Once upon a time, the power of a strong social media following could make a career. It still can, of course, but to a much, much lesser extent. I won't bore you with a recycled narrative of the shitty algorithm effect, although relevant in this case. Suffice to say, a follow count is only worth a fraction of what is portrayed—especially today. This is down to visibility in feed (or lack thereof), attention diversity, content delivery type, output frequency, and the need to constantly adapt to platform trends. When once a following of 10,000 could turn your life around with organic reach, today a following of 100,000 barely even makes a dent in the pursuit of success. Obviously you can take this with a pinch of salt, as subject matters vary widely—commercialism vs. the arts vs. social and societal endeavours. But there are dark arts you can master if you're armed with the right knowledge, time, money, and commitment—such as engagement hacking, ad spending, and algo manipulation. Problem is, most people don't have that armoury or budget to experiment because social media is considered a supplementary ingredient to their work. So if social followers and gatekeeper platforms are unreliable, what’s the alternative? The answer lies in building something more direct—where your audience isn't at the mercy of ever-changing platform rules. The humble email. The most underrated, yet most reliable way to reach an audience—through the direct, unfiltered power of a newsletter. No interference, no restrictions, no risk of vanishing from their feed. Sure, there's always a chance of landing in a junk folder—but if someone subscribed intentionally, you're already miles ahead of fighting for visibility in a cluttered feed. An email list grows slowly, but it's built to last. Unlike social platforms, where a tweak in the algorithm can wipe out years of effort, your email list is yours. Even if you switch newsletter providers, you can take your entire audience with you—no loss, no setback. And I'd take one engaged email subscriber over 100 passive social followers any day. I know this isn't some revolutionary take—it's just a gentle reminder that your value isn't measured by follower counts or social media engagement. Platforms come and go, algos shift overnight, and attention is more fragmented than ever. But what remains consistent? Email. And there's a lot to love about it. It's focused, distraction-free, and completely yours to shape however you want. Whether it's a single plain-text paragraph or a visually rich marketing message, you have full editorial control. And if email isn't your thing? Newsletters can also be followed via RSS, making them even more accessible to those who prefer an open-web, no-inbox approach. If you're curious to see this in action, I'm experimenting with my new project FFF®. I don't even know what it's going to include yet, but you can nevertheless subscribe here: buttondown.com/fff

As the year draws to a close with gloomy December days compensated with lots of artificial lighting, it's not surprising that many people take the time to reflect on their recent past — what we've managed to achieve, what we learned, what we failed in, where we went, and what we experienced. Did you take steps forward this year — or even strides? Did you regress? What did you get up to? I'm genuinely curious, so feel free to email me. For me, it was a positive, albeit unspectacular, year — one I'm very grateful for. I'd like to share some highs and a few lows with you before I begin to focus on the year ahead. I visited Iceland for the first time, explored incredible landscapes, and soaked in the hot springs. I travelled to Trentino in northern Italy with a small group of friends where we climbed, dined, and yapped under the sun. I visited Mallorca with my partner for a very relaxing trip on a beautiful island. I saw the aurora borealis for the first time, which happened to be in my home city (and not Iceland). I made a small breakthrough with my climbing by sending my first 7A+/V7 boulder. 099 SPLY had its best year to date in terms of sales and product releases. I received a double digit pay rise. I made a decent profit when I sold my Bitcoin. I saw friends thrive. My grandmother turned 95. I archived Minimalissimo® (not sure if this is a good or bad thing — but it's an end of an era). I missed out on several career opportunities. I caught myself comparing my progress to others too often — something I'm working on. I started a new creative lab named FormFeelingFunction®. I became an uncle for the second time (hello, Kobi). I started learning to swim properly (and I'm still trying!). Looking back, I've realised it's often the small successes and simple joys that stick: travelling, family milestones, or breakthroughs in climbing and swimming. Next year, I'm hoping to focus more on those types of moments, evolve my design career, and worry less about the comparisons.

2025 for me, will be: In blogging 3D modelling prototyping experimental design endurance climbing single session training days swimming saving self-care selling investing uniform long hair house + techno sound design Out comparison shyness dishes in sink trends (especially web) animation gossip wokeness alcohol hip-hop mainstream news

Lately, I've been thinking about my inner compass — the one that guides me through work and daily life. I've touched on my design ethos before, but this feels like something more personal. It's a lightweight breakdown of who I am, both as a designer and a human, shaped by the values, mantras, principles, people, and quotes that influence what I create and how I try to live. But consider this compass a living thing — subject to change always and forever. Values in design Intuition Simplicity Lightness Accessibility Utility Experimentation Values in life Patience Perseverance Compassion Community Slow living Self-discipline Self-care Trustworthiness Mantras Less, but better. All limits are self-imposed. Love the process more than the result. Respect doesn't require shared beliefs. Learn something from every person and every moment. Courtesy costs nothing. Principles in design Form follows feeling, just as form follows function. Create for clear and intuitive experiences. Craft with care for the details. Be influenced by taste, not by trends. Design for tomorrow, not today. Build for people, not for plaudits. Always question additions — only include what is necessary. Principles in life Before the how and when, ask why. Be translucent, not transparent. Get mud on your shoes. Practice saying no. Invest in what is living. Cultivate habits that nurture your growth. Comparison is the thief of joy. Live within your means. Give back as often as you move forward. Exercise your freedom of expression. Quotes in design "Design is not the act of amazing an audience with the novelty of forms or materials; it is the originality that repeatedly extracts astounding ideas from the crevices of the very commonness of everyday life." – Kenya Hara "True design lies in a realm counter to trends." – Sori Yanagi "Good design is a matter of discipline. It starts by looking at the problem and collecting all the available information about it. If you understand the problem, you have the solution. It's really more about logic than imagination." – Massimo Vignelli "Things get more refined as you make mistakes. I've had a chance to make a lot of mistakes. Your aesthetics get better as you make mistakes. But the real big thing is: if you're going to make something, it doesn't take any more energy—and rarely does it take more money—to make it really great. All it takes is a little more time. And a willingness to do so, a willingness to persevere until it's really great." – Steve Jobs "Minimalism is not a style, it is an attitude, a way of being. It's a fundamental reaction against noise, visual noise, disorder, vulgarity. Minimalism is the pursuit of the essence of things, not the appearance." – Claudio Silvestrin "We need to aim at essential things, removing every redundant effect, every useless flowering. Elaborating a concept on mathematical bases, on fundamental ideas, on elementary structures. We strongly need to avoid waste and excess." – A G Fronzoni "A designer who wants to achieve good design must not regard himself as an artist who, according to taste and aesthetics, is merely dressing up products with a last-minute garment. The designer must be the creative engineer. They synthesise the completed product from the various elements that make up its design. Their work is largely rational, meaning that aesthetic decisions are justified by an understanding of the product’s purpose." – Dieter Rams Quotes in life "One day or day one. You decide." – The Minimalists "I do believe that you don't need more than is essential, and that is hard to define. It depends on how you live — you need a certain amount of things for life to go smoothly, though if you have more than you need it gets in the way." – John Pawson "There's an infinite amount of materials with which to build our lives — but sometimes the best way to build is to subtract." – Joshua Fields Millburn "Structure isn't a rule — it's a rhythm." – The Minimalists "Don't use an excuse for every stupid thing. There is not too short, too tall, too heavy, too warm, too wet, too humid. There is just one excuse: too weak. So don't use excuses, try harder." – Alexander Megos "Successful communication depends on how well we listen, rather than how well we push our opinions on the person seated before us." – Kenya Hara "Obey the principles without being bound by them." – Bruce Lee Where does your compass point to? Send me an email to yours. I'd love to read it.