In this episode, Luigi and Ravi speak with Michael Flarup, icon designer, game developer, and fascinating creator. Michael discusses the significant yet often overlooked role of app icons in our lives, particularly their impact on our interaction with technology. Michael has dedicated a big part of his career to making some of the most ‘iconic’ app icons, which lead him to author the iOS and macOS App Icon books (you can find them below). Throughout the episode, they explore the intersection of art and utility in app icon design. Michael shares why he dedicated his career to this space, providing insights into his creative process and when it is time to rethink your app icon. The app icon is the user's first interaction with a product, making it a great opportunity to enhance the user’s connection with your product. Finally, they discuss Michael’s ventures beyond digital design and his experience in making video games, including insights from his upcoming title "Dinolords". Referenced: The iOS App Icon Design Book: https://flarup.shop/products/the-ios-app-icon-book The macOS App Icon Design Book: https://flarup.shop/products/the-macos-app-icon-book Article - The Comeback of Fun: https://applypixels.com/blog/comeback Article - The Hunt for the Squircle: https://applypixels.com/blog/the-hunt-for-the-squircle Templates and resources: https://applypixels.com/ Northplay YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@northplay App icon book: https://www.appiconbook.com/ Dinolords game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2587620/Dinolords/ Michael on X: https://twitter.com/flarup Support Design By Us: Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi dive into the vibrant transformation of Reddit's rebrand. As Reddit gears up for a potential 2024 IPO, our host explore the brand elements, from the beloved Snoo mascot to the unique terminology of 'r/' and the iconic upvote-downvote mechanisms. Pentagram, the design powerhouse, plays a crucial role, identifying four key traits that define Reddit's essence. They discuss the character development process, from rendering the 2D Snoo icon in 3D to introducing a menu of emoji-like Snoos. Also, they mention the new core illustration style, featuring heroic 3D icons. How the typeface undergoes a transformation with Reddit Sans and the addition of a conversation bubble, mirroring core user actions. Additionally, Luigi and Ravi highlight how motion design takes center stage, relying on multimodal elements, including a character hero with an expressive antenna. They explore the simplified color palette and its impact on Reddit's use and product development. Support Design By Us: Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied Referenced: Reddit Rebrand by Pentagram: https://www.pentagram.com/work/reddit/story --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi deep dive into Humane’s new product—the AI Pin, a wearable gadget that transcends norms with its projected display and AI application. They begin with a glimpse into the talented team behind Humane, including ex-Apple members who played key roles in iPhone, Safari, mouse, and other Apple innovations. Additionally they discuss the storytelling of the brand, an exploration of CosmOS, emphasising its unique selling point—speed of thought—powered by OpenAI. Finally, they debate privacy concerns, and how the AI Pin can potentially disrupt the way we interact with devices. Support Design By Us: Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied Referenced: Humane’s Website & AI Pin Presentation: https://hu.ma.ne/ Imran Chaudhri’s Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsQO5u7-NQ Humane’s Team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlJxWpsuChk --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi dive into the world of Gran Turismo's game design. They begin with the inception of the iconic series, highlighting Gran Turismo 1's remarkable journey. Additionally they discuss how hardware optimisation sets the design of the game, from 300 polygons in early games to 500,000 in Gran Turismo 5. They also discuss Gran Turismo Sophy, an AI that sees the virtual environment as a dynamic map, using machine learning algorithms to adapt to various conditions. Luigi and Ravi explore the intersection of game design and technology, discussing Vision GT, VR's role, and the balance between fantasy and authenticity. Finally, they wrap up with a critical analysis of game design principles, citing Rahul Vohra's insights and expressing disappointment with Gran Turismo 7's missed opportunities. Support Design By Us: Check out: ⁠⁠byus.design⁠⁠ Find more content and support us on Patreon: ⁠https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus⁠ Follow designbyus on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm⁠ Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Follow Luigi on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono⁠ Follow Ravi on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied⁠ Referenced: Video game progression: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae_zvm0-CQU&t=929s⁠ How GT Sophy actually works: ⁠https://www.gtplanet.net/how-gran-turismo-sophy-actually-works-more-details-on-polyphony-digital-and-sony-ais-new-technology/⁠ Fans react to GT7: ⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/granturismo/comments/12ao265/greed_isnt_the_root_of_gt7s_bad_game_design_kaz_is/⁠ The cool story about simulation: ⁠https://venturebeat.com/games/how-dangerous-race-driving-helped-sonys-kazunori-yamauchi-design-gran-turismo-6-interview/⁠ Rahul gives a bit on Game Design: ⁠https://a16z.com/game-design-not-gamification-for-great-products/#:~:text=Game⁠ design is not gamification.,have to understand human motivation Ferrari GT: ⁠https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/news/00_5276938.html⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi dive into aftermath of Apple's 'Scary Fast' Event. Apple unveiled the new M3 chip lineup. They dissects the event, discuss the manufacturing of the 3 nanometer technology and how Apple decided to position the new chip to gamers and AI developers. Luigi, brings a theory about the new Apple Pencil, and how it might be used with the new Vision OS. Ravi raises a thought-provoking question, pondering who is the real target audience for the MacBook Pro. Support Design By Us: Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied Referenced: Apple Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctkW3V0Mh-k Behind the scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3dbG9pAi8I Insight into company 3: https://www.company3.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi dive into a brief story about Shazam’s user experience evolution. A journey that began in 2002 and reached new heights with Apple's acquisition in 2018. Shazam's ingenious design simplified the user experience, addressing music discovery and a vast song database. Explore how a simple text-based interface transformed the way we identify songs. Luigi and Ravi also discuss the technological marvel that powers Shazam, from acoustic fingerprinting to spectral analysis. Learn how it turned complex audio data into song names with a single button press. Finally they discuss the future of music discovery, similar to the Music Genome Project and its impact on music curation. Support Design By Us: Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied Referenced: Ishkur’s Guide to Music: https://music.ishkur.com Everynoise: https://everynoise.com/engenremap.html Music Genome Project: https://community.pandora.com/t5/Community-Blog/MGP2-What-s-Next-for-the-Music-Genome-Project/ba-p/120065 The Toptal article Ravi kept talking about: https://www.toptal.com/algorithms/shazam-it-music-processing-fingerprinting-and-recognition Shazam Kit: https://developer.apple.com/shazamkit/ Story of Shazam’s team: https://medium.com/swlh/the-story-of-shazam-the-startup-days-6bccebd17d84 How Shazam works: https://youtu.be/b6xeOLjeKs0?si=h8TF4GdHdmlyGl21 Spotify’s AI recommendation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGntmcy_HX8 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi are joined by the visionary Dr. Nikhil Jacob as we embark on a journey into the world of mixed, virtual, and augmented reality. Nikhil is a researcher in human computer interaction, iOS developer, author, and a forward thinker trying to empower creators to push the boundaries of mixed reality experiences. We dive into Nikhil’s content creator journey in the spatial computing era, where the digital and physical realms converge. He shares his firsthand experience of navigating the spatial computing development experience, and why it represents great opportunities for the creative problem-solvers in the world. We also discuss which platform is better positioned to succeed in the mixed reality market between Apple and Meta. Finally, we discuss the nature of reality where the digital and physical world blur, future of human interaction, and which could be the killer app for this platform. Referenced: Nikhil’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2p6W2C-fLuibH7G8uVbuNg Nikhil’s Book - The Next Big Skill: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Next-Big-Skill-Nikhil-Jacob-ebook/dp/B0CH7HT1QW Nikhil’s Course - Reality Uni: https://www.realityuni.com/ Meta Codec Avatar: https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/28/22751177/facebook-meta-codec-avatar-real-time-environment-rendering-neural-interface Apple Vision Pro: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/ Meta’s Oculus: https://www.meta.com/gb/quest/quest-pro/ Support Design By Us: Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi delve into the intricate world of digital privacy and user experience. They start by discussing the onboarding experience of Threads, the new Meta app. They dissect how the design choices of the experience impact the user’s data-sharing decisions. Comparing them to Apple’s design decisions on their App Store. Putting these together, they dive into how the iOS update to allow users to opt out of sharing their IDFA tag, has resulted in serious consequences on the advertising industry. The conversation takes an ethical turn, pondering the existence of "ethical ads" and whether new advertising segments could emerge. Finally, they dive into how could we create higher value user experience to capture only the required user data. Support Design By Us: Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied Referenced: Apple vs Meta - The Illusion of Privacy: https://growth.design/case-studies/apple-privacy-policy Meta's cold war with Apple over privacy is coming to a critical moment: ********https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-and-apple-user-privacy-dispute-ios-advertising-2023-2?r=US&IR=T Apple, Meta And The $10 Billion Impact Of Privacy Changes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2022/02/10/apple-meta-and-the-ten-billion-dollar-impact-of-privacy-changes/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

It’s another Apple event which means it’s another episode. Yes, it might have been a yawn fest, but…. Ok, well maybe there is no but, but at least it meant that Ravi and Luigi could create and share this podcast with you. Plus: Luigi and Ravi give their product ideas for free - hope you’re listening Apple. Support Design By Us: Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message

In this episode, Luigi and Ravi literally go into Blank Street Coffee, a coffee company that's been making waves in the industry. From their remarkable financial achievements to their innovative approach to coffee-making, Blank Street Coffee is redefining the way we enjoy our daily caffeine mix. Blank Street Coffee made headlines last year when they secured an astonishing $67 million in funding from high-profile venture capital funds like General Catalyst and Tiger Global, as well as the founders of Allbirds and Warby Parker, and even the real estate giant Tishman Speyer. Learn how these investments have fueled their rapid expansion, with an incredible 60 shops sprouting around the world in just two years. Luigi and Ravi discuss the purpose of ‘another’ coffee shop. Their mission is simple: serving a clean, natural, and high-quality menu to customers at affordable prices. At Blank Street, a 16-ounce iced latte priced at $4.25, competes with giants like Dunkin' ($3.75) and Starbucks ($5.50). As one co-founder puts it, they aim to be the go-to place for that "our goal is not to make the best coffee, we just make a really good cup of coffee that you drink twice a day, every day." Lastly, they delve into the world of Eversys, the company behind the cutting-edge coffee machines that power Blank Street Coffee's success. Discover the partnership between Eversys and the De'Longhi Group, as well as their mission to elevate the role of the barista and let human skills flourish in coffee-making. Support Design By Us: Follow designbyus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/designbyus_fm Find more content and support us on Patreon: https:/www.patreon.com/designbyus Where to find Luigi and Ravi: Check out: byus.design Follow Luigi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/luigi_dintrono Follow Ravi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/raviisoccupied Referenced: Blank Street Website: https://www.blankstreet.com/ Eversys Machine Catalogue: https://services.eversys.com/includes/download.php?p=downloads&f=EversysBrochure_EN-HighQuality.pdf Eversys website: https://www.eversys.com/ Eversys Coffee Machine Engineering: https://www.eversys.com/en/innovation Eversys API: https://www.eversys.com/en/connectivity The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/03/indie-cafe-in-brixton-takes-on-hedge-fund-backed-coffee-chain-over-name The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/29/dining/blank-street-coffee.html Axios - Barista Training: https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/04/04/barista-blank-street-training Different Types of Machine: https://perfectdailygrind.com/2021/06/how-are-super-automatic-espresso-machines-evolving/ Blank Street Coffee - Unit Economics: https://www.forbes.com/sites/douglasyu/2021/10/13/blank-street-coffees-25-million-raise-shows-what-big-institutions-want-from-food-service-quality-and-convenience/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designbyus/message