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26 posts
I Made 4 Predictions Since May. Here's My Honest Score.
Three months of industry calls — Adobe/Claude, AI handmade presets, variable fonts, Figma Config. Scored honestly: one wrong, one nailed early, two partial.
The "Anti-AI Aesthetic" Is Already Slop
Everyone's calling it the year design got its soul back. But the anti-AI aesthetic movement has already been packaged into Figma plugins and sold back to you. The rebellion lasted eighteen months.
Before Config Buries Everything Else, Four Design Signals That Actually Matter
Figma Config opens Tuesday. Here are four design signals it probably won't cover — characters are back as strategy, blanding has a name, the most important design system was built by a developer, and motion is now brand infrastructure.
7 Photoshop Tricks That Save Solopreneurs an Hour Every Week
Generative Fill, batch actions, Smart Objects, Layer Comps — the seven Photoshop workflows that replace tedious manual work with systems that actually scale.
Six designers on what AI actually changed in June 2026
Six industry practitioners — from Stripe, Anthropic, Landor, and Pinterest — on what AI has actually changed for working designers in 2026. The burrito test, the craft rebellion, and why the middle of the design market is the disrupted zone.
Analog Is the New Stock Photo
The design industry has converged on the handmade, imperfect aesthetic as your moat against AI. Canva just made it their headline 2026 trend — for 260 million users. Here's the counterpoint.
How to Build a Two-Mode Color System in Figma (Light + Dark, No Crying)
Build a proper Figma Variables color system from scratch — primitives, semantic tokens, and light/dark modes that switch in one click. Real steps, no hand-waving.
The Machine Made It Look Easy. Now What?
Four design trends moving the industry in May 2026 — two real signals, one overclaimed, one underrated. Chickenpie's verdict on what's actually happening and what the meta-trend says about where design value is going.
The New Golf Uniform
Golf in the Philippines has always had a dress code. Malbon arrived, the Jeepney sold out, and now the outfit is part of the performance. A Sunday observation on what changed.
I Tried to Design a Logo Using Only AI. It Went Badly.
Three AI tools. Three attempts. Four days lost. Here's what Midjourney, Ideogram, and Adobe Firefly actually do — and don't do — when you try to build a production logo with nothing but AI.
Six Designers on the One Question Nobody's Asking Right
Six designers from across the industry answered the same question this week. None of them knew they were answering it. Here's the thread connecting Graham Sykes, Hugo Macdonald, Anniina Koivu, Charlie Beeson, Jake Albaugh, and Jenny Nguyen.
Your Brand Lives in One Figma File. Here's How to Build It.
A step-by-step brand kit build for solopreneurs — Figma Variables, Logo Vault, brand components, and why Step 6 is the one everyone skips.
The Middle Is Gone
Five design industry trends reshaping creative work in May 2026 — the UX job bifurcation, Claude Design's challenge to Figma, Tactile Rebellion as economic strategy, kinetic typography going mainstream, and design systems hitting a quality ceiling. Sharp analysis for experienced creatives.
Design Trends 2026: The Year We Stopped Outsourcing Our Soul
Five design trends from Dezeen, Creative Bloq, and Smashing Magazine — and the meta-thread connecting them all: 2026 is the year designers stopped asking 'can AI do this?' and started asking 'should it?'
Loom Review 2026: Is the Atlassian-Owned Video Tool Still Worth It for Solopreneurs?
Honest Loom review for solopreneurs in 2026 — covers features, pricing, free tier limits, and whether Atlassian owning it changes anything.
The Ugly Design Rebellion: Why 2026's Best Work Looks Deliberately Messy
2026 design is fighting back against AI polish. Four trends defining creative work right now — and what they mean for you.
Design's Handmade Rebellion: Four Trends Pushing Back Against AI Perfection
From anti-AI crafting to layered storytelling, the design industry is fighting back against algorithmic smoothness. Here's what Creative Bloq, Smashing Magazine, and AIGA are saying about 2026.
Food Influencer Chronicles: When Your Chicken Becomes a Content Creator
Meet Henrietta: TikTok food influencer, professional plate-watcher, and chicken who peaked at 62 million views. The grind never stops when your entire identity is aesthetically arranged lumpia.
The Great Chicken Commerce Incident - Chicken Chronicles Episode 6
Chester launches Chickenpie Express delivery service with ambitious dreams and chaotic results. Henrietta saves the day—again. A heartwarming tale of friendship, commerce, and learning from your mistakes.
Motion Isn't Optional Anymore: How Physics-Informed UI Became 2026's Biggest Competitive Moat
Motion design in 2026 isn't decoration—it's a competitive moat. Liquid Glass UI, accessibility-first controls, bio-synthetic colors, and physics-informed systems separate premium experiences from commodity design.
Physical-First Design: The Strategic Return to Tactility
After years of digital-first thinking, designers are fighting AI commodification with the one thing algorithms can't replicate: physical tactility. Here are 5 trends redefining physical-first design in 2026.
Gucci's AI Runway Disaster: When Luxury Meets 'AI Slop'
Gucci's AI-generated Milan Fashion Week campaign backfires spectacularly, proving that even luxury brands can't escape the 'AI slop' epidemic.
When Perfect Started Feeling Wrong: This Week's Design Rebellion
The design industry is rebelling against perfection. This week's trends reveal the shift from polished AI renders to strategic imperfection, typographic maximalism, and punk aesthetics with proper systems.
The Tactile Rebellion: 2026's Biggest Design Trends
A deep dive into 2026’s “tactile rebellion” in graphic design, where anti-AI aesthetics, rich textures, warmth, and maximalism are redefining visual culture.
Mastering Vector Logo Design in Adobe Illustrator
Learn professional vector logo design techniques in Adobe Illustrator. This intermediate tutorial covers geometric construction, the golden ratio, and scalable design principles.
Siesta Disco Club Tee - Saturday Morning Rave
Where coffee meets rave. Premium DTF print on 100% cotton. The official uniform for early risers who party responsibly. SOLD OUT.