design by us – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi try to figure out and predict what would the Apple Vision Pro’s future mean for users, developers, and designers.

Support Design By Us:

• Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm

• Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus

Where to find Luigi and Ravi:

• Check out: byus.design

• Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono

• Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied

Referenced:

• https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi speak with Michael Flarup, icon designer, game developer, and fascinating creator. Michael discusses the significant yet often overlooked role of app icons in our lives, particularly their impact on our interaction with technology. Michael has dedicated a big part of his career to making some of the most ‘iconic’ app icons, which lead him to author the iOS and macOS App Icon books (you can find them below).

Throughout the episode, they explore the intersection of art and utility in app icon design. Michael shares why he dedicated his career to this space, providing insights into his creative process and when it is time to rethink your app icon. The app icon is the user's first interaction with a product, making it a great opportunity to enhance the user’s connection with your product.

Finally, they discuss Michael’s ventures beyond digital design and his experience in making video games, including insights from his upcoming title "Dinolords".

Referenced:

• The iOS App Icon Design Book: https://flarup.shop/products/the-ios-app-icon-book

• The macOS App Icon Design Book: https://flarup.shop/products/the-macos-app-icon-book

• Article - The Comeback of Fun: https://applypixels.com/blog/comeback

• Article - The Hunt for the Squircle: https://applypixels.com/blog/the-hunt-for-the-squircle

• Templates and resources: https://applypixels.com/

• Northplay YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@northplay

• App icon book: https://www.appiconbook.com/

• Dinolords game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2587620/Dinolords/

• Michael on X: https://twitter.com/flarup

Support Design By Us:

• Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus

Where to find Luigi and Ravi:

• Check out: byus.design

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi literally go into Blank Street Coffee, a coffee company that's been making waves in the industry. From their remarkable financial achievements to their innovative approach to coffee-making, Blank Street Coffee is redefining the way we enjoy our daily caffeine mix.

Blank Street Coffee made headlines last year when they secured an astonishing $67 million in funding from high-profile venture capital funds like General Catalyst and Tiger Global, as well as the founders of Allbirds and Warby Parker, and even the real estate giant Tishman Speyer. Learn how these investments have fueled their rapid expansion, with an incredible 60 shops sprouting around the world in just two years.

Luigi and Ravi discuss the purpose of ‘another’ coffee shop. Their mission is simple: serving a clean, natural, and high-quality menu to customers at affordable prices. At Blank Street, a 16-ounce iced latte priced at $4.25, competes with giants like Dunkin' ($3.75) and Starbucks ($5.50). As one co-founder puts it, they aim to be the go-to place for that "our goal is not to make the best coffee, we just make a really good cup of coffee that you drink twice a day, every day."

Lastly, they delve into the world of Eversys, the company behind the cutting-edge coffee machines that power Blank Street Coffee's success. Discover the partnership between Eversys and the De'Longhi Group, as well as their mission to elevate the role of the barista and let human skills flourish in coffee-making.

Support Design By Us:

• Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm

• Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus

Where to find Luigi and Ravi:

• Check out: byus.design

• Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono

• Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied

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Referenced:

• Blank Street Website: https://www.blankstreet.com/
• Eversys Machine Catalogue: https://services.eversys.com/includes/download.php?p=downloads&f=EversysBrochure_EN-HighQuality.pdf
• Eversys website: https://www.eversys.com/
• Eversys Coffee Machine Engineering: https://www.eversys.com/en/innovation
• Eversys API: https://www.eversys.com/en/connectivity
• The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/03/indie-cafe-in-brixton-takes-on-hedge-fund-backed-coffee-chain-over-name
• The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/29/dining/blank-street-coffee.html
• Axios - Barista Training: https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/04/04/barista-blank-street-training
• Different Types of Machine: https://perfectdailygrind.com/2021/06/how-are-super-automatic-espresso-machines-evolving/
• Blank Street Coffee - Unit Economics: https://www.forbes.com/sites/douglasyu/2021/10/13/blank-street-coffees-25-million-raise-shows-what-big-institutions-want-from-food-service-quality-and-convenience/

An episode about managing creative teams. Ed Catmull was co-founder of Pixar and president of Walt Disney Animation Studios. He has been a pioneer of 3D computer graphics and animated films. Luigi and Ravi discuss the book ‘Creativity, Inc’,  written by Ed and published in 2014. Throughout the episode they share the main takeaways and perspectives from the book about how to manage creativity within a team.

The Pixar Story - Disney+ Documentary

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004)

Ed Catmull at Stanford University

This time we explore the concepts and ideas that define the way we design, manufacture, and consume everyday objects. ‘Objectified’ is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.

Objectified IMBd

Objectified Trailer

Jony Ive - Documentary clip

Paola Anonelli - MoMA

Davin Stowell | Smart Design - Documentary clip

Karim Rashid - Documentary Clip

Natuzzi - Handmade furniture 

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Follow us on Twitter - @designbyus_fm

Follow us on Twitter! @designbyus_fm

What's new in USD - WWDC 2020 - Videos - Apple Developer

Join us to take a trip down nostalgia avenue, as Ravi & Luigi talk about, analyse, and reminisce about Lego.

VOTE NOW 

Lego’s response to BLM

Lego digital designer

The Lego Movie 

James May Toy stories 

Go back to chess club 

Lego Porsche RSR

Lego Lamborghini

Lego AR

Follow us on Twitter

My name is Luigi, and mine is Ravi.

We speak to the makers, originators, creators, founders, innovators, doers and can-doers.

The ones who think differently,

you, the ones building our future.

We record our journey as we explore our complex world.

Where the harmony of music is matched by the cacophony of war,

where the connection of individuals means the disconnection of societies,

where time is relative for some and absolute for others.

The past is gone, a relic from which we can learn.

Our journey is a short one, and all that matters is what we do before we reach our destination.

We have taken small steps for man, but must create leaps for humankind.

Our past was built by them,

our present is defined by them,

our future will be designed by us.

This time the founder and CEO of Oceanix, Marc Collins Chen, joins us to discuss how floating cities will help locations affected by sea level rise and climate change. In collaboration with the United Nations, MIT, and the Bjarke Ingels Group, Oceanix designs, engineers, and deploys self sustained floating cities.

Oceanix Website

Marc Collins Chen - Boma Conference

Floating Cities - Dezeen Article

This time we analyse and discuss the successful failure of four different products: Juicero, DeLorean, Theranos, and Google Lively. Also, quote of the day “you are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts”.

Juicero in-depth review by Ben Einstein  

DeLorean road test

Theranos y Patrick Neil