Notes on making things well.
Design craft, how human-made design and AI fit together, and short essays on work and attention.
Saying no, kindly
How to turn down requests in a way that is honest, warm and clear, protecting your time and attention without damaging the relationships you value.
NotesThe art of the second draft
Why the second draft is where writing really takes shape, and a calm, practical approach to revising your work without losing heart or momentum.
NotesCollecting references without drowning in them
How to gather inspiration, notes and examples in a way that actually helps your work, without ending up with an overwhelming pile you never look at.
NotesWhy constraints make things better
How limits on time, space, budget or materials can sharpen your thinking and lead to better work, and how to choose helpful constraints on purpose.
NotesRest is part of the work
Why rest is not the opposite of good work but one of its ingredients, and practical ways to build genuine breaks into ordinary days and weeks.
NotesOn asking better questions
How the way you phrase a question shapes the answer you get, with practical ways to ask questions that open conversations up instead of closing them down.
NotesSmall tools you'll keep for years
What makes a simple tool, physical or digital, stay useful for years, and how to choose fewer, better ones instead of constantly chasing the next thing.
NotesWhat walking does for ideas
Why stepping away from your desk for a walk so often loosens a stuck problem, and simple ways to make walking a deliberate part of how you think.
NotesThe quiet satisfaction of tidying a file
Why putting a messy document, folder or spreadsheet in order feels so good, and how to make tidying a small, regular habit rather than a rescue job.
NotesTaste is trained, not born
Good taste can look like an innate gift, but it is built through attention, exposure and practice. How to develop yours deliberately.
NotesLearning a craft in public
Sharing work while you are still learning feels exposing, but it can speed up progress and build useful connections. How to do it with care.
NotesWhy a paper notebook still earns its place
Screens can store everything, yet a paper notebook still does things nothing else quite does. A look at what it offers and how to use one well.
NotesThe case for slower mornings
A rushed start can set the tone for a scattered day. Thoughts on why an unhurried morning is worth protecting and how to make room for one.
NotesOn finishing things
Starting is exciting and finishing is quiet, but finishing is where work becomes real. Some thoughts on why it is hard and how to get better at it.
Humans and AIA small business owner's guide to launching a site in an afternoon
A step by step plan for getting a clear, useful small business website live in a single afternoon, from preparation to publishing.
Humans and AIWhat \"human-coded\" still means in 2026
When AI can write the code, what does human craft contribute? Judgement, responsibility and taste, and why they matter more than ever.
Humans and AISpeed and polish: getting both from AI tools
AI tools make a first draft fast. Polish still takes attention. A practical way to get both without burning hours or settling for generic.
Humans and AIWhy every version is worth keeping
Keeping every version of your site makes you braver, faster and calmer. Here is how to use version history as a creative tool.
Humans and AIUsing your own photos with an AI builder
Why your own photos make a site feel real, and how to choose, prepare and place them when an AI tool is doing the design work.
Humans and AIThe craft behind the defaults: design systems in AI tools
Design systems turn good taste into consistent rules. Here is how they work inside AI design tools and how to use them to your advantage.
Humans and AIHow AI can respect accessibility by default
Accessibility rests on years of careful human practice. Here is what AI design tools can handle by default, and what still needs you.
Humans and AIWhen to hire a designer, and when a builder is enough
A practical guide to deciding between an AI website builder and a professional designer, including the middle ground most people miss.
Humans and AIKeeping your brand voice when AI writes the first draft
AI can draft your website copy in seconds. Here is how to make sure the finished words still sound like you, not like everyone else.
Humans and AIEditing with AI: small changes, safe history
How to refine an AI-made website through conversation without losing good work, and why a kept version history changes how you edit.
Humans and AIPrompting like an art director
Art directors guide work without doing every task themselves. Borrow their habits to get clearer, more intentional results from AI design.
Humans and AIFree doesn't have to mean generic
A free website can still feel unmistakably yours. Practical ways to add specificity, character and care without spending a penny.
Humans and AIFrom brief to site: how a sentence becomes a layout
A walk through the decisions that turn a short description into a working page, and how to write a brief that gets you there faster.
Humans and AIWhy human-made patterns are the foundation of good AI design
Good AI design rests on generations of human craft: grids, type, conventions and care. Here is why that matters and how to use it.
Humans and AIWhat AI website builders do well, and what they don't
An honest look at where AI website builders shine, where they fall short, and how to get the most from one without expecting magic.
Design craftPerformance is part of design
A slow site is a design problem, not just a technical one. Practical design decisions that keep pages fast and pleasant to use.
Design craftConsistency: building a tiny design system for one site
You don't need a big team to benefit from a design system. Here is how to define a small set of rules that keeps one website consistent.
Design craftDark mode done properly
Dark mode is more than inverting colours. Practical guidance on backgrounds, contrast, images, brand colours and respecting visitor preferences.
Design craftFooters are underrated
The footer is where many visitors go when they can't find something. Here is how to make yours useful, tidy and trustworthy.
Design craftNavigation patterns that don't get in the way
How to plan menus, labels and page structure so visitors find what they need on a small business site without thinking about it.
Design craftWriting microcopy for buttons, errors and empty states
How to write the small bits of text on your site, from button labels to error messages and empty pages, so visitors always know what to do next.
Design craftMotion with a purpose: transitions that help
When animation makes a website easier to understand, when it gets in the way, and how to choose durations, easing and reduced motion settings.
Design craftFocus states, keyboards and the people who use them
Why keyboard navigation matters, who relies on it, and how to design clear focus states that make your site usable without a mouse.
Design craftDesigning for thumbs: mobile layouts that feel natural
Practical ways to arrange buttons, menus and forms so your site is comfortable to use with one hand on a phone.
Design craftPhotography on small business sites: picking and cropping
How to choose photos that tell visitors something true about your business, and how to crop them so they work on every screen.
Design craftButtons people actually press: hierarchy and states
How to design buttons with clear hierarchy, useful labels and every state covered, from hover and focus to loading and disabled.
Design craftGrids: when to follow them and when to break them
How layout grids bring order to a page, how to set one up, and how to break it on purpose so the result feels lively rather than messy.
Design craftDesigning hero sections that earn their space
The hero is the most valuable space on your site. Here is how to fill it with a clear message, one main action and an image that helps.
Design craftContrast that passes and still looks good
How to meet WCAG contrast requirements for text and interface elements without making your website look harsh or generic.
Design craftPicking a palette: one primary, one accent, honest neutrals
A simple structure for website colour: one primary colour, one accent for actions, and a set of neutrals that do most of the work.
Design craftThe 8-point spacing system, explained plainly
What the 8-point spacing system is, why multiples of eight make layouts more consistent, and how to start using it on your own site.
Design craftWhitespace is not empty space
Whitespace groups, separates and directs attention. Here is how to use it deliberately instead of filling every gap on the page.
Design craftLine length, leading and the comfort of reading
Why long lines and cramped spacing tire readers, and how to set measure, line height and paragraph spacing so your pages read easily.
Design craftBuilding a type scale you can actually use
How to build a small, practical set of font sizes for your website, pick a ratio, round sensibly and adapt it for phones.
Design craftChoosing two typefaces that work together
A practical way to pair a heading font with a body font: start with the job each one does, then test contrast, proportions and weight.