Welcome to the 28th edition of Designer’s Digest — my weekly roundup of cool new stuff in design. And welcome to 127 new readers this week! 👋
How are you? I have to admit something — I’m at my lowest both physically and mentally. It feels almost wrong to admit that. Here’s the story everyone wants to hear: despite burning out last year, losing a loved family member, and losing my job earlier this year just two months before our twins were due are all things of the past. I’m doing splendidly well and I’ve been earning way more than I had at my job.
That’s the type of fairy tale people like to hear. And it’s also the type of bullshit that others like to spread about themselves. I haven’t had a good night of sleep for months, my brain is foggy to the point that I struggle to put together these sentences. My business potential is still low, it only has the potential to earn about 30% of our required income. I’ve been working hard to revive it in the future but things haven’t been going according to expectations.
Being a father to newborn twins is hard. Being a solopreneur is hard. It would be so much easier to have a cushy job, paid parental leave, and financial stability. I decided not to get a new job so that I could spend more time with our babies. It turns out that it’s so intense that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with a full-time job anyway. I’m barely able to get basic things sorted for my projects. And every now and then it all crushes me completely. All the anxiety, the fear, the insecurity.
But I still get up every day, put a brave face on and continue to fight. It’s incredibly hard but I get reminded of what I fight for every time our babies are happy to see me and a full ear-to-ear smile draws on their faces.
Some news from me:
- 🤔 I’ll be writing a new report on why designers quit. So I’d love to hear why you left your most recent job [first name goes here]. Fill in the “Why designers quit” survey (it only takes a few minutes). Thank you for your time 🙏
Free font: B612
B612 is a highly legible open-source font family designed and tested to be used on aircraft cockpit screens. I wouldn’t use it for large type because it may look strange, but it’s great for smaller sizes and UI.
8 more micro tips for remarkably better typography
This is the second part of the two-part blog post series. 8 more micro tips in less than 8 minutes to make your typography stand out in excellence.
Other cool stuff
Designers, we have a “figmaism” problem (3 min read)
90% of UX design content on LinkedIn/Twitter focuses on visuals, Figma, and design systems – the hard skills are just a fraction of what companies evaluate designers at. Hard skills account for less than 25% of the total designer evaluation formula at Twitter, for example. Hard skills were just one of 4–10 competencies at other companies. So why do designers mostly talk about hard skills?
The futility of labelling design roles (6 min read)
Unlike lawyers, doctors, or engineers, designers can practically slap any label on and roll with it. Ultimately, it’s not about the titles, it’s about the process and the craft. Designers should ditch the title obsession and embrace the versatility that comes with their role.
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That’s it for this Monday, have a great week! 👋
Cheers,
Matej
