designSaturday, July 18, 2026
Today's design conversation is split between practical career advice and ethical dilemmas around speculative work. A sharp piece from Ben Barry argues publicly sharing killed concepts can damage client trust, while Anthony Hobday's career advice calls out the unreality of FAANG-centric guidance. Meanwhile, product design gets a new simple tracking tool in Rows.
Two pieces this morning take a hard look at what designers owe their clients and themselves.
Ben Barry makes a pointed case against posting killed or speculative work: it signals to clients that you value your portfolio over their trust. A useful counter to the common 'share everything' advice on social media.
Anthony Hobday argues most design career advice comes from people at ideal companies and doesn't apply to the majority of designers. He calls out 'only work on passion projects' as a fantasy for anyone not at a top studio.
A new shared list app and a comparison of AI editors offer practical options for designers.
Rows is a multiplayer list app with live cursors and no signup for teammates. It started as an internal design tracker but the team found it works for any kind of shared list, from reading to trips.
A three-week test of Adobe Stock AI Studio, Canva AI, and Creative Fabrica on real client work finds no clear winner. The verdict: pick based on your workflow, not hype.
A Bright Sao Paulo Apartment Designed Around Memorieswww.contemporist.com
Shark just solved the biggest (and most expensive) problem I have with air purifiers – and this new model is set…www.idealhome.co.uk
Billie Davis – “It’s Not That I Don’t Love You” / “Chico, Dame Mas Amor” Spanish single coverfontsinuse.com
Dunelm’s autumn 2026 homeware is already dropping – I got an early IRL first look and these are the 12…www.idealhome.co.uk
Eight cottage living room interiors fit for a rural retreatwww.dezeen.com
This week Nokia unveiled four dumbphones with AI-powered buttonswww.dezeen.comA runsheet for distributed collaborative planninglearningforsustainability.net
This article explores the concept of "distributed collaborative planning" for place-based change initiatives. It argues that meaningful place-based change doesn't happen in a single room or through a single organization, but unfolds across communities, agencies, knowledge work, g
25 Minimal Motivational Posters with Powerful Life Lessonsgraphicdesignjunction.com
A collection of 25 minimalist motivational posters that use simple cartoon characters paired with powerful shadow imagery to convey life lessons. Each poster visually contrasts a character with their shadow representing hidden strength, future potential, or true self. The posters
A Meadow Became The Perfect Place For This Modern Homewww.contemporist.com
Live Oak Residence, designed by Feldman Architecture in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, is a modern home nestled within the Santa Lucia Preserve. The project evolved from years of weekend camping and picnicking on the site, allowing the homeowners to deeply imagine their future li
Graphic designer? These are the 3 laptops you need to considerwww.creativebloq.com
A roundup of the best laptops for graphic designers in 2026, highlighting three top contenders. Apple leads for all-round creative performance, ASUS pushes Windows-based alternatives, and the article provides a quick video breakdown of the picks. The piece is a brief, list-style
Saul Kim Treats Architecture as a Place Where Small Formal “Anomalies” Can Grow Into Whole Worldsdesignyoutrust.com
This article profiles Saul Kim Min Kyu, a Seoul-based architectural designer known for his "Architecture Anomaly" series, which treats everyday objects as starting points for speculative architectural forms. The piece explores how Kim blends practice with education, running Saul
Klaus Lenz Big Band with Uschi Brüning and Klaus Nowodworski album artfontsinuse.com
A brief article about the typeface "Kirby Cracker" — a caps-only variation of Helvetica Bold with closed counters and added stars, created under Alan Fletcher's direction at Pentagram. It notes the typeface was used on the 1974 cover of an East German progressive jazz/funk album
Motion Design Branding: Graphic Hunters by Monga Designabduzeedo.com
Monga Design Studio has rebranded Graphic Hunters using motion design branding principles. The identity system employs structured grid layouts, bold asymmetric forms, high-contrast graphics, and modular frame structures to create visual hierarchy and compositional tension. The de
Bryan Larsen Paints a Future-Facing Realism Where People, Machines, and Space All Share the Same Lightdesignyoutrust.com
Bryan Larsen is an American realist oil painter who blends figurative painting, architecture, science, and a hopeful, optimistic view of the future. With a background in illustration and mechanical engineering, his work reflects a fascination with math, science, and how these dis
Engineering Discoverieswww.engineeringdiscoveries.com
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