TLDR DesignApril 22, 2024

TLDR DESIGN 2024-04-22

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01NEWS & TRENDS

WHY PORTUGAL'S CONTROVERSIAL LOGO REVERSAL IS SAD NEWS FOR GRAPHIC DESIGN

Among the first measures of Portugal's new prime minister, Luís Montenegro, is a rollback of the government's supposedly "woke" logo redesign. There was nothing particularly 'woke' about it, even though it was intended to be "inclusive, plural, and secular," which led to a highly simplistic logo. Eduardo Aires, the designer behind the redesigned logo, thinks the backlash is more about politics becoming polarized, as the logo was used as a "projectile weapon" before last month's general election.

links.tldr.tech3 min read

WEBFLOW ACQUIRES INTELLIMIZE TO ADD AI-POWERED WEBPAGE PERSONALIZATION

Webflow has ventured into marketing optimization by acquiring AI-driven personalization startup Intellimize in an eight-figure deal. The union integrates the majority of Intellimize's team into Webflow's expanding platform. The union aims to enhance Webflow's offering by bringing advanced personalization and optimization tools to its customers, with Intellimize continuing to operate standalone while increasingly integrating with Webflow's services.

links.tldr.tech5 min read

HOW WE LAUNCHED AI WITHIN SLACK IN 6 MONTHS

The Slack design team executed the launch of AI-powered features such as AI search and summaries within just six months, meticulously focusing on user-centric solutions for joint pain points like reducing noise and improving message management. They adopted a collaborative approach with shared ownership, rapid prototyping, and continuous feedback from internal and pilot users to refine these features and enhance productivity in the workplace.

links.tldr.tech6 min read

02OPINIONS & TUTORIALS

HOW CARVANA FUELS CONSISTENCY AND SCALE

Carvana utilizes a design system for consistency and scalability, with Figma playing a critical role in maintaining design standards and facilitating smooth collaboration between designers and developers. Variables in Figma have significantly enhanced Carvana's design quality and speeding up design updates and product development processes.

links.tldr.tech2 min read

PRODUCT DESIGN IS LOST

Product design has shifted towards rigid processes, sidelining creativity. Design teams often need to work on integrating new technologies and are connected to the products they create, hindering innovation and impact.

links.tldr.tech5 min read

HOW TO GENERATE COLOR PALETTES FOR DESIGN SYSTEMS

Design systems have grown to keep up with ever-expanding software needs, and the demands on color palettes have grown exponentially too. Modern software needs accessibility, adaptability, and consistency across dozens of devices, themes, and contexts. Picking colors by hand is practically impossible.

links.tldr.tech46 min read

03LAUNCHES & TOOLS

LAYOUT LAND

Master the basics of web layouts in Webflow with an interactive learning game.

links.tldr.techTool

TYPOGRAPHY VARIABLES STARTER KIT (FIGMA FILE)

In practice, the new Figma typography variables in this file showcase an example type ramp with variables for font family, font size, line height, and font weight.

links.tldr.tech

CREATE FONTS WITHOUT SOFTWARE

Design a new font directly in the browser with features like contour drawing, component creation, paired kerning, and more.

links.tldr.techTool

04MISCELLANEOUS

A COLOSSAL BRAND REFRESH FOR THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has unveiled a new brand identity, a fusion of tradition and modernity, created by Colossus. The rebrand aims to make classical music more accessible to all and is characterized by warmth and approachability. It features a color-coded system and two complementary typefaces, blending old-world sophistication with contemporary flair.

links.tldr.tech8 min read

MONEY MATTERS: A SMALL STUDIO AND TWO INDEPENDENT DESIGNERS SHARE BIG TIPS ON MANAGING FINANCES

Smaller teams and freelancers often need more dedicated financial resources, posing challenges in managing finances. Regularly tracking expenses, organizing records, and seeking assistance from accountants or financial tools can alleviate stress and improve financial management.

bit.ly6 min read

THE WIZARD OF OZ METHOD IN UX

The Wizard of Oz method can provide insights into designing systems that provide personalized, real-time recommendations or utilize natural-language models effectively. It is useful when designers need to learn how users react or engage with these systems. Preparation and planning are essential when running a Wizard of Oz study. Make a plan, involve engineers, and pilot the survey for the best results.

links.tldr.tech10 min read

05QUICK LINKS

ARTISTS DEMONSTRATE HOW TO GRAB ATTENTION AT THE WORLD'S BIGGEST DESIGN EVENT

Lexus showcased innovative mobility concepts at Milan Design Week, pushing boundaries with captivating installations.

links.tldr.tech5 min read

AI REIMAGINES YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY CHARACTERS AS OLD HOLLYWOOD STARS

Using AI, BuzzFeed author Sarah Aspler created a series of images that transform beloved Disney and Pixar characters into Old Hollywood movie stars.

links.tldr.tech4 min read

MICROSOFT'S NEW AI TOOL IS A DEEPFAKE NIGHTMARE MACHINE

VASA-1 is an AI image-to-video model developed by Microsoft that can generate videos from just one photo and a speech audio clip. As a result of the technology, lifelike avatars can hold real-time conversations with human-like conversational behavior.

links.tldr.tech2 min read