To get there, I pulled references from film, architecture, fashion, even games—not just other SaaS apps. Then I tested for feeling, not preference: What does this make you feel? The response tells you if the creative direction is doing what you want. Once the mood is set, every choice has to be traced back to it. That’s how you keep the atmosphere... See more

When sameness costs nothing, difference carries the value. If two products solve a problem equally well, people choose the one that feels better to use—-the tone of voice that resonates, the design that delights, the experience that feels lighter or more focused. Think about writing in Word versus Google Docs: Both let you draft this article, but... See more

Software is content now. AI can generate a competent interface in seconds. Components are commodified. Patterns are free. The defensible position is to care about what machines can’t: how a place feels. But making it “pretty” isn’t enough. You have to articulate texture—oil-painted, soft depth, breathing motion—and turn that into rules. The tools... See more