Desk of Tobias von Schneider

3 lessons from Jony Ive

I nearly walked away from writing this essay. Trendy or current topics usually make me turn the other way, but I'm making an exception today. I'm not sure if you watched the interview with Jony Ive and Patrick (CEO of Stripe) last week. It's

by Tobias van Schneider

The slow creep of mediocrity

Open the app. Scroll. See a baby photo, a selfie paired with a poem, somebody’s dinner. Keep scrolling. See a meme. Hit like. Type LOL, face muscles unmoving. Continue to scroll: Past a latte, an ad campaign, a polished photo shoot. Past more stolen memes and recycled jokes and

by Tobias van Schneider

A counterintuitive way to get noticed

The typical marketing strategy goes like this: Promote yourself and what you offer. That may be a product, content or your own personal brand. Tell people about it and why it solves a problem for them, then repeat. An alternative strategy, especially for those just starting out, is this: Promote

by Tobias van Schneider

Designing the future of mass transportation

You can't help but believe in Arrival when you see its philosophy for sustainable transportation. The UK-based company is set to redefine what electric vehicles mean to cities, and hopefully accelerate the future of this important industry.

by Tobias van Schneider

How to make a career change into a creative field

It couldn’t be a better time for a career change.

by Tobias van Schneider

DESK is 4: The best of the year, and what’s next

In honor of DESK’s fourth birthday, we’re sharing the top articles of the last year, and our goals for the next one.

by Tobias van Schneider

The most valuable designer

You could have one or ten years of experience. You could have dozens of awards and an abundance of praise from the press. You could nail the brief on the first take, no revisions needed. You could have a way with clients, the ability to sell or smooth over with

by Tobias van Schneider

The glue to your product UX: Consistent microcopy

Good UX copy is consistent. That requires making decisions about your brand voice, perspective, style and strategy from the beginning, and sticking with it.

by Jon Vio

Monthly portfolio inspiration of August 2020

Once a week, we select two portfolios created with Semplice to feature in our Best Of Showcase. Here we've collected our favorites from the month of August.

by Tobias van Schneider

Want to be a guest writer on DESK?

We occasionally invite guest writers to share their perspectives on DESK. If you're interested in contributing an article, please read the following before reaching out to us.

by Tobias van Schneider

The DESK voice

While several different people write for DESK in their own unique voices, we've established a distinct voice we filter all our writing through. It is: Curious We don’t know everything, and that’s exciting. We probe and pose questions rather than stating absolute truths. We challenge mainstream