Library
Toolbox.
Thirteen years of design work leaves you with a huge bookmark collection. Mine passed six thousand live links a while ago, and keeping it to myself stopped making sense, so here is a small portion of it for now.
Design and prototyping
- FigmaMy primary tool for interface work, and the one most of us in the industry actually adore. One link and everyone on a project sees the same thing, which settles most of the handoff argument before it starts.figma.com
- AffinityWhile I love Adobe and have used it for years, more and more I am transitioning to Affinity for anything related to photo, print or other vector work.affinity.serif.com
- Claude DesignI have more ideas than time, so I let Claude explore the variations. Seeing six versions of a screen early is how I find out which features are not worth building, before anyone spends a sprint on them.claude.com
- ProtoPieWhen a click-through is not enough and we need proper sensor alignments or tests for further decisions and engineering handoff.protopie.io
- Autodesk FusionFor a different type of prototyping and design that I do in my free time, more related to 3D.autodesk.com
- AutoCADHaving a 3D model is nice, but sometimes I need a technical drawing too, and it's just easier to do it in AutoCAD.autodesk.com
Typography
- Fonts In UseBefore I commit to a typeface I come here to see it working at real sizes, in real layouts, on somebody else's project.fontsinuse.com
- Google FontsWhere most projects start, because it is free, self-hostable, and never the reason a build breaks.fonts.google.com
- FontshareWhen Google Fonts starts showing up on every third site, this is where I look. Different catalogue, same commercial license, and the type is better drawn.fontshare.com
- Wakamai FondueA tool that has helped me so many times when testing typefaces for different cultures and languages.wakamaifondue.com
- UtopiaNot everything is pure math, but it surely helps when you can get some numbers off your mind.utopia.fyi
- Practical TypographyYou learn and relearn your whole life, so sometimes it's just nice to refresh your memory.practicaltypography.com
Color
- LeonardoI build palettes here when accessibility is not negotiable. Set the ratios first and the colors come out already passing.leonardocolor.io
- Radix ColorsWhen I do not want to build a scale from nothing. I take the twelve steps and adjust from there.radix-ui.com
- HuemintFor the early exploration, when I know the roles but not the colors.huemint.com
- OKLCH Color PickerI am not saying RGB, HEX or HSL are wrong... but exploring OKLCH feels so good when it comes to accuracy and gradients.oklch.com
- Who Can UseA check on whether the pair I like is usable by someone whose eyes work differently from mine.whocanuse.com
- Contrast RatioThe independent check. Two colors in, the WCAG ratio out, and a number I can defend in a review.contrast-ratio.com
Icons and illustration
- LucideIt works and it stays out of the way. One weight, one grid, and when Flaticon starts competing with the interface for attention, this is what I come back to.lucide.dev
- IconifyThe place where I find even the things I didn't know I needed when it comes to icons.iconify.design
- SF SymbolsOn iOS I use what the platform already gave people. A familiar icon costs the user nothing to learn, and that is worth more than a set that matches my taste.developer.apple.com
- Material SymbolsThe same call on Android. The variable axes mean one icon covers every weight I need.fonts.google.com
- SVGOMGThings that can't be seen by eye can be felt through memory and speed.jakearchibald.github.io
Systems and handoff
- Material DesignAlongside Apple's HIG, probably something every designer should start with and come back to occasionally.m3.material.io
- GOV.UK Design SystemWhile many will say it doesn't look beautiful, I always say that it works beautifully.design-system.service.gov.uk
- The Component GalleryNaming a component can be fun until it reaches developers. Just something worth checking.component.gallery
- StorybookWhere components get built and reviewed on their own, so every state is visible before it disappears into a page.storybook.js.org
- Can I useBefore I commit and promise that something will work even in Safari, I check it here.caniuse.com
Research
- MazeI put a prototype in front of real people here before a line of code exists. It catches the misclicks I have stopped being able to see.maze.co
- Optimal WorkshopFor problems that are about structure. Card sorting tells me whether the navigation matches anyone's model or only mine.optimalworkshop.com
- DovetailEvery interview I have run lives in here, tagged. It means I can check an idea against what customers already told me before spending money on a test.dovetailapp.com
- Microsoft ClarityOnce it's shipped, it can't be forgotten. To understand users and improve products, I have to know their frustrations.clarity.microsoft.com
- Baymard InstituteSomeone has usually tested the exact checkout question I am about to debate with my stakeholders, and data never lie.baymard.com
- Nielsen Norman GroupWhen I need industry-standard research or proof rather than my opinion, this is the place.nngroup.com
Inspiration
- MobbinI was for sure not the first one to face a problem, and there is no shame in looking at how someone else solved it.mobbin.com
- ReferoThe same job for web apps, when the thing I am designing lives on a desktop and not a phone.refero.design
- GodlyEvery creative mind hits a blank wall. This is the window I open when mine does, and it usually resets the bar for what good looks like.godly.website
- MuzliDevelopers have daily.dev, designers have Muzli, and it's just nice to see more of the design world inside.muz.li
- Brand NewBranding is my weak spot, and having inspiration like this quite often helps when it comes to making something that stands out!underconsideration.com
AI
- ClaudeDon't we all have an AI best buddy? This one is mine. He helps me and expands my mind every day, in both personal and business life.claude.ai
- ChatGPTSometimes you just want a second opinion. Someone who has not been biased by you.chatgpt.com
- Hugging FaceMy doomscrolling area. Picking and running interesting models on my own machine from the CLI, priceless.huggingface.co
- OllamaRuns those models locally. Nothing I am testing leaves my machine, which matters when the work belongs to a client and not to me.ollama.com
- PerplexityThe first hour of research, with the sources attached so I can check them myself.perplexity.ai
- MidjourneyCreating concepts that I can show to other experts I hire or work with is just easier than explaining.midjourney.com