For the first time in a long time, I wrote a short thing about my own work–Teaching Computers to Draw. It’s not that I’m not making things, but I often ignore the crucial step of documentation and telling the story. This is very common for designers. We’re always focused on the problem, making, and once it’s done, we’re on to the next thing. If you work in this field, it’s an ongoing problem. I used to be better at it, redesigning my portfolio every two years like clockwork. Now, I’m lucky if I add a case study or project every two years. Here’s to trying! Enjoy the links.
Web Design/Design Systems
Your Design System Needs an Enforcer
Although design systems promise consistency, most still fail without someone actively enforcing the rules and making teams follow them.
Industrial Design
WalkmanLand pays tribute to the pocket tape devices of yesterdays: the Walkmans. These analog machines are considered one of the devices that have most influenced the behaviour of people in modern societies. We want to collect all the once commercially available models under one roof, in one catalog.
Satoshi Itasaka’s Century Chair Holds a Hundred-Year Story
Long before it became a chair, this piece lived as a tree––rooted in the forests of southern Japan, shaped by weather, and marked by a hundred years of growth. The Century Chair, designed by Satoshi Itasaka of the design labo, carries that story into the present, carved from a single block of solid wood so its history remains visible in every line and ring.
Typography
By David Jonathan Ross
Art
With Caveat Frogs, it’s important to read the small print. Made by Jaunty Art
Books
Leaps + Bounds: a Visual Guide to Nine Console Generations
Leaps + Bounds: a Visual Guide to Nine Console Generations takes you on a journey through the history of home gaming. Navigating nine generations of consoles, handhelds and hybrids that have defined the evolution of the video game form, the book considers everything from early machines that endeavoured to bring the arcade experience home, to the advanced powerhouses of the current era.
The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play by Keza MacDonald
The Old Man is a well-known Hemingway-inspired cocktail bar in Hong Kong. Having designed their brand identity in 2021, Oddity Studio creates an ambitious experimental menu for the bar each year.
Tools
Open-source neutral-style system symbols elaborately crafted for designers and developers. All of the icons are free for both personal and commercial use.
Random
The Hidden History of Women Game Designers
Nineteenth-century women turned music lessons into interactive entertainment, complete with spinning wheels and ivory counters.
I vibe-coded a video game for under $25. Here’s how it went
Moonlake AI is an Nvidia-backed video game coding tool. Zero code experience required.
Let your horse run!