Inspired By #103
👋🏻 Hello!
This is Issue #103 of Inspired By, a monthly(-ish) newsletter from your favorite designer’s favorite designer Jan-Paul Koudstaal. 🤠
Here are some things that have inspired me over the past few weeks:
🤯 The Hardest Working Font in Manhattan
Marcin Wichary (author of “Shift Happens”, a book about the history of keyboard) wrote a delightful love letter to a 150-year-old font you’ve likely never heard of, and one you probably saw earlier today.
This meticulously researched and beautifully photographed deep dive celebrates urban design and typography, uncovering the fascinating story behind an iconic font.
Highly recommended (for type nerds)!
The hardest working font in Manhattan – Aresluna
A story of a 150-year-old font you have never heard of – and one you probably saw earlier today.
🌈 Mesh Gradient Generator
Unlimited color stops, grainy noise effect, adjustable blur, a gallery for inspiration and editing, and a very handy one-click SVG export & paste into Figma.
Mesh Gradient Generator (SVG/Figma export) [+inspo gallery]
Create & export mesh gradients as SVG or to Figma. Quickly experiment with grainy noise and blur. Includes a one-click export to Figma for use in designs.
⚾️ Pixar’s Win or Lose
I loved Pixar’s (first) series! It’s one story, told from eight sides and each episode delivers surprisingly mature themes, stunning animation, a great soundtrack, and deeply engaging character stories. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈💖
👨🏻💻 Love your tools
Anton Repponen writes about the significance of the tools designers use and how they influence creative output. And he shares a short story about a digital tool that helped make Frank Gehry the star architect he is today.
Love your tools - by Anton Repponen
Get a pen that you love, and you'll find yourself always writing.
🎢 Paradise
Sterling K. Brown stars in this thrilling series where he gets assigned to safeguard a former president, played by James Marsden. Binged through this in 4 days, good stuff!
🫡 The design game has changed and I don’t know where I fit anymore
Is the design industry prioritizing online presence over genuine impact? After 20 years in design, Pascal Potvin’s reflection on his career and the industry really hit home. It’s a feeling I know many experienced designers share.
As Pascal put it:
https://uxdesign.cc/the-design-game-has-changed-and-i-dont-know-where-i-fit-anymore-d1e414c2ea9c“The challenge lies in aligning one’s passion and expertise with the industry’s current demands, all while seeking personal fulfillment and balance.”
👀 Binocular Shot
This cute website collects movie clips with inaccurate binocular shots (i.e., two overlapping circles instead of one, as you would see in real life). (via Chris)
Binocular Shot
A tribute to movies with inaccurate binocular shots.
📕 Fully Booked — Studio Muti
”A series of typographic book covers celebrating some of our favourite classic novels.”
MUTI - Fully Booked
A series of typographic book covers celebrating some of our favourite classic novels.
That’s it, you made it!
Liked this issue? Let me know what you think (good or bad). Reply here or on Threads: @jpkoudstaal