And some things I’ve learned along the way — In the last decade working as a designer, I’ve realized that I’ve picked up so many lessons that I simply couldn’t have learned in design school. I did attend a traditional four-year university, where I studied design, and I loved the experience. It was amazing to get my hands on…

Wrestling with mental health on- and off-screen — I’ve always been an anxious person. As a kid, I vividly recall finding new things to fear or lose sleep over. Even then, I thought it must be a phase. As a child, it was rationalized as irrational fear. Primetime news shows like Dateline and 20/20 planted in my brain…

Exploring the dangers of abstraction — I’ve tried to swear off grumpiness, I really have. Without any diagnostic rigor, I’ve accepted that being a curmudgeon comes with age. Within the topography of digital design, I’ve found plenty of landmarks to direct my cynicism toward. Addiction, privacy, sustainability, isolation, and greed are all easy targets for my…

What I learned about digital design from an HVAC expert — Summer 2020 has been heavy and hot. While an ongoing pandemic and impending U.S. presidential election would have been plenty enough, the East Coast also suffered an infernal heatwave. …

Technology always brings with it a wave of excitement and anxiety. We’re hopeful for the possibilities innovation can bring, but as practitioners, we’re anxious about our place in the new landscape. Digital innovation is advancing at breakneck speeds. …

Creating a more accessible web that my parents can actually use — I think we can all agree that quarantined life has been strange. And while most of the day is comprised of the monotony of domestic life, I’ve been surprised at how much of my time is dominated by technology. I’ve spent my entire career working in front of screens. Constantly…

The facade of autonomy in an online world — We’re in complete control. Or, at the very least, we find this mantra comforting in these anxious times. Any time we open a browser, we feel that the possibilities are endless. We believe that the decisions we make online are choices that we own, choices we shape along the way. …

Designing for real problems without creating more of them — “We need an app!” These can be complicated words to hear from our clients. Substitute “app” for brand, website, billboard — you name it — and it doesn’t get less complicated. As designers, we often create a problem in the way that we respond to this declaration. Our gut response…

A tech-obsessed culture calls for more responsible design — We’re more anxious than ever before. Just typing that sentence makes me anxious. Technology, for all its benefits, can create a sense of claustrophobia. Our devices can make us feel like we’re trapped in a room full of spinning plates, constantly worrying about which one will topple first. I could…