417: The Side Project Prophecy

417: The Side Project Prophecy

Author: Brian Lovin, Marshall Bock October 27, 2021 Duration: 37:09

This week, we reflect on why it is that talking about building a side project can often reduce your motivation to actually finish the project. We dig into our latest side project progress and share tips for maintaining momentum. In The Sidebar, we recap Google’s Pixel 6 event and share our hot takes on the latest phones and software announcements.

Golden Ratio Supporters:

Play is the first native iOS design tool made for teams creating mobile products. Design, prototype, and collaborate, directly from your phone. With Play you can experience your design as you create it while taking full advantage of native iOS features not found in other design and prototyping tools. Full access invites available for the first 25 people here.

Plume empowers a billion smart devices in homes and small businesses through a suite of adaptive WiFi, AI security, and parental control. They're hiring product designers to build the future of smart home services. They're hiring product designers with 2-5 years of experience shipping products — learn more at designdetails.fm/plume. Oh, and they just raised a $270m series E, so now's the time!

Sympli builds design version control and developer handoff tools to help teams collaborate on screen designs. Check out their design-to-development plugins for all major design tools, including a version control app for Sketch, Sympli.io.

Latest VIP Patrons:

  • FoxFire720
  • Lukáš Ther
  • Bjarki Steinn Birgisson
  • Cho
  • Curtis Winiesdorffer
  • Antonio
  • Drian Hillman
  • Jenna Barth
  • Mason Hahn
  • Sam Stephenson
  • Trevor Harris
  • Annika Ganson
  • Yuan Zhuang
  • Brett Benson
  • Solveig Engevold Gaustad

The Sidebar:

The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus content going forward! Sign up at patreon.com/designdetails.

Follow up:

We’ve declared issue bankruptcy on our GitHub repository. If you have a question or topic you’d like to hear us talk about on the show, please open an issue!

Main Topic:

This week, we reflect on why it is that talking about building a side project can often reduce your motivation to actually finish the project. We dig into our latest side project progress and share tips for maintaining momentum.

Cool Things:

  • Brian shared Next.js, a React framework for building websites. This week they released version 12 and things are getting so so good. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about React and build a new website in the process, take a look at their step-by-step guide.
  • Marshall shared Far Cry 6, the latest release in the Far Cry series where there is something new and interesting to discover every 30 seconds or less — guaranteed!

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
454: Is UI Design Actually That Important? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:48
This week, we answer a crucial question: is UI design actually that important? Our answer may shock you 🫢The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1…
453: Building a Type Stack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:25
This week, we discuss strategies for building an excellent type stack in your designs.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for acce…
452: Design Trends for 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:51
This week, we discuss current visual design trends and how the web will look in 2023.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for acces…
451: The Whole Twitter Thing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:49
This week, we talk about the whole Twitter thing, and how we'd handle the verified badge design debacle.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1…
450: Designing Hefty Interfaces [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:18
This week, we talk about what gives software the feeling of heft and the effect of that feeling on how customers perceive the value of a tool.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon support…
449: Google Pixel 7 Event [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:54
This week, we recap Google's Pixel 7 Event and dig into our favorite design details of the new Pixel phone, tablet, and watch.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can sub…
448: News Desk, Vol. 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:03
This week, we break down new Figma features, dissect the Live Activities HIG, and share our cool-takes on the Adobe + Figma acquisition.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. Y…
447: Stranded on Dynamic Island [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:46
This week, we share our hot takes and first impressions of the new Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 p…
446: Grab Bag, Vol. 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:44
This week, we share our preferred naming convention for design files and react to the new Gmail redesign.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1…
445: Designing the Perfect Desk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:27
This week, we talk about a surprising new "smart desk" being shared online, and we talk about what our dream desk would look like. In the Sidebar, Marshall shares his tips and tricks for keeping his Figma files squeaky c…