Inspired By #96
Hello! It’s around 28℃/83℉ today, so a perfect time to sit behind a laptop a send out a newsletter. 😎
Here are some of the things I came across the last few weeks that inspired me:
👀 Config 2024
Back in June, Figma had their annual conference and I’m happy to see they’ve shared them on their youtube channel.
And now that the summer is here, you might have some time to watch them. Here are a few I liked the most:
Side projects are such a powerful way to unlock career opportunities. Matt shares how he turned his side projects — including the failures — into a standout personal brand. An inspiring talk about creativity, perseverance and the power of sharing your work.
Marcin Wichary is obsessed with keyboards and pixel fonts: “I want you to fall in love with pixel fonts the way I keep falling in love with them, over and over again.”
Andy Allen, software designer at !Boring (pronounced Not Boring ☺️) shares how video games inspire better software.
Jessica Hische talks about why sometimes fretting over invisible details can really matter and how this kind of work can not only be rewarding for clients in quantifiable ways but also deeply rewarding for the creatives who perform it.
🐛 Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey
A few weeks ago, I saw a talk by Edel Rodriguez at What Design Can Do and it was amazing (Read my recap here).
I knew about his Trump illustrations from a few years ago, and he talked about how he was inspired to make it and how it got so much attention.
He also talked about his childhood under Fidel Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba and about his parents' decision to risk everything by fleeing to the U.S. in a boat when he was nine years old.
He made an amazing illustrated memoir about a part of history I knew quite little about. Highly recommended!
Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey by Edel Rodriguez | Goodreads
From “America’s illustrator in chief” ( Fast Company ),…
🍎 Dark Matter
The series was great, this is the kind of sci-fi I like. 👏🏻 (I read the book 7 years ago, couldn’t remember anything except the premise, time for a re-read)
💎 Don't trust the (design) process
Jenny Wen’s thoughts on “the design process” had me nodding in agreement:
“We spent so much time trying to decode our users in so many ways — a persona! Then a journey! Then a user flow! Then a lo-fi wireframe! Then a concept test! We focused on it so much, that we deemed the pixels unserious and unimportant.”
Don't trust the (design) process - by Jenny Wen
absolutely not starting a newsletter
📕 A Fever in the Heartland
This book is a gripping blend of true crime and historical fiction. It describes the horrors of the KKK (that had millions of members in the 1920's) through a sensational murder trial. This was a compelling read that will stay with me for a long time.
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan | Goodreads
A historical thriller by the Pulitzer and National Book…
🧮 Contra Project Calculator
A fun and beautiful website, with a totally over-designed – and amazing – 3D calculator.
Contra | Project Cost Calculator
Unlock cost and time savings on your next project. Choose wisely between an independent contractor and a full-time employee to build a budget you can stick to.
🤖 Design doesn’t have to end like this
Do I worry about AI and what it will do to design? Yes, yes I do. While I struggle to fully summarize my thoughts on this, John Voss’ article articulates my concerns very well.
”To believe, uncritically, that AI is simply a new tool that will augment designers’ current capabilities is to willfully turn your back on the history of labor and new technologies.”
Design doesn't have to end like this by John Voss
AI represents a seismic shift in the way we work. If we’re not careful, it will be for the worse
✌🏻 Thanks for reading and see you next time! 👋🏻