June Picks: 🎶 Selections from Tiktok, and Marvelling Thoughts
Just when you think things are going back to normal, the universe comes slamming the doors — boom, another lockdown. I am slowly recollecting the habits I normally have when we had to stay home full time. One thing that I started was rewatching the Marvel Cinematic Universe in timeline order. Oh yes, I’m a fan and I really don’t mind watching movies over and over and over again.
One thing that really stood out for me when I was rewatching the Marvel series was that every movie detail (whether plot, story, setting) was thought so meticulously to create continuity. These bits and pieces put together to become a grandeur story; that to me felt like a masterpiece. To watch it again and say, “Damn, that was so good!” was just the reassurance that the team involved in the production has put in their best to make it happen. I’m pretty sure the team also felt extremely proud of themselves.
To put it in the perspective of designers and working in a design studio, at times we are pushed to the boundaries we are limited to. The process might be laborious and take a painstakingly long time. Like an iron smelted in the fire to create a sword or for the purpose of continuity — the Mjolnir. But at the end of the day, we know, we have put in our best. Looking back, I can see how our team has grown and how we pushed our visions in design and digital product and say, “Damn, that was so good!”
Have you practiced the #GratitudeAttitude today?
Thank You Machine by Zendesk
A super fun way to send a card for a simple thank you message. Trust me because of this site, I’ve sent multiple thank yous to friends. Everyone needs a little appreciation in their life. So go, send out one now. If you are feeling out of words, they have really quirky messages too!
Mock those mock ups
Here’s a figma plugin to game up your presentation. Swoon the hearts of your audience with these rad mockups. You’ll wonder why you haven’t discovered this sooner ;)
Learning Artificial Intelligence
A to Z of AI with Google
We all start getting a bit of a headache when we get Artificial Intelligence involved. Here’s a list of bite-sized A-Z content from Google to help you understand the overwhelming world of artificial intelligence. You might not get everything just yet. But this would be a good place to start. Also, prepare to be mesmerized by the incredibly cute illustrations.
About time!
Slack’s Send Later feature
Schedule your messages to send later on Slack. This is a highly anticipated feature by the Sixty Two team because we have to work between different time zones. Or, for those of you have a sudden revelation at 12:48 AM and want to tell someone about it but not want to disturb them…. this works for you too!
Improve readability with a free font!
Atkinson Hyperlegible by Braille Institute
We’ve been looking at many accessibility and inclusive design patterns for our next report on Project Lima (shameless plug: if you haven’t check out the site yet, we’ve made a report on the future of digital products). We came across this fun free typeface, which actually looks like a mix between the modern and early 2000s. Introducing Atkinson Hyperlegible, a font designed to improve legibility and readability for low vision readers.
The Power of Product Thinking by Julie Zhuo
Read Article
I’m quite a fan of Julie Zhuo, so I would read anything she wrote. But this was definitely one of the enlightening ones. I’ve never perceived product thinking as a “mindset” and most often times I separate it as “work”. But it does challenge you to think more critically. It is a framework to enable you to think more methodically for why things are designed the way they are designed. Read up on the article of The Power of Product Thinking. Definitely refreshing to those who are long-time practitioners or those who are new to the game.
Sharings from TikTok
Super Sassy, fabulous and let’s give a round of applause to that hair-o-graphy 🕺
Useful websites. Apparently there’s a whole community for it. So if you’re on TikTok and you are a designer who is looking for references, here are your guys:
What’s your pick? We’re curious to know what you’re seeing, reading, listening, and doing. Drop us a line or those claps to see more of these content in the future!
