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The DESK Magazine

The DESK Magazine
People are talking about me, and I started it People talk about you the way you talk about yourself.
a year ago
The DESK Magazine
The case for being ignorant I am sure you know this feeling. You find a new book that you absolutely love. A new movie, a new TV...
9 months ago
78
9 months ago
I am sure you know this feeling. You find a new book that you absolutely love. A new movie, a new TV series or even a new hobby such as cycling or designing. It can be anything and everything.
The DESK Magazine
It's live! Introducing the new HOVS website The new HOVS (House of van Schneider) aka my personal (studio) website, is finally LIVE!
8 months ago
The DESK Magazine
Why all designers should do customer support With every product and company I've built, I’ve always personally helped with customer support. When...
a year ago
73
a year ago
With every product and company I've built, I’ve always personally helped with customer support. When we first started, I didn’t have much choice. In a small business, everyone does everything.
The DESK Magazine
Das Gesamtkunstwerk First and foremost I am a designer. By trade and at heart.
8 months ago
The DESK Magazine
"You've been banned." The internet was the single most important part of my early teenage years. I know, it sounds a bit...
over a year ago
65
over a year ago
The internet was the single most important part of my early teenage years. I know, it sounds a bit dramatic, but I'm serious when I say this.
The DESK Magazine
Let's talk about AI Many of you have asked me to write an essay with my thoughts on AI (Artificial Intelligence). So in...
a year ago
64
a year ago
Many of you have asked me to write an essay with my thoughts on AI (Artificial Intelligence). So in the spirit of things, I've tasked ChatGPT to write this article for me.
The DESK Magazine
When our persona becomes our prison You stand out online by having a “thing.” A certain style, a specific voice, a schtick or a skill...
over a year ago
63
over a year ago
You stand out online by having a “thing.” A certain style, a specific voice, a schtick or a skill that catches the eye of a few people and eventually snowballs you into notoriety.
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...
a year ago
63
a year ago
I suck at New Year's Resolutions. Most of them are boring which is one reason we don't really stick with them.
The DESK Magazine
What makes me a designer? This question crossed my mind enough times recently that I went into the DESK archives to find my...
over a year ago
62
over a year ago
This question crossed my mind enough times recently that I went into the DESK archives to find my own answer. To my surprise, there wasn’t one. I’ve never written about it, not until today.
The DESK Magazine
Make it invisible Our approach to building products may seem counterintuitive. Our goal is to make a product so good,...
over a year ago
61
over a year ago
Our approach to building products may seem counterintuitive. Our goal is to make a product so good, you don't think about the product at all.
The DESK Magazine
When good is no longer good enough It wasn’t long ago I’d see a 3D rendering or piece of highly detailed art and feel blown away.
over a year ago
The DESK Magazine
A digital tool built like a physical product? Does it seem like there's more bad TV these days? More mediocre writing? More low quality...
a year ago
The DESK Magazine
The difference between creative & uncreative people When witnessing something unusual or beautiful or otherwise striking today, our first instinct is to...
a year ago
60
a year ago
When witnessing something unusual or beautiful or otherwise striking today, our first instinct is to capture it, share it or both.
The DESK Magazine
How to make a minimalist portfolio with Carbonmade You don't need anything too fancy. You don't want to work for hours on your site.
a year ago
The DESK Magazine
How much YOU is in YOUR work? I started my design career by accident and never enjoyed a classical educational foundation in...
9 months ago
57
9 months ago
I started my design career by accident and never enjoyed a classical educational foundation in anything I'm doing professionally. As a result, my approach always had a bit more of a "punk" approach.
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...
over a year ago
57
over a year ago
Talk to any creative person about building their portfolio and they’ll tell you: copy is the hardest part.
The DESK Magazine
Dos and don'ts for creating a motion design portfolio For an animator or motion designer, a portfolio is a must.
over a year ago
The DESK Magazine
The books I loved After at least a year of talking about it, my new website is launching. One of the sub-pages will be...
9 months ago
56
9 months ago
After at least a year of talking about it, my new website is launching. One of the sub-pages will be dedicated entirely to my favorite reading recommendations.
The DESK Magazine
The only deals we'll do this year for mymind, Semplice & Carbonmade Today, I'd like to focus entirely on the projects I'm working on and the special deals we prepared...
a year ago
55
a year ago
Today, I'd like to focus entirely on the projects I'm working on and the special deals we prepared for only this week as a way to say THANK YOU to our community.
The DESK Magazine
Addicted to ideas Having an idea is like taking a hit of a fine drug.
a year ago
The DESK Magazine
Tutorial: How to make an illustration & animation portfolio with Carbonmade Some portfolios look so good, you can't imagine how they did it. They must have hired a developer...
over a year ago
50
over a year ago
Some portfolios look so good, you can't imagine how they did it. They must have hired a developer and worked for hours on the design.
The DESK Magazine
Introducing: The Escape Machine The day has finally come.
3 months ago
The DESK Magazine
Our favorite portfolios launched with Semplice in July 2022 Every week, we handpick two portfolios created with Semplice to feature on our Showcase. These are...
over a year ago
49
over a year ago
Every week, we handpick two portfolios created with Semplice to feature on our Showcase. These are the best of the best, chosen by yours truly from hundreds of beautiful submissions
The DESK Magazine
5 hard truths for young designers Stop reading right now if you’re looking for feel-good advice. This is not going to be that kind of...
8 months ago
49
8 months ago
Stop reading right now if you’re looking for feel-good advice. This is not going to be that kind of article.
The DESK Magazine
The best designers are artists As a young designer, I would have done everything to convince you that designers are not artists.
over a year ago
The DESK Magazine
mymind keeps getting better We've been hard at work making every aspect of the mymind.com experience better, smoother, faster...
5 months ago
43
5 months ago
We've been hard at work making every aspect of the mymind.com experience better, smoother, faster and lovelier.
The DESK Magazine
Is the folder dead? Think about a real folder made of paper. Back in the day... We invented paper folders because we...
over a year ago
41
over a year ago
Think about a real folder made of paper. Back in the day... We invented paper folders because we had limited space in the physical world to organize ourselves. We needed a way to group and sort our letters, documents and papers. If we had stacked up our files anywhere on
The DESK Magazine
Does it FEEL right? Design is often taught as a set of rigid rules. And in principle, it makes sense. We may call them...
8 months ago
41
8 months ago
Design is often taught as a set of rigid rules. And in principle, it makes sense. We may call them "rules" but perhaps it's better to call them fundamentals.
The DESK Magazine
The illusion of productivity "Productivity" is dead.
over a year ago
The DESK Magazine
Why we built an anti-social tool This article was originally intended for the upcoming mymind.com blog, but it feels so personal to...
over a year ago
40
over a year ago
This article was originally intended for the upcoming mymind.com blog, but it feels so personal to me, I found it fitting to share here with you.
The DESK Magazine
The most advanced portfolio system yet: Semplice 6 is here They say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at a chosen field. We've been building Semplice...
over a year ago
The DESK Magazine
The place where it all started — DESK Edition №253
a month ago
The DESK Magazine
A clean, peaceful place to read your articles without distractions The people who use mymind typically have an intellectual side. They like to think, learn and...
over a year ago
38
over a year ago
The people who use mymind typically have an intellectual side. They like to think, learn and challenge themselves on their own time. So we knew this brand new feature was not optional: Reader Mode.
The DESK Magazine
Breaking the algorithm The world wants to tell you what to think about, what to be interested in, what to learn, what to...
over a year ago
38
over a year ago
The world wants to tell you what to think about, what to be interested in, what to learn, what to pursue, what to worry about. And it's easier to let it.
The DESK Magazine
What is quality anymore? One might say the quality of everything has improved – our TV screens have never been more crisp &...
a year ago
38
a year ago
One might say the quality of everything has improved – our TV screens have never been more crisp & vivid, our systems and software never more refined, our roads and highways never more paved.
The DESK Magazine
The last house standing "Only crazy people attempt to start their own company."
over a year ago
The DESK Magazine
The best portfolios launched with Semplice in May 2022 Every week, we handpick two portfolios created with Semplice to feature on our Showcase. These are...
over a year ago
38
over a year ago
Every week, we handpick two portfolios created with Semplice to feature on our Showcase. These are the best of the best, chosen by yours truly from hundreds of beautiful submissions.
The DESK Magazine
The anesthetization of beauty They were all over the internet: Images of deep space, revealing thousands of distant galaxies,...
over a year ago
38
over a year ago
They were all over the internet: Images of deep space, revealing thousands of distant galaxies, twinkling in vivid detail. They were beautiful. Full-spectrum color. Never seen before – except they were.
The DESK Magazine
How to build your secret repertoire As a creative, your repertoire is your secret weapon.
7 months ago
The DESK Magazine
"Good things come to those who wait." As a designer, one of the most useful skills you can have is patience. Even if you're not a...
a year ago
37
a year ago
As a designer, one of the most useful skills you can have is patience. Even if you're not a designer, patience is one of the best yet hardest skills to learn.
The DESK Magazine
How to create free press for your work You know what’s not a portfolio, but still acts as a portfolio?
a year ago
The DESK Magazine
AIAIAI How tired are we collectively about AI? Are we over it yet? Can you even hear about it anymore? I'm...
7 months ago
36
7 months ago
How tired are we collectively about AI? Are we over it yet? Can you even hear about it anymore? I'm sorry if you can't, because this essay will be entirely about it.
The DESK Magazine
How to think for yourself A couple weeks ago we published this video for mymind. Watch it before you keep reading, it's only a...
4 months ago
36
4 months ago
A couple weeks ago we published this video for mymind. Watch it before you keep reading, it's only a minute long. Alright, now that you have watched the video, here's my take: Today's professional world is a mess. We've been driven
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...
a year ago
35
a year ago
"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
mymind updates you might have missed We've released so many improvements and updates for mymind recently, these are old news by now.
3 months ago
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...
over a year ago
34
over a year ago
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.
The DESK Magazine
Our favorite portfolios launched with Semplice in August 2022 Every week, we handpick two portfolios created with Semplice to feature on our Showcase. These are...
over a year ago
32
over a year ago
Every week, we handpick two portfolios created with Semplice to feature on our Showcase. These are the best of the best, chosen by yours truly from hundreds of beautiful submissions
The DESK Magazine
Black Friday deals on Semplice, mymind and Carbonmade Today I'm happy to share our gift to our beautiful creative community. These are the only deals we...
2 months ago
30
2 months ago
Today I'm happy to share our gift to our beautiful creative community. These are the only deals we do all year, as our way of saying THANK YOU.
The DESK Magazine
The secret behind inspiration I wrote about inspiration before. It's a fascinating topic to me personally. In fact, it's on my...
8 months ago
26
8 months ago
I wrote about inspiration before. It's a fascinating topic to me personally. In fact, it's on my mind almost every day. As creatives, its the fuel that powers us through our days, and we are all painfully aware how it feels on those days when inspiration
The DESK Magazine
The AI tool for ADHD/ADD? Our tool, mymind, is created for all kinds of real minds.
a year ago
The DESK Magazine
Your apps are not free I often see people complaining about paying for their online apps. They point to another app that's...
a year ago
22
a year ago
I often see people complaining about paying for their online apps. They point to another app that's free and wonder why they should have to pay for any app at all.
The DESK Magazine
Embracing Friction — From the Desk of van Schneider — Edition №254
a month ago