The hottest Design Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Design Topics

What we don't talk about when we talk about quality...

The faintest idea • 319 implied HN points • 24 Dec 23
🪑 Design User Experience Visual Design Product Design Software Quality Branding
  1. Quality really matters in software because it makes products more valuable and worth paying for. Just like with clothes or furniture, better quality provides a better experience.
  2. Software isn't always compared just by quality since functionality plays a big role too. It's important to fix the small details that make a big difference for users.
  3. People will feel the difference in quality when using software, even if it doesn't show up in simple success metrics. That feeling can influence their choices and how much they are willing to pay.

#134 Designed (not) to last

Design Lobster • 479 implied HN points • 12 Jun 23
🪑 Design Interfaces Art Sculpture Creativity
  1. Ephemeral user interfaces could enhance experiences by creating interactive elements within message threads.
  2. Designers can learn from Andy Goldsworthy's approach of transforming natural materials into symbolic compositions.
  3. Life is ephemeral, so make the most of your designs and creations to have a lasting impact.

#135 Think like a designer 🧠

Design Lobster • 459 implied HN points • 26 Jun 23
🪑 Design Creativity Innovation Art Technology
  1. Slow hunches are vague ideas that over time can lead to important insights or innovations
  2. Infospaces, like messy studios or book-strewn studies, can facilitate creativity by physically activating more of our brain
  3. Thinking about new tools and interfaces can lead to discovering easier ways to tackle difficult concepts

Doing less: a personal essay

Design Lobster • 818 implied HN points • 16 Jan 23
🪑 Design Architecture Product Design Digital Design Constraints Simplicity
  1. Designers should strive to 'do less' to avoid overwhelm and prioritize what truly matters in their work.
  2. Constraints in design are essential, as they lead to simplicity and help designers convey their message effectively.
  3. In a world of technological advancements, the concept of 'less' in design becomes more relevant, urging designers to deliver more with minimal elements.
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Designing for a single purpose

Product Identity • 118 implied HN points • 07 May 24
🪑 Design Product Design User Experience Branding Software Design Cultural critique
  1. Focusing on one clear purpose can make products stand out and be more appreciated. For example, stores or brands that specialize in a single item often attract loyal customers.
  2. In tech, many products have become complex and cluttered by trying to do too much. This often leads to products losing their original charm and purpose.
  3. Going back to basics and simplifying can bring more joy to experiences, like reading on a Kindle without distractions. It helps us focus on what truly matters.

#139 In the know 😉

Design Lobster • 379 implied HN points • 18 Sep 23
🪑 Design Visual Navigation Creativity Inspiration
  1. Designers can fall into the 'curse of knowledge' where they become so familiar with their designs that they can't see them objectively. Getting fresh perspectives and taking breaks can help overcome this.
  2. The Marshall Islands Stick Charts showcase how innovative visualizations were used for navigation. Finding creative ways to bring abstract information to life in design is crucial.
  3. Preconceived ideas can hinder learning and problem-solving. Staying self-aware and open-minded is key for designers to create original solutions.

#136 Design on fire 🔥

Design Lobster • 339 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
🪑 Design Innovation Fashion Art History Quotes
  1. In the past, unique devices were created for fire escapes, like a helmet-worn parachute, but ultimately changing building designs was more effective for safety.
  2. During the 17th and 18th centuries, pole screens were used to prevent makeup melting near fires, showing that design can solve practical problems.
  3. Design should not only function but also consider how it makes users presentable to others, as seen in the evolution of pole screens for makeup protection.

Case Study: Sage House

Supernuclear • 359 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🪑 Design Governance Community
  1. Sage House offers a unique approach to communal living with custom Slack apps for decision-making and governance.
  2. The house operates with lazy consensus and a do-ocracy, utilizing a hybrid offline/online governance system.
  3. Lessons from Sage House highlight the demand for structured communal living for busy individuals and the benefits of established structures in facilitating community entry.

Please let your readers read?

Disaffected Newsletter • 779 implied HN points • 13 Jan 23
🪑 Design Readability Visual Design User Experience Color Theory Blogging
  1. Use high-contrast colors for your text and background to make reading easier. Low contrast can make it hard to read and push people away from your content.
  2. Many readers won't tell you your text is hard to read, and they might leave without saying anything. It's better to get feedback than to lose potential readers.
  3. Remember that your main goal is to share words that people want to read. Avoid trendy designs that harm readability, as they can hurt your audience and support.

What is a good designer?

Elizabeth Laraki • 219 implied HN points • 04 Dec 23
🪑 Design Product Design User Experience Visual Design Collaboration Design process
  1. A good designer focuses on understanding the product's goals, audience, and use cases. They clarify what the product should achieve and for whom it’s meant.
  2. User experience is key for a designer, ensuring the product is easy and natural to use. They organize content and tasks logically, making navigation simple for everyone.
  3. Visual design is about making the product look polished and high quality. Good designers pay attention to details like colors, fonts, and alignment to connect with users effectively.

Democratization of Design

The Intersection • 138 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🪑 Design Digital Design AI Tools Design process Accessibility
  1. Design tools like Canva have democratized design, making it accessible to everyone, but the quality of design produced may not always meet professional standards.
  2. AI-powered design tools aim to streamline design processes, but they require a fundamental understanding of design to be used effectively.
  3. While tools like Canva have made design accessible to non-designers, the quality of work ultimately depends on the skills and capabilities of the individuals using the tools.

Jony Ive: The Complete Objectified Interview

Chance Operations • 515 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🪑 Design Product Design Interview
  1. Jonathan Ive's design work at Apple has been highly influential, shaping products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and more.
  2. After leaving Apple in 2019, Ive co-founded LoveFrom, a creative collective that has worked with companies like Ferrari and Apple.
  3. The full transcript of the interview with Jony Ive is split into two parts and provides insight into his creative process and collaborations.

Feeling the Design

UX Psychology • 238 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23
🪑 Design Emotion Attention Product Design User Experience Aesthetics
  1. Emotions significantly impact user attention and decision-making. We can design products that resonate with users by considering their emotional states.
  2. Balancing functionality and aesthetics is crucial in design. Negative emotions may lead users to focus on functionality, while positive emotions may draw them to aesthetics.
  3. Design strategies that consider emotional mapping, create emotional peaks, and provide feedback can enhance user experience and engagement.

#131 Get some perspective!

Design Lobster • 299 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
🪑 Design Fashion Perspective
  1. Canonical perspective is the specific angle from which we imagine objects, making them easiest to identify; designers can use this angle to make icons and illustrations more recognizable.
  2. Optical illusions in design, like the bowknot sweater, can add playful and intriguing elements; considering optical illusions can enhance the visual appeal of a design.
  3. Changing perspectives can lead to fresh insights and better approaches in design problem-solving; seeing things from a new angle can transform the design process.

#3 Industrial Design

Mountain Labs Newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 17 Apr 24
🪑 Design Industrial Design Product Development User Experience Prototyping
  1. When developing a hardware product, focus on three key areas: energy, communication, and form factor. Energy determines if your device runs on batteries or needs to be plugged in.
  2. For B2B products, start with communication needs since they often integrate with other systems. But for B2C products, prioritize the look and feel of the device first.
  3. Always check the costs and manufacturability of your components. If it’s too expensive or hard to make, revisit your choices before moving forward with the design.

how are those design studies going?

vrk loves paper • 219 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
🪑 Design Graphic design Fashion Art User Experience Creative Process
  1. Recognizing a fear of judgment is important when learning something new, like fashion or design. It's okay to need time to learn and grow without worrying about how you look to others.
  2. Instead of focusing solely on perfection in design, aim to create joyfully and embrace mistakes. It's about the process, not just the final product.
  3. Learning takes time and comes with feelings of being behind, but having supportive friends and a clear vision of your goals can help you stay motivated.

Designing Digital Products for Older Adults

UX Psychology • 218 implied HN points • 21 Sep 23
🪑 Design User Experience Aging
  1. Designing digital products for older adults is crucial as their population grows and technology becomes more integrated into daily life.
  2. Age-related changes in vision, hearing, dexterity, processing speed, working memory, attention, and executive function must be considered when designing inclusive digital experiences for older adults.
  3. To create more inclusive digital experiences for older adults, simplify interfaces, support recognition over recall, offer clear wayfinding cues, minimize required steps, and provide feedback and error recovery options.

the first one's the bad one!

vrk loves paper • 199 implied HN points • 05 Oct 23
🪑 Design Graphic design Product Design User Experience Illustration Creative Process
  1. When working on goals, it's better to focus on whether the problems that come with them are interesting and fulfilling for you. Every goal has challenges, so choose the ones you want to tackle.
  2. In design, it's important to sketch many different ideas, even if they seem odd or wrong at first. Your first attempt is usually not your best, so keep exploring different options.
  3. Using references that resonate with you can make the design process easier and more enjoyable. It's fine to start with things you're familiar with before branching out to more complex inspirations.

#127 Sick of design 🤢

Design Lobster • 339 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
🪑 Design Architecture Product Design Quotes
  1. Good design can promote health: Architectural design, like in sanatoriums, can aid in patient recovery by providing optimal conditions like sunlight and fresh air.
  2. Design for comfort: SEETROËN glasses use innovative design to combat travel sickness, but the attention-grabbing appearance can deter people from using them.
  3. Design as a solution: Better design can be the answer to various problems, bringing functionality and aesthetics together.

Making architecture easy

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 18 implied HN points • 22 Nov 24
🪑 Design Architecture Urban planning Aesthetics
  1. Architectural styles should prioritize ease of appreciation for the public, as buildings are experienced by many, not just their owners. This makes it important for styles to be friendly and accessible to everyone.
  2. There's a difference between 'easy' and 'challenging' styles in architecture. Easy styles are enjoyable without much effort, while challenging styles can be difficult to appreciate for most people.
  3. Modern architecture often tends to be less appealing to the general public, leading to a need for styles that blend traditional principles to ensure buildings fit well into everyday environments.

I HAVE IMPROVED AT DESIGN 😤

vrk loves paper • 159 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🪑 Design Graphic design Product Design Fashion & Design Interior design Web Design
  1. Design skills can improve over time with practice. The recent work showed noticeable growth compared to earlier projects.
  2. A recent event, the Receipt Printer Meetup, was a success with many attendees enjoying the chaos and fun of printing stickers together.
  3. New creative projects, like the 'Dogs of Fate,' are exciting and can be made quickly, inspiring continued exploration and development of ideas.

#129 Luxury design

Design Lobster • 279 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
🪑 Design Luxury Typography Fashion Creativity
  1. Didone typefaces like Didot bring a sense of luxury and sophistication to design with their high contrast and vertical emphasis.
  2. Consider pushing your design to the extreme and exploring the most extravagant version, like the Jacob & Co Astronomia Solar watch, to challenge yourself and think creatively.
  3. Luxury in design can come from simplicity and refinement, as Coco Chanel pointed out, emphasizing the absence of vulgarity over excessive opulence.

#130 Put your feet up

Design Lobster • 239 implied HN points • 03 Apr 23
🪑 Design Product Design
  1. Early experiments explored foot-controlled computer interfaces in the 1980s, but they weren't widely adopted due to a steep learning curve compared to hand-controlled interfaces.
  2. Engaging more of the user's body in design could enhance interaction, especially in augmented and virtual reality applications.
  3. Small design changes, like adding whimsical elements such as unique feet to furniture, can bring lightness and freshness to the overall aesthetic.

#122 Finding Patterns 🧩

Design Lobster • 379 implied HN points • 14 Nov 22
🪑 Design Architecture Software Privacy Facial Recognition
  1. Understanding the concept of design patterns and their importance in architecture and software design.
  2. Exploring the use of CV Dazzle makeup to elude facial recognition algorithms by disrupting key facial features.
  3. Seeking to understand deeper patterns in situations and contexts before designing solutions, as highlighted by Fritjof Capra's quote.

#116 Sh*t design

Design Lobster • 419 implied HN points • 22 Aug 22
🪑 Design Product Design Typography
  1. Design choices can have long-lasting effects, leading to path dependency that constrains future options.
  2. Simple design changes, like a square-cored toilet roll, can lead to clever outcomes by encouraging efficiency and mindful usage.
  3. Questioning design briefs and challenging the necessity of elements can be a mark of a great designer.

#117 It's a blow out

Design Lobster • 399 implied HN points • 05 Sep 22
🪑 Design Product Design Graphic design
  1. Designing with air can lead to innovative products like the Dyson Airwrap that uses the Coanda Effect to create curls without excessive heat, showcasing the importance of understanding and utilizing physics in design.
  2. Consider emotional and symbolic factors in design, as seen in the case of the IKEA inflatable furniture series from the 1990s that faced practical issues and failed to provide a comfortable user experience.
  3. Whitespace, like air, is essential for design to breathe. Remember the significance of negative space in layouts and compositions when things feel cluttered.