DesignGuide°
QC#
66
:
Do it well, not right
Liv Strawbridge
•
0
Min Read
•
June 12, 2024
Prompt #1
Do it well, not right
Ruth Wakefield, a nutritionist and owner of the Toll House Inn, accidentally invented the chocolate chip cookie in the 1930s. When making cookies for her guests, she ran out of baker's chocolate so substituted it with bits from a chocolate bar, expecting them to melt and disappear into the dough. To her surprise, the chocolate bits held their shape and created little pockets of gooey chocolate throughout the cookies.
Instead of considering this a mistake, Ruth embraced the unexpected result of her improvisation. She continued serving these cookies to her guests – they became an instant hit – and eventually struck a deal with Nestle to print her recipe on their chocolate bars in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate.
By doing things her own way and not being afraid to deviate from the normal way of doing things, Ruth Wakefield accidentally invented one of the most popular cookies in the world.
Nobody has everything worked out. We're all just trying to find figure things out as we go along. Find an approach to your work that works for you, even if it's unconventional. Do it well, not right – and leave room in your process for unexpected magic to happen... it may just lead to your next great creation.
Prompt #2
Manage passwords with Nordpass
I used to save passwords in my browser, but after an update wiped them all out, I realised the importance of a dedicated password manager. That's when I found Nordpass, and it's been a game-changer.
Now in my second year using Nordpass, I wouldn't go back. It saves me so much time by streamlining logins and form fills, allowing me to stay in the flow while designing. And, it does more than just passwords – it securely stores credit cards, addresses, and important notes (like wifi codes), and it’s single-handedly helped me get out of the risky habit of reusing passwords by helping me quickly create strong, unique passwords using the generator.
Nordpass has become an indispensable tool for maintaining my online safety and productivity. The time savings and security feel well worth the (fairly small) cost compared to the potential nightmares of poor password practices.
Prompt #3
How to create inner stroke styles in Illustrator
To create an inner stroke inside a shape without duplicating or resizing the shape, use the ‘offset path’ effect in the appearance panel (window > appearance).
This method keeps the distance around the shape consistent and preserves the live corners, while providing a non-destructive way to create inner strokes that can be easily edited or removed later.
It also gives you the ability to apply the same inner stroke style to any other shape using ‘graphic styles’ (window > graphic styles).
Supercharge your design process
Brand Designer's Tool Kit
Find tools to improve your daily processes as a brand designer.
View tool kit
Brand Design Process Tutorials
Step-by-step guides on everything from initial brief to delivery.
Browse tutorials
Logo Design Process Checklist
A free PDF checklist for navigating the process of designing logos.
Download checklist
Logo Design Process Kit
A plug-n-play process kit to help you design logos with clarity.
Learn about the kit