Upheaval and disruption are nothing new
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
“In 1984, Apple Computer introduced the Macintosh with a Super Bowl commercial that changed the world for graphic designers. The ad begins with a Big Brother totalitarian speaker from George Orwell’s 1984 barking commands to a subservient audience. He is interrupted by a woman swinging a mallet, smashing the image of the authoritarian speaker while the narrator promises: 1984 will not be like 1984.
What happened next was disruption. The typesetting industry collapsed. Many graphic design studios and advertising agencies went out of business unless they were able to adapt and master the production of typesetting themselves. We now find ourselves in a similar predicament. Graphic designers today are struggling in the face of AI and advanced template designs that are replacing them by taking away the production side of the business, as well as the visual or aesthetic part of designing communications.”
Upheaval and disruption are nothing new →
Design tokens go native: a new chapter for design–code collaboration →
[Sponsored] Penpot is the first design tool to integrate native design tokens—a single source of truth for design-code collaboration. Use tokens for color, opacity, radius, and more—organized in themes and sets. Perfect for design systems and multibrand projects.
Editor picks
Liquid Glass: appearing innovative vs being innovative →
Is Apple’s new UI language genuinely innovative?Becoming the borg →
The more we let devices optimize us, the less we trust ourselves.Shopify dropped UX as a title →
But at what cost?
The UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about their work.
Meet Liquid Glass — a deep dive →
Make me think
The designer’s hierarchy of career needs →
“I believe that success in a design career should be evaluated against three criteria: compensation, edification, and recognition. But contrary to how the design industry operates — and the advice typically given to emerging designers — these aren’t equally important. They form a hierarchy, and getting the order wrong can derail a career before it even begins.”The relationship is the job →
“First, we automate the hands. Then we automate the head. With each technological wave, what was once skilled human labor becomes infrastructure. But the more we automate, the more we notice what’s missing.”I think I’m done thinking about GenAI for now →
“But if you’re going to talk about how bad the genAI conversation is, without even mentioning huge categories of problem like climate impact or disinformation even once, I honestly don’t know what conversation you’re even talking about.”
Little gems this week
Where should AI sit in your UI? →
Tools and resources
UX scenarios + GenAI →
The value of world-building in UX design.Product trios are collapsing →
Here’s how designers can smooth them over.Bayesian A/B testing →
A practical primer for UX designers.
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