How to design better?
A collection of ideas on the design process and creating great designs
How to design better?
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
Dan Mall • Dan Mall’s 10 Principles for a Worthy Design Career | Figma Blog
Rule #8: Keep asking why
If I believe in something, it means I know a certain amount about it. This gives me confidence to make decision, take action, do things that would have been harder to do before finding that belief. The belief that comes from finding purpose in what you’re doing.
While I was making Sparkle’s website, I realized that this working definition of “quality” wasn’t enough in this new context. A magical experience would show, not tell. It would give you the sense of living in the future and seeing the future happen before your eyes. It required something the people at Every have written a lot about: It required ta... See more
Matter
YES! YES! YES!
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
Dan Mall • Dan Mall’s 10 Principles for a Worthy Design Career | Figma Blog
Rule #7: Keep moving
There is no code faster than no code
— Kevin Henney
Grid system design should begin with a constraint. Something that is knowable and unchangeable. This constraint is used to build the modules of your grid. In book design, that constraint is defined by the page through subdivision. Book designers take the page, divide it up into a modular grid of spaces. These spaces (called modules) are then... See more
A Richer Canvas - Mark Boulton
Content out
These founders recognize that company design goes beyond playbooks, case studies, or podcasts. Consider how modern startups approach product development: A technically proficient team might build perfect features, but design-literate founders create experiences that make users feel something when using the product. Notion succeeded not through... See more
terrain.com • Design Literacy
Design as infrastructure? or Design the infrastructure
My father embodies design to the fullest extent. He says, “It’s a lifestyle, not a job.” He brings the same intensity to everything—whether solving engineering problems, crafting sales messages, or building side projects. He brings opinion. He is a polymath maniacal about every aspect his work touches. He is obsessed.
terrain.com • Design Literacy
“In design, be logical, search for truth, be clear.”
― Massimo Vignelli
― Massimo Vignelli
How we think about design · Resend
Lessons:
1. Imitate
Copywork is a great way to build the design muscles.
2. Remix
Start tweaking and fuse you'r imagination into it.
3. Invent
The “adjacent possible” is drawing connections from seeminlgy unrelated concepts/things and placing them together.
Dan gives the best breakdown of any designers process, that actually reveals the little nuances the nitty gritty parts of the process .