We Are What We Build
The web isn't neutral after all, and the lives we live online are as real as any other. It's up to us to build a web that takes a stance on how we should treat each other.
Perennial Design
Looking beyond products themselves, the underlying process for their design and the broader systems in which they exist can serve as a source for renewal in design.
Lesson
An accidental salesman meets with unexpected challenge and disappointment. At last, he finds new understanding and acceptance of his identity as a designer.
Made to Measure
A destructive model positions data and design in opposition. But redefining and embracing data opens up deeper understanding and greater ability to design for reality.
On File Formats, Very Briefly
The file formats that define the web range from audacious to disturbing, and an examination of their idiosyncracies offers an illuminating glimpse of history.
Unstirring the Jam
In order to establish a sense of history, web design will need to find ways to make allusion to predecessors, acknowledge its influences, and learn from the past.
Visual Design is Not a Thing
The process of designing a new wayfinding system for a museum requires research, prototyping, observation, and storytelling. Only at the very last does it involve the “graphic” in graphic design.
The Things of the Future
The future of web design can be saved if web applications are built not only for humans but for humanity, and made to last. To solve deeper problems, technology may need ask more from its users.
Lesson
The same bit of advice, repeated over time, is at first frustrating and impenetrable. But at last, with a little background information, it becomes invaluable.
Tongue-Tied
"What do you do?" may be a hard question to answer. But when we learn to articulate the complexity and value of our work, we gain not only better understanding but greater respect for our profession.
Lesson
When a spouse becomes a client, the business relationship takes a surprising turn. In its aftermath, the experience offers a lesson in humility and thoughtful communication.
The Sky Ain’t the Limit
A welcome end of the rock star era gives way to the dawn of great design teams. With it comes the need for visionary leadership to help people see that which does not yet exist.
Taxidermista
Playing off our enthusiasm for the new, galleries misrepresent web design as a state, not a process. In the exhibition and archival of web design, more context is essential.
Designing the Mind
Building on the foundation of craft, individual designers and the broader industry will benefit from a three-stage process for critical thinking: input, synthesis, and output.