Apple has introduced a feature called Look Around to its web-based Apple Maps that allows users to access street-level imagery by clicking the binoculars icon on the map's bottom left. This enhancement brings the web version closer to the functionality of the iOS, iPadOS, and macOS apps, though personal features like saving locations remain absent. While Look Around offers a smooth experience, its availability is currently limited to major cities. A complete list of supported locations is available on Apple's website.
The creative design mirrors the evolutionary process of carcinization, where trends converge into similar forms, like crabs. Over-recycled aesthetics dominate, stifling originality. Meaningful inspiration arises from purpose, vision, and unique lived experiences. Exceptional designs, like Stripe's or Daylight's, embody deeper connections to their roots. True innovation thrives outside imitation, rooted in individuality and authenticity.
Building scalable systems ensures efficient performance under increased loads. Key strategies include stateless services, horizontal scaling, load balancing, auto-scaling, caching, database replication, sharding, and asynchronous processing. These approaches improve fault tolerance, optimize resources, and enhance responsiveness, making them essential for scalable, high-performing systems like those powering global giants such as Amazon, Uber, and Netflix.
2024.12.18·newsletter.systemdesigncodex.com·4 min read·TLDR Design The product design landscape has evolved significantly since 2020. Post-pandemic economic shifts caused layoffs, increased competition, and demand for versatile designers. Key trends include AI tools, ethical design, and hybrid work models. Success in 2025 requires mastering design systems, leveraging AI, excelling in storytelling, and understanding entire product lifecycles while enhancing soft skills.
Gigapixel AI is a photo upscaler that allows users to enhance their images with remarkable clarity.
This Figma plugin manages your design system, converting between color formats and spaces and automating color contrast testing.
Create personalized interview experiences that adapt to your unique style and needs. Faang empowers you to design faster than ever.
Dark Arts Coffee partnered with NOT Wieden+Kennedy for a branding redesign that balances the brand's personality with structure through "Joyful Nihilism." The redesign enhances the brand's lifestyle appeal and global recognition by featuring Cooper Black font, a refined color palette, and collectible cards.
Delancia, a new wine brand by Kingdom & Sparrow, offers sparkling botanical aperitifs featuring Portuguese wines and flavors like pomegranate-rosemary and elderflower-green tea. Inspired by the Alentejo region, its design highlights the endangered Iberian lynx, with playful, dreamy packaging that blends sophistication and accessibility, celebrating life's small moments.
Freepik aims to replace traditional tools like Photoshop and Figma with its AI-powered platform for visual content creation, catering to diverse professionals through innovative image, video, and design solutions.
Joseph Dennis' Swim Type studio introduces Dysto, a sci-fi-inspired monospace typeface with modular, reverse-contrast design, available in six widths and three weights, ideal for holographic and augmented environments.
Apple plans to release a foldable iPad in 2028 with a seamless 20-inch display, running a version of iPadOS that may support macOS apps. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, while exploring foldable iPhones for 2026, the company's focus will remain on delivering larger, portable screens rather than pocket-sized devices.
Adobe's experimental AI tool, "Reflection Removal," eliminates reflections from raw photos taken through windows. Future support is planned for formats like JPEG and HEIC. Enabled via the "Technology Previews" in Camera Raw, it was trained on millions of simulated reflection images and may eventually tackle more minor reflections on glasses and distant windows.
Leaks hint at a possible Nintendo Switch 2 announcement in January, which aligns with Nintendo's early-year hardware reveals. Rumors from Reddit and Dbrand fuel excitement, though their validity remains uncertain. Whether true or not, Nintendo's secretive approach keeps gamers eager for its next move, showcasing its mastery of building anticipation.
To "design like Apple," prioritize simplicity through disciplined, collaborative decision-making between designers and product managers and empower design leaders to say "no" to unnecessary complexity. Success requires a culture that values thoughtful design, respects its role in product development, and emphasizes customer, product, and business understanding over stylistic mimicry.
2024.12.17·rongoldin.substack.com·3 min read·TLDR Design AI models can streamline workflows, automate tasks, and generate fresh ideas, from alternative concepts to clickable prototypes or documentation drafts. However, they should be treated as a junior coworker - useful but fallible - requiring critical oversight to address biases and limitations.
XD (Experience Design) is an umbrella term encompassing UX, CX, and related fields. It emphasizes human-centered problem-solving and seamless experiences. Blurring roles, AI advancements, and misconceptions about UX have driven the term's resurgence. While UX remains dominant, XD offers an intuitive, inclusive language for evolving roles and consistent design principles.
Create beautiful isometric screenshots of your designs.
This site can help you find your next video idea, title, and thumbnail much faster, saving hours of research and accelerating your views.
John Giannandrea, Apple's senior VP of machine learning and AI strategy, dismissed artificial general intelligence (AGI) as unrealistic, favoring AI advancements focused on enhancing user products. He criticized scaling existing AI for AGI as naïve, emphasizing Apple's cautious, product-centered approach. With significant research investment, Apple prioritizes practicality over AGI, contrasting with competitors' ambitions and reshaping the AGI development debate.
To achieve a crisp pixel art style on modern websites, use CSS techniques like image rendering, a pixelated property for images, and embed pixel fonts with anti-aliasing disabled. Maintain proper pixel alignment, optimize font sizes, and ensure compatibility using WOFF file formats. These practices effectively preserve pixel art's sharp, retro aesthetic.
Graceful degradation ensures essential website functions remain operational despite partial failures. It minimizes single points of failure and maintains accessibility through redundancy, load balancing, and outdated browser support. Compared to progressive enhancement, graceful degradation adapts to unforeseen issues post-launch. Combining both strategies enhances resilience, accessibility, and user experience, ensuring functionality across varying devices and browsers.
Typography shapes messages' perception, with typeface names reflecting history, culture, and innovation.
Notable works like Popeye and Tarzan comics enter the public domain in 2025, inspiring creative adaptations, including a raunchy Popeye horror from ITN Studios.
The Nokia Design Archive reveals unseen mobile phone prototypes, reflecting a vision of the future that never materialized while evoking nostalgia for classics like the durable, long-lasting Nokia 3310.
NOT Wieden+Kennedy has redefined Upwork's branding with a new visual identity. Featuring a fluid grid system, cohesive design language, enhanced typography, and dynamic visuals, the system emphasizes flexibility and global adaptability. Developed over 18 months, this transformative approach showcases Upwork's innovative vision for work, seamlessly integrating creativity with business growth.
Apple is developing a redesigned Magic Mouse to address user criticisms, particularly the inconvenient charging port on the bottom. The new design aims to enhance ergonomics and functionality, making the mouse more suitable for modern use. The updated Magic Mouse will be released within 12 to 18 months.
Google is developing prototype smart glasses integrated with its Gemini AI, Project Astra. These glasses aim to provide real-time assistance like directions and language translations through an always-on virtual assistant. A small group of testers will evaluate these glasses alongside an Android phone version to enhance hands-free AI interactions. Google has also introduced Android XR, a new operating system for smart glasses and headsets, enabling developers to create apps and games for upcoming devices.
Multistep forms improve user experience by dividing information into focused, logical steps. Each step collects specific details: personal information, work experience, skills, and a review before submission. Navigation involves validation at every step to prevent errors and ensure users understand the corrections needed. This approach streamlines complex processes like job applications, enhancing usability and efficiency.
2024.12.16·smashingmagazine.com·13 min read·TLDR Design Adobe Design's principal designers embody six archetypes: Visionary, Evangelist, Researcher, Innovator, Strategist, and Subject Matter Expert. These roles emphasize unique leadership styles, blending skills like foresight, collaboration, and specialization. Success involves building visibility, collaborating cross-functionally, and measuring impact. Self-assessment helps designers identify strengths and improve weak areas, shaping distinct career paths.
Figma will introduce a new seat-based pricing model on March 11, 2025, significantly increasing user costs by bundling features like Figma Slides and FigJam into the full seat. While admins can control seat upgrades to avoid surprise charges, the changes have drawn criticism from the design community for forcing payment for features some users may not need.
Iterate on components and designs in an AI-native editor—export to React or Figma.
Navigate over 1 million of the web's top homepages like Google Maps. Zoom, pan, and click to explore.
Deliver polished, engaging presentations with these presentation templates in Figma Slides.
The Garanti BBVA Securities eTrader platform has been transformed to offer a personalized, seamless experience for both novice and experienced investors. Moving away from third-party solutions, it integrates advanced functionality with intuitive design, enhancing user engagement, retention, and brand differentiation. The reimagined platform caters to diverse investor needs with tailored features.
Maybourne Hotel Group unveiled a new brand identity by FutureBrand London, featuring a bespoke 'M' monogram, a custom font for 'MAYBOURNE,' and teal hues inspired by British racing green. Central to the rebrand is "The Maybourne Tapestry," a detailed artwork reflecting the hotels' history, used across brand collateral and merchandise.
Google Maps for Android devices is updating its interface, replacing blue accents with dark teal, and improving text readability with black labels. This redesign aims to refresh navigation and enhance user experience. Changes include updates to the floating action button, which aligns with previous updates to map feature colors and interface simplification.
Richard Williams' Animator's Survival Kit is being animated and will stream in 2025, featuring masterclasses and animated examples covering core animation principles for traditional and CGI methods.
Reddit's subreddits like r/Design_WATC offer creative professionals resources, feedback, and networking to enhance their skills and stay inspired.
Aligning its appearance with the main YouTube app and introducing portrait mode browsing, YouTube Kids is receiving a significant redesign. Key changes include a new carousel for content filters, a bottom navigation bar with “Your Stuff” for saved content, and updated parental controls. The update will roll out soon on iOS and Android.
180 updates were introduced in Figma this year, improving usability and collaboration. Key highlights include the UI3 redesign, enhanced AI tools like visual search, and developer-focused features in Dev Mode. Innovations such as Multi-edit, Auto Layout, and Figma Slides streamline workflows. With AI-powered improvements, Figma emphasizes thoughtful development to boost creativity and productivity in design processes.
Reliable leaker "Digital Chat Station" suggests the iPhone 17 Pro will feature a horizontal camera bump with three lenses, resembling the Pixel 9 Pro's design. While lens details remain unknown, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have a single camera. Apple may switch from titanium to aluminum for the Pro model.
Design transcends outputs and is rooted in mindset, encompassing curiosity, conviction, curation, and orchestration. As AI democratizes creativity, human ingenuity becomes crucial for vision, intention, and meaningful execution. Blending intuition and strategic thinking, design literacy is essential to navigating complexity and creating resonance.
Gen Z increasingly bypasses Google, favoring TikTok and Instagram for visual, social-first content. This shift impacts Google's dominance, challenges web designers to prioritize mobile UX, visual storytelling, and social optimization, and pressures Google to innovate through AI and partnerships. As digital habits evolve, adapting design strategies ensures relevance in a fragmented ecosystem.
Agua de Madre, a low-sugar water kefir drink rich in live cultures, has been rebranded by adam&eveDDB with vibrant colors, nostalgic typefaces, and playful elements to reflect its lively taste and retro feel. The redesign, a collaboration between founder Nicola Hart and creative director Chris Chapman, honors the brand's nurturing spirit and supports its community-focused mission.
A comprehensive resource hub for guidelines, tools, and accessibility tips.
2024.12.13·understandingaccessibility.com·Tool·TLDR Design Build campaign visual reports and uncover insights to boost your ad campaigns.
This guide helps you choose the perfect gift for your designer partners and friends.
Perfectly Boring Studio created a playful branding for Second Brain, an HR service provider, blending bold typography, warm hues, and dynamic iconography to balance professionalism and approachability. Classic office objects shape the brand's elements, reflecting Second Brain's mission to elevate organizations with a personal touch.
Michael Mauer has shaped Porsche's design for over twenty years, overseeing iconic models like the 911 and pioneering innovations such as the Taycan. His leadership blends tradition and boldness, delivering groundbreaking cars while respecting Porsche's heritage. Reflecting on evolving technologies like AI, Mauer emphasizes the irreplaceable human touch in car design.