Design Practice

The Battle Between Shipping and Perfection: A Designer’s Dilemma

Designers, let’s talk about an uncomfortable truth. For many of us, the joy of our craft lies in creating work that is not just functional but exceptional. We love unearthing hidden user insights through research, challenging assumptions, and asking the kinds of questions that lead to elegant, transformative solutions. To us, this feels like the very essence of design: solving the problem in the best way possible. But here’s the rub...

Design Practice

The Role of Design in an Increasingly Financialized Business Environment

In recent years, businesses have become increasingly decoupled from traditional outcomes like profit, and many are now seen as financial instruments whose value is primarily driven by shareholder sentiment and market perception. This shift towards financialization is evident in many industries, from tech startups to established corporations, and has significant implications for designers who work in these businesses.

Design Practice

The End of Design As We Know It? How Automation and A.I. is changing the Face of Design Forever

As the technology landscape continues to evolve, so does the field of design. The rise of industrialization and automation has led to a shift from traditional craft skills to more assembly-based work. With the development of AI, we are seeing the possibility of even more automation in design. This raises questions about the future of the profession and the role of human designers. In this article I look at the commercial and technological trends facing the industry and try to imagine what comes next.

Design Practice

The 4 Elements of An Effective Brand

Good brand architecture is a hierarchy. Like the oft used Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, it starts with some basic obviously fundamentals that every brand should have, but then grows into areas that few brands successfully achieve. This article outlines four such levels, although I suspect there are plenty of different framings one could use.

Design Practice

How to Write a Job Ad that Doesn't Suck!

As a Seedcamp VP from a design and product background, I'm regularly asked for hiring advice. Especially from folks who have had an open role for several weeks (sometimes even months), but haven't been getting the quality or volume of candidates they've been hoping for. The first thing I usually do is ask to take a look at the job ad, as this is generally where the problem starts.

Design Practice

Where to Find The Best Design Talent

The design recruitment market is really hot at the moment. Largely because founders and leadership teams are beginning to understand the importance of a well designed and well conceived product. As such I’m constantly being asked by leadership teams to help them find early design hires.