Welcome to the 15th edition of the Ideas on Design Digest! This time, we will talk about a certain punk attitude to design. In the last edition, I wrote about rituals and processes. If you missed that, you can read it here.
I applaud the desire to win and reach the masses. But if I’m really honest, I hate what happens when software I like goes mass-market. Loss of focus, increased complexity, monetisation creep. I wish them well, but I already have enough of that. I tend to go for the alternatives. From craft beers to indie games, blogs and self-published zines. Creative movements against the homogeneity of mass production.
In many ways, I think these might be the best footprint we have about a certain counterculture happening in tech: small makers designing tools with more personality and utility than those from big corporations. Products with soul, that do not aspire to be everything for everyone.
Mymind is a good example, as are the mobile apps from Notboring, the games from Playdate, or even the tools from Teenage Engineering. Stuff made by people committed to staying independent. Working at the edge of technology and creative wit. Guided by authenticity rather than scale. Not for everyone, but different from everyone else. Distinct, how things should be.
Other things on my mind:
Bráulio Amado: Visual Punk Rock
Bráulio Amado is a graphic designer, illustrator, and art director from my hometown. Currently based in New York, he has designed album covers for Frank Ocean and André 3000 (in the picture), illustrated for The New York Times, and made countless music posters. His work is different, messy, alive, with a certain punk attitude of anything goes, in a nice way.
→ Bráulio Amado’s website
Time Flies: A Fly on a Mission
A fly, with a bucket list, and little time to live. Genius idea behind this little indie game. Hilarious and poetic at the same time. What captured me the most on Time Flies is the whimsical trackpad-drawn art by Michael Frei. One of my favorite recent findings.
→ timeflies.buzz
Musa: Beer with an Attitude
I left Portugal over ten years ago, so I don't consider myself well informed about the Portuguese craft beer scene. One brand caught my eye though: Musa. Not only because of the funny names (IPAtti Smith? Psycho Pilsner?), but also due to its colorful labels that feature illustrations by some of my favorite Portuguese artists, like Bráulio Amado, AkaCorleone, or António Constantino.
→ Explore Musa’s range
Old City Mailroom: Letters That Feel Real
The hand-made fonts designed by Andi Aukshunas carry the same feeling of grainy photography in an age of digital photos. The texture, imperfections, and little quirks make them feel like they belong, or come from a real place, not a screen. It is also inspiring to see that the work reflects the author’s approach to life. Worth taking a look, especially if you're looking to add a tactile touch to your work.
→ oldcitymailroom.com
Counterprint: The Designers' Bookshop
Counterprint is my favorite bookshop. Run by the designer couple Jon and Celine, it started as an online shop selling vintage design books they collected from Belgium and other travels. Today, it’s the place where I discover (design) books I wouldn’t find elsewhere. from Russian logo books to zines on science symbols, etc. They’re based in the UK, but ship worldwide. Definitely worth a browse.
→ counterprint.co.uk
Mymind: Remembering the Things You Like
I’m obsessed with saving things I find online. I’m equally obsessed with exploring ways to better organize the things I find online. Over the years, I’ve tried tons of different visual bookmarking tools, but I keep coming back to the one designed by Tobias Van Schneider. Mostly because every other tool ends up becoming too much work the moment you add 10,000 images. With Mymind, no organization is needed. It figures out what’s what by itself. That’s cool.
→ mymind.com
Ordinary: A Simple Page for Yourself
Kris Darzins, the designer behind the Mockups marketplace Supply.Family, has just released Ordinary, a simple page maker where you can build “FREE one-page websites that don’t suck.” The templates look great and so does the onboarding. A very good (and independent) alternative to Linktree & co.
→ ordinary.page
Job Picks of the Month
And before I leave you, here are some interesting open positions I found this month:
sevdesk - Growth Marketing Manager (Germany - Remote)
Amazon - Visual UX Designer (Seattle - USA)
Nothing - Content & Social Manager (Germany - Remote)
Objective Brand - Creative Director (Denver - USA - Remote)
Sherpa - Design Direction (Germany - Remote)
Sherpa - Brand Designer (Germany - Remote)
Meta - Creative Director, Brand Design (Los Angeles - USA)
What prompted you to leave Portugal?
the way u write is so beautiful dafuq😭😭ur writing style kind of reminds me of mine a little too!! i wld love to be mutuals if you down eeeee i posted today too we cld support each other?! xx