VP of Design at Tines. Creator of Whilst. hi@jonnybelton.co
Execution is our cheap credit We get one life. Usually one career. One shot at doing work that matters. And I think we’re living through one of the most significant shifts in how software gets built in decades. Something has changed. You can feel it. I think most builders feel it. I don’t want to oversell it. And I don’t want to pretend it’s nothing either. The cost of building software has…
Introducing Whilst Posting thoughts or work publicly should feel effortless. Time and attention belong in the content itself, not in the process of getting it online. And yet, putting something on the web often means making a long chain of decisions first — platform, framework, layout, typography, colour. Before a single sentence is published. When creating my own place on the web, I tried a…
Winter light Shot on the Sigma BF 44mm as the sun set over the pond house.
Current things I use daily ## Apple Studio Display Honestly a gorgeous display, nothing else has come close. I use this thing every day and don’t regret the purchase. I opted for the regular screen with height adjustable tilt stand. ## Mac Mini As soon as the M4 version of the mini came out I jumped on it, and it’s such a powerful beast of a machine. Paired with the above display it’s a fantastic…
My AI tech stack It's a really exciting time to be working in tech right now. There's a feeling of endless possibility, tools are being replaced at a fast rate, roles are being blurred in the best way possible. Lately I've zoned in on some great tools that help scratch my builder itch. Aside from Chat GPT I find myself regularly using: [Visual…
[Let's make computers fun again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cigAxzQGeLg)
[A responsibility to the industry](https://lmnt.me/blog/a-responsibility-to-the-industry.html) Louie Mantia on Alan Dye, and Liquid Glass: No one I know would ask Alan Dye to design their app. Adopting Liquid Glass is no different. Why would anyone subscribe to a design system created by a person you don’t consider to be a good designer?
Working with Figma on the iPad Pro After initially being underwhelmed with Apple’s M4 iPad announcement, I decided to replace my 13” six-year-old iPad Pro with a new 11” iPad Pro based on positive reviews. When I bought the 2018 iPad Pro, I hoped it would evolve into a highly capable machine, potentially replacing my need for a Mac. Unfortunately, this didn’t materialize. It was great, but as…
For your life's work Lovely work from [Instrument](https://www.instrument.com/work/notion) for Notion. I even spotted this campaign locally in Dublin last year.
The world's most perfect Porsche By [Lionel Koretzky](https://tennant.nyc/#/the-mod-squad-man-of-the-world-no-10/).
Eat now, pay later Last week I opened up Deliveroo and proceeded to order some dinner. Nothing too unusual, except this time I noticed a Pay with Klarna option. For those that aren't familiar Klarna is a buy now pay later service, offering the cost of a product to be split into 3 payments. Aside from merchant fees, Klarna makes money when customers opt to, or need to extend credit terms or…
The permission to be wrong One of the core principles guiding our product decisions at Tines is enabling builders to create amazing things with the platform. In the early days, the product was a little unforgiving. But over time, with features like copy/paste, undo/redo, version history and change management, we're building out a safety net that aids exploration and experimentation. As you…
Scale Chicago I'm back from an amazing week with all the Tines team together in Chicago. As part of the preparation for this annual company offsite, it felt timely that these events should have their mini-identity. I worked with the team on a visual design language that sits alongside our core brand, feeling fresh yet familiar.
Distance As designers, our happy place is working on complex problems every day. Problems that require a great degree of domain knowledge. However, one of the greatest perspectives comes with distance. The unfamiliar have a curiosity that will pull threads on a basic premise or supposed truth. They can see a broader scope with more ease. Consider letting a solution rest and coming back days later.…