4 principles to design everything
The world is a draft. Design everything. Build your tools and craft. Let joy in all sing.
You become your city
Choosing where you live is the most important decision of your life.
Design is intentioning
If designing had a synonym, it would be "intentioning".
Hackathons and AI - a new paradigm
AI hackathons field guide to build impressive demos faster, alongside the most talented people of your city
Books I recently read and recommend
Selection of books I recently read and recommend
From sketch to product using AI
Using ChatGPT to draft product ideas in minutes
Tiny product challenge with Ran Segall
The ups and downs of working with other creatives
Glue entrepreneurs
How great products can now be built by composing APIs
15 habits to be organized as a designer
Sharing apps to organize my tasks, time and thoughts.
Creative tempo (Part 2): Diverging, Testing, Converging
Exploring new ideas at a controlled beat
Creative tempo (Part 1): Setting the rhythm
Creating more to be more successful
A theory of what makes something interesting
What makes an idea interesting?
ABC framework: How to give better feedback
A better framework to give feedback and improve creative work
Moodboards as a creative escape
A tale of same energy, covid toes and rabbit holes
Tiny products
Tiny products 1. take two weeks to build, 2. generate income and 3. require zero ongoing maintenance.
The Monthly Investor Update
Applying the transparency and rigor of public companies to freelance businesses.
Design is intentioning
Graphic designers, fashion designers, system designers, interior designers...
They all have very different jobs, and yet we call them designers.
Why is that?
Etymologically, design comes from both "dessin" (drawing in French) and "dessein" (intention in French). So designing is visualizing one's intentions.
If designing had a synonym, it would be "intentioning".
What makes good design?
Some might say it is what looks and feels nice.
Others, inspired by Steve Jobs, will say it is what works well.
I think Buckminster Fuller's idea of holistic design is the best way to approach the question of what makes a design effective. In short: designers should consider the entire system and its complexities to design a form that fits the context.
The designer then has two jobs:
1. Creating Clarity
The first job of designers is to clarify intentions.
Clarify a project's intentions for clients, for team members, and for themselves.
Clarity requires deep understanding. It requires removing the fluff. It requires to order the information in a logical way.
2. Creating Delight
Only when the designer has achieved clarity should they think about delight.
Delight can be created with great aesthetics. It can also be created by a deeper understanding of the end user.
To best succeed at the job of clarity of delight, a designer must master:
the tools of the designer: creative techniques must be effortlessly applied so as to not interrupt the transformation of ideas to reality. You want to avoid technique to get between you and the canvas. The faster you can collide your ideas against reality, the faster you get feedback. Some examples of tools: [[The tools of the designer]].
communication and empathy: with end users, with team members, with oneself. Non-Violent Communication (NVC) gives a good framework to approach productive communication.
taking a step back: to see the full picture and see the design holistically, as a piece of a bigger experience
Once a month, I share my latest work and findings on a curated newsletter (example). Let's keep in touch:
4 principles to design everything
The world is a draft. Design everything. Build your tools and craft. Let joy in all sing.
You become your city
Choosing where you live is the most important decision of your life.
Design is intentioning
If designing had a synonym, it would be "intentioning".
Hackathons and AI - a new paradigm
AI hackathons field guide to build impressive demos faster, alongside the most talented people of your city
Books I recently read and recommend
Selection of books I recently read and recommend
From sketch to product using AI
Using ChatGPT to draft product ideas in minutes
Tiny product challenge with Ran Segall
The ups and downs of working with other creatives
Glue entrepreneurs
How great products can now be built by composing APIs
15 habits to be organized as a designer
Sharing apps to organize my tasks, time and thoughts.
Creative tempo (Part 2): Diverging, Testing, Converging
Exploring new ideas at a controlled beat
Creative tempo (Part 1): Setting the rhythm
Creating more to be more successful
A theory of what makes something interesting
What makes an idea interesting?
ABC framework: How to give better feedback
A better framework to give feedback and improve creative work
Moodboards as a creative escape
A tale of same energy, covid toes and rabbit holes
Tiny products
Tiny products 1. take two weeks to build, 2. generate income and 3. require zero ongoing maintenance.
The Monthly Investor Update
Applying the transparency and rigor of public companies to freelance businesses.
Design is intentioning
Graphic designers, fashion designers, system designers, interior designers...
They all have very different jobs, and yet we call them designers.
Why is that?
Etymologically, design comes from both "dessin" (drawing in French) and "dessein" (intention in French). So designing is visualizing one's intentions.
If designing had a synonym, it would be "intentioning".
What makes good design?
Some might say it is what looks and feels nice.
Others, inspired by Steve Jobs, will say it is what works well.
I think Buckminster Fuller's idea of holistic design is the best way to approach the question of what makes a design effective. In short: designers should consider the entire system and its complexities to design a form that fits the context.
The designer then has two jobs:
1. Creating Clarity
The first job of designers is to clarify intentions.
Clarify a project's intentions for clients, for team members, and for themselves.
Clarity requires deep understanding. It requires removing the fluff. It requires to order the information in a logical way.
2. Creating Delight
Only when the designer has achieved clarity should they think about delight.
Delight can be created with great aesthetics. It can also be created by a deeper understanding of the end user.
To best succeed at the job of clarity of delight, a designer must master:
the tools of the designer: creative techniques must be effortlessly applied so as to not interrupt the transformation of ideas to reality. You want to avoid technique to get between you and the canvas. The faster you can collide your ideas against reality, the faster you get feedback. Some examples of tools: [[The tools of the designer]].
communication and empathy: with end users, with team members, with oneself. Non-Violent Communication (NVC) gives a good framework to approach productive communication.
taking a step back: to see the full picture and see the design holistically, as a piece of a bigger experience
Once a month, I share my latest work and findings on a curated newsletter (example). Let's keep in touch: