Why I keep showing up
DA—008
It’s been a good year. A lot happened — I’ll keep it short.
Thank you for sticking around.
If it wasn’t for your support, I probably wouldn’t be doing all this on socials. I love the industry, but without you I’d be happily working off-grid, taking personal gigs like I did for years.
I’ve kept a steady rhythm of one or two videos a week.
It keeps me disciplined, stops me overthinking, and somehow makes everything feel lighter.
I genuinely love the feedback and conversations. Some projects actually started because of your comments — and yes, I read and reply to every single one.
All of this feeds into Design Academy.
The goal is to build a proper archive around how I think about design, how I work, and how I make money with it.
Maybe it turns into something bigger.
What you might have missed this month 👇
Gin × Tennis × Me.
To celebrate the iconic duo that is Sipsmith × Wimbledon — and their shared love for doing things properly — I got to design a set of smithery-inspired wall frames. 🎾🍸
More visuals and illustrations on my website
The stroke hack they forgot to teach you
Something weird glitched in the Instagram matrix a few months back — suddenly every graphic designer started dropping “how to outline your logo” tips. It got me thinking about one stroke hack I actually rate — especially if you’re working on something that feels dynamic or digital.
What if England’s crest actually represented the Lionesses?
Just black and white visuals focusing on the shape.
Full project
Looks like this one hit a nerve Let’s discuss
My attempt to kern Avatar’s logo
I love the @avatar films so much my mate once nicked a 6-sheet poster from a bus stop — it lived on my wall for years. They’re brilliantly made, genuinely top-tier cinema. And thankfully, they ditched Papyrus for the last two. Ryan Gosling can finally get some sleep.
A middleweight designer in the UK charges £300 a day. Kerning takes 10 minutes. I’ve done it pro bono. You’re welcome.
My colleague said my desktop gives her anxiety
I don’t think it’s a mess, more like functional chaos. But she’s not wrong about one thing: my brain’s all over the place.
Comes with the job — I notice everything and hoard visual bits like a digital magpie. My desktop’s a mess because my head is too. Folders full of inspo, half-baked concepts, screenshots I swore I’d come back to.
So yeah, I’m never short on ideas. The real problem? The project needs focus. It’s one of those “kill your darlings” situations — and when everything feels exciting, deciding what not to use is the actual hard part ♻️
Twisted wire type: The anti-balloon Illustrator tutorial
2023: Illustrator drops next-level 3D, and the design world loses its mind — especially over the Inflate tool. Fast-forward to 2025, and we’re still living in Balloon Land 🎈 All soft, puffy, nostalgic… how cute.
But hear me out — what if we ditch the pillow fight and make something actually cool? Twisted. Wire. Lettering. Let’s swap the marshmallow vibes for some hardcore metal, and see what happens ✌️
See all visuals
Some thoughts on modern graphic design
A video version of what I shared in the last newsletter.
Designing ‘Flipping’ skateboard
The epitome of style, a meticulously designed skateboard, featuring the word “Flipper” typographically executed. Inspired by my brother talent for nailing those flipping tricks, this skateboard pays homage to his old nickname. The concept for the graphic is inspired by twisting kinetic typography.
View full project
More things worth your time 👇
If you love London like I do, have a look at its reconstruction
Interview with the font designer behind the type I use
How a brand redesign destroyed Jaguar