Inspired By #105
Welcome to Inspired By #105!
I’m Jan-Paul Koudstaal, and this is where I share the things that have inspired me over the past few weeks.
🙌🏻 Collaborative brand design
Last month I listened to a fantastic talk by Chara Smith and Mike Smith of Smith & Diction, where they unpacked their approach to collaborative brand design.
Their focus on breaking down silos and encouraging fearless, frequent collaboration really hit home for me, as it's something I deeply believe in.
See the talk:
“It is so important to make sure that your process has time for you to chase an idea. Even if you kind of know in your gut that it’s the wrong idea see where it leads.
And who knows maybe at the end of that idea it unlocks something that you never would have thought of if you’d stopped exploring.”
One of the most unique and valuable things they shared was their actual Figma files, showcasing their process and branding work for two hotels, such a powerful learning tool.
And those slide designs! 😍
📸 !Camera by Not Boring
This new camera app looks very interesting, and definitely not boring.
!Camera is the first fully-3D camera interface with dynamic lighting, sounds, & custom haptics that evoke the tactile experience of holding a premium camera.
You’re gonna love how it feels. I guarantee it.
(Not Boring) Camera | Pro Camera App
Fall in love with photography. Feels like a real camera with more natural photos that need no edits. APPx006
🍰 7 Years Freelancing: What I’ve Learned (So Far…)
Seven years ago, I left a full-time agency job to see if I could make it on my own. I thought I’d freelance for a while – see where it would take me.
And here I am, seven years later… and honestly? I didn’t expect the lessons that came with it.
→ Here are 7 things I’ve figured out so far
Asoma
Asoma (by James Plattner) aims to revive the sense of wonder and mystery of 1970s monoweight typefaces such as ITC Busorama, ITC Serif Gothic, and Marvin.
Loosely inspired by its predecessors, Asoma riffs on aesthetics of the past, embedding new shapes and ideas with an offbeat sense of nostalgia.
This makes Asoma a great option for horror film titles. For some reason, it also works surprisingly well on packaging for black beans.
→ You should follow James Plattner on IG
(via Jason Santa Maria)
🕶️ Shopify’s Summer Edition is out!
Another huge one-pager, this time with a huge ’80s synthwave vibe, I love it! 🥰
→ And they even added a racing game?! (Click the link in the footer) 🤯
✍🏻 Sketches I make in my free time
I wanted to add more personality into my (concept) Pizza Dough Calculator’s look and feel, so I decided to redesign it using OH no Type Co’s Softie for a doughy look and ChatGPT to generate the 3D illustrations.
But I’m bored with it now, so on to the next sketch, which is: a graphic for the NBA Finals. 🏀
Using Figma Draw (and a little Adobe Illustrator) with these fonts: Dreamboat from Mark Simonson, Humane from Rajesh Rajput and FF Market Pro by FontFont.
→ You can see more sketches on my website
And just like that, you’ve reached the end
Liked (or loved) this issue? Let me hear your thoughts! Reply here or on Threads.
See you next time! 👋🏻