Sci-Fi, Funky Art, & Life Savers
Dope apps, stuff to think about, and resources to try.
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In this issue
- Inspiration: X-The Moonshot Factory
- Illustrator: Laura Serra
- Typeface: Wulkan Display
- Follow: Cat Noone
- Follow: Dan Mall
- Tool 1: Maze
- Tool 2: Paper Sizes
- Resource: Devices by Facebook
- Read: The CSS Mindset
- Article: Be a Pal, My Dudes
This newsletter was originally sent on 06/10/2019.
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X-The Moonshot Factory–Inspiration
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are now into sci-fi-ish design and have founded X. X is a research and development facility where incredible companies and products like Google Brain, Waymo and Loon were born (Wi-fi balloons floating in the stratosphere all around the world? Hell yeah!). Astro Teller runs this moonshot factory and is a place where imagination is their tool, failure is celebrated, and creativity is a science.
Laura Serra — Illustrator
Lines and colors seem like an ocean wave that Laura Serra naturally surfs in. Her pieces can be dense and an eclectic mix of techniques and palettes. They are an overwhelming conglomerate of ideas, but like a good meal, they are never too much. Her art looks as free as her mind: it can be funny, calming, awareness-raising, and flawless all at the same time. You can buy her artwork or follow her here.
Wulkan Display — Typeface
Now and then a typeface so versatile, like Wulkan Display, comes around the corner. Jan Estrada-Osmycki created a timeless twist font inspired in old-style types. Sharp and flexible, this one is a winner.
Cat Noone — Follow
Straightforward, resourceful, inventive, and fun. Cat Noone has it all. She’s the CEO of Stark and the co-founder of groundbreaking apps like Lyra and Iris Health. There’s so much we can learn from her, plus her twitter is full of puppies, and more puppies.
Dan Mall — Follow
Dan is probably one of the most creative people out there. He’s not only the CEO of SuperFriendly, and a published author. He’s also a coach, advisor, and natural public speaker whose purpose is to help other designers grow. He’s a must-follow.
Maze — Tool
Testing your prototypes is pretty damn important when it comes to finding out how much your future users might like your product. And luckily, Maze, created by Jonathan Widawski, makes this ridiculously easy for you. It gives you metrics and reports in seconds so you can track your KPIs to gain insights for improving UX.
Paper Sizes — Tool
There are around 320 official paper sizes in the world. 320. So, Paper Sizes is going to make your life much easier if you often print your designs. You can thank me later. No, wait, forget that. You should thank designer Rob Lafratta and developer Richard Franklin for it.
Devices by Facebook — Resource
Need some sketch files of mobile phones for your design mockups? Look no further. Facebook Design came up with a compilation of these in multiple formats. And the best of all? They are FREE.
The CSS Mindset — Article
Max Böck makes coding sound like art in this article, and his tips are priceless. His main advice? Keep it simple, fluid, and creative.
Be a Pal, My Dudes — Article
Gender bias spreads in most professions, and painfully, the design industry is not exempt from it. This Twitter thread of women’s experiences about it is haunting. The problem is sometimes hard to spot because we have been conditioned to it by society for thousands of years. Erika Hall went straight to the point; it’s simple, we need to be self-aware of our actions. We need to care. So basically: don’t be a prick, be a pal. It’s not that hard.
Digital design is like painting, except the paint never dries.
Neville Brody
Hola, I’m Pablo Stanley, a designer who also writes comics. Every week I send this newsletter in an email. I share a list of design-related gems, including inspiring work, cool typefaces, people to follow, articles to read, tools to try, and job opportunities. If you give me your email address, I’ll spam you every Monday with this stuff.
