Everything else, we wrote about:

news

Week 277: All Good Things

Hans Gerwitz

July 24th 2018

Everyone seems to know already — this is our last week. Shannon will continue offering strategic design and creative services as freelance projects. In that way the agency is rebooting rather than ending…

news

Week 271: Studio Finishes

Hans Gerwitz

June 13th 2018

We've now been in our Herengracht office for over 3 years, now! Back in 2015, we were quick to pick furniture and soon had the studio, kitchen, terrace, and conference room in great shape.

inspiration

The Artificial Genesis

Hans Gerwitz

June 7th 2018

process

SVG Animation Tutorial

Ariane Garoff

May 23rd 2018

process

Redesigning Friday Cocktails

Natalia Bourges

May 13th 2018

thoughts

Artificial Conversations: The Art of Feedback

Shannon E. Thomas

March 26th 2018

This week we discussed an article from THNK School of Creative Leadership on receiving creative feedback. Critique is an important part of any design process, yet it's not something we're formally taught to do…

thoughts

Artificial Conversations: Undesigned Success

Shannon E. Thomas

March 19th 2018

This week we discussed Amazon's Success despite their lack of overt design. Ariane expressed some surprise at how websites with such little design effort could have so much success. Manjari brought up how many of these websites…

news

Week 258: Stacking Rocks

Hans Gerwitz

March 15th 2018

We are undertaking small projects both internal and for clients lately. In times like these, the "overhead" of project management takes a greater fraction of our energy than when we have larger engagements.

thoughts

Artificial Conversations: Ethical Design

Shannon E. Thomas

March 12th 2018

This week we discussed design ethics as presented by ind.ie. Conversations around design ethics are hardly new, and best practices abound for how to respectfully engage in design for humans of diverse origin, context, and need.

thoughts

Artificial Conversations: Something Is Wrong

Shannon E. Thomas

March 5th 2018

This week's Monday morning conversation revolved around James Bridle's article Something is wrong on the internet. This article inspired a conversation that was part shock and part reflection.

news

Week 256: Personal

Hans Gerwitz

February 28th 2018

When I started writing these, I intended to expose the efforts of building and maintaining a studio. But I have found myself too reluctant to share all the struggles and joys. It all feels too personal, which would make this a diary.

thoughts

Artificial Conversations: Normal Design

Shannon E. Thomas

February 26th 2018

This week's Monday morning conversation revolved around Frank Chimero's blog post Plainness and Sweetness. We were one short today, but that didn't stifle the conversation.

thoughts

Artificial Conversations: Should Designers Code

Shannon E. Thomas

February 19th 2018

This week's Monday morning conversation revolved around Alan Cooper's four-part article: Should Designers Code? This conversation got off to a slower start than others. There was a general agreement with his article…

thoughts

Artificial Conversations: Technology and the Scope of Design

Shannon E. Thomas

February 12th 2018

This week's Monday morning conversation was inspired by our recently published connection flows blogpost. We began by discussing the article itself, and then the reasons why the article was important.

process

A Connection Flow Analysis

Ariane Garoff and Manjari Sahu

February 8th 2018

thoughts

Artificial Conversations: Shitty Work

Shannon E. Thomas

February 5th 2018

Like many agencies, The Artificial starts every week with a meeting to preview the upcoming week. This meeting covers project status, BD, and important calendar events. It is accompanied by breakfast.

news

Week 251: Tools

Hans Gerwitz

January 27th 2018

Culture includes tools, so selecting our tools is more than matching feature lists. They need to support our style of work or encourage us to change in ways we appreciate. We must accommodate some bad design, but need to avoid too much frustration or, worse, tainting our environment with anti-inspiration.

thoughts

Onboarding at Disney

Shannon E. Thomas

December 22nd 2017

news

Week 244: Kata

Hans Gerwitz

December 6th 2017

An action repeated often enough becomes automatic, like "muscle memory". When one pursues mastery of a craft, there are many foundational behaviors to be automated this way. These practiced actions are known as kata.

process

Creating The Artificial City Guide

Shannon E. Thomas

November 28th 2017

process

A Dating App Analysis

Natalia Bourges and Ariane Garoff

July 27th 2017

thoughts

Out-of-app experiences for connected products

Carol Liao

July 14th 2017

news

Week 223: Responsibilities

Hans Gerwitz

July 13th 2017

A year ago I wrote about our resistance to roles. Since then, half of the team is new but the character of the studio and our work has remained remarkably stable. I've been reflecting on roles again lately.

process

Hand-Drawn Icons Tutorial

Shannon E. Thomas

June 26th 2017

thoughts

Making Good Hiring Decisions

Shannon E. Thomas

June 12th 2017

When I began my career as a designer, I thought about designing stuff. I worried about things like typography, transitions, and usability. Then, through several promotions and starting my own company, I began thinking less about designing stuff and more about designing teams.

news

Week 218: The Rift

Hans Gerwitz

June 5th 2017

We recently received payment for a couple of overdue invoices. Our established clients are invoiced after the work is complete, and this one insists on a due date of at least 2 months out. Because they outsource accounting in a rather haphazard fashion, it's not uncommon for them to pay a bit late.

thoughts

Designing Service

Shannon E. Thomas

May 20th 2017

news

Week 213: Bubbles

Hans Gerwitz

May 5th 2017

Since my last notes, we’ve been busy having fun. Shannon wrote about our trip to Belgrade, and last week we had a great Konigsdag (King’s Day). The Artificial rented a nice boat where 18 guests consumed 101 beers, 17 bottled cocktails, 17 bottles of wine, and 4 bottles of Prosecco.

process

Join the Conversational Interface

Shannon E. Thomas

May 3rd 2017

thoughts

Thoughts That Resonate

Shannon E. Thomas

April 24th 2017

news

Week 210: Milestones

Hans Gerwitz

April 13th 2017

Two major milestones were passed last week. First, we have found someone who is both a culture fit and qualified to be an Artificial studio manager. Hopefully this will free Shannon and me to write more, here and elsewhere.

process

Creating a Design Test for Prospective Candidates

Carol Liao

April 11th 2017

news

Week 203: Designing Design

Hans Gerwitz

February 23rd 2017

We passed our 200th week and I didn’t notice. Our 4th anniversary is coming soon, but celebrating that will wait for summer; April is already disrupted by Resonate and King's Day. We have been keeping busy.

process

The Artificial Book of Cocktails

Natalia Bourges

January 16th 2017

news

Week 189: The Boys' Club

Hans Gerwitz

November 15th 2016

Last week, we all went to Lisbon to attend Web Summit. This is essentially the SxSWi of Europe—attendance is large and largely oriented towards the business and marketing side of software businesses. We take the whole team to a conference at least once a year for both cultural and training purposes…

process

Redesigning watchOS

Shannon E. Thomas and Ariane Garoff

October 3rd 2016

thoughts

Artificial Diversity: Creating a Feminine Culture

Shannon E. Thomas

September 15th 2016

This year marks my tenth year out of university. It’s also my tenth year as a full-time designer. I’ve been around. I’ve worked in-house. I’ve consulted. I’ve worked in advertising and in UX. I’ve designed social networks for cats and music lovers.

news

Week 180: Diversity

Hans Gerwitz

September 14th 2016

The weather has been nice, so we have the office open. (And this office really opens.) Occasionally (and always during Tuesday’s lunchtime), carilloneur Boudewijn Zwart plays an assortment of music on the bells of the neighboring Westerntoren.

process

Fishes, a Deep Dive Into the Interaction of Filters

Ariane Garoff

September 2nd 2016

thoughts

The Communication That Makes an Outstanding Design Internship

Carol Liao

August 29th 2016

Many people who’ve worked with me know that I’m extremely passionate about the quality of internships. When I was studying, I had worked with mentors on all ends of the spectrum — engaging designers who gave me real-world experience…

news

We're Three!

Shannon E. Thomas

August 9th 2016

news

Week 169: Roles

Hans Gerwitz

June 30th 2016

At this point, calling these "week" notes has become a farce. I continue to use the title ironically. The Artificial is now into our third year! We will celebrate with a summer party shortly, which also feels ironic considering the current weather in Amsterdam.

process

Selecting the Optimal Prototyping Tool (Part 2)

Ariane Garoff and Carol Liao

May 4th 2016

news

Week 154: Considering Growth

Hans Gerwitz

March 17th 2016

In Boris van Hoytema's self-written job description he wishes to help his company grow "not faster than it can, not slower than it should." This is the crux of our current outlook.

news

Week 148: The Mundane

Hans Gerwitz

February 5th 2016

We’re having a calm period at the moment. There are two projects underway, but one is well ahead of schedule and the other is straightforward support during implementation of a very small product.

process

Finding an Interaction Model

Shannon E. Thomas

January 19th 2016

news

Week 146: Expectations

Hans Gerwitz

January 18th 2016

When Shannon and I started The Artificial 145 weeks ago, I found the "weeknotes" of existing agencies such as BERG and Go Free Range often helpful for orienting myself.

process

Selecting the Optimal Prototyping Tool

Carol Liao and Ariane Garoff

November 23rd 2015

process

Designing a Conceptual Model

Shannon E. Thomas

November 3rd 2015

process

Classy or Fabulous

Carol Liao

September 3rd 2015

process

The Artificial's Robots

Carol Liao

July 16th 2015

As a digital product agency, we work very closely with our technology. Our laptops, phones, and devices are used every day, but this week we’re dedicating some time to focus on the robots hiding in our robot room.

thoughts

Passion and Beauty at OFFF 2015

Susana Passinhas

July 6th 2015

Last time I was at OFFF, it was in 2009 in Lisbon. At that time I was overwhelmed with all the projects I saw as well as the amazing presentations. So this year my expectations were high. My first impression was not related to the work itself, but to the way speakers presented it.

thoughts

How Will “Privacy” Limit Apple?

Hans Gerwitz

June 7th 2015

Apple's been creeping towards privacy and encryption as a differentiator for some time, but last week's address to EPIC was explicit. Tim Cook accused their neighbors of "lulling their customers into complacency about their personal information" and the digerati have taken note.

process

Why We Won’t Sketch in Sketch

Shannon E. Thomas

May 20th 2015

inspiration

OFFF 2015

Carol Liao

May 11th 2015

process

Icon Story: To Doubt

Shannon E. Thomas

April 29th 2015

inspiration

Designing Our New Studio

Shannon E. Thomas

April 17th 2015

thoughts

How I Learned to Embrace Familiarity

Carol Liao

April 14th 2015

During the past year, I’ve learned an incredible amount from working at The Artificial. New processes, terms, and techniques have transformed me into a more user-focused designer, but the pivotal moment in my career was when I learned to embrace existing interactions.

inspiration

Light Therapy

Carol Liao

January 23rd 2015

process

St. Nicholas Day Traditions in Europe

Carol Liao

December 5th 2014

Happy Sinterklaas! As an American in Europe experiencing my first Sinterklaas or Saint Nicholas Day, you can imagine how baffled I was before learning the story behind the Dutch Zwarte Pieten.

inspiration

Open Copyrights

Carol Liao

October 3rd 2014

thoughts

Microsoft and Minecraft

Hans Gerwitz

September 15th 2014

news

to [launch]

Carol Liao

September 12th 2014

A big thank you to all who came out to help us celebrate the official launch of to [icon]! For those who haven't seen it yet, we have launched toicon.com with 1170 carefully crafted verb icons, all free for download under the Creative Commons.

news

Calling Tech-Savvy Designers

Carol Liao

September 9th 2014

inspiration

Data Visualization

Carol Liao

August 22nd 2014

inspiration

Street Art

Carol Liao

August 1st 2014

news

to [beta]

Carol Liao

July 17th 2014

We’re excited to announce that to [icon] is now in beta! Our Kickstarter backers now have access to preview and test the site in progress as we continue to refine the site design…

inspiration

Pop Culture

Carol Liao

July 11th 2014

thoughts

One Week, Three Graduations

Carol Liao

July 8th 2014

Last week, three of the Netherlands’ finest design institutions handed diplomas to a fresh batch of talent. The newly graduated students of the Sandberg Instituut, The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, and Werkplaats Typografie…

inspiration

Typography in the United States

Carol Liao

July 4th 2014

inspiration

World Cup

Carol Liao

June 20th 2014

inspiration

Avocados

Carol Liao

June 6th 2014

inspiration

Massimo Vignelli

Carol Liao

May 30th 2014

inspiration

Idiomatic Expressions

Carol Liao

May 23rd 2014

thoughts

Dear Adobe Illustrator

Jo Szczepanska

May 22nd 2014

Dear Adobe Illustrator, I am writing this open letter as a close friend. Over the last decade we have spent so much time together that I think I know you better than I know myself.

inspiration

Screen Printing

Carol Liao

May 16th 2014

inspiration

Mothers & Design

Carol Liao

May 9th 2014

inspiration

The Pixel

Carol Liao

May 2nd 2014

inspiration

Orange

Carol Liao

April 25th 2014

process

Isometric Sketching Tutorial

Jo Szczepanska

April 23rd 2014

inspiration

Chocolate

Carol Liao

April 18th 2014

thoughts

Resonate 2014 Recap

Shannon E. Thomas

April 17th 2014

inspiration

Fun & Play

Carol Liao

April 11th 2014

news

Action Icons Speak Louder Than Words

Jo Szczepanska

April 10th 2014

We've launched our first Kickstarter campaign, to [icon]. Unlike other icon design endeavours, to [icon] will be focusing solely on creating icons that are verbs. Tired of inconsistent icon sets, with strange artefacts, pixel misalignment and archaic metaphors, we decided to take matters into our own hands.

inspiration

Resonate 2014

Hans Gerwitz

April 2nd 2014

inspiration

Iconography

Carol Liao

March 28th 2014

news

Welcome to The Artificial Blog

Carol Liao

March 18th 2014