, slowly over decades and counting), I design my own curriculum, and I don’t have to do any homework or pass any tests. But it also has a serious downside: because I don’t have to learn anything,...
The personal website...
The service-based design org
Last year, I joined SimpleHealth with the mission of building a design org from scratch. On my first...
23rd Jan 2021
Last year, I joined SimpleHealth with the mission of building a design org from scratch. On my first day, there were no in-house designers — just a rotating cast of freelance designers hired by various departments as they were needed.
A blank slate is a design leader’s dream....
Luke Mitchell |...
IKEA Bekant Standing Desk: Personal Review
Since the lockdown, all of us at thoughtbot have been working from home. I took the opportunity to...
21st Sep 2020
Since the lockdown, all of us at thoughtbot have been working from home. I took the opportunity to upgrade my home setup. The biggest change was a new desk.
I’ve wanted a sit-stand desk for a long time, this gave the perfect oppurtunity to try one. I settled on the IKEA Bekant,...
Oykun Yilmaz
Hustle Culture for Designers
We all have our aspirations and goals in life and career.
For me, it goes from having an impact on...
23rd Sep 2023
We all have our aspirations and goals in life and career.
For me, it goes from having an impact on my full-time work to helping designers via my blog, email newsletter, and other educational content.
I need to work damn hard to achieve these goals! Making the most of every...
The Turn Signal RSS...
Why Car Companies Need More Interaction Designers
Why Car Companies Need More Interaction Designers
1st Apr 2019
Why Car Companies Need More Interaction Designers
Retail Design Blog
Vedalia Salon by Nysa
On a busy street in Ampelokipoi, Vedalia Beauty Salon is conceived as a space of pause and retreat...
3rd Nov 2025
On a busy street in Ampelokipoi, Vedalia Beauty Salon is conceived as a space of pause and retreat from the...
Retail Design Blog
Amouage Zhang Yuan
In the heart of Shanghai’s historic Zhang Yuan district, Paris-based agency Héroïne has redefined...
1st Aug 2025
In the heart of Shanghai’s historic Zhang Yuan district, Paris-based agency Héroïne has redefined luxury retail with The Sillage, a...
Identity Designed
The Grand Press
Designed by Dixon Baxi, London.
12th May 2023
Designed by Dixon Baxi, London.
Fonts In Use – Blog...
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Contributed by Peiran Tan
Source: www.evangelion.co.jp ©カラー／Project Eva....
17th Oct 2019
Contributed by Peiran Tan
Source: www.evangelion.co.jp ©カラー／Project Eva. ©カラー／EVA製作委員会 ©カラー. License: All Rights Reserved.
Created and directed by Hideaki Anno, Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, often abbreviated as NGE or simply EVA) is a Japanese media...
The personal website...
Goldilocks your graphs
Data visualization is everywhere. From analytics platforms to infographics, across newsrooms and...
11th Nov 2015
Data visualization is everywhere. From analytics platforms to infographics, across newsrooms and social media channels, there are vast swaths of the internet devoted to delivering data in non-tabular format. There are entire blogs devoted to the subject, such as the ubiquitous...
Jeffrey Zeldman...
Everybody’s lost it, Part I
My beloved veterinarian’s office apparently moved to a new office location without informing...
19th Sep 2025
My beloved veterinarian’s office apparently moved to a new office location without informing customers. They also changed phone systems. The new phone system doesn’t work, and they didn’t leave a forwarding message on the old phone system. You call, leave a message, never hear...
ramsés cabello
icons @ sketch
hi everyone 〜 ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪
i’ve been debating how to use this blog – for now i’ve renamed it from...
14th Mar 2025
hi everyone 〜 ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪
i’ve been debating how to use this blog – for now i’ve renamed it from “blog” to “journal” as i want to keep posts written from a more personal point of view and include a closer look at some of the design work.
for the past week i spent sometime drawing...
Retail Design Blog
Acacia Coffee & Wine Bar by A-Malysheva Studio
Acacia is a small café and wine bar designed by A-Malysheva studio, situated in a quiet residential...
1st Sep 2025
Acacia is a small café and wine bar designed by A-Malysheva studio, situated in a quiet residential neighborhood of Odesa,...
Ryan Mulligan
Starting Exploration of Scroll-driven Animations in CSS
CSS Scroll-driven Animations has recently made its debut on the main stage in the latest versions of...
21st Aug 2023
CSS Scroll-driven Animations has recently made its debut on the main stage in the latest versions of Chrome and Edge. Before this module became available, linking an element's animation to a scroll position was only possible through JavaScript. I've been (and still am) a huge fan...
The personal website...
Functions and the future of design systems
New kinds of computers and interfaces are becoming ubiquitous: in our cars, on our wrists, in our...
12th Feb 2022
New kinds of computers and interfaces are becoming ubiquitous: in our cars, on our wrists, in our ears, at our desks at work, on our TVs at home. In response, we’ve seen innovations in the content, organization, and delivery of design systems: design tokens, interoperability,...
Fonts In Use – Blog...
Cherry by Nico Walker (Alfred A. Knopf)
Contributed by Florian Hardwig
Source: www.janet-hansen.com Janet Hansen. License: All Rights...
6th Jun 2019
Contributed by Florian Hardwig
Source: www.janet-hansen.com Janet Hansen. License: All Rights Reserved.
The cover for Nico Walker’s debut novel Cherry was designed by Janet Hansen, senior designer at Alfred A. Knopf, with creative direction from Carol Devine Carson. It was...
The personal website...
Product thinking is a lifeline for struggling design systems
Here’s a common problem: a design team creates a design system. They craft beautiful documentation,...
12th Dec 2019
Here’s a common problem: a design team creates a design system. They craft beautiful documentation, crystal-clear guidelines, and meticulously organized files. But the design system never gains traction. Engineers don’t use it, and other designers quickly stop maintaining it. It...
The personal website...
The legacy of NFTs
A new trend is sending shock waves through the world of art, collecting, finance, and...
29th Dec 2021
A new trend is sending shock waves through the world of art, collecting, finance, and investing.
It’s the result of a perfect storm: one part scientific breakthrough, one part new financial paradigm, one part reflection of world events. Some people attribute it entirely to the...
The personal website...
Design better data tables
Poor tables. Where did they go wrong?
Table tetris
After being the bread and butter of the web for...
3rd Aug 2016
Poor tables. Where did they go wrong?
Table tetris
After being the bread and butter of the web for most of its early history, tables were cast aside by many designers for newer, trendier layouts. But while they might be making fewer appearances on the web these days, data tables...
The personal website...
Research, empathy, simplicity, speed
photo by Toa Heftiba
Earlier today, I read a thought-provoking tweet from John Maeda:
"Salt Fat Acid...
17th Oct 2018
photo by Toa Heftiba
Earlier today, I read a thought-provoking tweet from John Maeda:
"Salt Fat Acid Heat" as the perfect set of ingredients for a meal makes me wonder what a similar set of essential ingredients might be for digital products. https://t.co/z1w1PUyQsD
— John Maeda...
Jakob Nielsen on UX
UX Roundup: Corkboard Mockup | Loss-Making Promos | AI Movie | Video-to-Music | Mainstream AI |...
Corkboard mockup of project history | Are promotions profitable or not?
1st Sep 2025
Corkboard mockup of project history | Are promotions profitable or not?
Nela Dunato Art &...
Quest for the best black paint: Gouache, acrylic, india ink, pastel & more compared
I love adding black backgrounds, borders, or other large areas of black to my artwork! In the past I...
30th Dec 2022
I love adding black backgrounds, borders, or other large areas of black to my artwork! In the past I mostly used India ink because it’s affordable, easy to use, and easy to find in stores. But now I'm curious if I can find something better.
I tested and compared 14 different...
Jim Nielsen’s Blog
Contrast Is Clarifying
Which is best?
Generalist or specialist?
Native or web?
Web site or web app?
JavaScript or...
2nd Dec 2024
Which is best?
Generalist or specialist?
Native or web?
Web site or web app?
JavaScript or Typescript?
Framework or library?
Server side or client side?
Photoshop or Sketch or Figma?
Designing in a tool or design in the browser?
Skueomorphic or flat?
Mac or PC or Linux?
This list...
The Pudding
Comparisons as Predictable as the Sunrise
An analysis of 200,000 similes from popular fiction.
4th May 2026
An analysis of 200,000 similes from popular fiction.
The personal website...
The history of album art
Album art didn’t always exist.
In the early 1900s, recorded music was still a novelty, overshadowed...
2nd May 2025
Album art didn’t always exist.
In the early 1900s, recorded music was still a novelty, overshadowed by sales of sheet music. Early vinyl records were vastly different from what we think of today: discs were sold individually and could only hold up to four minutes of music per...
The personal website...
Decentralizing quality
Everyone agrees quality matters, but we can’t agree on what it is — or who gets to decide.
I’ve...
30th Sep 2025
Everyone agrees quality matters, but we can’t agree on what it is — or who gets to decide.
I’ve experienced the drive for quality in every design leadership role I’ve had. When it comes to software, we like to pretend that quality is a number. Dashboards stand in for judgment,...
The DESK Magazine
How to build your secret repertoire
As a creative, your repertoire is your secret weapon.
2nd Jul 2024
As a creative, your repertoire is your secret weapon.
The personal website...
Copying is the way design works
CC-BY SA 4.0
(more on that in a bit). You can download, copy, remix, excerpt,
...
28th Oct 2020
CC-BY SA 4.0
(more on that in a bit). You can download, copy, remix, excerpt,
change, and repost it however you see fit.
I
Charles Eames said
it best: “We don’t do ‘art’ — we solve problems.”1
2
They...
Joshua Smith
Quickstop Groceries
Based on the Quickstop Groceries and RST Video shopfronts from the 1994 Kevin Smith film Clerks....
9th Nov 2018
Based on the Quickstop Groceries and RST Video shopfronts from the 1994 Kevin Smith film Clerks. Created for the Culture 4 Cult Exhibition at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, December, 2018. Scratchbuilt 1:25 Scale Miniature created from MDF, Wood, cardboard, plastic card, chalk...
Luke Mitchell |...
My favourite albums of 2023
I don’t have a Spotify wrapped to share this year. So, in no particular order, my favourite albums...
8th Dec 2023
I don’t have a Spotify wrapped to share this year. So, in no particular order, my favourite albums of the year:
boygenius – the record
I have followed the work of this supergroups members for a little while. When they come together they create something incredible. This album is...
The personal website...
Responsive roadmaps
Shane Parrish’s essay The Map is Not the Territory begins:
The map of reality is not reality. Even...
8th May 2019
Shane Parrish’s essay The Map is Not the Territory begins:
The map of reality is not reality. Even the best maps are imperfect. That’s because they are reductions of what they represent.
The same is true for product roadmaps. Understanding and applying Parrish’s mental model is...
The personal website...
The 1-hour design principles workshop
Design principles are a valuable tool for any team that works together towards a shared outcome....
19th Aug 2018
Design principles are a valuable tool for any team that works together towards a shared outcome. Written well, design principles can create alignment, speed up decision-making, and increase the quality of the team’s output.
Lately, I’ve worked with two of my teams to write design...
Fonts In Use – Blog...
Call for Entries: Finding Forte
Contributed by Fonts In Use Staff
Source: www.tomkoch.net Tom Koch. License: All Rights Reserved....
12th May 2022
Contributed by Fonts In Use Staff
Source: www.tomkoch.net Tom Koch. License: All Rights Reserved.
The call for entries is now open! Forte in use for a shop sign, spotted by Tom Koch in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Source: www.tomkoch.net Tom Koch. License: All Rights Reserved....
Jan Miksovsky’s blog
I wrote a screenplay for a programming language introduction, then wrote a program to turn that into...
22nd Jan 2025
Identity Designed
Bát Tràng Museum
Designed by M — N Associates, Ho Chi Minh City.
4th Feb 2024
Designed by M — N Associates, Ho Chi Minh City.
The personal website...
The micromanager's dilemma
Here’s a riddle: Nobody I’ve ever worked with likes micromanagement. Yet, on every team I’ve been...
13th Dec 2022
Here’s a riddle: Nobody I’ve ever worked with likes micromanagement. Yet, on every team I’ve been on, there is at least one micromanager. How is this possible?
Harvard Business Review says, “Micromanage at Your Peril.” Forbes says “Micromanaging is one of the most damaging habits...
The personal website...
Design-by-wire
There’s a lot of fear in the air. As AI gets better at design, it’s natural for designers to be...
2nd Mar 2023
There’s a lot of fear in the air. As AI gets better at design, it’s natural for designers to be worried about their jobs. But I think the question — will AI replace designers? — is a waste of time. Humans have always invented technology to do their work for them and will continue...
Fatih Arslan
Managing friction
I thought lately about what has changed in my life over the years. People change (even if they don't...
8th Apr 2025
I thought lately about what has changed in my life over the years. People change (even if they don't admit it). And there are always some sort of triggers that cause these changes. Some people start a habit of running, maybe; some start hanging out with friends who
The Turn Signal RSS...
The 8 Guidelines for Good Automotive UX Design
The primary goal of a designer is to ensure the safety of the driver. Non-driving-related...
1st Dec 2023
The primary goal of a designer is to ensure the safety of the driver. Non-driving-related activities, like interacting with an…
Christopher Butler
The Last Time
Life has as many ends as it has beginnings. What can an end teach us about making our...
15th Oct 2021
Life has as many ends as it has beginnings. What can an end teach us about making our world?
Bye, Chris” were the last words a friend said to me. We had been talking on the phone for about an hour, catching up as we did back then, a few times each year. He said his goodbye as...
Scott Jenson
The Present Needs Files
My last post “The Future Needs Files” clearly touched a nerve. The comments covered concerns well...
14th Sep 2021
My last post “The Future Needs Files” clearly touched a nerve. The comments covered concerns well beyond what I intended. This amazing energy shows how fundamental and impassioned we are when it comes to “storing my data”. However, I made a mistake by titling my post “The Future...
Oykun Yilmaz
Why Visual Design Matters
Visual Design often doesn't receive the respect it deserves among other disciplines such as UX,...
24th Jun 2023
Visual Design often doesn't receive the respect it deserves among other disciplines such as UX, Development, and so on.
I have faced situations like:
Devs have already started the development based on UX. Just spend a few hours adding colours, please.
We do not need visual...
The Turn Signal RSS...
A Guide to Prototyping Automotive Interfaces
First, it's important to clarify that this article is about the first stages of the design process....
1st Sep 2023
First, it's important to clarify that this article is about the first stages of the design process. There are many processes for…
UX Collective
How Estonia, AI gardens, and plywood make designers prolific
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
3rd Nov 2025
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
Koos Looijesteijn
Beautiful shadows have beautiful colors
15th Jul 2024
Alex Baldwin
See, Think, Design, Produce
Jonathan Corum, New York Times
See
Practice until your eyes can see it
See what others have done
See...
7th May 2014
Jonathan Corum, New York Times
See
Practice until your eyes can see it
See what others have done
See what’s possible
Look at more than you can use
Think
Find a clear thought and get it on paper
Sketching is visual problem solving
Sketches are not commitments
What are you trying...
Koos Looijesteijn -...
UXers and Product Managers Both Say Others Intrude on Their Work
"Summary: A survey of 372 UX and PM professionals shows that duplicative work is frequent and...
2nd Feb 2023
"Summary: A survey of 372 UX and PM professionals shows that duplicative work is frequent and generates confusion and inefficiency. The first four questions are discussed in this article. A companion article covers the last two.
"
The personal website...
How to generate color palettes for design systems
It used to be easy to pick colors for design systems. Years ago, you could pick a handful of colors...
20th Apr 2024
It used to be easy to pick colors for design systems. Years ago, you could pick a handful of colors to match your brand’s ethos, or start with an off-the-shelf palette (remember flatuicolors.com?). Each hue and shade served a purpose, and usually had a quirky name like “idea...
The Turn Signal RSS...
Guidelines for Designing an In-Car Voice Assistant
I turned all the research that I did for my previous article, about the impact of voice interaction...
1st Sep 2022
I turned all the research that I did for my previous article, about the impact of voice interaction on driver distraction, into concrete…
Koos Looijesteijn
Brutalism is not great for looking relatable
2nd Aug 2018
The personal website...
How to get the best design feedback from your team
In 2015, I wrote out my thoughts on creative feedback. Here’s that article in list format:
Feedback...
13th Apr 2017
In 2015, I wrote out my thoughts on creative feedback. Here’s that article in list format:
Feedback should be concise
Feedback should be action-oriented
Feedback should have a consistent format
At the time, the Planetary design team was growing. We were grappling with one of the...
The Turn Signal RSS...
An in-depth look at the UX Design of the Porsche Taycan
An in-depth look at the UX Design of the Porsche Taycan
1st Nov 2019
An in-depth look at the UX Design of the Porsche Taycan
Jeffrey Zeldman...
For students who make websites
WordPress.com maker Automattic is expanding into education with a new, free product designed for...
17th Aug 2026
WordPress.com maker Automattic is expanding into education with a new, free product designed for teachers and their classes called WordPress.com Education. The suite for classrooms includes a full WordPress.com domain for each student, plus free domain names (on the .blog or .art...
The Turn Signal RSS...
Apple's Risky Bet on CarPlay
What is Apple's strategy with CarPlay?
1st Apr 2024
What is Apple's strategy with CarPlay?
The personal website...
Working to work
Despite the fact that I build websites for a living, I do a significant amount of work in my...
18th Jan 2014
Despite the fact that I build websites for a living, I do a significant amount of work in my notebooks.
Quick quiz: what does a web developer do for a living? If you said ‘make websites, duh,’ you’re technically correct (the best kind of correct). And you’re in good company; I’d...
The DESK Magazine
Beautiful mistakes
I recently saw a short video about how the red wax seals on the famous Maker's Mark whiskey bottles...
27th May 2026
I recently saw a short video about how the red wax seals on the famous Maker's Mark whiskey bottles get applied. They're still dipped and sealed by hand which makes it special because no two bottles are exactly alike.
But what I didn't know
Koos Looijesteijn -...
You're making me buy a new phone
My iPhone SE 2016 is a good one. It’s easy to handle with one hand. The screen is more than...
6th Feb 2023
My iPhone SE 2016 is a good one. It’s easy to handle with one hand. The screen is more than...
Jan Miksovsky’s blog
Write a very concise static site generator with Origami expressions
2nd May 2025
Melissa Penfold
AT-HOME ENTERTAINING TRENDS FOR 2026, SERVED!
What we want now: listening bars, hidden wet bars, Argentine grills, and spaces where every room...
12th Nov 2025
What we want now: listening bars, hidden wet bars, Argentine grills, and spaces where every room pulls double duty for the party
Every generation has its own way of gathering at home—the conversion pits and buffets of the ’70s, the formal dinner parties of the ’90s, the open-plan...
Identity Designed
Freetree
Designed by How&How, Lisbon and London.
10th May 2022
Designed by How&How, Lisbon and London.
julian.digital
Media Consumption (Apr 2021)
>_ Summary Read 4 books (671 min, -60% MoM) and 33 articles (-23%) Listened to 613 songs (+3%) and...
3rd May 2021
>_ Summary Read 4 books (671 min, -60% MoM) and 33 articles (-23%) Listened to 613 songs (+3%) and 11 podcasts (704 min, -6%) Watched 6 movies (752 min, +199%), 12 soccer games (1395 min, +105%) and 0 TV episodes (0 min, -100%) Played 1 board game (50 min, + ∞) and 0 video games...
Koos Looijesteijn
What is color?—Color theory in design
14th Apr 2017
Fonts In Use – Blog...
Reclaiming the City, Reclaiming Words: Póli Gynaikón – City of Women
Contributed by Maria Paganopoulou
Photo: Maria Paganopoulou. Delfys Feminist Archive,...
6th Oct 2022
Contributed by Maria Paganopoulou
Photo: Maria Paganopoulou. Delfys Feminist Archive, Athens. License: All Rights Reserved.
Covers of the magazine Póli Ginaikón
Marsha Rowe, editor of the groundbreaking feminist magazine Spare Rib, famously recalled: “Suddenly, words...
The DESK Magazine
How to reverse AI brain rot — A note to myself
Stop chasing frictionless convenience
Accept some slowness and complexity in your life. Don't use...
1st Oct 2025
Stop chasing frictionless convenience
Accept some slowness and complexity in your life. Don't use shortcuts everywhere even if they're easily available to you. Embrace manual effort to train your mind and body. It's the only way to grow and retain personal agency in a
abdz.do - Have you...
An Introduction to the AI Generative Sneakers by Grant Franck
An Introduction to the AI Generative Sneakers by Grant Franck
...
23rd Jan 2023
An Introduction to the AI Generative Sneakers by Grant Franck
AoiroStudio0123—23
Grant Franck is a 3D artist and design director who has pushed the boundaries of sneaker design with his use of AI generative techniques. His series of...
The DESK Magazine
How do you know what you like anymore?
"Did you see Turtle Boss yet?" Tim asked over brunch.
"I saw it," said Katie over a mouthful of...
27th Sep 2023
"Did you see Turtle Boss yet?" Tim asked over brunch.
"I saw it," said Katie over a mouthful of hash browns. "It was so freaking good."
"Good?" said Sam. "You actually thought it was good?"
"Yeah, it was incredible.
The DESK Magazine
When did our tools become our religion?
Designers love to argue about design tools. Some treat it as their religion, as if their design tool...
6th Sep 2022
Designers love to argue about design tools. Some treat it as their religion, as if their design tool is the only thing that gives them meaning or an identity.
Jeffrey Zeldman...
Your opt-innie wants to talk to your opt-outtie.
Here’s a fact: “Opt-in” is great for programs a platform controls, but meaningless when that...
15th Mar 2025
Here’s a fact: “Opt-in” is great for programs a platform controls, but meaningless when that platform has no control.
Take, for example, oh, I don’t know, let’s say AI companies scraping web content without your permission. The heart wants to make content scraping permissions...
The Turn Signal RSS...
The 8 Guidelines for Good Automotive UX Design
The essence of automotive UX design turned into 8 fundamental guidelines aimed at designers in the...
1st Dec 2023
The essence of automotive UX design turned into 8 fundamental guidelines aimed at designers in the car industry
The Turn Signal RSS...
The Citroën Ami and the Future of Urban Transportation
Is the Citroën Ami a clever new transportation method or standing in the way of progress?
1st Oct 2020
Is the Citroën Ami a clever new transportation method or standing in the way of progress?
Koos Looijesteijn -...
Who is responsible for the impact of innovative products?
How can it be that a) all products are designed, b) designers want to create something good for the...
7th Dec 2023
How can it be that a) all products are designed, b) designers want to create something good for the world...
Retail Design Blog
Monarch by OPEN Strategy & Design
MONARCH – A ROYAL WELCOME CRAFTING A LEGACY For forty years, Mansion House has stood for ‘A Warm...
1st Apr 2025
MONARCH – A ROYAL WELCOME CRAFTING A LEGACY For forty years, Mansion House has stood for ‘A Warm Welcome’, a...
The personal website...
My management philosophy
After reading Lara Hogan’s post and getting some inspiration from my own manager, I thought it’d be...
10th Jun 2018
After reading Lara Hogan’s post and getting some inspiration from my own manager, I thought it’d be good to write up my management philosophy. This reflects my approach at this moment in time — I’m still pretty new to management, and will be revisiting this over time.
My...
ramsés cabello
web app inspector @ sketch
hi everyone 〜 ദ്ദി ( ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ )
we just launched a new version of sketch including awaited features...
28th May 2025
hi everyone 〜 ദ്ദി ( ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ )
we just launched a new version of sketch including awaited features such as stacks, frames, and graphics, along with a lot of other new features.
while we prepared the inspector on the web app to display the new properties that come with these...
Jim Nielsen’s Blog
You Can Now Subscribe To My Blog via Email
I don’t think you should. I think you should use RSS.
But if you want posts delivered directly to...
4th Jan 2025
I don’t think you should. I think you should use RSS.
But if you want posts delivered directly to your email, you can do that now.
However, disclaimer: I don’t know if I’ll keep this feature.
It costs me money.
And I don’t monetize my blog.
So sending you an email costs me...
The personal website...
Switching to variable fonts
Ever since I first learned about variable fonts, I’ve wanted to use them in my own work. After...
3rd Mar 2019
Ever since I first learned about variable fonts, I’ve wanted to use them in my own work. After learning that Source Serif and Inter both had variable versions, I started switching this site over to use them. Here’s how I implemented the change, and what I learned along the...
The personal website...
Agile & anxiety
Managing anxiety is a big part of my life.
I have generalized anxiety:1 I constantly feel that...
14th May 2018
Managing anxiety is a big part of my life.
I have generalized anxiety:1 I constantly feel that something will go wrong at any moment. Often, I can’t even identify what I’m anxious about.
Work is a significant contributor to my anxiety. When I’m at work (and often when I’m not), I...
Alex Baldwin
Product Design Sprints - QCon 2014
When I started at thoughtbot a year and a half ago, my first project was given to me within an hour...
11th Jun 2014
When I started at thoughtbot a year and a half ago, my first project was given to me within an hour of getting my laptop’s dev environment set up. We kicked off a green field project for a non-profit in the education space. They wanted to raise funds digitally for public schools....
Identity Designed
Muzeum Narodowe w Gdańsku
Designed by Tofu, Gdańsk.
1st Aug 2023
Designed by Tofu, Gdańsk.
The Turn Signal RSS...
In-Car Climate Control Design: How It Has Gone Backwards and How to Fix It
To illustrate how climate controls have evolved, I'll compare two generations of Mercedes S-Class:...
1st Feb 2023
To illustrate how climate controls have evolved, I'll compare two generations of Mercedes S-Class: the W140 from 1991, and the newest…
Christopher Butler
Link – Linsey Rendell's personal website
linseyrendell.com is a really nice website.
I just love the overall look and simplicity of what...
1st Jan 2024
linseyrendell.com is a really nice website.
I just love the overall look and simplicity of what Linsey has created!
Ryan Mulligan
The Infinite Marquee
The deprecated tag
The HTML <marquee> element had blessed (cursed?) the early days of the internet...
6th Aug 2022
The deprecated tag
The HTML <marquee> element had blessed (cursed?) the early days of the internet with the ability to insert scrolling text onto a webpage. It even included options to control text behavior once it reached the end of its container with a handful of attributes....
Identity Designed
Mountainview Brewing
Designed by Memory, Salt Spring Island.
4th Nov 2024
Designed by Memory, Salt Spring Island.
Christopher Butler
sketchbook – 2024 March 9 - March 16
Putting these up on my website is a new thing I am doing!
Either nothing is magic or everything...
9th Mar 2024
Putting these up on my website is a new thing I am doing!
Either nothing is magic or everything is.
We are doing solar this year!
The back is better than the front.
The DESK Magazine
Every choice is a confession
I believe our aesthetic taste is incredibly important, maybe even more important than we admit...
5th Feb 2026
I believe our aesthetic taste is incredibly important, maybe even more important than we admit because it reveals our deepest values inside of us.
If you like plastic versus wood, if you're drawn to chrome or brass, to minimalism or maximalism, to sharp edges or soft curves.......
Fonts In Use – Blog...
10 Years of Fonts In Use
Contributed by Nick Sherman
License: All Rights Reserved.
Fonts In Use officially launched 10...
21st Dec 2020
Contributed by Nick Sherman
License: All Rights Reserved.
Fonts In Use officially launched 10 years ago today, on December 21, 2010. The site, which started as just the Blog before opening up to public contributions in 2012, has grown far beyond our expectations when we...
Retail Design Blog
FENDI store
FENDI has upgraded its presence in Osaka‘s downtown Shinsaibashi area by relocating to new and...
1st Jul 2024
FENDI has upgraded its presence in Osaka‘s downtown Shinsaibashi area by relocating to new and bigger premises a few blocks...
Jan Miksovsky’s blog
Home science and engineering projects that my kids and I enjoyed
2nd Apr 2025
The personal website...
Datum ipsum
tl;dr — I’ve created a tool called Datum Ipsum to enable designers to use realistic data when...
27th Jul 2016
tl;dr — I’ve created a tool called Datum Ipsum to enable designers to use realistic data when mocking up data visualizations. Also, this is a written version of a talk I gave at Data Viz Camp 2016 in NYC. The slides for that talk are here.
In my career as a designer, both at...
The personal website...
Delight comes last
Paul Adams put it bluntly:
“Grid, font, colour, and aesthetic style are irrelevant if [outcomes]...
23rd Jun 2019
Paul Adams put it bluntly:
“Grid, font, colour, and aesthetic style are irrelevant if [outcomes] haven’t been resolved first … [but] sometimes it’s just more fun to draw nice pictures and bury oneself in pixels than deal with complicated business decisions and people with...
Luke Mitchell |...
Warm email
I have an email address that you’ll find in the footer below this post,
I rarely get emails to it,...
29th Dec 2025
I have an email address that you’ll find in the footer below this post,
I rarely get emails to it, the ones I do get fall into two categories: very,
very kind people paying compliments to me about this website; secondly some
sort of cold email, usually from a SEO expert...
Ryan Mulligan
CSS @property and the New Style
The @property at-rule recently gained support across all modern browsers, unlocking the ability to...
2nd Sep 2024
The @property at-rule recently gained support across all modern browsers, unlocking the ability to explicitly define a syntax, initial value, and inheritance for CSS custom properties. It seems like forever ago that CSS Houdini and its CSS Properties and Values API were initially...
The DESK Magazine
My anti-New Year’s resolutions
I suck at New Year's Resolutions. Most of them are boring which is one reason we don't really stick...
30th Jan 2024
I suck at New Year's Resolutions. Most of them are boring which is one reason we don't really stick with them.
Oykun Yilmaz
Designers, charge more $$$ to help yourself and your clients.
By charging more $$$, you are lifting up the quality of the outcome and satisfaction.
25th Mar 2024
By charging more $$$, you are lifting up the quality of the outcome and satisfaction.
The Pudding
A Love Story
Tracking 1,000+ people through the ups and downs of their relationships
9th Jun 2026
Tracking 1,000+ people through the ups and downs of their relationships
Product Identity
#3 Telegram - The mysterious messenger app
Exploring the "new era of messaging"
7th Dec 2023
Exploring the "new era of messaging"
Christopher Butler
visual journal – 2024 May 20 - June 1
Faces
The last two weeks have been unusually busy and routine-disrupting. Half the input to the...
1st Jun 2024
Faces
The last two weeks have been unusually busy and routine-disrupting. Half the input to the book as usual, but still, something is better than nothing!
I intended to make the collage on the right only black and white. Couldn’t resist a bit of color.
Very...
Koos Looijesteijn -...
There are no individual contributors in design
This term, that I believe comes from software development, is taking hold in other fields too:...
3rd Jun 2021
This term, that I believe comes from software development, is taking hold in other fields too: individual contributor. I don’t...
Retail Design Blog
Junshanye x Gugo Brand – The national tea aesthetics of Valley Creation
Walking in secret places, talking to mountains and seas Transcribing the original power of nature...
2nd Jan 2025
Walking in secret places, talking to mountains and seas Transcribing the original power of nature Starting the journey of seeking...
Melissa Penfold
HAVE YOU PREORDERED YOUR COPY OF MELISSA’S NEW BOOK YET?
In her best-selling book, Living Well By Design, Melissa Penfold addressed the basics of interior...
3rd Mar 2025
In her best-selling book, Living Well By Design, Melissa Penfold addressed the basics of interior decorating. Now she turns her attention to demonstrating what a powerful force design can be in boosting our physical and emotional well-being in her newest book, ‘Natural Living By...
The DESK Magazine
Dear Young Designer, Part II
(this is a timely continuation of Part I of Dear Young Designer)
→ You don't need to become a...
4th Nov 2025
(this is a timely continuation of Part I of Dear Young Designer)
→ You don't need to become a grifter to be successful. I know it seems that way today (given the context of 2025), but trust me there is another way that's more meaningful and
Product Identity
head on the cloud, feet on the ground
A conversation with Sari Azout of Sublime
17th Jul 2025
A conversation with Sari Azout of Sublime
The personal website...
Why the web will win
197 billion apps were downloaded in 20171: that’s almost 26 per human being on the planet Earth. 6...
6th Jan 2018
197 billion apps were downloaded in 20171: that’s almost 26 per human being on the planet Earth. 6 apps per second. In the 10 years since Apple opened the App Store, app downloads have doubled, on average, every two years.2
Given the numbers, it’s not surprising that many...
Identity Designed
Jarrolds
Designed by The Click, Norwich.
5th Oct 2023
Designed by The Click, Norwich.
The personal website...
How to get the best design feedback from your team
In 2015, I wrote out my thoughts on creative feedback. Here’s that article in list format:
Feedback...
13th Apr 2017
In 2015, I wrote out my thoughts on creative feedback. Here’s that article in list format:
Feedback should be concise
Feedback should be action-oriented
Feedback should have a consistent format
At the time, the Planetary design team was growing. We were grappling with one of the...
Fatih Arslan
I was wrong about AI Coding
I'm mostly anti-AI person since the AI hype started years ago. However with time I realized that I...
26th Mar 2025
I'm mostly anti-AI person since the AI hype started years ago. However with time I realized that I misjudged AI Coding — Here’s Why.
The personal website...
The service-based design org
Last year, I joined SimpleHealth with the mission of building a design org from scratch. On my first...
23rd Jan 2021
Last year, I joined SimpleHealth with the mission of building a design org from scratch. On my first day, there were no in-house designers — just a rotating cast of freelance designers hired by various departments as they were needed.
A blank slate is a design leader’s dream....
Jeffrey Zeldman...
The eye of God
My doctor sends me to Brooklyn for an abdominal aortic aneurysm screening. As instructed, I fast for...
11th Jul 2025
My doctor sends me to Brooklyn for an abdominal aortic aneurysm screening. As instructed, I fast for six hours beforehand. I don’t even brush my teeth, for fear of swallowing toothpaste and screwing up the test. I wear a Covid-era face mask to avoid breathing on anyone.
The...
Koos Looijesteijn
Will I regret buying a new Mac?
19th Jan 2026
Fatih Arslan
Four years at PlanetScale
It’s been four years since I joined PlanetScale. In this post, I'm reflecting on my journey and...
20th Jan 2025
It’s been four years since I joined PlanetScale. In this post, I'm reflecting on my journey and accomplishments during this period.
Product Identity
Growth pains
On scale: against the pursuit of unicorns
12th May 2026
On scale: against the pursuit of unicorns
Retail Design Blog
Casa Giardino by Claudio Larcher Design Studio
Set within the vast urban regeneration of Scalo Farini, Casa Giardino is a temporary restaurant and...
2nd Feb 2026
Set within the vast urban regeneration of Scalo Farini, Casa Giardino is a temporary restaurant and social space that transforms...
The Turn Signal RSS...
A Guide to Prototyping Automotive Interfaces
Good design is not a function of talent, but number of iterations. Here's my guide to prototyping...
1st Sep 2023
Good design is not a function of talent, but number of iterations. Here's my guide to prototyping automotive interfaces
The personal website...
The product design talent crisis
Airbnb, the paragon of a “design-led” company, is only hiring a single designer. The job requires...
31st Jul 2025
Airbnb, the paragon of a “design-led” company, is only hiring a single designer. The job requires more than a decade of experience. There are probably hundreds (possibly thousands) of applicants. The fact that a company known for its design culture is investing only at the top of...
Product Identity
Inside the dark forests of the internet
This is the second part of a series on the identity of social networks:
12th Feb 2025
This is the second part of a series on the identity of social networks:
The personal website...
What makes a good design principle?
Like many design teams, the Wall Street Journal team has been thinking through our design...
14th Nov 2017
Like many design teams, the Wall Street Journal team has been thinking through our design principles. Writing design principles comes pretty naturally (especially if you read this excellent list by Jeremy Keith). As we collaborate, we end up with a lot of candidates. However,...
Retail Design Blog
Sunrise Garden Restaurant by M9 Design Studio
Located within an industrial suburb of Bangalore, Sunrise Garden Restaurant emerges as a quiet...
7th Apr 2026
Located within an industrial suburb of Bangalore, Sunrise Garden Restaurant emerges as a quiet counterpoint to its context — transforming...
The personal website...
Just-in-time design
photo by Tools for motivation
There is a disconnect between product design and product...
12th Nov 2018
photo by Tools for motivation
There is a disconnect between product design and product engineering.
Three factors contribute to this disconnect:
Products get shipped faster every day. DevOps teams automate huge amounts of the delivery process, enabling engineering teams to ship...
Identity Designed
September Café & Cake
Designed by Chochoi Creative, Ho Chi Minh City.
13th Feb 2023
Designed by Chochoi Creative, Ho Chi Minh City.
Identity Designed
Norfolk Coast
Designed by Lantern, London.
23rd Nov 2023
Designed by Lantern, London.
Permanent Style
Reader Profile: Jaime
Jaime is a reader based in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s a pastor there, and works particularly on social...
2nd Jan 2026
Jaime is a reader based in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s a pastor there, and works particularly on social justice projects and inter-faith relations. Church has always been an excuse for him to dress up, but also an excuse to talk to young men in t... > Read more
The personal website...
Responsive roadmaps
Shane Parrish’s essay The Map is Not the Territory begins:
The map of reality is not reality. Even...
8th May 2019
Shane Parrish’s essay The Map is Not the Territory begins:
The map of reality is not reality. Even the best maps are imperfect. That’s because they are reductions of what they represent.
The same is true for product roadmaps. Understanding and applying Parrish’s mental model is...
Identity Designed
CleanO2
Designed by Ordinary Things, San Francisco.
2nd Aug 2022
Designed by Ordinary Things, San Francisco.
Fonts In Use – Blog...
“Sisterhood is Blooming” poster
Contributed by Nick Sherman
Source: collections.museumca.org License: All Rights Reserved.
The...
7th Mar 2020
Contributed by Nick Sherman
Source: collections.museumca.org License: All Rights Reserved.
The “Sisterhood is Blooming / Springtime Will Never Be the Same” poster was originally produced in the early 1970s by the Chicago Women's Graphics Collective, an organization founded...
Jeffrey Zeldman...
Handwritten notes in the time of AI note takers
“Here is the thing people get wrong about AI in meetings. The transcript captures what was said. It...
9th Apr 2026
“Here is the thing people get wrong about AI in meetings. The transcript captures what was said. It does not capture what mattered.”—Lucas Radke
The best project management tool is still a pen, plus the discipline to notice what the machine cannot.
The post Handwritten notes in...
The Turn Signal RSS...
The Rise of Touch Screens in Cars Explained
Are touch screens in cars really that bad?
1st Mar 2021
Are touch screens in cars really that bad?
UX Collective
Figma just made your design system debt everyone’s problem
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
6th Jul 2026
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
Christopher Butler
From the Desk Of
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could actually peer over another designer’s shoulder once in a while and...
27th Aug 2021
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could actually peer over another designer’s shoulder once in a while and see what they actually do?
design means different things to different people, as does the title Designer. As much as I prefer the simplicity of Designer to, say, Interaction...
Christopher Butler
Periodical 15
All art is a copy of something.
Hello from the art room.
My older kiddo and I watched a short...
2nd Feb 2024
All art is a copy of something.
Hello from the art room.
My older kiddo and I watched a short documentary about artist and engineer Peter Vogel this morning. I learned about him from flipping through an old issue of OMNI from the early 80s which reviewed a gallery showing...
The personal website...
Stop brainstorming
“Brainstorming” — the problem-solving technique of coming up with as many ideas as possible in a...
18th Jan 2022
“Brainstorming” — the problem-solving technique of coming up with as many ideas as possible in a short period of time — has been showing up on a lot of my leadership meeting agendas lately. Many of my peers are employing brainstorming in the belief that, as thought-leading...
Retail Design Blog
Avizva Solutions Offices by Designforth Interiors
Designforth Interiors created a functional and flexible office space in Indore for Avizva, focusing...
3rd Mar 2025
Designforth Interiors created a functional and flexible office space in Indore for Avizva, focusing on spatial optimization, collaboration, and cultural...
The Turn Signal RSS...
Driving a Porsche Taycan for a Week, a UX review
I rented the car from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. It turned out to be a brand new Porsche...
1st May 2022
I rented the car from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. It turned out to be a brand new Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 4S. It has a base…
The personal website...
What is a brand?
A few weeks ago, I jumped into a new job as the head of a design team at a startup called...
4th Mar 2020
A few weeks ago, I jumped into a new job as the head of a design team at a startup called SimpleHealth. One of my first tasks is to kick off a big brand update. Full creative control, clear product/market fit, a long timeline — this is going to be a breeze. Right?
Only, I asked...
Christopher Butler
From Pascal's Empty Room to Our Full Screens
On the Ambient Entertainment Industrial Complex
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s...
10th Mar 2025
On the Ambient Entertainment Industrial Complex
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Pascal’s observation from the 17th century feels less like historical philosophy and more like a diagnosis of our current condition. The...
Melissa Penfold
IF YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR HOUSE, FIGURE OUT WHAT TO RENOVATE FIRST
You want to sell your home, but the kids have scuffed up the floors and chipped the paint. The...
30th Jan 2023
You want to sell your home, but the kids have scuffed up the floors and chipped the paint. The kitchen could use a face-lift and the lawn has seen better days. Every seller has to decide whether to sink money into their home before listing it, and how much. Lately, the stakes...
Jakob Nielsen on UX
UX Roundup: Long-Running AI | Consistency | What AI to Use | AI Anxiety | AI Helps Blind Users | NPS
UX for long-running AI tasks | Consistent user interface design | What are the best AI models to use...
3rd Nov 2025
UX for long-running AI tasks | Consistent user interface design | What are the best AI models to use now | AI anxiety in the workplace | AI helps blind users, but a study found that accessibility challenges remain in current AI UI | NPS scored
Jeffrey Zeldman...
The Human Story of the Open Web
STOP ME if you’ve heard this one: The members of an extended family spend years curating a shared...
2nd Jul 2026
STOP ME if you’ve heard this one: The members of an extended family spend years curating a shared online photo album. Then the website they posted on vanishes, flushing their collective memories away forever.
Or this: A Queer kid growing up isolated in Nebraska discovers a...
Christopher Butler
The Empty Heading
For many years, I have maintained a text file called “A Rubric for Website Design Critique.” It is...
2 days ago
For many years, I have maintained a text file called “A Rubric for Website Design Critique.” It is relatively short, but used nonetheless; I’ve returned to it, off and on, for most of my career, referring back, adding things, removing things, adjusting. Its purpose is to...
Full Width 
Shortcuts 
Sign Up 
Log In 
Articles 
Reading List 