On a physical button, minor variations in pressure, timing, & angle create subtly different sounds with each press. If you play the same exact waveform over and over again, it doesn’t matter how good it’s designed, it’ll get annoying really quick.The trick here is to steal a technique from gaming and create multiple variations of the same sound. Create 8-12 variations by varying pitch, volume, timing, or mix and randomly play one variation for every new key press. Or take it further and dynamically adjust a sound (pitch, filters) based on different inputs like hit location, velocity, and hold duration.Instead of repetition, you create texture.

Sound designers often create new sounds or add dimensionality by layering multiple sounds. Think of it like bringing together ingredients when cooking. If your sound needs a build up, you might add a reverse whoosh. If it needs a satisfying moment of punctuation, you might add a clear percussive hit. If you want to lift the mood, you might sprinkle in a few musical tones.

Layers can be brought together from any sound source—natural recordings, synthesized, musical instruments. It’s in the combining and layering of sources together that you craft what you want your sound to do.

Similar actions like navigation controls or object actions should have sounds that live within the same auditory family and share characteristics like tone, instrumentation, and effects.Opposing actions—open vs close, prev vs next, send vs receive—shouldn’t use the same sound. They should sound like similar opposites. A sound might be played in reverse or the emphasis may be moved from the beginning to the end. In this way, the sound intuitively reinforces the directionality of the action you perform.

The sound for a page flip could share the characteristics of the sound of a real page flip with a long, slow drag but you could use an entirely different tone or instrument to create it. If meeting expectations enables your design to disappear, these moments where you break expectations are what shape the character and personality of your software.

Haptics shape our perceptions of a sound. Think of a keyboard key stroke or swinging a hammer. Sound can make the same action feel soft or precise, clean or jumbled, heavy or light.

First we get clear on the brand’s core values + goals. Then we define the voice attributes. We actively seek out perception issues and challenges so we can use differentiators and frankness to our advantage. The more honest, the better. Build trust, be clear, stay interesting.

On your website it says "If we wouldn’t say it, we don’t write it." I think so many brands write copy that would be completely unnatural to deliver out loud.

What are you more likely to buy: a sales pitch or a friend rec? Are you sharing information you find interesting or forcing the facts? People are smart and discerning, and can easily catch any whiff of phoniness. If the copy’s not flowing as seamlessly as a conversation, it’s a good indicator something in there is forced or cringe.

As for RULES…Don’t talk down, don’t punch down.Be clear about what you want from people.Bring them into a world. Give them a reason to stay.

Sure you look good, but who are you? Visuals allude to it, copy speaks to it.

Writing with “gravitas” can cause your head to turn upward. You tell yourself this is important, your page is filled with this aspirational, big-wide-arms stuff. It’s a trap. Put it down and step away. Start with something true, e.g., Moms aren’t feeling appreciated. They don’t know how to make time for themselves anymore. They just want to be left alone. Whatever it is, let the truth resonate, then move in the direction of what you want to see in the world. Always look straight ahead.

RK: What copy mistakes do you see a lot of brands make on social?AD + MP: Sounding too trend or too vague never really serves you—you end up with copy that could be from any brand. Tapping into a strong POV (whatever that looks like) and shaping something that feels real to you is key. From there, the rest takes care of itself, words flow easier, you’re pulling from that anchored place, and the caption naturally sticks out.

Longer-form captions that start with a punchy tagline, factoid, or something to draw you in tend to feel more interesting and effective. They make you want to read the rest, get the info, tap into the content.

RK: Any brands that you think do social copy really well?AD + MP:Dunkin’ — fun, creative, not self-serious. Feels true to themselves and tapped into their community! Coming Soon — short, sweet, clever Loewe Perfumes — editorial headlines, sleek product details, where to find them. All you need.FXNetworks — show-specific copy that supports each of their titles while still maintaining their overall brand voice BODY — humor, topical, interesting tips and recipes…martinis Also s/o to The Cut, that’s my v talented cousin

Digging deeper often means that for every problem you undertake, it ladders up to both the company’s short and long-term business objectives. Show how it does by projecting an impact to its bottom line. A nice bonus if you can tie it back to the company’s overall vision.

Use the methods you applied in your work to create a single thread of thought that help you illustrate how you made a really complex thing simple.Help the interviewers understand the problem space, through your process.

choosing pauses at critical points where three key takeaways (or criteria or principles — you get the idea) sets you up for the next phase in the case study.

resist the urge to include every project phase in the company’s year-long endeavor to scale a small complex thing into a big complex thing. I know it hurts because you worked on it all, and you want to impress, but trust me — it is better to simplify.

Pick the right case studiesLead with strong whysUse the subject matter to illustrate your processUse the Rule of ThreeSimplify

In our discovery conversation, we’ll ask questions like:Who are your main competitors?Who is your target audience?What feelings do you want your brand to convey?What are your goals for this branding effort?What other brands or companies do you admire?Why is now the right time for this work?

How did you find us?What do we need to know about your company?Why is this a good time to focus on your brand?Where are you hoping this new brand will lead?

Brandwork is important because it allows you to understand how your type and colors and logo feel in various different contexts. But Brandwork isn’t the same thing as final, production-ready files. If we put together a sample event invitation, it might not be for a real event. If we mock up a website landing page, it may not have all the right content and CTAs. The details are just there to help things feel real, so that you can understand how all the brand elements work together. Because that will help you decide which direction you want to go.

A standard project scope includes two rounds of revisions. That means you’ll see designs, provide feedback, see updated designs, provide more feedback, then see final designs for approval. If you need additional revisions, we can either build them into the scope from the start, or we’ll charge an overage fee — that approach helps keep feedback clear and concise, which saves everyone time and energy all around.

Live with it — set your logo as your lock screen & see how it feels each time you tap your phoneKnow your audience — remember that what works best may not be what you like bestGather the stakeholders — let all your key decision-makers weigh in on the options before any revisions begin

Prompt engineering is the art of writing prompts to get the language model to do what we want it to do – just like software engineering is the art of writing source code to get computers to do what we want them to do.