UX design
fromMedium
13 hours agoAre we makers by nature-or consumers by design?
The relationship between creation and consumption is strained, impacting designers' creativity and cognitive processes.
"We've never seen any president profit off of something like the Trump Store, or indeed, any of the numerous businesses that Trump has continued to profit from while serving as president," CREW communications director Meghan Faulkner tells Fast Company.
In the collision repair industry, your visual portfolio is your entire sales pitch. If a stressed vehicle owner visits the website of a local auto body shop, the very first thing they look for is evidence of past miracles. A compelling before and after photo does the heavy lifting of building trust before they ever pick up the phone to ask for an estimate.
Publicly traded companies are by legal definition and requirement completely amoral. They want only one thing, to raise their stock price, and the public good and common decency are just obstacles to be overcome or spun in that quest.
Sourced directly from a manufacturer, private-label brands remove one or more layers of intermediaries from the supply chain, usually distributors or other brands. A nearly identical private brand can earn more margin, even at a low price.
We've both fought against needless promotional content before and lamented that frontier AI platforms are falling into the same pattern. As designers and users, we've learned that "free" usually means putting up with interruptive, slightly creepy ads that feel more like a tax than a benefit - a frustration tax that now colors how we approach free‑tier services and now AI tools.
Performance has always been the foundation of commerce media because it tied spend to measurable behavior. From sponsored search to sponsored products, the category scaled by delivering outcomes that could be directly attributed to transactions. Automation, AI-driven optimization and closed-loop measurement accelerated that model and made outcomes-based buying the norm. Outcomes still matter. But as AI reduces friction and increases competition, outcomes alone no longer create separation.
This year has been volatile for brands. With tariffs taking effect, the job market slowing, and consumer spending barely keeping pace with inflation, it's no surprise that ad spend has slowed in tandem. Amidst economic uncertainty and an onslaught of unanswered questions, brands are increasingly looking for demonstrable ROI in their marketing and design budgets. Some may choose to invest in a costly new campaign or commit to a new brand identity, while others will default to slashing their budgets altogether.
When you participate in a major tech event, you naturally want to stand out. Print materials can ensure making a professional first impression. In this article we look at how you ensure that your tech company's exhibition stand definitely stands out. Even if you participate in 2026 at the Web Summit in Portugal, the London Tech Week, TechEx Europe in the RAI Amsterdam or FOSDEM in our own country (Brussels). Which HelloPrint print materials are suitable for dressing up a booth?