100 design articles: Lessons on thinking, AI, and creative friction
A designer's four-year journey through writing, authenticity, and resisting AI's seductive ease
1The writing milestone
The author completed 100 design articles over four years, defying initial doubts about sustaining the practice. This archive captures evolving perspectives on design, personal growth, and industry shifts. The collection serves as both professional legacy and personal mirror, revealing how thinking patterns changed through disciplined writing.
2AI as the Shoggoth
The article frames generative AI as a Lovecraftian 'Shoggoth' - a seemingly helpful but ultimately alien force in creative work. This metaphor captures the tension between AI's frictionless output and the lost value of human struggle. The author notes how even experienced designers risk outsourcing their thinking to these 'instruction-following' systems.
3Singapore Airlines catalyst
A turning point came during the author's tenure as head of design at Singapore Airlines. Fearing the loss of nuanced organizational experiences, they began writing as an act of preservation. This personal motivation later evolved into professional joy, with unexpected benefits like viral articles and international speaking invitations.
4Rituals over tools
The writing practice developed specific conditions: nightly 2-3 hour windows in a child's bedroom using smartphone keyboards. Surprisingly, this constraint fostered flow states. While testing various tools, the author settled on Google Keep for drafts and Canva for visuals - prioritizing simplicity over feature-rich options.
5Atomic design breakthrough
An early viral piece reimagined atomic design principles through Charles Eames' Power of Ten framework. The 2022 article sparked widespread LinkedIn and Medium discussion, demonstrating how technical concepts gain traction through fresh analogies. However, subsequent pieces returned to normal engagement levels, teaching the value of consistency over virality.
6Editorial reality check
Publication editors became unexpected allies in maintaining quality. Their ability to detect AI-generated 'slop' forced accountability when the author experimented with AI assistance. This professional relationship provided both quality control and forgiveness during creative dry spells, balancing high standards with human understanding.
7Estonian connections
Writing about Design 4.0 unexpectedly led to a keynote at Tallinn Design Festival, connecting with Estonia's design community. Such serendipitous professional opportunities emerged consistently - from Miroverse features to DOC platform inclusions - proving writing's power to build unexpected professional bridges.
8The joy principle
French design education instilled the value of 'playful poetry' in creative work. The author found that articles born from genuine curiosity (like predicting Pantone colors or Star Wars design takes) often resonated most. This aligns with their observation that designer mood directly impacts output quality - joy isn't incidental but instrumental.
9Authenticity over alignment
The articles became a space free from stakeholder constraints or team alignment needs. This freedom allowed contrarian views on topics like Figma conventions and AI's role in design. While attracting occasional negative comments, this authenticity helped build a distinct voice and loyal readership over time.
10Creative forgiveness
The practice required accepting unproductive periods - sometimes weeks without publishable content. Rather than forcing output, the author learned to temporarily set aside writing during mental blocks. This self-forgiveness, combined with editorial trust built over years, sustained the practice through inevitable creative valleys.
11Tribe building
Four years of writing cultivated an international 'design tribe' beyond local networks. Through reposts, mentions, and newsletter features, the work reached unexpected audiences and collaborators. This organic community became both validation and propulsion system for continued creative exploration.
12Friction's value
The ultimate lesson counters AI's seamless promises: creative growth happens in the struggle. Like Michael Bierut's 100-Day Project, sustained practice - not perfect output - builds thinking muscles. As AI reshapes design, the author argues for preserving the 'virtuous struggle' that reveals who we are and what we believe.