Words 159
Holidays are the time you stop actively doing, ponder ideas and make plans.
Words 145
A ship in port is safe but that’s not what ships are built for.
Words 144
As a designer, you can’t be afraid to completely start over when something isn’t working. Sometimes to get to the right solution you have to throw things out.
Words 143
Winning doesn’t always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.
Words 142
If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it.
Pictures 104
A few more beer label designs: https://karstenrowe.com/tag/beer/.
Workflow 26
Another day, another rough sketch.
Workflow 25
I still always start with a sketch, however rough.
Words 141
When you run the marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners.
Workflow 22
Dribbble – Show and tell for designers continues to be my go to place for design inspiration. I have two dribbble invites to give away. Tweet @karstenrowe your best work. The winner gets kudos & dribbble invite. Do it already.
Words 140
Ask yourself, can I give more? The answer is usually yes.
Words 138
If you’re gonna do a thing, do a great thing.
Words 137
The first time experience with an interface is crucial. The state in which nothing yet has occurred should not be a blank canvas, it should provide the user with direction and guidance to get up to speed. http://emptystat.es/
Words 136
A great logo isn’t going to make a shitty product any less shitty, any more than a hard worker is going to make a bad boss a compelling leader.
Words 135
Minimalism is not a lack of something. It’s simply the perfect amount of something.
Words 134
Interesting things never happen to me. I happen to them.
Words 133
To create a memorable design you need to start with a thought that’s worth remembering.
Workflow 20
Three blogs that I regularly visit: Creative Review Advertising, design and visual culture. Little Big Details Your daily dose of design inspiration. Signal vs. Noise A publication about the web by 37signals.
Workflow 19
New year, new stuff. Four books I intend to read this year. Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker Kevin Mitnick & Steve Wozniak The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon Brad Stone Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy SocialContinue reading “Workflow 19”
Words 132
“Good Morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat. “What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean thatContinue reading “Words 132”
Words 131
I’m not inspired all the time but push yourself everyday and once in a while something will happen.
Words 130
Try to be inspired by something every day. Try to inspire at least one person every day.
Words 129
The way you treat people, the way you treat yourself, the choices you make, your stress level, what you care about, how tolerant you are of others – these make you, uniquely you.
Words 128
Invest in knowledge not pensions.
Workflow 16
Set goals, learn new things, measure results, repeat. Happy New Year.
Pictures 78
Buttons.
Words 127
Listen to ‘Hello my name is Paul Smith’ on Audioboo A few smart words recorded at ‘Hello, My Name is Paul Smith’ exhibition at Design Museum London.
Words 126
You need to accept the lows to appreciate the highs.
Pictures 75
A Google Maps tooltip that made me smile. “This map is built for you”. Software for humans.
Words 122
Brand is the big picture. It’s what differentiates one business from another.
Words 121
A company’s brand is paramount. It expresses your culture and character and, in turn, helps establish your reputation in the minds of your customers.
Pictures 72
A clever & unique logo.
Words 120
Always challenge the old ways.
Words 119
The term “remarkable” means being worthy of notice or attention or, in the context of the web, naturally persuading the viewer to mention or recommend a website to a friend.
Words 118
Design is not purely visual. Visual or graphic design is only a small part of what we do. Knowing that your first role as a designer is “problem-solver”, rather than “guy who draws stuff” is a good place to be.
Words 117
I take time out of each day to sketch.
Words 116
Even the nicest car won’t make driving in traffic enjoyable.
Words 114
When you write like everyone else and sound like everyone else and act like everyone else, you’re saying, “Our product is like everyone else’s”.
Workflow 06
I think most clearly when I’m running – Nike+ helps me keep motivated.
Words 113
A good pitch starts with a crystal-clear exposition of the problem you are trying to solve. The unspoken response you want in the minds of your audience are: ‘He may not have solved it yet, but this guy really knows what our problem is.’ Then elaborate.
Words 112
Stress is not attractive at all. We love people who work hard but we don’t want them to be white and shaking.
Words 111
Go on a ‘re-launch’ programme to get yourself in better shape, get a tan, tone up and dress a bit more interestingly.
Words 110
Think about your customers and think about what those buttons and words mean to them. Don’t use acronyms or words that most people don’t understand. Don’t use internal lingo. Don’t sound like an engineer talking to another engineer. Keep it short and sweet. Say what you need to and no more.
Pictures 61
The illustrations in Remote, the new book from 37signals are gorgeous.
Words 107
Great brands work, they say to people that you care about quality.
Words 106
Always look as good as you can and as good as you wished you felt without being too fussy.
Words 105
Good writing is good design. It’s a rare exception where words don’t accompany design. Icons with names, form fields with examples, buttons with labels, step by step instructions in a process, a clear explanation of your refund policy. These are all interface design.
Words 104
How you look and feel really matters. This is a totally pragmatic thing, not a style or fashion thing. From now on always try make the very best of what you’ve got. People will make instant snap decisions about how they feel about you, based on how you look. So there’s a need to groom,Continue reading “Words 104”
Words 103
Every feature has some maintenance cost, having fewer features lets you focus on making them work well.
Words 102
People can copy what you’ve done, but they can’t copy what you still want to do.