Design chatter

My take on a few design-related topics that kept popping in conversations over the last couple of months.

Mindful tech

However optimistic I am I can’t foresee a change for the better stemming from devices like the light phone, meditation apps, paper-like screens… Better tech isn’t going to fix the problem of too much tech. What “better” is also highly contentious. The vail of virtue-seeking of the various companies is hard to look over. I appreciate the opinionated approach of these players. I simply disagree 90% of the time with the vision.

Design principles

I've read many sets of principles over the years. Many companies use a generic variation of Dieter Rams, rehashing what generic "good" design means. Some opt for a more quirky wording. Few put work into it to reflect a unique perspective. Even fewer make it a statement true to company culture. They are an important hiring and customer acquisition instrument for ethics-driven companies. Going beyond a mere service provider status by standing for something is not just creating a brand but a culture. That being said, there are plenty of elegant propositions out there that are too lofty to be realistic. Remember, this is just a job. (most) Companies aren't families.

No code design software

Now fancier with more templates, widgets, and other gadgets. They have always been a UI overlay on top of CSS. I'm still not compelled to use any of them, teh learning curve is just too steep and the DOM output is so gross (does it mattter? - Yes, it does to me).

It's odd how Webflow has become a marketplace, a big deviation from its initial aim. From what I remember it started as a Make-your-won-website tool. The prices and timeline advertised by "webflow expert" are very competitive, showing the commoditization of web design/dev. Affordability and choices might be appreciable for businesses but on the provider side it will inevitably decreased margins and all production quality markers.

FWIW I'm okay calling a Webflow dev a "proper" dev. These tools have not put anyone out of a job, they've generated more jobs. Not the kind of job I want but I'm ambivalent to design a site that will be built in webflow. I'm bummed by the growing lack of appreciation for a properly built site, but I know, it's elitist. No code will inevitalbly feed the bespoke build demand. Fast fashion didn't put taylor out of business, it just increase demand and prices, oh capitalism...

Figma

I got the conference cringe after the intro Config 24 keynote. Figma is big now, all the signs are there. I was hoping for Figma to "be better" than Adobe, but no. Config felt eerily similar to Adobe Max. The feature flood, cheesy demos, stories, and pep talk… I’ve seen this already.

Code connect is not baked enough to be truly helpful, they need to automate it completely for broad adoption. By the same token, I wonder if Dev Mode is actually being used.

Slides is just a repackaged version of the core features, for an extra $. I’ll continue making slides in OG Figma because it does everything design better than PowerPoint and Keynote while providing 90% of the presentation-specific functions via the prototype viewer.

Most of the "quality of life improvements" are aggressively product-focused, understandably since that's where the money is. I likely won't be using 90% of it - it shows the product design specialization taking over the creative canvas. As a web designer, I’m not the core target user. Most of my needs were served 3 years ago when auto layout was introduced.

That UI redesign is really bothering me. Having to relearn my way around a familiar UI is quite painful. Did anyone ask for this? Am I cognitively ossifying?

Design as a subscription

The topic has been coming and going for a few years. The commoditization of design services was to be expected, now happening. Expensive agencies and high-paying tech companies have created a massive gap to fill. The flood of new AI companies is feeding this new model that cranks work on demand, a sort of design vending machine.

The obvious subcontracting scheme has many drawbacks: the lack of a consistent point of contact, short-term relationship, workload limitations, limited availability, consistency, QA... I can see many edge cases that make it hard to pull off. The subscription model tries to find stable income but always at the cost of scalability, sustainability, or ethics.

3D

Brands trying to elevate their visual language by upping the fidelity via texture, lighting, angle, abstractions… seem to never end, and rarely last. Scaling 3D is feasible nowadays but not realistic enough for 100+ unique asset production and maintenance. Microsoft and its glassy-glossy floating tiles have inspired many. The high effort, low reward isn't relevant for 90% of use cases but every designer, myself included keeps coming back to it. Enthusiasm fades every time I get a sad render and shoots back up when I get a good one. I suspect that I'm not alone. We forget that 3d is a specialty with its sub-domains.

← Index / Published on 2024-08-13