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amazing people
1.17.2020 twitter

PortfolioDay has come and gone on Twitter, here are a few favorites to brighten up your feed today.

This week saw #PortfolioDay shoot up on Twitter, filling my feed with a marvelous array of talent.

It felt fitting to share a few of my favorite new follows, all people who will provide your Twitter feed with a fresh boost of color and a delightful pop of positivity.

Australian Artist Milly Que’s illustrations are just a stunning breath of fresh air.

Geneva Bowers manages to bring life and a special sparkle of wonder into all of her work!

Cassandra Jean’s color palettes give such mysterious energy to each and every artwork. It’s like you can feel them coming to life.

More, I need more!
typography
1.15.2020 font variable-font

Now *this* is how you show off your new variable font.

Swiss type foundry Grilli Type are at it again with GT Alpina. There really is no better way to describe it than in the foundry’s own words:

GT Alpina by Reto Moser proudly calls itself a workhorse serif, but delights in playing with the very meaning of that concept. It reaches into the grab bag of typographic history to resurrect shapes some may mistakenly see as too expressive.

Now for the extra icing on the cake: the font has been beautifully engineered as a beloved variable font!

And what better way to show off what a variable font can do, than with a fully interactive experience?

I want to read about the experience
games
1.15.2020 games

Who would have thought trying to guess words in a dictionary could be fun?

I love a game with a simple premise, and Guess my Word doesn’t get any simpler.

Every day comes with a new word, and the rules are simple. You are trying to guess the word (a surprise, I know). When you guess a word you will be told whether it is alphabetically above or below the goal word.

The real fun is when you start narrowing in on the word, and suddenly you’re pressing your brain to find out what other words could possibly be between aardvark and aargh.

Don’t worry though, you’ll get it in the end. It’s actually kind of amazing how your brain begins to eek out words that you haven’t thought of in years.

Can I compete with my friends?
amazing people
1.14.2020 folio

This folio defines interactive design and development.

Ever see the title “interactive developer” and wonder what that really entails?

Nathan Taylor’s website is a treasure trove of interactive tricks and toys that really show off his vast skillset.

From a small Pac-Man munching up letters, to a web audio synth, if you haven’t clicked the link yet and checked it out, honestly you’re missing out!

Any highlights?
resource
1.12.2020 design ascii typography

Ascii glyphs, if you need 'em, this site has 'em.

Ever see a close button that uses the letter x rather than the glyph ร—?

Glyphy has you covered on this front. Whether it be the correct ร—, โ˜…, or the elusive ยฉ … all the glyphs are just a click away!

The site is beautifully designed, the url is simple to remember, and it works super cleanly on your phone.

Who made this?
resource
1.11.2020 code

Take a step back and see how other developers do it.

As someone who has been writing code for a long time, I find that I really get stuck in my ways. Over time new editors roll around, new hardware, new everything.

Uses.tech is a fantastic website by Wes Bos, providing an almanac of developers’ websites, linking out to their respective /uses pages.

What is a /uses page?

A “uses” page, in this context, is, as the website describes: a page detailing developer setups, gear, software, and configs. Still confused? Here are a few great examples.

Now, why is that useful? Well, if you’re like me and are stuck in your ways, its always healthy to take a breath and see how other people like to work. You just might learn something new!

How can I add myself?
games
1.10.2020 art games generative

โ€œPlease, Touch the Artworkโ€ brings more puzzling to abstract art.

Belgian game studio, creatively named Studio Waterzooi, have been hard at work on their first title: Please, Touch the Artwork.

Slated for release on iOS, The Google Play store, itch.io, and more.

I have to say, it looks like a wonderful combination of abstract art and a calming, zen gameplay with some puzzling twists.

Looking at the trailer, we can see that every piece of the game, right down to the minimalistic main character, has been inspired by different pieces of art.

Is it out yet?
code
1.7.2020 glitch pwa

The best time to start tracking your year is now.

If you’re the kind of person who likes beautiful graphs as well as keeping tight track of your life, this project is one for you.

Year in Pixels is a clever Alejandro AR app with a minimalistic design that will allow you to track your mood throughout the year.

For those now looking back at 2019 and worrying about 2020, logging your daily mood is a fantastic way to start your year off right. It not only allows you to spot patterns in your life, but also helps you recognize earlier when you’re starting to wear down.

And if you’ve noticed in the url, the app is built on Glitch! That means you can remix it, changing the design, colors, or whatever you desire.

What Else?
take my money
1.6.2020 emoji

This emoji calendar will brighten your day, every day.

Like emoji? Like to know what date it is? Like to be happy? Perhaps Unicalendar is for you.

The Unicalendar, a minimalistic and optimistic letterpress calendar has everything you need to know, with a beautifully designed flair.

Designer Josh Williams launched the design with a tweet in early December, which was probably the best time to buy it. The second best time is now.

Using emoji to mark specific days on a calendar is a beautiful idea. The Unicalendar includes markings for a lot of important dates, from Valentine’s day to Dog Appreciation day.

Tell me about the calendar...
aesthetic
1.6.2020 twitter anime

These anime disks are an aesthetic experience.

Every now and then you stumble onto a Twitter thread that is so on point, you find yourself scrolling and scrolling until you’re at the very end. This is one of those times.

Jarrett Poole has put together a beautiful tweet thread that puts the disks on display, pulling you straight into the hand drawn, nostalgic anime world.

Honestly, the clips are so short I could barely recognize some of these… but I gave myself a healthy pat on the back for the few that I was able to pin down.

Seriously, just check out the thread.

Just show me more!