Each month, we curate the best design articles, tools, and insights for our Clearleft, UX London, and Leading Design subscribers, showcasing the ever-evolving design world.
In this series, I’ll share the nine most popular links—three from each newsletter—plus an occasional bonus for something special we’ve achieved or an event update.
Here are the top three picks from Clearleft’s October newsletter!
Figma’s battle against Figma clones...
New competitors frequently emerge in a billion-dollar industry like design software, often trying to reinvent the wheel or directly challenge each other. Unsurprisingly, companies like Figma aren't happy with their influx of rivals and actively work to outcompete or shut them down.
Creative career conundrums...
In-house teams haven’t always had the same cool allure as agencies. This reader is itching to get back. In this week’s Creative Career Conundrum, Katie Cadwell discusses if you can transition from in-house, back to agency.
Taking responsibility in the age of AI...
In 2023, researchers from the Institute of Design at Illinois Tech (ID) spoke with design leaders and business executives from a range of high-profile organisations about the most daunting imperatives they face today. In the process, they learned why and how design can have the transformational impact required to thrive in the age of AI.
Explore the report
Next, here are your top three links from the UX London curated links newsletter last month.
5 funny metaphors to explain why it needs a UX professional...
This article tells five little entertaining stories to explain why you need (UX) experts to design interfaces. The intended audience of those stories is all people involved in product development processes. The people who could use those metaphors are meant to be designers.
Empathy mapping, why and how to use it...
This article discusses how empathy maps help designers understand user perspectives by organising what users say, do, think, and feel. These maps enhance team communication and provide valuable insights for better design decisions, though they work best when combined with other methods.
JPEG VS AVIF - the battle of compression...
Imagine being able to make your photos not only smaller in size but also better in quality. This would allow you to load web pages faster, store more images without paying for extra space, and make sharing and backing up your photo collection easier.
Moving on to your top three links from last month’s Leading Design curated links newsletter for design leaders.
How to survive the design leadership reckoning...
Design leadership as we know it is over, but it’s going to be OK. With traditional roles and methods no longer fitting today's tech landscape, Martyn Reding advises design leaders to embrace adaptability, expand their skill sets, and experiment with new tools to thrive in a market shaped by fierce competition and AI-driven change.
Taking ctrl: the secret to team chemistry...
Venessa Bennett shares insights on building high-performing teams through authentic leadership and strong team chemistry, emphasising the importance of values, personal branding, and creative communication for global teams. Design leaders will gain practical tips on fostering psychological safety and encouraging team members to bring their whole selves to work.
Why design is hard...
What we call designing is in reality mostly advising. We make things as suggestions for other powerful people—clients, executives, and project teams—and they often ignore our expertise. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Design-industry veterans, Scott Berkun and Bryan Zug, explore how to use the skills you already have to navigate, negotiate, and influence the people, power, and systems that currently hold you back.
Read more
Finally, from us…
Research by the Sea early-bird ticket sale ends soon!
Brought to you by Clearleft, we’re taking UX London to the south coast for a full day dedicated to design research. Join the conversation and explore the future of UXR in Brighton amongst fellow design and research practitioners.
🗓 27 February 2025
📍Brighton Dome Studio Theatre
Secure your place at our early-bird rates today; hurry sale ends Friday, November 29.
Be an early-bird
Before you go...
The links in this blog are snippets of longer versions; if you would like to subscribe to any of our newsletters exclusively and be the first to receive the full version of any of our curated links newsletters, you can sign up for links from Clearleft, from UX London, and Leading Design.