Hi! My name is Jan-Paul and this is where I share all the things that inspire me.

Summer holiday is over, back to work and back to sharing all the stuff I found online with you. Let’s dive in!

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

A museum dedicated to visual storytelling, founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, filled with incredible art. Star Wars, obviously, but also comic book art, children’s stories, fantasy, illustration, and much more.

And the museum and campus are a work of art themselves, designed by Ma Yansong (MAD Architects) and Mia Lehrer (Studio-MLA).

Looks like a space ship landed in L.A. so awesome! This is going straight onto my MUST-VISIT list. 🚀

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Learn more about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, opening in September 2026. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson. Discover our collection.

The Dying Art of Hand-Made Restaurant Signs

A lovely look inside Noble Signs, a Brooklyn studio that still hand-paints and builds signs for New York storefronts.

They’re also preserving pieces of the city’s visual history through the New York Sign Museum, another entry on my MUST-VISIT list. (Maybe I should make an app for that…)

Hand-painted type, old storefronts, New York history… you gotta love it! 😍

Calendly Rebrand by Smith & Diction

Another great identity project by Smith & Diction, but what I really like are Mike’s case studies, with quotes like:

“You’re thinking: Mike, it’s really not that deep. And to that I say: yeah, you’re right. But if you don’t get excited or fully enveloped in the things you do and create, then what’s the point of this so-called life?

Reading Maps

Such a cool idea! 😮‍💨

Reading Maps plots real-world journeys from classic novels and films on an interactive atlas. It gives you a really good idea of the routes characters take through their stories.

There is a bit of that AI design aesthetic that I don’t love, but once you get past that, it’s really fun to explore.

1,435 books and films mapped so far! (via Chris and Chris)

Reading Maps - Maps & Travel Routes from Books & Films

Reading Maps plots real-world journeys from classic novels and films - Around the World in 80 Days, Heart of Darkness, James Bond, On the Road - on an interactive atlas.

Brand My Mac

This guy is auctioning sticker spots on his MacBook Pro.

You can bid for a spot, and your logo travels with him to cafés, coworking spaces, and every build-in-public video he makes.

And I love that he didn’t just build this for himself. He turned the whole thing into a tool that anyone can use through his marketplace.

Brand My Mac — Let your brand travel

Sticker spots on the whole machine — lid, inside, accessories — live auction. I'm funding my first MacBook, and your logo travels with me everywhere I build.

Isometric.NYC

A giant (!) isometric pixel-art map of New York City.

And Andy Coenen has shared a detailed breakdown of how he (and his AI agents) made it, including prompts, tasks, workflows, and a lot of stuff I don’t fully understand. (via Chris)

That’s it for another edition of Inspired By
Thanks for reading,
Love,
— Jan-Paul