How to design better?

After ten years, nine months, and six days of running my agency Superfriendly, I shut it down. Finishing a project often triggers a sense of loss. When I pursue a worthy bet, I’m working toward an outcome for a set amount of time. And then, one day, I’m not. Even when I finish instead of quitting or giving up—especially when I do in a way that... See more

Because of the pre-work I’ve done before starting—back to physics—I’m already moving by the time I “start” working, and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. The bad news is that my work will almost always be acted upon by an unbalanced force. It’s called life. Counteract this force by building momentum. Start all pieces of work a bit earlier,... See more

Understanding why you undertake certain projects or tasks is just as important as knowing how. Whether it’s because you have to or because you want to, find the purpose in your work. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned over my career is that I can find a worthy bet anywhere. It might not be obvious and I might have to dig for it, but... See more

All this is to say is that for design, as for other fields, the road to greatness is often paved with obsession—an immoderate, unjustifiable surplus of care. Doing things that no-one asked for with a love that no-one could reasonably expect.