9 Lessons
Learnings from design-led top tier tech teams to help you operate at the highest level in your next project.
What separates designers who execute from operators who lead?
Preparation. Presentation. Publication. These are the frameworks from top-tier tech companies on taste, influence, and iteration — the systems that help you ship better products and advance your career. I spent time designing at Apple and Cash App. What I learned wasn't just about making things look good. It was about preparing with purpose, presenting with confidence, and publishing work that compounds.
at scale.
The frameworks, systems, and mindsets that separate good designers from great operators — distilled into 9 lessons.
How to set yourself up mentally and physically before a project sprint.
What Apple's design philosophy really means in practice. How to strip a design down to its essential purpose.
Building systems that scale. How every element in a design earns its place.
Thinking about design symmetry not just visually but structurally.
Understanding what the human eye sees first — and using that to your advantage.
Designing for the actual human being using your product, not the brief.
Light, dark, and everything in between. How to use contrast as a design tool.
Design that doesn't lie about what it is. How to build a visual voice that feels authentic.
The micro-decisions that nobody notices until they're missing.
When to follow the rules and when to break them. How the best design thinkers approach creative risk.
I never thought I would have the honor to land my dream design job. While maintaining my role as Senior Interactive Designer for marketing and communications web pages for iPhone and iPad, I found it takes more than pushing pretty pixels to complete a product launch successfully. I'd like to share what I wish I knew when I started designing with Magnit (Apple), Huge Inc (Google), and Rippling directly with you.
Eric Jordan · @ejordanillEverything you need.
Get the same thinking behind 9 Lessons in your inbox — twice a month, free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
In your inbox.
Short notes on design, craft, and operating at the highest level.