In 2022, Marco Cornacchia was coming off of a failed startup and started working on his new portfolio . Little did he know this project would land him a role as the founding designer at Diagram, lay the foundation for design Twitter’s most viral website, and spawn a talk at Webflow’s conference 🤯 In this episode, Marco shares how he (accidentally) created a new trend of animated bento grids. And we also get a behind the scenes of what it was like being the founding designer of Diagram and ultim...
Nov 30, 2023•48 min•Ep. 26
This episode is a panel discussion hosted by Maven where we talk about specific strategies that you can use to become more valuable as an individual contributor on your team. We cover a lot of ground including: Becoming a conduit for ideas Traits of the best ICs Framing your ideas successfully The fastest ways to grow as a designer Receiving feedback more effectively Moving up the value chain of ideas a lot more...
Nov 21, 2023•43 min•Ep. 25
In this deep Dive, James gives us a behind-the-scenes of his creative process and how he is reimagining every pixel of the Clerk brand. We get into the weeds of how he establishes visual languages, his approach to animation, and what he looks for in a motif. We also discuss which design trends are worth jumping on, which ones have peaked, and which ones to avoid. If you're into branding, visual design, or landing page techniques then you'll love this episode.
Nov 09, 2023•48 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, Brian Lovin talks about his journey as a second-time founder and gives a behind-the-scenes of building his new startup, Campsite . He also shares key insights from hundreds of interviews he’s conducted to learn more about what makes a great design process. We talk about: - Strategies for sharing your work and getting feedback - Why Brian thinks we’ve gone too far with landing page design - Finding the right level of craft as a design founder - Why Brian no longer thinks every de...
Nov 02, 2023•48 min•Ep. 23
In this Deep Dive, David Hoang gives us a peek into where he thinks the industry is headed and how product designers can prepare for the future. We talk about: What AI in Figma might look like How to create a more accessible web The rise of the design founder How dynamic interfaces impact design systems Why the title “software designer” is trending up 📈
Oct 25, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 22
In this episode, we analyze four different websites (Lemonade, Formcarry, Stella Domo + Runway) to help you confidently write and design landing pages that sell 💪 Listen to learn how to: Design a top-notch hero section Use layout techniques that make your design stand out Avoid the biggest animation and copywriting mistakes Showcase testimonials effectively + a lot more If you want to go even deeper 👉 check out Erik's new Landing Page Academy 💻...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 21
In this episode we get to go backstage with the design team at Loom! They teach us all about their design process and share takeaways from their recent AI launch including stories about: - Prototyping and researching early concepts - Collaborating with engineers and other cross-functional teams - Using Figjam to gather feedback live - Developing a visual language for AI - Documenting edge cases and all the potential user states - Pivoting mid project 👀
Oct 12, 2023•49 min•Ep. 20
This week's Deep Dive features early-career designer, Perry Wang. Previously at Google and now working at Discord. This Deep Dive is a masterclass for junior designers looking to jumpstart their career. We cover a lot👇
Oct 05, 2023•39 min•Ep. 19
This episode of Deep Dives highlights the 5 things I learned from interviewing designers like Dan Mall, Grace Walker, Adrien Griveau, Yuan Wang, and Luis Ouriach. You'll learn: 1) How to organize variables in Figma and think strategically about primitives vs. semantic tokens 2) How to price yourself as a first-year freelance designer 3) How the best design systems teams operate 4) How to level up your design portfolio and rethink your case studies 5) How to collaborate with engineers like the fo...
Sep 28, 2023•13 min
It’s impossible to overstate the impact that Linear has had on the design world. So you can imagine how excited I was to have the opportunity to learn from their founding designer, Adrien Griveau 🙌 This Deep Dive is an all-access pass to design at Linear including Adrien’s approach to collaborating with the engineering team, the traits that Linear looks for in design candidates and a behind-the-scenes of Linear’s product process. Enjoy :)
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 18
🗣 This interview was special because I got to reconnect with former team member at Maven — Yuan ✌️ Yuan led design at Twitter, Airbnb and Maven and actively coaches creative leaders in the industry ✨ In this interview we talk energy through your career, how we organize our portfolio websites and strategies for presenting work to stakeholders.
Sep 14, 2023•48 min•Ep. 17
Making the jump and diving into that first year of freelancing can be pretty daunting… 🥲 I wish I could’ve had this chat with Grace about 5 years ago because she was very transparent about the lessons she learned in that first year. In this Deep Dive, she breaks down her strategies for pricing, balancing project work, her tool stack, and a lot more...
Sep 07, 2023•36 min•Ep. 16
If you’re familiar at all with design systems then I definitely don’t need to introduce you to Dan Mall. He’s as OG as it gets. In this Deep Dive, Dan shares his take on Figma variables, where design systems are headed in the coming years, and a lot more…
Aug 31, 2023•54 min•Ep. 15
Anthony Hobday, a self-taught interface designer, became an expert by obsessively studying the works of top designers around the world. 🌎 Now he is dedicated to bridging the knowledge gap for fellow self-taught designers by sharing every step of his design process. In this episode, Anthony highlights simple yet effective techniques everyday designers can make to elevate their visual design skills to create a more compelling final product. 🔐
Aug 23, 2023•40 min•Ep. 14
This episode is all about engineer turned designer Grace Ling, who scored her dream job as product designer at EA and is also now the founder of the biggest design community online, Design Buddies. Grace jumpstarted her career by putting herself out there as a content creator and using some unique tactics when applying for roles. In this interview we talk about how Grace fast-tracked her learning journey, her playbook for breaking in to a new company and practicals to stand-out as a designer in ...
Aug 17, 2023•31 min•Ep. 13
If you're looking to level up how you use variables in Figma then this episode is for you ✌️ Luis goes deep into strategies based on team size, provides naming guidance, and even breaks down how he thinks about structuring libraries with variables in Figma. Lastly, Luis shares a behind-the-scenes of his journey as a designer advocate and even gives a unique prediction for how AI will take shape inside of Figma. Don't forget to follow Luis on Twitter and check out his awesome files in the Figma c...
Aug 10, 2023•43 min•Ep. 12
Steph Golik was an early design leader at the self-driving car startup Cruise 🚗 But 2 years ago she left to launch her own company Huddle. In this episode we're talking all about how designers can take the leap to start that next project or even raise venture funding like Steph. If you're interested in entrepreneurship or even just want to get better at selling your ideas... you're going to love this episode. 🧡
Jul 27, 2023•57 min•Ep. 11
Fons was the one who originally designed the Dive brand 🤿 so this episode is a branding masterclass. We walk through a mock project and Fons goes deep into each phase of his branding process. We also discuss spatial computing, how to make you designs stand out, and strategies for leveling up your visuals 😎
Jul 20, 2023•54 min•Ep. 10
In this episode, Charli takes us behind the scenes of her role as Creative Director at ConvertKit. She shares all kinds of insights about brand and marketing strategy, how to tell data stories, and how to level up as a copywriter. If you're looking for creative inspiration or ways to advance your career, then this episode is for you ✌️
May 25, 2023•45 min•Ep. 9
BK shares lessons learned on her journey to becoming one of the most well-respected icon designers on the planet (including stories from designing the Netflix icon library). If you're interested in freelancing then you'll love this episode. We discuss pricing tactics and take a deep dive into BK's client process 👀
May 25, 2023•45 min•Ep. 8
If you're looking to level up your storytelling and make a bigger impact on product strategy, then this is the episode for you 💪 Femke shares practical insights from her time at Uber, WealthSimple, and now as a design lead at Gusto. We go deep into strategies for collaborating with PMs, handling pushback in design, and how designers can more effectively sell their ideas.
May 18, 2023•51 min•Ep. 6
In this episode, Dan shares his insights on using Framer from his experience as an early adopter. He also discusses his approach to learning to code while building his own product and shares some tips for others looking to do the same. And obviously, we couldn't call it a Deep Dive without chatting a bit about the impact of AI as well as learning how Jay-Z used to influence the product roadmap at TIDAL 👀
May 18, 2023•32 min•Ep. 7
In this episode, Mia shares stories and lessons learned from her time as an early design leader at Square and Pinterest. We discuss all sorts of practical ways to increase your influence as a designer including strategies for CRIT, how to learn from your PMs, how to prepare for an AI future, and much more... if you're looking to become more of a leader at work (even if you're not interested in management) then this episode is for you ✌️
May 11, 2023•47 min•Ep. 5
Fonz gives a masterclass on growth design in this episode as he pulls back the curtain on designing at Netflix and what it takes to ship to millions of users. We also discuss our journies as entrepreneurs, dealing with ambiguity at work, and the importance of growing as a writer. Fonz is truly a lifelong learner and this episode is gold for anyone who wants to grow in their understanding of business 💪
May 11, 2023•53 min•Ep. 4
In this episode, Jorn shares the full Framer story starting with his journey as an early designer at Facebook. He also provides insights into Framer’s 9-year overnight success story and a sneak peek of their plans moving forward. We also jam on the potential impact of AI on design—just wait until you hear Jorn's take on the future of design systems ✌️.
May 04, 2023•54 min•Ep. 3
In this interview, Steph shares valuable insights from her experience designing at Facebook, Cruise, and currently at Snap. We delve into effective strategies for presenting your work, nailing your next design interview, and mastering storytelling tactics. Steph highlights the importance of having a clear thesis statement about oneself and provides practical tips on formatting a portfolio presentation 😎
May 04, 2023•51 min•Ep. 2
In this episode, Joey Banks gives an in-depth look at what it’s like to lead design systems at Twitter and Webflow. He shares his strategies for structuring component libraries, working efficiently in Figma, and even keeping up with all of the latest plugins and tooling. Additionally, he highlights the importance of building relationships with teammates and gives us a glimpse into how he collaborates with the rest of the design team at Webflow
May 04, 2023•44 min•Ep. 1
