Why We Crave Software With Style Over "Branding"

We're in the era of modern software companies as lifestyle brands. We've passed the basic utility phase; now, it's about delivering an experience and forging an identity that resonates with the aspirations and values of your audience. UX has become a fashion statement, and standout products have style. We'll see: - Haute Couture software - Lux... See more

When evaluating a company, one of my favorite questions to ask is whether it has an aesthetic. We don’t talk about aesthetics as the highest form of brand or story or a reflection of team cohesion, because investing on “vibes” or “look” or “mood” is very frowned upon. Even using it as a data point is beaten out of us. But if you look at any enti... See more

And yet, in so much modern software today, you’re placed in a drab gray cubicle — anonymized and aggregated until you’re just a daily active user. For minimalism. For simplicity. For scale! But if our hope is to create software with feeling, it means inviting people in to craft it for themselves — to mold it to the contours of their unique lives an

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