Snap Scope is an app that helps you discover your favorite focal lengths. By analyzing your existing photos, it intelligently identifies your commonly used focal ranges and recommends lenses you might like. Say goodbye to focal length decision paralysis; Snap Scope helps you easily find the best shooting angle and improve your photography.
David Bowen's 'Tele-Present Wind' art installation uses an accelerometer connected to a plant stalk outdoors and 126 mechanical devices in a gallery to simulate wind in real-time. Whether in Bilbao, Spain or Moscow, the installation precisely captures and displays the wind's movement from a location near the University of Minnesota's Visualization and Digital Imaging Lab, thousands of miles away. This seamlessly blends technology and nature, creating a powerful artistic representation of environmental forces.
cs16.css is a CSS library inspired by the user interface of Counter-Strike 1.6. It offers a clean and easy-to-use style for various common components, including buttons, checkboxes, input fields, dropdown menus, radio button groups, sliders, dialogs, tooltips, progress bars, and tabs. Simply add the CSS link to your HTML's `` tag to get started. The library is available on GitHub under the MIT license.
This article delves into the surprisingly complex UI design of a seemingly simple four-function calculator. Starting with the basic components—ten digit keys, operators, and an equals sign—the author reveals hidden complexities. Issues like handling continuous operations, negative number input, implicit equals, and the legacy 'K-constant' feature are explored. These seemingly minor details lead to inconsistencies and user confusion, highlighting the challenges in designing even the simplest of devices. The author uses humor and diagrams to illustrate the intricate logic and historical evolution of calculator UI, prompting reflection on the design nuances often overlooked in everyday objects.
Ben Pence's website is a clean and effective portfolio showcasing his skills as a designer and developer. The minimalist design highlights his work, featuring a range of projects including web design, branding, and interactive experiences. His carefully curated case studies demonstrate expertise in visual design and UX, while readily available contact information allows for easy outreach from potential clients or collaborators. Overall, it's a highly effective and impressive personal portfolio reflecting professionalism and attention to detail.
Working from home causing eye strain? Blogger Russell Baylis shares his journey to optimal lighting, emphasizing even, diffused light as key to reducing eye fatigue. He transformed his workspace with floor lamps and dimmable lights, eliminating harsh shadows and high contrast. Natural light is softened with diffusing curtains, and high-quality, flicker-free lighting is prioritized. The 20-20-20 rule and regular breaks are also stressed for eye health.
The Atlantic features the winners of the 'Life in Another Light' biannual infrared photography competition. Over 3,000 entries from photographers worldwide were judged across 11 categories. The winning images, showcasing the unique perspectives of infrared photography, offer a captivating glimpse into nature and humanity. The winning photographs span landscapes, portraits, and astrophotography, highlighting the versatility of the medium.
This website is a comprehensive guide to the collection of peppermills designed by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Designs. Each mill is meticulously documented, detailing its unique shape, model number, grinder type, and production history. The site unravels the stories behind these iconic designs, revealing the evolution of their forms and manufacturing processes. From the earliest all-metal grinders to later plastic variations, this resource is a must-have for collectors and design enthusiasts alike.
This webring aims to inspire artists and developers to build their websites and share traffic. It's a diverse collection of sites, ranging from personal blogs and wikis to online portfolios. Joining is easy – simply submit a pull request.
Artist Rafael Araujo creates mesmerizing geometrical drawings that blend mathematical precision with the organic beauty of nature. Using the golden spiral and helixes as foundational elements, his stunning depictions of shells and butterflies seamlessly integrate science and art. Araujo's painstaking hand-drawn works, often taking 100+ hours, reveal a deep reverence for the intricate patterns found in the natural world. He even offers adult coloring books, inviting viewers to participate in his artistic process and explore the underlying geometry themselves.
In El Paso's Segundo Barrio, Jose Contreras and Victor Rodriguez, two artisans in their sixties, are keeping the tradition of handcrafted cowboy boots alive. Known as 'Golden Needles' (Agujas de oro), they represent a dying art. This article tells their story, highlighting their incredible skill and the challenges and hopes for the future of this craft.
During the late 18th century French Revolution, two architects, Étienne-Louis Boullée and Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, rejected the excessive ornamentation of Baroque and Rococo styles, embracing bold new geometries. Boullée's designs were highly idealistic, utilizing spheres, cubes, and pyramids to create monumental structures like his massive spherical cenotaph for Newton, showcasing a pursuit of science and light, though largely unrealized. Ledoux, more pragmatic, designed functional structures such as the Chaux saltworks, balancing practicality with symbolic geometric layouts. Both architects' works reveal an extreme focus on geometric forms and utopian ideals, leaving a lasting impact on architectural design.
The Letterform Archive's recent acquisition of over 500 Japanese chopstick sleeves reveals a fascinating history of Japanese culture and design. From Heian-era silk wrappings to modern printed advertisements, these seemingly humble objects chronicle societal shifts. Designs range from iconic Mount Fuji imagery and Edo-period woodblock prints to modern fusions of East and West, reflecting evolving aesthetics and national identity. The collector's meticulous preservation embodies the Japanese concept of 'mottainai,' highlighting the value found in even the most ephemeral objects.
A blog post vehemently criticizes websites that force dark mode. The author points out that high-contrast dark mode (e.g., pure white text on a pure black background) causes eye strain and discomfort. The article uses contrast ratios and personal reading experiences to illustrate the problem, recommending that website designers follow WCAG guidelines and choose appropriate contrast instead of blindly pursuing dark mode. The author argues that dark mode is beneficial in specific situations (e.g., OLED screens, dark environments), but forcing it is a terrible user experience.
This article delves into the accuracy issues of moon phase displays in watches. Traditional mechanisms use simple occluding disks, failing to accurately simulate the elliptical terminator and its varying speed during the lunar cycle. The author presents Lunase, a novel mechanism using multiple semi-circular gears working in concert to more precisely mimic the waxing and waning moon. A clever cam mechanism resets the phase automatically. The article also explores alternative moon phase display solutions, analyzing their feasibility and accuracy. The Lunase project culminated in a working prototype desk clock, proving the mechanism's viability.
Dark Patterns Detective is an interactive game that teaches you to identify and understand the hidden design patterns manipulating user decisions online. Through gameplay, you'll learn to spot manipulative tactics, decode the psychology behind design choices, and ultimately become a more empowered and informed digital user. The game is free to play, but consider sharing it or supporting future creations if you find it valuable.
The Nokia Design Archive is now live, showcasing its design history through an interactive network timeline. Users can explore a vast collection of design materials using keyword search, topic filters (products, aesthetics, design process, design strategy), and date filters. The archive is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, with clear attribution instructions provided.
Syntilay, the world's first AI-designed and 3D-printed shoe, is generating buzz. Designed using Midjourney and Vizcom AI, along with human artistry and 3D modeling, it boasts a unique look. While priced at $150, its customizable, personalized, and eco-friendly concepts attract attention. However, its design process and actual wearability remain controversial, with some questioning the extent of AI involvement and others raising environmental concerns. This shoe may represent a new direction in footwear design, but it also sparks debate on AI's role in fashion.
This article explores the shift in US skyscraper design from ornate brick and stone structures to the ubiquitous glass box. Contrary to the popular narrative of a modernist architectural conspiracy, the author argues that the driving force was economic efficiency. Glass curtain walls proved cheaper to construct, faster to erect, and offered greater rentable square footage. While tenants prioritize interior space, developers found that exterior ornamentation had little impact on rental prices, making cost-cutting a primary concern. Though some architects and developers still champion more expressive designs, the relentless pressure for profit maximization has solidified the glass box as the dominant aesthetic.
Artist Emily Fuhrman presents a visualization of the structure of James Joyce's Ulysses, specifically the 'Sirens' episode, as a musical fugue. She tracks and classifies 99 recurring words and syllables as leitmotifs, arranging them in a graphic score based on their distance from a root sound. This interactive project visualizes how these sounds evoke the sensory presence of different characters at different times.
This article details Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump, completed in 2002, a pivotal project that marked a turning point in her career. Previously known as a 'paper architect' for her stunning but unrealized designs, the Bergisel jump proved her ambitious visions could be built. This landmark structure, combining a ski jump, cafe, and viewpoint, seamlessly integrates into Innsbruck's landscape, showcasing Hadid's unique design sensibility. Its completion launched Hadid into a period of prolific building, solidifying her reputation and paving the way for future iconic projects.
Seoul-based design firm grape lab has created the g.stand, a laptop stand made from a single sheet of recycled paper. Weighing only 45g, it's sturdy enough to hold even the heaviest laptops. Its origami-inspired design provides optimal viewing and typing angles, while strategically placed creases ensure proper ventilation. Collapsing to a mere 3cm for easy portability, its carrying case doubles as a phone stand. This sustainable and stylish product retails for around $22.
A Parisian, Thierry Juge, transformed a dilapidated 17th-century French priory into a breathtaking medieval-style garden. Using meticulously clipped boxwood, he created geometric patterns and unique sculptures, resulting in a peaceful and contemplative 'hortus conclusus'. Featuring a labyrinth, orchard, and potager, the garden reflects the owner's passion for plants and spiritual aspirations. The garden has received the prestigious 'Jardin Remarquable' award from the French Ministry of Culture, signifying its exceptional merit.
This article champions the importance of visualizing dimensional relationships in data. The author critiques the limitations of relying solely on KPIs, arguing they fail to reveal the underlying drivers of data. Sankey diagrams and Decomposition Trees are presented as superior alternatives for visualizing these relationships. Sankey diagrams offer a clear visual representation of proportions between dimensions, while Decomposition Trees provide a more detailed view of all values and allow for interactive exploration of dimensional impacts on key measures. Using the fictional Dorkweiser brewing company, the author illustrates the advantages of these methods, ultimately stressing that the goal of data visualization is to empower users to make data-driven decisions, not merely create aesthetically pleasing visuals.
The article explores the application of haptic feedback technology in the loading process. Imagine no more boring loading bars, but instead subtle vibrations or texture changes conveying loading progress, even simulating the texture of real-world objects. This "tactile loading" technology not only enhances user experience but also creates a more immersive and interactive digital experience. While still in its early stages, the technology holds immense potential and could become a significant part of future interaction design.
Francis Picabia, a close associate of Marcel Duchamp, was known for his multiple pseudonyms and his rebellious approach to artistic movements. His art review, *391* (1917-1924), chronicles his complex relationship with Dada and Surrealism. The magazine's eclectic content—poetry, artwork, satirical essays—reflects Picabia's anti-establishment stance. Ultimately, he declared his 'Instantanism,' rejecting all artistic movements and proclaiming that art is not a movement, but perpetual motion.
PRINT magazine interviewed Marlene Weisman, a designer who worked for seven seasons on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the 1980s. She recounts her incredible journey creating graphics for iconic sketches in a pre-computer era, relying on hand-lettering, Letraset, phototypesetting, and paste-up. Weisman details collaborations with stars like Mike Myers and the frenetic pace of SNL production. The article offers a behind-the-scenes look at SNL and a fascinating glimpse into a designer's creative journey amidst technological shifts.
Tired of generic tattoo designs? The #1 AI tattoo generator lets you create professional, unique tattoo designs with ease. Simply input your preferences and generate a wide range of styles, fulfilling your vision for personalized body art. Skip the long wait times and high costs of traditional tattoo artists; this AI tool is changing the tattoo game.
Profitable Y Combinator-backed startup Axiom.ai, creators of a no-code browser automation tool, is seeking a contract web designer with 3+ years of experience in B2B SaaS website design. The role involves enhancing existing Figma wireframes with brand polish, working closely with the Head of Design and co-founders. The team is remote-first, flexible, and prioritizes work-life balance. Axiom.ai is a leader in the rapidly growing no-code browser automation market, offering a unique opportunity to shape the brand identity of a successful company.
This article explores the fascinating world of 1930s American public health posters. Funded by the government, these posters promoted public health awareness and reflected the social landscape of the time. From promoting everyday health practices like drinking milk and brushing teeth to serious warnings about syphilis and cancer, including treatment options, the posters covered a wide range of topics. They served not only as public health tools but also as unique artistic expressions of their era, pioneering modern graphic design.