Design

In 2022, gamification played an increasingly major role in supermarket rewards apps as financial savviness became more important than ever. Apps like ASDA Rewards and My Morrisons began outshining more traditional loyalty schemes by offering a more dynamic, user-driven experience. In short, they tapped into our human desire for fun. Instead of just tallying points, these apps hook us by gamifying and expanding the rewards process in increasingly clever (and even addictive) ways. But how? What is Gamification? Gamification is when a process or system i

If you've had your ear to the ground in the app world, you'll have heard of David Dobrik's new retro-feel photography app Dispo. People are pretty excited about it, and rightfully so. But is the interface addictive enough? Will users be willing to wait until the next day to see their photos once the novelty wears off? And is Dispo good enough to rival Instagram? Let's take a look. What Makes Dispo Unique? Dispo's icon - with i

Visual Designer Maxime Rabot has created a fantastic Figma Community resource in his quick and accessible guide to basic typography and why it matters. As typography for beginners resources go, it's well worth your time. A snippet of a handy infographic in 'The Basics of Typography' A joy to read First t

Font pairing is a skill almost every kind of designer will have to use at some stage. But a lot of us weren't specifically trained in typography! So where do you start? Thankfully, Jack Qiao's fantastic AI-powered font pairing tool fontjoy.com is a wealth of free inspo for amateurs and professionals alike. How Do You Use It?</

When naming your product, app or business, we all know to go for something, short, snappy and concise. But where do you go from there? How do you narrow down your options to something that's not just easy to say and iconise but something that gives the right feeling? Today, I'm going to give you some key tips on how to name an app (or anything you want!) with confidence. 1. Vowels and Consonants A word's unique "vibe" comes from much more than just its definition and connotations. It's about

A unicorn designer is defined as someone skilled in design, visual design, and coding. While they're very sought after, they are usually looked down upon by other designers because they're seen as avoiding being a specialist in anything. Here's why that shouldn't be the case. I recently discussed the nature of Unicorn Designers with some peers. And I could see pretty quickly that the consensus among Interaction and Product des

Figma, the collaborative design and prototyping tool, has yielded great success as a slick (and free) Adobe XD and Sketch alternative. And this year, its features and UX are being upgraded like never before. So let's have look at what's new in Figma in 2020. The

Picking website colours is something every designer struggles with. But there are some great resources out there to help. Here's a curated list of excellent and easy-to-use sites that could prove invaluable to your next project. Happyhues.io Happyhues is one of my go-to websites when looking for a new colour palette. While its options are quite limited compared to the other sites listed here, the way it shows the real-world application for each colour more than makes up for it. The most

Variable fonts have been officially supported by most browsers for quite a while. However usage of them didn't start to pickup until very recently. Here's a run down of how they work, and why you should start using them now. What are Variable Fonts? While a standard typeface comes with different files for weights, italics and other styles, a variable font is a single file that allows you to control its weight and other properties through variables. In short, variable fonts are highly customisab

Before studying game design at Dundee's Abertay, Dmitrii Gruzdev sealed his first professional gig with Gaijin Entertainment. Meriting luck, drive, and a confidence in his interests, he tells ironeko about what lead him here; his advice for aspiring designers; and the rift between university and real world experience. Dmitri secured a job at Gaijin Entertainment after showing off his