SUBGRID ISSUE 005 As we near the 52nd week of the year, macro questions bubble up to the top of my mind. What design future are we heading towards in the near term? From what I can tell at the intersection of where I work (technology + design), it feels like everything is happening all at once. The technological era of the 2010s of apps and smartphones hasn't come to an end. Apple's services revenue (revenue Apple Inc. makes just from software, for e.g. iCloud+ or apps people pay for) last...
23 days ago • 7 min read
SUBGRID ISSUE 004 A few years ago, I read 5 pieces of advice from a design futurist I subscribe to and it's been on my desktop in a pdf ever since. Every so often, when I get stuck in some temporary bout of pessimism around design or the future, I glance at that doc. I wish I could link to it, but the issue isn't available online anymore, so I'll quote the 5 things here verbatim and maybe you will find it useful: 1) Look at the world with wonder and amazement; 2) Be the optimistic contrarian:...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
SUBGRID ISSUE 003 Advertising is inevitable. But as consumers spending money we work hard to earn, we deserve more thoughtful typography, design and editorial in advertising in our daily lives. Partly thanks to the success of Google Adwords, online advertising over the last two decades or so has become a hellhole of clickbait and in-your-face elements that are devoid of soul and accessibility. One trip to a recipe website might drive this point home (making me reach for the "Hide Distracting...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
SUBGRID ISSUE 002 Every week I read maybe a dozen or so articles about how people are thinking of generative AI in their work and domains. Lately, they've been increasingly more so about design. I was reading a piece last week by a designer named Steve Vassallo (now a venture capitalist running Foundation Capital). As I was reading it, I found all the bits relevant to what could be said about design & generative AI today. Except, that piece was written some two years ago. What does that say...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
S U B G R I D ISSUE 001 Design is all around us. The work of a designer influences your life every day in big and small ways, even if you don't notice. It genuinely feels good to interact with objects and experiences that are designed thoughtfully. Good design nourishes the soul. SUBGRID is for the design curious. It’s my on-going catalog of curated signals of product design and craft. Of things and ideas discovered from around the web, and from designers, writers and makers all across this...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read