{"id":7223,"date":"2025-08-12T11:45:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T18:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/?p=7223"},"modified":"2025-08-12T11:53:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T18:53:49","slug":"weekly-design-links-8-12-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/weekly-design-links-8-12-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Design Links \u2013 8\/12\/25"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019ve been on the road this past week, but I\u2019ve got a fresh batch for you, short and sweet. The team at Adobe Express is teaming up with me to give one lucky reader a free year of the product. Share, link, and comment for your chance to snag it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week’s post is sponsored by Adobe Express<\/a><\/sub><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Adobe<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Art<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

shunshun<\/a>
Drawings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Web Design\/UX\/UI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of five of Adobe\u2019s iconic icons
<\/a>How time and circumstance have transformed these legendary in-app symbols<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing\/Video<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

IBM NorthPole
<\/a>Our launch film for IBM Research showcases the new AIU NorthPole chip and Map Project Office\u2019s minimalist server units. Designed as a series of modular sequences, the film goes on an insightful journey from the data centre to the heart of the unit, revealing the cutting-edge chip within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industrial Design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Victorinox\u2019s Latest Collector\u2019s Knife Is Built for Elegance
<\/a>The body of the knife features a smooth, white-speckled Corian handle… This gives the tool a clean, polished look that contrasts beautifully with the distinctive pattern of the main blade, which is forged from ultra-high-quality Damasteel. With a Svavner pattern running across its surface and a Rockwell hardness rating of 60 HRC, it offers both visual intrigue and practical durability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teenage Engineering Debuts a Customizable Electric Moped
<\/a>Known for its innovative, minimalist design language and cult-favorite gadgets, the company has collaborated with fellow Swedish brand V\u00e4ssla to create the EPA-1, a stylish, customizable electric moped that blends modern tech with urban mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Make things happen by Cap Watkins
<\/a>…if someone on the design team had ever come to me to ask why this designer got all the \u201cgood projects,\u201d that\u2019s exactly what I would have told them. The projects weren\u2019t good. They were made good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Age of the Super IC by Hardik Pandya
<\/a>You need a special breed of ICs who can learn, understand, adopt, and then build for a new technology faster and better than most. These are what I call the Super ICs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Random<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Overtourism in Japan, and How it Hurts Small Businesses
<\/a>Why being super popular is not the goal of most small businesses<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This wild retro game unleashes a novel artistic enemy
<\/a>ZOE Begone! is pure hand-drawn chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Adobe<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sponsored Content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Good Design Is Worth Paying For<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adobe offered me a free year of Adobe Express<\/a>, no strings attached. I\u2019m not being paid to write this, but I am<\/em> giving away a free year of Express to one of you. More on that at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re doing anything public, starting a business, building a brand, making a thing, you need design. Not just decent-looking stuff, but design that feels intentional. Design helps people understand you, trust you, and remember you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while DIY tools like Adobe Express are great (especially if you\u2019re moving fast or working solo), nothing beats having a real designer involved. Someone who can help shape the way your brand feels<\/em>\u2014not just how it looks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design isn\u2019t decoration. It\u2019s communication. It\u2019s structure. It\u2019s how you signal to the world that your product, service, or business is worth paying attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Adobe Express<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been playing with Express for the past few weeks. It\u2019s surprisingly good for quick visuals\u2014social posts, flyers, pitch decks, even branded merch mockups. The templates don\u2019t feel overly generic, and it\u2019s fast enough to use in between bigger design cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It won\u2019t replace a real designer, but if you\u2019re in the early days of a project or want to keep your visuals consistent without a lot of overhead, it\u2019s a solid option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want a free year of Adobe Express?<\/strong>
I\u2019ve got one code to give away. I\u2019ll pick a random reader. Just interact with this in some way. Like, share, comment, email, DM\u2013just let me know you are out there and interested.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been on the road this past week, but I\u2019ve got a fresh batch for you, short and sweet. The team at Adobe Express is teaming up with me to give one lucky reader a free year of the product. Share, link, and comment for your chance to snag it. This week’s post is sponsored […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[139,9,14,53,74,21,20,38,19,30],"class_list":["post-7223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-links","tag-adobe","tag-art","tag-industrial-design","tag-marketing","tag-random","tag-ui","tag-ux","tag-video","tag-web-design","tag-work"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ibm_northpole.jpg?fit=1600%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7223"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7242,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223\/revisions\/7242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnfreeborn.com\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}