Instagram tests Picture-in-Picture viewing for reels (1 minute read)
Instagram has begun testing a Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature for Reels that allows users to continue watching videos in a floating window while using other apps, potentially improving engagement and multitasking. The test follows earlier hints from Instagram head Adam Mosseri and aligns Instagram with competitors like TikTok and YouTube, which already offer similar functionality. While currently limited to a small user group, the feature could help creators retain viewers for longer content and increase overall time spent on the platform.
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The dreaded minimalist logo trend claims another fashion victim (2 minute read)
& Other Stories has unveiled a new logo, replacing its chic, script-style wordmark with a minimalist serif design that many feel strips away the brand's personality. While the update improves legibility, critics argue it embodies a wider trend of generic, characterless rebrands that leave once-distinctive identities feeling flat.
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Beyond the Hype: What AI Can Really Do for Product Design (14 minute read)
AI tools show promise in product design but require strategic integration rather than wholesale replacement. It can enhance four key stages: idea generation through RAG systems that pull relevant context from focused documents, rapid prototyping for individual UI elements and micro-animations, visual experimentation as a creative sparring partner despite styling limitations, and large-scale data analysis that enables designers to process thousands of user responses efficiently. Rather than serving as an autopilot, AI functions best as a co-pilot that accelerates exploration, validates concepts, and handles repetitive tasks, allowing designers to focus on strategic thinking and creative problem-solving.
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Designing for Ephemerality (4 minute read)
Software inevitably dies despite builders' pride in creating seemingly eternal products. Designing for ephemerality means building with grace: ensuring data portability, leaving documentation artifacts, and treating longevity as a bonus rather than a guarantee. This approach shifts focus from chasing immortality to creating meaningful impact, embracing impermanence as a design principle that adds weight rather than diminishes value.
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From playtime to practice: Designing AI with the Prompt Coach (10 minute read)
Wise's design team has been exploring AI ahead of its Design Day, developing practical frameworks for prompting and even creating a witty “Prompt Coach” in Gemini to help colleagues improve their skills. By blending design thinking with AI, they've turned prompting into a teachable craft, showing that AI can complement and scale their work rather than replace it.
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How Coding Can Improve Design (5 minute read)
Learning frontend development fundamentally changed this designer's approach by revealing the underlying layers and relationships in user interfaces beyond just visual elements. Understanding CSS, design tokens, and semantic HTML improved their ability to create scalable systems, design with accessibility in mind, and collaborate more effectively with developers through shared technical language. While the designer is not pursuing full-time development, the coding experience enhanced design practice by fostering empathy, curiosity, and cross-functional partnership skills.
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A tribute to German designer Peter Schmidt (1937 – 2025) (7 minute read)
Peter Schmidt, who died this July at 87, was a pioneer of holistic branding in Germany, shaping iconic identities for Jil Sander, Grohe, HUGO BOSS, and more while elevating German design to international recognition. His legacy of timeless, purposeful aesthetics lives on through the Peter Schmidt Group, one of Europe's largest agencies, which continues to apply his philosophy and even uses a typeface based on his handwriting.
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Saint-Urbain recreates childhood memories in Massi's Italian deli rebrand (4 minute read)
Saint-Urbain crafted Massi's brand identity from designer Ostroff's childhood memory, using Scopa card game characters, vintage Italian deli lettering, and warm, nostalgic palettes to create a playful yet authentic visual system. The result balances cultural resonance and craftsmanship with approachable charm, turning the restaurant into both a neighborhood anchor and a design success embraced by the community.
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Thanks for reading,
Jae Lee, Matej Latin & Ralph Brinker
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