September 22, 2020

A team that sits together, ships together

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from building software it’s that the designers and engineers need to sit together. They need to talk together, design together, build together, test together, iterate together. In every software project I’ve ever worked on, when this happens, so does magic. The work is more creative, more efficient, more beautiful to look at, and it works better. Unless designers and engineers are in direct contact with one another, every day, for the life of the project, the output will never be as good as it can be.

Turns out it’s true for co-creators of picture books, too.

Other observations
January 13, 2026

No one remembers Mike

Which two names come to mind when we think about the crew of the Apollo 11 space mission, and why isn’t one of them “Mike”?

January 6, 2026

A new year reflection not resolution

If the beginning of every years is spent anticipating the year to come, what does it mean for celebrating the year we’ve just lived?

December 30, 2025

Procrastination or rest?

How do I know if reading books, playing video games, going for walks and doing chores around the house is procrastination or rest?

December 23, 2025

Not a dream, a job

Is being a ‘full-time illustrator’ all it’s cracked up to be or do we romanticise this way to make money because it reminds of childhood?

December 16, 2025

The elements of beauty

Beauty comes in many forms, in many different times, to many different people. So, what makes something beautiful?

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