Blog
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Day 234
Back in lockdown. It’s called a partial lockdown this time, as if last time literally everything was locked down. It seems sensible though. Bars, cinemas...
Making semantic sidenotes without JavaScript
Sidenotes can make a plain text richer. Here's how you can implement them with HTML and CSS alone.
Design better by avoiding your cognitive biases
Can you outsmart your brain? Seven biases that mess up your designs and what you can do against them.
Making a multilingual website with Jekyll collections
A foolproof and flexible way to add translations to a Jekyll site.
Getting to know utility-first CSS
The atomic approach to writing CSS is awesome—with caveats.
The pandemic, racism and climate change: Let's fix everything
I don't want to go back to normal.
Mass surveillance won't stop corona. What can tech do though?
Mass surveillance is not useful to stop the corona virus pandemic. We can prepare ourselves for the next pandemic though.
2019
Semantic sidenotes for the web
Sidenotes have been around for ages in print, but they're surprisingly hard to do well in HTML.
The dangerous mix of optimism and innovation
Does optimism make you stupid?
A guide to implemenÂting dark modes on websites
Don't just add a dark mode because iOS 13 supports it now.
This website is now monetized
Don't worry, I didn't put up ads.
Comments!
How I choose a commenting system
Can we improve products by making them less efficient?
I think so!
Picking up longboarding as a grown-up in 2019
It's fun.
Recommender system basics: Part 2
What designers should know about recommender systems
Recommender system basics: Part 1
What everyone should know about online recommendations
User-centered versus user-centric design
This is bigger than modernism versus post-modernism.
What is design?
What is design, in one sentence? Thinking about the moral responsibilities in design, I need a precise definition.
6 Questions all experienced designers should be able to answer
6 Questions I don't have an answer to
Dark mode design conÂsiderÂations
Implementation is easy, but how to design a dark mode?
Do I have to add a dark mode now?
Reasons for and against adding a dark mode to an app or website.
Why color discussions can be so frustrating and 3 things you can do about it
Win all arguments about color! Or: why you may actually not want to.
How we all see colors differently—Color theory in design
Do you see that color in your mind the same way I see it?
2018
MultiÂdimenÂsional responÂsive design: 5 tips
About layouts that are responsive to more than just horizontal breakpoints.
Making custom fonts: how and why
Creating a custom font was easier then I thought it would be!
Replace social media with blogs and RSS?
Three reasons why I like that idea.
Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, UXPin or InVision Studio: which one?
I did a detailed comparison to find out what screen design tool is best for what.
Four ways screen design tools can be improved
Because bad tools can lead to bad design processes.
Interoperability between UI design tools
I’m in the process of comparing UI design tools: Sketch vs Figma vs Invision Studio vs Adobe XD. When considering to migrate from one to...
Brutalism is not great for looking relatable
Last time I wrote about how brutalism is the only design movement in which personal websites play an important role. Brutalist architecture, however, is mostly...
Broken or brutalism: personal websites in 2018
About modernism, capitalism, brutalism and finding my personal online identity
Hey Koos, do you still recommend WordPress?
My website is falling apart. Not what you see right now though, although it may look like it. I mean the previous version, that is...
Things I learned from doing a side project
I have a job as a designer at BCG Digital Ventures. There we create new businesses: we find out about problems that people have, then...
2017
Why side projects fail
So, my side projects fail! Let me first describe what I would consider a successful side project. A side project is something: That is fun...
Vue is a great JavaScript framework for designers
I’m building something for the web (a big countdown timer) and found out about a JavaScript framework that is great for a designer who does...
What is color?—Color theory in design
Choosing colors depends often on the designer’s taste. This can lead to tough discussions with stakeholders that do not share that taste. Everyone has gut...
2014
How I design 'mobile first'
Some things I wrote way back when mobile first were just buzz words.
2013
New design pattern: Drag To Tag
Working on a new platform for keeping annotations, I came up with a new way of tagging items!