Jeff Zwerner

Gang, Wow. Sharing a unique perspective on where we go from here post-election & well, hold tight cuz the arc is...long. Hawai‘i’s own Norma Wong drops some big time ‘ike here in this podcast that was really the salve i needed. Norma, a contemporary of Aunty Puanani Burgess, is in conversation w/ Adrienne M Brown. Highest level takeaway: We gotta evolve.  It’s the only way out. Here are the key meanings I made: 1. Perspective on the election “I would say that it took about 4,000 yrs for us to get to this point, & so the notion that it could somehow right itself in the course of a few election cycles? That also means we've completely bought into a consumer notion of human history. We can package & sell & buy the answers that will somehow right our ship. The rest of the living universe has figured it out long before we can: if the living universe wants to continue to live, it has to continuously evolve. & we as humans are not doing that very well.” 2. Don’t despair. Stay in the light to build forward “As long as our purpose is about fighting the conditions that we are in, then we will remain in despair….But if our purpose is about shared humanity, it requires the levers for thriving, it means we are the ones who have to do it, & we cannot look to the institutions and the structures that are collapsing around us to do it. And we go about that work. We are in a totally polarized world, that means that there are actually billions of people that we can count on, and billions of people we cannot. And somehow we're giving more power to the billions of people who cannot. We're giving them more power. What is it about that?” 3. We gotta evolve, transform, & work on the human condition. THROUGH STORY AND FIERCE IMAGINGING.  “To be in a state of the beginner's mind, I believe a fruitful state is in the exercise of story. And future story in concrete terms, in which no isms live, and in which thriving is the fiercest possibility. THROUGH BREATH AND MEDITATION. “When we say take a breath, it's not a metaphoric thing. It is to be in that embodied aspect of breath, which there are actual mechanical things to be learned in order for us to breathe deeply connected to the earth, in which the exhale is longer than the inhale. By our breath alone, become like a glowing energy ball in which fierce peace is emanating from us, & therefore we are capable of agency, of our agency... It's that which grounds us to the essential humanity. Without that, we're mechanical living beings rather than actual living beings. THROUGH BEING W/ EACH OTHER.  “…not for the purposes of a transaction.” “THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF THE CULTIVATION OF JOY, even in the most horrific circumstances, to not allow that to die. THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF GRATITUDE & ANCESTORS. “The practice of gratitude, particularly seeing and being w/ the various beings, not only human ones, who are every single moment making it possible for where we are right now, & what we can become.

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Resistance, recovery, reflection, and reimagination. Tara Hedayat-Zadeh, Design Researcher at THRIVE, explored these bold themes at the Design Research Society's conference in Boston. From centering care in tech to building trust and accountability, her insights shed light on the future of design research. Discover her key takeaways here: https://hubs.ly/Q02_syhr0 #DesignResearch #Innovation #thrivethinking

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I agree with this sentiment as well. Designers cannot be stuck in the past if they also want to be a part of the future. On top of that, this is actually one of the nicer examples of how practically GenAI can help (and enhance) some of the creative processes and executions and imho doesn't deserve the backlash it's getting. #thefutureofdesign #ai

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Feel like this is the future use cases for AI. Despite all the fear mongering about AI taking everyone's jobs (and of course, legitimate copyright questions), I think it'll ultimately boil down to a great toolset that augments existing tools and platforms, enabling us to make better work. Just because there's a camera in every phone, doesn't make us all photographers. Sure, everyone might be able to make a video in Sora once they release the public version, but great work will still require taste, experience and skill. Exciting times ahead, once the initial mainstream hype dies down. #ai #adobe #sora #runway #pika https://lnkd.in/eP2aYxx8

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Starting the new year off with some thoughts on enterprise and healthcare design. The standard has been way too low for far too long and this is the year we change that. For years, these sectors have focused on utility alone—getting the job done. It’s time we raise that bar and create holistic, human experiences where design, product and development teams become modern-day artisans toward beauty and simplicity. https://lnkd.in/gkFsZcSQ

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What is the mindset required for successful collaboration? In the latest Quality during Design podcast episode, I introduce Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura. His initial forays into the scientific world were marked by solitary work, a common scenario for many of us who find comfort in the solace of their workstations. However, as Nakamura's career unfolded, the importance of collaboration became increasingly evident. What has been your career trajectory? What are your opportunities to become more collaborative? Listen-in and find out more! #productdesign #engineering #qualityengineering #reliabilityengineering #teamwork #collaboration #newproductdevelopment #crossfunctional

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✨ What’s your signature hallmark as a designer? Share it below. Design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about originality, integrity, and innovation. And as designers, we walk a fine line between being inspired and staying uniquely ourselves. In today’s episode (114) of the Design Business Freedom Podcast, we explore what it truly means to be inspired versus what it means to copy. 🎙️Here’s what’s inside: ✔️ What is the fine line between inspiration and plagiarism? ✔️ Why defining your design hallmarks is essential. ✔️ How to bring originality to every project without losing your signature style. This episode is your reminder to dig deeper, push creative boundaries, and honor the privilege of designing something truly one-of-a-kind! 🎧 Tap the link below to listen now, or catch it on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dtxG-xRx . . . #interiordesignstyle #interiordesignerlife #designhallmark #designbusinessfreedom

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This is so disrespectful to all real animators, CGI artists and real film makers. A bunch of random moving images with no story, plot or characters behind them. This is nothing close to film making, so please people, don't pretend that spending hours behind a keyboard creating prompts is. Film making is art. Art is about self expression. None of this is self expression. Just random computer generated images that have zero meaning.

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Brilliant how to utilize AI for feasibility studies.

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Plenty of activity in Life Sciences at the moment...particularly in blended spaces. “Companies are placing greater importance on securing strategic real estate in key regions, as these locations are crucial in attracting top-tier talent and fostering innovation,” Daniel Maldonado, Unispace’s managing director of life sciences, Americas, told CPE. #unispace #lifesciences #lifesciencestrends

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It's that time of year again: SXSW PanelPicker voting. This year, for my #film and #tv #scriptwriting friends, I've put together an #AI talk in the #FilmandTV track to help understand how to write about AI authentically and authoritatively in narrative screen-based stories. If this one sounds interesting to you, you can upvote it here: https://lnkd.in/ggBhmC8A #SXSW25

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Incredibly excited to be giving a new talk—"Design is 'Connection' Made Manifest"—on Seattle Design Festival 's main stage this August 18th. The themes in this presentation have been congealing for me over the past few years, evolving through my other conference talks, written works, and even business / career decisions. Across "why" we're creating, "how" we're creating, and "where" we're creating, our value is infinitely greater than the sum of our choice of digital tools. I'll (currently) be giving this talk only twice this year, with the second event to be announced soon. The 'formal' talk description: "What is design, if not ‘connection’ made manifest? Given the state of the world over the past few years, with designers navigating the global pandemic, mass layoffs, hybrid / remote work, and a struggling economy, connection is at is apex of relevance. The connection of us to one another, us to our work, and our work to those who engage with it. Be it a concert venue poster, a website, or an app icon, design is solving the problem of engaging people—agnostic of their circumstances—to connect and convey an experience. When we’re in touch with our values, focus on craft evolution over tool loyalty, and create in an environment of support and inclusion: ‘connection’ is the result. Via the power of storytelling with actionable methods, Justin Dauer will show us how to get there." And on the Seattle Design Festival itself, via their website: "The Seattle Design Festival is a platform for bold design conversations. We believe that design is for everyone and that inclusive co-design practices are essential to shaping an equitable Seattle. We are multidisciplinary, socially engaged and civic minded. The Seattle Design Festival was founded in 2011 as a strategic initiative of AIA Seattle to promote public dialogue and community engagement about the role and impact of design in urban life." Seattle Design Festival is a FREE event for the public. My presentation's page: https://lnkd.in/gaQNA5GD The full list of festival programming: https://seadesignfest.org/ #ux #productdesign #uxdesign #creativity #design #culture #seattle #seattledesignfestival

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🎨 Color is hard. As our team leverages variables to apply themes across a design system, things break. Maintaining accessible color contrast across multiple components with various states is a beast of task. - Brand colors can vary from light to dark affecting foreground contrast. - State changes across various components require independent contrast checks for foreground text. - Yellow. (Do I need to say more? Whether its a brand or system color, yellow and orange demand special attention) 🌈 Color for brand designers working with product teams by Katie Cooper I dig everything Katie Cooper writes about color for design systems. The approach outlined offers a great perspective on how to evaluate brand color viability. It includes considerations for secondary colors and color ramps as you develop proper contrast ratios. https://lnkd.in/gna4CGCV 💛 The dark yellow problem by Lodestar Design via UX Collective I know a lot of folks have touched on this, but I like how succinctly this writeup spells out the problems when designing with yellow while trying to maintain some form or brand consistency. Mustard anyone? https://lnkd.in/gsA4FZgQ 👏 Color in design systems by Nathan Curtis A classic write up on color in design systems and considerations for theming. Big takeaways for our team included limiting how themes cascade through various components like links and buttons, as well as ensuring any “changes” to brand colors to meet the needs of the UI get approval first. If you haven’t read everything by Nathan on Medium on design systems you’re missing out! https://lnkd.in/gYXVCY2e ✨ So grateful for all the resources out there and hope some of this can be useful to your team. From our research, the team has established a few best practices: - Start by auditing color contrast options across all brand colors through color ramps and component states - Ensure a consistent lightness ramp across all steps of each color in the palette to help with predictable contrast - Pay special attention to your yellows to balance brand consistency with accessibility - Limit how brand colors cascade into critical elements such as forms, buttons and links to ensure usability - Continue to use plugins and manual review to check color contrast ratios across the system, components and patterns as you go #ui #design #designsystems #color #branding #theming #accessibility

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This article resonates with me, highlighting the challenges I encountered managing the San Jose public art collection. One particular hurdle involved reconstructing artwork imagery from unusable files due to outdated software limitations. If you require assistance in developing policies and guidelines for your public art collection, feel free to reach out—I'd be happy to help! #artcollectionmanagement #publicart

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“One tool that comes to mind is Origami Studio, which is externally available and open to designers across the industry. Origami Studio was originally created internally in 2014 and has long been a helpful tool for doing high-fidelity design prototyping. Lately we’ve been using it to design AI experiences like Meta AI. We’re exploring ways to make it easier to design prototypes with AI, and I’m excited to see how AI can help us expand access to some of the technical aspects of design work.” https://lnkd.in/gt3NmcSZ

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One of the best articles to come out recently on brand strategy. Worth the time. When you are done listening to the Unorthodox Podcast by Rosie Lee Group, take a moment to read this one. #innovation #brand #creativity #bobdylan

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Streamlining creative projects can be challenging, but with the right insights, it becomes much more manageable. This guide provides a deeper understanding of the CGI/3D process, empowering you to make informed decisions during the crucial ideation stage. https://lnkd.in/d3na3myJ

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Relying solely on artificial intelligence for design work is like rolling the dice, hoping that the outcome will be both beautiful and relevant. AI, while powerful in processing data and generating patterns, lacks the nuanced understanding of human emotion, culture, and context that shapes truly meaningful design. It works within predefined algorithms and lacks the creative intuition needed to adapt to ever-changing trends and specific brand identities. With AI, the result can often feel random, producing aesthetically pleasing designs that may miss the mark in terms of relevance and purpose. Ultimately, using AI without human oversight risks leaving the design process to chance, rather than ensuring a thoughtful, intentional, and cohesive outcome. #design #productdesign #industrialdesign #graphicdesign #branding #brandstrategy

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