Can You Make This Look Pretty?

Can You Make This Look Pretty?

One thing not to ask a designer and three reasons why It happened again yesterday. I was working through the details of some random user interface problem, and a new email landed in my inbox. As soon as I read the harmless subject line, my heart sank a bit. I’d been...
UX: Don’t Hulk Smash Your Users

UX: Don’t Hulk Smash Your Users

It’s hard being a superhero. Take The Hulk. The Hulk can lift 150 billion tons.* The Hulk can use his thunderclap to blast away enemies. The Hulk can heal himself in seconds. But! There are things the Hulk can’t do. The Hulk can’t go on dates, do needlepoint, or wash...
Always be testing. Seriously. Always.

Always be testing. Seriously. Always.

There are few questions for which the answer is always “yes.” Do you want coffee? Yes. Always yes. There is never a bad time for the nectar of the gods. Should you re-watch another episode of Game of Thrones? Yes. Every episode is amazing. Every single one deserves a...
Don’t Be Bashful: A Designer’s Intro to Bash

Don’t Be Bashful: A Designer’s Intro to Bash

If you design websites and/or web apps, there’s a good chance that you also write at least some of the front end code to execute your designs (HTML, SASS, JS, etc.). If you haven’t already, you’ll soon have to jump into the command line to run projects that you’re...

The 6 Things That Can Kill Your Agency Dead

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: “I got into the agency business because I’m passionate about the craft. I don’t really know much about the business side of things.” Or how about this one: “I landed the biggest customer ever, and now my business is going under.”...

4 Things Web Designers Wish Their Clients Understood

I hope this article doesn’t come across as arrogant or with a ‘know it all’ attitude. These are topics that as web designers, we consider everyday. It’s only by thinking about these on a daily basis that their significance becomes apparent. We design systems, not...