Thomas Byttebier

This is Uncommon Practice

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Today, we launched the online home for Uncommon Practice. It’s a first step that is pretty exciting for us. Because finally, we truly exist.

I made a 2 minute video to explain the behind-the-scenes:

Nice to meet you :)

Thanks so much to everyone who has trusted us and supported us so far. We’re just getting started.

Highs and Lows

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

No deadlines.
No Slack messages.
Very few emails.
A quiet calendar.
No direct pressure.

OMG such a change!

A month ago, this would’ve felt like a dream scenario. But now? Surprisingly… uncomfortable.

And of course I know it’s all normal. Building a new creative studio takes time. And in many ways, it’s been a calculated choice.

But you can’t plan everything. I never anticipated the space to be filled by this tiny voice in my head asking: “Is this really normal? Am I doing enough? Was this the right choice? What matters most?”

So far I have been talking to people mostly. (Thank you all!) No agenda, no pitch, just open conversations. There’s no roadmap yet, but the questions are helping things take shape.

I’ve also been thinking. (Too much?) Trying to put words to what I’m building. Figuring out how to describe what I do. Who it’s for. Why it matters. What’s the mental image I want people to hold…

Been doing this for years for clients, but doing it for myself is harder than expected. But then again also more energizing than expected.

Anyway… days of many highs and many lows. If you’ve been through this phase, I’d love to hear how you navigated it.

Launching Uncommon Practice

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Time for a new chapter.

After 10 years as Digital Director at Base Design, I’ve decided to start something of my own.

It’s called Uncommon Practice.

A digital experience studio. But different. Questioning current formats, standards, and methods. Aiming for work that’s unusual but authentic. And future-facing.

We work across web, AI, and the intersection of physical and digital. Storytelling, experience strategy, innovation strategy, design, development.

I’ll be working closely with brands and cultural institutions, building teams of experts shaped by the project’s idea, not by an org chart.

It’s early days. Still taking shape. But the direction feels right. And I’m excited.

If this sparks something, let’s talk.

Onwards! <3

Time for change

Thu, 01 May 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Sorry for neglecting my blog. Work kept me busy. But today I have an announcement.

Decided to wrap up a big chapter. 10 years at Base. It’s been a ride! Joined as a web designer, leaving as Digital Director.

Starting July, it’s time for something new. Not sure exactly what that will be. Keeping my mind open to anything.

But definitely in the exciting space of brand, new tech, great design. Hitting the sweet spot between the obvious and the unseen. Never the gimmick.

Thank you Base Design, for your trust. Grateful to the amazing people, the many clients; many sectors. Learned so much!

My web dev manifesto

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0200

(This article was issue 21 of Maps, a newsletter on Digital I co-wrote for Base Design from 2022 to 2025.)

While in life I may still feel like a junior, at least at work, they call me a senior.

In all those professional years of designing and building websites for brands, I have seen how much the landscape has evolved—tools, trends, technologies, and expertise. Gosh, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the never-ending rapid change.

But in this fast-paced digital space, there’s also the comforting constants; best practices that have remained true since as long as I can remember.

Let me give you one example; one approach that instantly ups the quality of any project, and for that reason has shaped our processes at Base: when development and design work together, they elevate one another.

Simple enough. But it takes effort. And for that reason, it is often bypassed. Yet it’s such a valuable principle: development becomes more than just execution; it emerges as an integral part of the design process.

For this newsletter I took up the challenge of writing down ten of my most important best practices in designing and building for the web. Call them my ten beliefs. Disconnected from any particular technology or trend, they were true back when I started, they’re true today, and will almost certainly still be true tomorrow.

I think it’s safe to say that they grew to become ten guiding principles for web development that ~~we use at Base~~ I use consistently (*).

Here they are (I’m sure you’ll recognize the first one)—

A ten point manifesto

01
Development is not end-of-the-line production.
It’s part of our design process from the start.

02
We design for the best case scenario.
But we code for the worst.

03
Performance is part of the experience.

04
SEO matters.
But humans come first, machines second.

05
We build resilience into our products.
They adapt to the ebb and flow of the web.

06
Accessibility is always built-in.
It’s never an after-thought.

07
Progressive enhancement is non-negotiable.
We start with content.

08
We build for people.
Technology serves them, not the other way around.

09
The tech architecture should reflect your logic.
Not just the project’s design.

10
Everything we produce is an opportunity to enrich your brand perception.

Random finds

→ Did you know Base also has a Design Manifesto?

→ This website is a collection of design manifestos. Inspiring.

→ “If we do the right things we’ll make money damn near automatic.” One of the best brand manifestos out there is definitely Nike’s, originally published in 1977.

From my camera roll — September 27th, 22:40, Antwerp.

Brian Roettinger at Us By Night talking about his work for the band No Age.

(*) Since I don’t work at Base anymore, can’t want to speak for them no more. Still it was at the time of writing :)

Until next time,

Taste Takes Time

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0100

(This article was issue 17 of Maps, a newsletter on Digital I co-wrote for Base Design from 2022 to 2025.)

First, mankind.

Then, computers.
Graphical User Interfaces.
The World Wide Web.
Web 2.0 and social media.
The iPhone.
Web 3.

And now: Artificial Intelligence.

AI is changing it all again.
Literally everything.
In the most profound ways.

And it’s only the beginning.
As tools improve and become more accessible, it makes all of us question how we work. And where to strategically focus.

Of course I made the reflection myself as well. Haven’t we all? As creatives, what will be our roles in the future? And how will your job evolve?

Well, I’m terribly sorry.
I don’t have the answer.

But I do see clues.

For instance that AI is really good at technical tasks with a clearly defined brief. Like:

Rewrite this article in under 100 words.
Make this song ten seconds longer before the chorus.
Make a landscape video out of this portrait one, without cropping.
Generate an image of a cyber-punk jellyfish.

And that AI is pretty terrible at coming up with anything that is:

Strategically smart
Very contemporary
Emotionally sophisticated
Perfectly executed
Showing excellent taste

In a great article, Elizabeth Goodspeed is making exactly that last point: “AI does not have taste”.

I agree. And it most likely never will.

It’s always humans who provide context, and judge with taste. The outcome of AI fully depends on the creative ambitions of those who use it.

So… back to our original question. Where to move our focus in the AI-age? Well, one thing is clear: good taste will be everything.

That should at least give us enough guidance to figure out where to go next.

Now you may ask: how to acquire taste? Hmm… that’s a big one. Elizabeth writes: “Good taste takes time”.

But maybe that’s more of a subject for our next issue :)

Random finds

→ Love this 20 minute talk by Eric Hu, a love letter to our profession. It touches upon the same subject as the story above: what’s the role of creatives in this age of computer algorithms and AI? The story sure that takes a few turns. Eric reasons that images aren’t necessarily created, they’re discovered.

→ If you can make it to the beautiful city of Ghent, Belgium, then catch Antoine and I talking about AI.

→ If you had enough about AI, check this: our very own Ji made a Chrome extension that immediately blurs out any AI-related terminology on the web pages you visit. She called it Rage Against the Machine Learning. Aha!

→ A genuine desire to reconnect with the real world. Here’s five Base Design experts sharing their personal predictions and aspirations for the branding sector in 2024.

→ Glitch Design manifesto for positive friction. A couple of months ago, Kim Boutin gave a very inspiring lecture at Base in Brussels, advocating for positive friction in digital design. See the picture below.

From my camera roll — December 20th, 11:32, Brussels

Kim Boutin at Base Brussels advocating for Glitch Design.

Until next time,

Shouldn't we be on TikTok?

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0200

(This article was issue 12 of Maps, a newsletter on Digital I co-wrote for Base Design from 2022 to 2025.)

Should we?

Well, you’re definitely not the first one asking.

If you are in doubt whether or not to make the jump to the platform, then be prepared for discomfort. TikTok is the place where your old brand guidelines will get smashed to pieces.

But maybe let me give you some context first.

Similar to other social media platforms, TikTok’s community has cultivated its own unique microculture, establishing norms of acceptable behavior while disapproving of others.

It’s key for brands to play along.

You can explore your own voice and try to stand out, of course, but you’ll have to stay within the boundaries of the microculture. If not, you’ll fail.

Have a look at this post from Dior (or check the still below). It shows background footage of their June Paris show. It feels pretty lo-fi. It may not be the type of communication you would expect from a brand like Dior.

However, their coverage of the same event on Instagram (here’s one typical example) may be more in line with your expectations: perfectly produced, very hi-fi professional. Again, here’s a still:

What’s happening here is no coincidence.

TikTok thrives on authenticity. The best-performing content on the platform is unfiltered, showing real people in everyday situations without extensive staging or scripting.

If your post looks too branded, too slick, too produced or too designed, TikTok users are absolutely unforgiving. They’ll swipe it away in a split second. Your post will look like an advertisement to them. And if enough people swipe it away, the TikTok algorithm will give up on you extremely quickly.

Bye brand book!

Actually, our first advice for TikTok would be to forget everything that’s in your classic brand book altogether. Out with your guidelines!

But this also means that if you’re new to TikTok, then it’s gonna be an investment. It will take time to get your brand’s communication right on the platform.

So that brings us back to our initial question: Is it worth it? Should you be on TikTok?

Let me give you just one argument against, and then one argument in favor.

Here’s the one against: if your team is already fully busy, it’s probably not the best idea. Our general rule of thumb is that as a brand it’s better to be strong on one platform, than to be mediocre on multiple. TikTok will for sure take up resources.

However, here’s the argument in favor: Facebook was all the rage 15 years ago. It’s in decline. Twitter (X) was the latest craze 10 years ago. It’s retrograding. Instagram was all the rage 5 years ago and while still going strong, it’s never been extremely popular amongst the youngest generation.

Next to Snapchat, TikTok is undoubtedly the new generation’s most prominent social network. That in itself should be reason enough to convince you, because Gen Z is already massively influencing today’s consumer trends.

Actually, I don’t think there’s been one trend in the past year where TikTok didn’t have anything to do with it.

Additionally, let’s not forget, this generation is your clients, your business partners and your employees of tomorrow.

That said, eventually things will even out

TikTok’s user base has definitely diversified and expanded across age groups. And it will continue to do so.

What’s more, TikTok’s popular content is clearly influencing the overall tone of brand communication on all platforms. You can already see that on Insta or YouTube for instance, a lot of brands (especially the ones targeting a younger audience) are posting similar unfiltered, unstaged, more real content, just like on TikTok.

Nike’s communication is a good example. Their Instagram is clearly still more branded and slicker than their TikTok content, but the difference is less noticeable than let’s say one year ago. Skincare brand Cerave (huge on TikTok, smart on social in general) is almost equally loose on Insta as it is on TikTok. Same goes for many, many others.

So even on the content level, things are already evening out across platforms.

Things always even out

I guess bringing unfiltered, authentic content is just generally growing into a more contemporary approach for brands to communicate.

Feeling overwhelmed?

No idea where to get started?

Here’s a simple tip: create your brand account and start to follow like-minded businesses and people. No need to post anything. Just let people follow you if they want. Open the app a few times a week to get a feel for the platform’s microculture. Soon enough you’ll start to understand the space and may be ready to take the next step: posting.

Or just hit reply for now. We’ll be happy to assist. Absolutely no pressure.

Before we go…

→ Every creative a director: Check this video of rapper Lupe Fiasco using AI as an instrument. It gives a beautiful insight into how AI can help creatives magnify their visions, by letting machines do the tedious work. Or how we can use machines as collaborators.

→ It’s me, hi, I’m the robot, it’s me: Colleague Mirek just got a mea culpa from ChatGPT competitor Claude. That’s a primer for me. Interesting.

→ Digital culture: How is Digital culture influencing real life fashion, beauty, footwear and design aesthetics? Hypebae took an interesting deep dive into the topic.

→ Slow on purpose: If you click a link to a website Elon doesn’t like, Twitter (X) will make sure it takes long before the link opens. Probably hoping you’ll just click away before you can read anything. OMG. There are so many reasons why this is so wrong.

→ Banning content from AI: Remember this past issue where we talked about how the web is eventually turning into chat? Well, the New York Times is now blocking OpenAI’s web crawler, meaning that OpenAI can’t use content from the publication to train its AI models. Ok, but then what about Google’s? Is a ban truly sustainable?

From my camera roll — August 12th, 10:42, Marseille

The rooftop of Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse, surrounded by the smoke coming from adjacent forest fires.

Until next time,

Disrupt to get noticed

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0100

(This article was issue 9 of Maps, a newsletter on Digital I co-wrote for Base Design from 2022 to 2025.)

SEO will morph into Chat Bot Optimization

You know that age old saying: ‘eventually every app will turn into chat’? Think about Facebook, Instagram or basically any app you’re using on a daily basis… they all evolve into us using them to chat.

Well, Troy Young wrote an interesting article about the same phenomenon happening to ‘the internet’ itself.

Today, if you’re looking for something on the internet, the journey is simple: it starts with entering a search query into Google, and ends with visiting a web page to find the answer.

For simple questions however (like ‘How to cut an apple?’), Google is already giving us a direct answer. We don’t need to visit a page anymore.

And that makes sense, because from a UX perspective, visiting a page takes mental effort. It brings you into a totally different environment. You have to learn how to navigate that page. You have to dig in to find the answer. It totally disrupts your flow.

Now Troy’s point is; with AI getting baked into search engines more and more, the need to visit pages will diminish until it becomes irrelevant.

‘Pages will still exist but will be far less important,’ he says. ‘Content sucking bots will pull the relevant stuff to a personalized narrative response. More time will be spent in Q&A mode than Page mode. Search Engine Optimization will morph into Chat Bot Optimization.’

Basically, the internet will morph into chat!

Holy holy! But honestly, I agree. So brands, take note. No one will visit your web pages anymore. Your content will soon be presented void of any visual aesthetic or branded tone of voice.

Does it mean I’ll soon be out of work? I don’t think so. Because as soon as a convention is established, the most interesting thing to do is finding a way that doesn’t follow it.

‘Disrupt to get noticed.’

Yeah! 🤘

Disrupting, doing things differently, creating intentional friction… It all reminds me of another article I read that even goes one step further:

‘When navigating a space designed not to make me think, how can I experience anything or feel any emotion?’

That question comes from DVTK. And it’s an excellent one. Over the past years, digital has grown synonymous with simplicity, accessibility, standards and seamless interactions. The simpler an interface is designed to be used, the better.

And yes, while that may be an efficient approach in many cases—think about our search engine scenario above, but also tools like Weather app or a public transportation website—it does drain the online world from the roughness of emotions and memorable experiences. When ‘Don’t make me think’ becomes the design mantra of user-centered digital design, there is just no space for anything new.

I also wrote about it years ago in an article titled Beyond the Interface, reflecting on sameness in design and the seemingly paradox of what users want (uniformity, predictability, usability, standards) vs what brands want (differentiation, identification, individuality, emotion).

Positive Friction

Now the thing is, DVTK wants to bring back friction in digital experiences. The good kind of friction though. They call it Positive Friction. And hell yes, we’re with them. It could be the disruption I talked about before.

‘By disobeying the digital design standards, we find room to explore new possibilities. We create surprise and we dive into the undiscovered. Refusing these guidelines, we design new spaces within which new narratives can occur, that people should take time to discover and understand. By doing so, we create a relationship with our welcomed visitors rather than creating flows to guide emotionless users.’

Amen.

Base_test 🥳

Talking about surprise and emotion… we just launched a project called Base_test. It’s a place that shows our work in progress, focusing on experimentation and newness. It’s the kind of work that hardly ever makes it to our portfolio for various reasons. Maybe it ultimately didn’t fit the client’s context. Maybe it’s work from a lost pitch. Maybe it’s part of R&D. Maybe it was just a test…

Through these experiments, we want to provide a new window into the day-to-day at Base. We hope you like it. You can also follow us on Instagram if that’s your thing.

The Weird Web

All of this brings me to the Weird Web. Needless to say, I’m a fan. If you want to get inspired by websites and online projects that are full of positive friction, have a look at gallery websites like hallointer.net, hoverstat.es or loadmo.re.

Before we go…

→ More intelligent apps: AI finds its way into more and more software. Now Notion is bringing AI as a new function directly into its workspace app. Have a look at the demo video. In short: you can use it to structure thoughts, tidy up text, summarize messy meeting notes, and more. Accessible AI. Nice!

→ More context-aware AR: AR objects often look like strange things that were pasted into an existing context. Like in the early days of 2D image editing when we would select something from one photo and paste it into another photo without any lighting or color adjustments (and we’d be amazed already). But AR tech is progressing. Here’s a nice demo of a Snapchat lens that utilizes Snap’s new AR functionality (Ray Tracing). It’s all about the simple tattoo reflection on the bracelet. Slowly getting there…

→ Hands up: A bit gimmicky like this, but opening a lot of interesting opportunities: hand tracing in the browser. Would love to try a website controlled by hand gestures.

→ Here’s me scoring a goal for RSC Anderlecht: NBA fans rejoice, the NBA app may soon launch a new feature and it’s amazing. I guess mainly because I finally have to face it; at 42 the chance of me making an appearance at the FIFA World Cup is fading. Is someone at UEFA or FIFA already subscribed to this newsletter? :)

→ Blurred: If you’re in Switzerland: I’ll be speaking at the Swiss Interactive Media Design Days on March 24th in Sankt Gallen. The conference title is Blurred. Let’s meet?

From my camera roll — January 10th, 12:38, St. Gilles

Until next time,

A living plant controlling a machete

Sun, 30 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0200

(This article was issue 5 of Maps, a newsletter on Digital I co-wrote for Base Design from 2022 to 2025.)

Privacy and AI

If you’ve ever worried about privacy in the digital space, then check out Dries Depoorter’s work. As an artist he focuses on themes such as surveillance and privacy. His latest project is a real gem. For weeks Dries recorded a selection of open street cameras. He then wrote software to find all Instagram photos taken nearby the locations of these open cameras. Next he used AI to compare the massive amount of recorded footage with the massive amount of Instagram photos. The result was shared in a YouTube movie and it is equally entertaining, scary and stunning. (I realized just before sending this email that his video was taken off YouTube, but here’s a low quality gif that still kinda gives you the idea. I wonder if there was a privacy issue…)

Talking about artificial intelligence; the past few months saw a surge in AI projects. We mentioned Dall•e and the likes (impressive text-to-image generators) in an earlier newsletter. Then of course there was Kendrick Lamar’s famous deepfake video, and the one and only Elvis appearing on America’s Got Talent. Yesterday I learned about this AI-generated podcast interview between Joe Rogan and Steve Jobs. And as if we weren’t impressed enough by all that, now there’s text to video. So basically you feed the machine a text instruction and it then generates a video illustrating your command. OMG. Still early stages but check out this, or this demo video by Runway. Is text to brand next?

There is no metaverse

As you can see, it’s getting harder and harder to distinguish fake from real. On that topic; ever since Facebook rebranded to Meta, and Mark Zuckerberg used the term ‘metaverse’ to describe his future vision of the internet, all we hear about is brands entering the metaverse. But there’s a couple of reflections to make here. The main one definitely being that as of today, there is no such thing as the metaverse. (And unless all tech companies work together for let’s say the next two years, it’s not coming in the near future either.) So what exactly do all these brands mean when they say they entered the metaverse?

For now, most of the time, it’s nothing too groundbreaking. Since metaverse has no real definition it became a buzzword attached to hundreds of disconnected projects and ideas. The majority of brand marketeers shouting today created a 3D virtual environment to show you their products in, or host an event of some kind. Save Your World by WWF is an example of that. Credit where credit is due: it is a beautifully designed 3D space to wander around in. You don’t need a VR device, you can explore it in your browser too.

But while it’s definitely interesting to see experiments like these, I doubt their usability and durability. It feels awkward to walk around using your keyboard’s arrow keys in a fake world with a fake avatar just to watch a video on a fake screen, when a simple YouTube link and a place to chat is all you need. It’s slightly less awkward when wearing a VR headset, but still. Mostly, it feels metaverse for the sake of metaverse. (There must be some marketing golden rule that says being amongst the first in a hyped territory equals press and attention.)

The Sorrowverse

Other brands are using already existing 3D environments, most notably games. When done with respect for the game’s community, this may be the smartest move. But when there is no fit with the game’s original culture, it just feels very intrusive and awkward to its community, inducing the opposite effect. You may have seen the video of Walmart’s chief marketing officer on a stage in Roblox introducing its new ‘Walmart land’ experience. Here’s a quote: “How are we driving relevance in cultural conversation? How are we developing community and engagement? How are we moving the needle from a brand favorability standpoint with younger audiences?” Honestly, that all sounds pretty despairing and mismatched to me. In the end all you’re trying to do is sell more stuff to young kids online.

That being said, everything we’re seeing today are explorations into new-ish territory. I think that’s exciting. And we’re all collectively learning from them as designers. They’re paving a new way and I like to believe that it’s just a matter of time before more clever solutions arrive.

On that note; if you want to explore together with us, hit reply! :)

Before we go…

→ Respect: Unless you lived under a rock for the past weeks, you probably heard that Earth is now Patagonia’s only shareholder. Respect. Because if you dig deep enough, you’ll find that many a purpose-led brand is actually a marketing-led brand. However, in Patagonia’s case, when you do a move as bold as giving away an asset (worth around $3 billion) to an organization whose only mission is to save our planet, you cannot say you’re in it for the money. Purpose is a hard beast to fake. You don’t make it up. Because really the purpose of purpose is purpose, not marketing.

→ Random find: Not sure why Ichitaro Masuda created this and for what reason, but Carla’s trail looks absolutely stunning.

→ Different: We have all seen fashion brands like Balenciaga endorse avatars with their garments inside the (so-called) metaverse. Interesting. But what Ying Gao has done is super nice as well. She basically switched things around and took inspiration from the metaverse to design a new physical collection. Robotic clothes, but differently.

→ Fun: If you’re looking for new interior design inspiration, you may as well skip Pinterest all together and directly upload photos of your apartment to Interior AI. It will return you a set of adapted pictures, showing your room with new furniture, windows, curtains, carpets and more. Pretty impressive.

→ Here is a living plant controlling a machete through an industrial robot arm. OK.

→ Unusable: Loving the fresh digital work by Yehwan Song, who is trying to fight usability and seeking uncomfort in the comfortable websites. Pretty sure anti-friendly experiments like these can ultimately give birth to new and usable design patterns.

→ Beyond the screen: A few weeks ago I invited Mark Hinch over in our Brussels studio. He gave an inspirational talk about his work, which is all about connected spaces. By inspecting how we interact in, and with, the spaces we live, socialize and work in, he’s creating more tangible and humane ways to connect with the digital layers in our lives. He is looking beyond the screen as an interface and, instead, using what is already there. Now things like windows, doors, walls and floors can all become alternate ways of controlling and communicating with the digital world. Tweet.

→ To keep an eye on: Base (that’s us!) just launched a placeholder for a test platform that leads to a placeholder. So far everything is holding places perfectly, but of course the objective is much bigger than that. We want to share our experiments, questions and failures with you. We’ll share more in the coming newsletters.

From my camera roll—October 3rd, 09:15, Base Brussels.

Until next time,

A koala dunking a basketball

Mon, 02 May 2022 00:00:00 +0200

(This article was issue 1 of Maps, a newsletter on Digital I co-wrote for Base Design from 2022 to 2025.)

NFTs

Alright. Of course. NFTs. We can’t avoid the topic. It seems a new variation of ugly apes, penguins, pigs, punks or bananas gets released every day. Some of them have a clear and true cultural impact. Others are pure and utter scams. Depending on who you talk to, they’re either Crypto’s latest pump and dump scheme, or the future of the Internet.

Hype but vague understanding often equals nervosity. Some brands have seemed to just jump on the bandwagon with absolutely no real story to tell, only creating more e-waste. But I’m much more charmed by a project like Erode. It’s Random Studio’s very own way of experimenting and critiquing NFTs using… NFTs. They released 3D objects that degrade in a visually interesting way every time they get resold, just like physical objects would decay over time. You can see how it works, or read their accompanying article. It’s smart.

That being said, it’s clear something bigger is going on with NFTs as a phenomenon. (Just look at this year’s Super Bowl ads.) Scott Galloway wrote an insightful article on the subject. He tries to look beyond the newest trends and understand the real transformative value of NFTs in today’s society. Or to put it in his words: “How long will Bored Apes remain culturally relevant? Don’t know. They are trees, which live and die. Yet the forest is immortal.”

Did I already lose you?

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, or you could need a good refresh (like me every other month), you probably need The New York Times’ Latecomers Guide to Crypto (Paywall though). It reminds us for instance that “NFTs, even the jokey ones, are part of a robust, well-funded ideological movement that has serious implications for our political and economic future.” And that’s important to remember, right?

WOAH!

Enough of NFTs, crypto, Web3 and blockchain. Remember Disney’s Wall•E? Well, now there’s Dall•E! And it is so impressive. (And scary at the same time.) It’s a new artificial intelligence system that can create realistic images from a description in natural language. Meaning you say something like “a koala dunking a basketball” and it will give you a photorealistic image of exactly that. An image that has never existed before! Watch the video (15 seconds is enough to get the idea). Honestly, this is huge. It opens so many possibilities for brands to experiment with. Can’t wait to start playing with Dall•E. (Hit reply if you have an idea!)

Before we go…

→ Mesmerizing: Have a look at Tomohiro Okazaki’s Instagram. Love it. It feels like the most analog form of digital interaction design that I know.

→ Random find: Weirdness alert: visual amusements with code.

→ Self-praise: Someone asked who has the best architects’ website in the UK. Good question. Great answer!

→ Wish we had made this: Frankly, On’s website for its new shoe The Roger is well done.

→ Loud, louder, loudest! Artist Jeff Koons is entering the fray of NFTs. Of course he is. Each unique digital work from his series will correspond to a physical sculpture. Now here’s the thing: later this year, a group of the sculptures will be launched into space from the Kennedy Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida. You may wonder what took him so long? Well, he says “I wanted to create a historically meaningful NFT project rooted in humanistic and philosophical thought”. No comment…

→ Smart: There’s only so many pixels in an Instagram post to share your content and still make a branded impression. Now this is a little nerdy maybe, but that white border that disappears to reveal more of the video, then reappears at the end is so simple yet instantly became extremely recognizable “New York Times” in my Instagram stream. Well done!

→ Sorry, can’t do, too busy: All my love to the Busy Simulator.

From my camera roll—April 10th, 20:23, Oostende.

Until next time,