I just got back from a much-needed birthday trip to Mexico City (CDMX), and you'd think I'd be roaring back with a fiery newsletter. Instead, I've come back with the post-vacation blues and a two-day migraine that delayed this newsletter. I said it would be a weekly newsletter, but I'm a day late! Can we pretend the tardiness is your birthday gift to me?
I don't know what your part of the world is like, but it's officially Spring in New York City. It feels like the city is about to come alive after a long but mild winter. I lived on the west coast for most of my adult life and I think seasons are overrated. But if you've never participated in the spring awakening of the east coast, you couldn't possibly understand.
In lieu of a packed design issue this week (see paragraph one), this is going to be a healthy dump of internet goodies that I want you to see. Don't think I'm going to skip out on this week's real newsletter just because this one went out on a Monday. The head throbbing is gone, and the community is calling my name.
I mentioned in the last issue I was planning on doing exclusive interviews with designers that you know and love. Maybe a few that you hate to love. If you want to hear from a smaller voice in the community, tell me about them. Send me your suggestions at devinsfountain@substack.com
Websites you haven’t bookmarked but need
Landing Love
Static galleries are passé. Dribbble in 2014 called and wants its 400x300 mockups back. Landing Love is a website gallery focused purely on the movement that websites show best. Be warned, there's a lot to load on each page, and opening this tab will slow your browser down if you've got a bunch open like me.
Doing Cool Stuff
https://www.doingcoolstuff.xyz/
Godly has its curated selection of sites, and Awwwards is doing their concept-car approach. Doing Cool Stuff specializes in brand and product design agencies/studios only. I love that you can sort the sites by agency size too. It gives you an idea of what can be accomplished by one person.
Visual Journal
The branding and product design that Alessandro Scarpellini gathers for Visual Journal feels intentional and never thoughtless. The site will have you clicking on one project, stumbling on another project at the end of the page, and falling down the rabbit hole forever. It's worth falling too.
‘Music to focus and draw rectangles to’
Long flights have this effect where they make you want to consume content that you'd usually skip because you have too many choices. So instead of design links this week, I want to leave you with some working music. I gave these a chance on the plane, so you can too.
BIEN O MAL by Trueno
I heard the titular song from this album playing in a gallery in La Condesa (a neighborhood in CDMX). Do you ever feel disappointed when you hear a single and the rest of the album doesn't hold a candle to that song? This album won't do that to you. And if you want a little more Spanish on the side, here's one more song I heard as we were leaving the gallery.
Kahunastyle by Flamingosis
Imagine a relaxed bar in Miami spinning vinyl on a breezy summer night. Kahunastyle is a break from lo-fi chill beats to study and relax.
Gideon’s Way by Ruby Rushton
Gideon’s way is a single scoop of your favorite ice cream. It’s short enough to devour the scoop without melting on your hands and sublime in its delivery to make you wish you had gotten two scoops instead. The flute solos are the brownie bits on top.
Reality Testing by Lone
When I was 11, I would sleep over at my cousins’ house and we would stay up late for Adult Swim. In between episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Dragon Ball Z, Adult Swim would play ident bumpers that looked like dioramas of city streets. Reality Testing makes me feel the same awe that I felt during those commercial breaks.
Shoutouts
There's only one new paid subscriber since the last newsletter, and she deserves all of the attention.
Melissa Mendez, thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. I already thanked you personally, but you deserve every shoutout from the community. Thank you for giving me a platform in the Flow Party to support and mentor junior designers and developers. In my first year of freelancing, you pushed me to produce better work and empower our community, just like you set out to do. We should all strive to be more like you.