Posts in Design

Visualizing Minority Rule in the United States

May 7, 2022  •  4 min readChart showing the nine current Supreme Court justices, with column graphs displaying the popular vote for each nominating president and the population represented by their senate confirmation votes

After NPR's Mara Liasson commented on minority rule in the United States, I wanted to investigate the numbers behind Supreme Court appointments. What I found about presidential popular votes and Senate confirmations was striking enough that I needed to visualize it.

I Read the Newspaper Today, Oh Boy!

February 18, 2022  •  3 min readNewspaper

After decades away from print newspapers, I rediscovered the tactile joy of reading the San Francisco Chronicle over breakfast. The crisp pages, inky scent, and familiar sections brought back memories of Sunday mornings in North Beach cafes—reminding me that sometimes the medium truly is part of the message.

The Apple Design Process

January 19, 2022  •  6 min readCreative Selection book with Roger Wong's Apple badge

Drawing from my time at Apple and insights from Ken Kocienda's 'Creative Selection,' I share how Steve Jobs shaped Apple's legendary design process through relentless exploration and refinement. From creating hundreds of packaging mockups to weekly design reviews in the mysterious Diplomacy room, this is an insider's look at how Apple's obsession with quality came to life under Steve's ultimate creative direction.

How to Put Your Stuff Together and Get a Job as a Product Designer: Part 1

December 6, 2021  •  8 min readIllustration of a resume

After decades of experience hiring designers, I've learned what makes candidates stand out. In this first part of a three-part series, I share essential tips for crafting your resume and LinkedIn profile to catch a hiring manager's attention. The key? Remember that design leaders are your users—we're busy people who need to quickly assess if you're the right fit.

Art for Biden

November 16, 2020  •  2 min readVote for Joe

When Christopher Simmons called for artwork supporting the Biden-Harris campaign, what started as a single contribution evolved into an obsessive creative series. Through 3D typography and animated loops, I channeled my hopes for democracy into Instagram-ready animations designed to catch eyes and change minds.

Agitprop in Times of Uncertainty

June 20, 2020  •  2 min readGraphic of a T shaped like a swastika

In times of political and social upheaval, protest art emerges as a powerful voice of resistance. From Design Is Play's anti-Trump posters to Hong Kong's protest art and Shepard Fairey's "We the People" series, I explore how modern agitprop channels frustration into compelling visual statements against authoritarianism and injustice.

Representation Is Powerful

June 13, 2020  •  2 min readWhere are the Black Designers

As a design student in the 1990s, I never questioned why all our celebrated design heroes were white men. Today, with Black designers making up only 3% of the industry, it's time to examine how we teach design history and create meaningful representation in our field.

What Comic-Con Teaches Us about Design and Branding

July 26, 2019  •  8 min readPhoto of the Hall H stage at Comic-Con

As a designer, I've always been fascinated by how Comic-Con creates such passionate brand loyalty. By examining the core elements of storytelling - from worldbuilding to character development - we can apply these same principles to create more compelling brands and products. Here's what I learned from studying one of pop culture's biggest phenomena.