People think taste is subjective, until they start to design things. Paul Graham argues that most people keep their thoughts on taste as unexamined impulses, starting from childhood. When they like something, they have no idea why — it could be because their friends like it, because it’s fashionable, or because a movie star uses it. But when you grow up and start to design things, you realize the relationship between taste and good design.

Taste is something we all need to examine more objectively.

What is taste? →
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Decktopus AI →
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Editor picks

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Barbie logo: the vibrant history of an iconic brand →

Make me think

• Generative AI and the future of work in America →
  “The jobs in the two lowest wage quintiles are disproportionately held today by those with less education, women, and people of color. Women are heavily represented in office support and customer service, which could shrink by about 3.7 million and 2.0 million jobs, respectively, by 2030.”
• Write like you design →
  “I am not suggesting that the design community considers writing unimportant. It is just treated as something else. The aesthetics of the visual and textual will continue to be disconnected until that changes. Writing is design. There is no separation.”
• The looking glass: higher-level design →
  “Maybe we call it creating, or architecting, or founding, or directing, or communing with the muse or whatever. But if there is one thing I hope you take away, it is this: design is any creative endeavor in pursuit of an outcome.”

Tools and resources

• Accessibility color palette →
  Solving the never-ending riddle.
• The UX cookbook →
  Handcrafted recipes to get you started with UX.
• Microcopy gallery →
  A gallery of short text for your product.

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