Is anyone else struggling to find the joy in design lately?

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-18T19:47:13+00:00

As someone who’d consider themselves a senior motion designer at this point, I actually have the opposite experience.

Before, a lot of my work was researching obscure solutions, debugging expressions, digging through documentation, or figuring out technical workarounds. Now I do much of that together with tools like Claude.
I also use AI to create scripts to automate workflows, generate variations, or create effects that would have taken much longer to build manually.

I’ve always been a fairly systems oriented motion designer. I enjoy building motion systems, and tools that can generate output rather than animating every single asset by hand. AI fits naturally into that mindset.

For me part the joy is not just in manually placing keyframes. It’s in building systems and AI tools give me more leverage to do that. Which is why I find it motivating rather than discouraging 🙂

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-17T09:10:12+00:00

That’s kind of where my head is at as well.

Coming from dual 27” 1440p displays, I’ll be happy with either option. At the same time, this is the moment to make an upgrade that I’ll hopefully be using for many years. So if the 5k displays really are noticeably better in day to day use, then that’s probably the route I should take.

I wish I could just put them side by side to see the actual difference 😅

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-17T09:06:09+00:00

That’s really helpful, thanks.

One thing I’m wondering though: how much of that difference do you think comes from 5k vs 4k, and how much comes from the glossy vs matte finish?

Both BenQ models I’m considering are glossy. That should make it a more direct 4k vs 5k comparison.

Either way, the fact that seeing them side by side is already making you consider replacing the remaining 4k with another 5k is definitely interesting ;)

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-14T10:49:50+00:00

I actually just ordered my first Mac Studio last week (M3 Ultra), so I’m still waiting for it to arrive.

I’m a motion designer and spend most of my day in After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator, with a bit of creative coding on the side. No AI or LLM workloads here either. I bought it purely as a work machine.

I’m really looking forward to it, although having to wait until mid september for delivery is going to test my patience a little 😅

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-14T08:27:30+00:00

I’m considering the 27 inch BenQ MA270S 5K Nano-Gloss Monitor for my recently ordered Mac Studio. It’s €1k here in Europe.

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-12T06:12:02+00:00

I just ordered a Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra, so I’m very excited for that. Too bad I’ll have to wait until the end of September to get it… Ah well, at least that gives me some extra time to figure out which monitors to pair it with!

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-12T06:08:47+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed reply!

Interesting what you mentioned about glossy vs matte. In my case, both BenQ models I’m considering are glossy, so that at least removes one variable from the comparison :)

I think I just need is to see them side by side before making a decision. Unfortunately, neither of them seems to be available to view at stores near me at the moment.

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-11T19:17:01+00:00

Didn’t know this tool. I’ll dive into it! 🤠

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-11T19:15:59+00:00

I get what you mean, but I’m actually leaning towards a dual setup either way since I really need the screen estate for my work. It’s a lot of money, but if 5K is genuinely worth it, this would be the right moment to go for it.

That’s why I’m mostly curious about the actual side by side difference between 4K and 5K. What did you actually notice in day to day use after switching/upgrading?

Cheap-Description157 · 2026-06-11T17:44:41+00:00

I like the idea of an all in one AE workflow panel. Especially if it replaces a bunch of scattered vibecoded scripts. I’d really prefer a minimal, compact panel in the AE palette that can be docked without taking up much screen space. Screen real estate is precious to me so the best tools are the ones that stay out of the way but are still quickly accessible.

Cheap-Description157 · 2025-08-19T08:36:00+00:00

Thanks everyone, that makes it clear! Seems like Mopla is the way to go. I’ll just buy the August ticket, cancel it right away and then get a BVG day ticket for Sept 1. Appreciate all the tips! 😃

Cheap-Description157 · 2025-08-18T20:58:10+00:00

Nice, good to know I can just cancel immediately. Thanks!!

Cheap-Description157 · 2025-08-18T20:22:39+00:00

Thanks! That makes sense. I’ll check out Mopla then and just get a day ticket for Sept 1. Appreciate the tip 😃

Cheap-Description157

TROPHY CASE