Hello! My name is Jan-Paul Koudstaal, and this is where I share all the things that I found on the internet that inspire me.

👹 The Gremlins Museum

The Gremlins Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of original Gremlins movie props.

Based in Seattle and curated by Ian Grant, it’s an online-only museum full of screen-used puppets, storyboards, art, and behind-the-scenes photos. (via Ironic Sans)

And speaking of Gremlins, you can now get Gizmo in LEGO® form (adding that to my wishlist…).

🏙️ My Solo Trip to DC, Philly, and NYC

A design conference in Brooklyn was the perfect excuse to spend ten days exploring Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York City on my own.

I’ve shared some of the photos before, but I finally found time to write a proper blog about the trip:

🧩 Ty’s New Game: Sixstep

Type & Brand Designer Ty Finck was making specimens for his monospace typeface Wintyr when he realised he could turn it into a word game.

With a little help from Cursor and his sister, he built an iPhone app called Sixstep: a clever, letter-stacking puzzle.

📍 NY Sign Museum

The New York Sign Museum is a non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of signage and advertising in NYC and beyond.

Kinda bummed I didn’t hear about it two weeks ago when I was in the neighborhood, but it’s definitely on my list for next time.

(via Simplebits’ Secret Club)

🕸️ A Small, Friendly Web Conference

Two days of ideas, creativity, and honest conversations, that was Kinference 2025. Read more about the talks and highlights on my blog:

🤖 Beyond the Machine

Frank Chimero was one of the speakers at Kinference, and he’s since published his talk as an essay on his site. It’s about how creativity and AI can coexist without flattening human skill.

He touches on how Rick Rubin annoys him, and compares the relationship between humans and AI to Spirited Away, where the “AI monster” isn’t something to defeat, but a spirit we must learn to live with. It’s a beautiful read.

🦸🏾‍♀️ Superhuman Rebrand

Smith & Diction are back with another great rebrand and a refreshingly down-to-earth case study.

I love how Mike describes his “eureka” moment designing the Hero icon, and the motion graphics by Justin Lawes and icon system by Helena Zhang are spot on.

🧗 Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Patagonia Headquarters

I consider myself quite the Patagonia fanboy. I visit their stores wherever I travel, pick up a sticker or two, and definitely own too much of their gear.

So obviously I had to watch this video, which gives a great tour of their headquarters and tells the story of how they started by making climbing gear. Most of it I knew from reading their books, except for the part where a toilet seat cover inspired their iconic fleece jacket.

(via Simplebits’ Studio Notes)

🎨 Affinity by Canva

Canva just merged Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher into one app called Affinity by Canva and made it free!

And of course, I just renewed my Adobe Creative Cloud subscription…

That’s it, you’ve reached the end. Congrats!

See you next time! 👋🏻