Your design job's rotten core
This week is all about structure (both good and bad). We've got 11 articles, including:
- Why most 'AI-eats-all-work' stories don't pencil out because the real control isn't software, it's the infrastructure underneath.
- What structural rot in product design reveals across three levels: individual designers, organizational leadership, and industry-wide problems.
- How four visual principles—grids, typography, color, imagery—stacked consistently separate intentional design from random decisions.
- And more...
Most Interesting
State of product design in 2025
This sobering look at the state of product design breaks down the structural rot in product design across three levels: what individual designers face daily, what leaders need to fix in their orgs, and what the industry needs to address collectively.
Design + Development
Fonts for people fighting for a better future
A curated portfolio of open-source typefaces built specifically for activist and climate justice work. Each entry includes design philosophy, licensing details, and real campaign examples showing the fonts in action. Free to use for non-commercial projects, organized to help organizers find the right visual voice for their movement.
What actually matters when you're teaching yourself to code
A collection of programming principles that actually help you write clearer code instead of just sounding smart in code reviews.
What makes design actually work
A breakdown of the four visual principles that separate intentional design from random decisions: grids, typography, color, and imagery. Each principle gets unpacked with practical guidance on how to apply it consistently. The throughline is that good design isn't luck or taste alone, it's strategic choices stacked on top of each other.
moves 25 million requests daily across 30 million companies, keeping brand logos (and logo clouds) fresh with the latest assets. Alex MacCaw, who built Clearbit, called it "what I wish we could have built."
214 free fonts sorted by type: serif, sans serif, script, monospace. One collection instead of scrolling through thousands on Google Fonts.
Tech + Innovation
Aging is a disease we can treat
This Big Think article breaks down how longevity science is shifting medicine from disease treatment to actively extending healthy human lifespan. It frames the movement as pursuing longer life as an intrinsic good, not just preventing early death.
Agentic AI reasoning creates clutter. LukeW has a new take: the two-pane layout. It solves the "too much information" problem by splitting process from results, then collapsing the thinking column into a summary once the AI finishes. Meta, but worth a read.
Work + Mindset
This piece cuts through the AI euphoria and asks a blunt question: What if the real game isn't smarter software, but who controls the land, water, and energy behind the data centers? It's a sharp, grounded read on why most 'AI eats all work' stories don't pencil out, and how the infrastructure grab underneath might be the only part that actually lasts.
Someone built a web tool that plays rapid notification sounds during Zoom calls to make you look swamped. Genius.
Blank strips your iPhone down to what matters. Lock specific apps, hide the rest, and watch what happens. Hint: Most people cut screen time by half in the first week.
