08 September 2026 | Issue #134 In this issue: Focus on the Audience Who Wants to Hire You IBM Should Have Won the AI Race Project Management for Freelancers Design quote of the week Some People Want Vinyl, Some Want Spotify I don’t know about you, but I see a lot of people lamenting businesses’ use of AI to create their marketing content. So much of it is hot garbage, but there’s no reason for marketers and creators to get upset about this. And if you look at it from a different angle,...
12 days ago • 3 min read
31 August 2026 | Issue #133 In this issue: Building a Site with Claude Code Podcast Appearances Project Management for Freelancers Design quote of the week I Built My Website With Claude Code And it's been going great! I can easily make edits, add new pages, it's hosted for free, and it's performing better than ever. The Backstory A couple of months ago, I mentioned on Threads how I had used ChatGPT (and later Claude) to help me create a WordPress theme for a site. Someone asked why I didn't...
20 days ago • 6 min read
24 August 2026 | Issue #132 In this issue: Hot takes are fast and empty Instagram logo discussion Aeto iOS app coming soon Design quote of the week Thoughtfulness Takes Time A couple of weeks ago we saw Instagram launch its new logo and the reaction was … typical. Everyone online raced to be the first to say, “I hate it.” This is how social media works. Rage and engage. But let's avoid that angry rabbit hole for now. Most of the Instagram takes were basically the same. “The ‘r’ looks like a...
27 days ago • 5 min read
17 August 2026 | Issue #131 In this issue: Canva wants you to upgrade to access some tools you used to use Claude watermarks its output What if you have bad taste? Design process for a book Aeto iOS app coming soon My favorite design quote! Canva users are unhappy and they're not being quiet about it. Users have been using Canva to create QR codes for years. Now, the QR code comes with a big, fat Canva icon in the middle. If you want to remove that, you have to upgrade your plan again to the...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
10 August 2026 | Issue #130 In this issue: If you're outsourcing to AI, you can't cut this role Avoid creating bad AI graphics How to Prevent Good Ideas from Getting Killed Internally Time Tracking and Product Management – Now on the Web and Chrome Design Quote of the Week The Creative Director Isn't the Role AI Is Coming For Somewhere in a budget review this quarter, someone is looking at what AI tools can generate and asking a version of the same question: do we still need a creative...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
3 August 2026 | Issue #129 In this issue: I Made the Ugliest AI Visual I Could. On Purpose. Is it Time to Update Your Brand Graphics? Not so Fast How to Prevent Good Ideas from Getting Killed Internally Time Tracking and Product Management – Now on the Web and Chrome Design Quote of the Week I Made the Ugliest AI Visual I Could. On Purpose. Recently I built an infographic so bad it should come with a warning label. Glowy gradients everywhere, zero hierarchy, no focal point, and enough...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
14 June 2026 | Issue #128 In this issue: 10 Truths Separating Forgettable Content from Content That Converts Designers are out Ahead on AI. The Rest of Us Can Learn from Them. Recent Podcast Appearance Design Quote of the Week The Visual Marketing Cheat Sheet: 10 truths separating forgettable content from content that converts If you think great design is just a matter of “creativity,” you’re missing the mechanics of how people actually process information. Great design is a system. When you...
3 months ago • 3 min read
01 June 2026 | Issue #127 In this issue: Step-by-step process for creating an animated social image using (mostly) AI Aeto: get paid for the hours you work Recent Podcast Appearance Design Quote of the Week Happy Pride Month! This past week, I was working on a social graphic for my company, Intellect, to celebrate Pride Month. So, I thought you might like to hear the process I went through to take a still image and animate it exactly the way I wanted. I'll go through the process and explain...
4 months ago • 4 min read
26 May 2026 | Issue #126 In this issue: What Is a Visual Value Proposition (And Why Most Brands Don't Have One) Aeto: project management and timers for freelancers Recent Podcast Appearance Design Quote of the Week What Is a Visual Value Proposition (And Why Most Brands Don't Have One) Most marketers can write a value proposition. You fill in the blanks: we help [audience] achieve [outcome] by [method]. That part is well-trodden territory. The harder question is whether you can show it. A...
4 months ago • 4 min read