396: Career Cheat Codes

396: Career Cheat Codes

Author: Brian Lovin, Marshall Bock May 5, 2021 Duration: 28:32

This week, we discuss the things we’ve done in our design careers that have had an outsized impact on our professional growth. In The Sidebar, we talk about the anatomy of icons and how that anatomy affects user interfaces.

Golden Ratio Supporter:

Around

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You can get started for free by signing up at Around.co!

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The Sidebar:

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Follow up:

  • Walter Kimaro tweeted a mini music video on top our theme music. This is the kind of content we’re here for! Thank you, Walter 😊

Main Topic:

This week, we talk about “career cheat codes” — or: things we’ve done in our time as designers that have had outsized impact on our growth.

  • Become “the person” for “a thing”
  • Become a central “connector node” in your organization’s graph
  • Learn in public by writing, tweeting, podcast, or anything else that puts your ideas out into the world in real time.

Cool Things:

  • Brian shared Money Stuff, the best weekday newsletter in finance by Matt Levine. It’s fantastic, funny, and will help you learn about the world of money.
  • Marshall shared the HomePod mini. Turns out, it’s pretty great – when it works!

Design Details on the Web:

Byeee!


Every week, Brian Lovin and Marshall Bock settle in for a thoughtful, often meandering chat that pulls back the curtain on how things are made. Their Design Details podcast lives in the rich space where technology and the arts intersect, focusing less on polished case studies and more on the real, sometimes messy, work of design. You’ll hear them dissect the nuances of product decisions, debate the evolving culture of creative teams, and share personal stories from their own experiences in the industry. It feels less like a lecture and more like eavesdropping on a conversation between two deeply knowledgeable friends. The discussions regularly venture into the philosophical side of craft, examining why certain choices resonate and how design shapes our daily interactions with the world. For anyone curious about the thinking behind the pixels and interfaces, this show offers a consistent, grounded perspective. Tuning in provides a sense of community and a candid look at the process, making it a staple for designers and creators who appreciate substance over flash.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Design Details
Podcast Episodes
393: The Not-So-Humble Button [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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389: Better Design Reviews [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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388: Design Tips and Tricks, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:34
This week, we cover part two of our design tips and tricks series. We talk about naming conventions, thinking in divs, structuring frames, and share a few Figma pro-tips. In The Sidebar, we talk about design content over…
387: Design Craft Tips & Tricks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:59
This week, we dig into specific tips and tricks to level up your craft game: how to leverage tools to make faster iterations, stay organized, and allow your mocks to easily scale over time. In The Sidebar, we dig into ho…
386: Designing with Grid Systems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:52
This week, we talk about designing with grid systems. In particular: when grid systems break, and what to do when they don’t align with our hardware screens perfectly. In The Sidebar, we talk all about design debt: how t…
385: Raising Your Team’s UI Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:32
This week, we talk about strategies and tactical tips for elevating a team’s bar to design high quality interfaces. In The Sidebar, we talk about how to transition from web to mobile design.Golden Ratio Supporter:A huge…
384: Finding Time for North Star Design [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:38
This week, we talk about the real struggle of finding the time to do North Star design. It’s complicated! In The Sidebar, we try to find the digital equivalent of a Norman Door.Golden Ratio Supporter:A huge shoutout to C…