Inspired By #94
Hi! Welcome to issue #94 of Inspired By, a monthly(-ish) newsletter from your friendly neighbourhood designer Jan-Paul Koudstaal. 😘
Here are some of the things I came across the last few weeks that inspired me:
🤯 pencil digital drop shadow
An example of unexpected delightful quality that Apple does so well. Watch (and listen) to this video to understand how amazing this is.
”So stupid and yet so awesome” 😆
💅🏻 The polish paradox
Talking about quality, in this article Matthew Ström (design lead at Stripe) shines a light on some really nice examples of craft and quality. (Via Figmalion)
Polish can’t be an afterthought. It must be an integral part of the process, a commitment to excellence from the beginning. The unseen effort to perfect every hidden aspect elevates products from good to great.
The polish paradox || Matthew Ström, designer-leader
🌳 Map of every tree in New York City
The NYC Tree Map is the most comprehensive and up-to-date living tree map in the world. With this map, you can access information about all the trees individually managed by NYC Parks in New York City, from those lining streets to those growing in landscaped areas of parks.
Through this map, you can learn about our city's trees, share your favorite trees with your friends, track recent inspections and tree work, and record and share your street tree stewardship activities. (Via Threads)
NYC Tree Map
Explore and learn about New York City’s trees. Discover their species and diameter, record your stewardship activities, and share favorite trees with friends.
🐪 Desperate Oasis
Weast Coast and Young Jerks, the team behind Snakes of Wrath, announces another game: Desperate Oasis. This time it’s a small box card game with a big table presence. With wonderful artwork by Brett Stenson. Launching in 2024 (probably).
🪄 Design Spells
Micro-interactions, easter eggs, and other seemingly extra design details that feel like magic.
Design Spells · Design details that feel like magic
Discover micro-interactions, easter eggs, and other seemingly extra design details that infuse life, personality, and fun back into the web.
🖥️ Julius Gehrig
This product design portfolio by Julius hits all the marks: a short personal intro video, a few concise cases with attractive visuals and good copy all wrapped in a nice one-pager made with Framer. (Via Ridd)
Julius Gehrig | Designer
Hello there! My name is Julius and I'm a Product Designer from Berlin. I grew up on the internet and love computers and sofware.
🎓 Figma in 60 Minutes: Free Course for Beginners & Pros!
This free course by Matt D. Smith packs the essentials of Figma into 12 bite-sized, 5-minute videos. Perfect for beginners who want a strong foundation or experienced users who need a quick refresher.
Learn Figma with Shift Nudge
Learn the basics of Figma in one hour for FREE with twelve fast-paced videos.
📕 Fine Specimens
A collection of contemporary specimen graphics from indie type foundries around the world, created by the team behind 8 Faces.
It’s been many years since I backed a project on Kickstarter, but I’m happy to support this one by Elliot Jay Stocks and if you’re into type and/or graphic design, consider backing this beautiful book too:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elliotjaystocks/8-faces-presents-fine-specimens/✌🏻 And that’s it. Thanks for reading and see you next time! 👋🏻