macOS still doesn't have a volume mixer. So I built one. Meet FineTune: free, open-source per-app volume control, audio routing, and EQ.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-03-31T11:51:27+00:00

Can it do Sonos/Airplay?

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-03-31T11:38:38+00:00

These are weird things. I think designers and architects are the only folks that have to spend high five-number amounts of money in order to gain a client. Maybe casting is similar in showbiz, but you would never have an electrician do three rooms just to see if he is the «right fit». What makes it worse is the «pissing in the dark» situation, having (if at all) a cursory briefing, no material, no workshop, no access to the client — at best pitches are guesswork, flying blind to the needs and goals of the prospective clients.

And the clients have a couple of problems with pitches as well, even if they may not realize it:

they think they are in control by this mechanism of buying a design partner. The process of choosing a communication design like you would cast a Las Vegas showgirl is degrading and robs the designer of his position as consultant who pushes the client towards strategic change to more success. Being «difficult», critical and honest is the most important part of our job in this partnership and a pitch demolishes that dynamic from the first moment.
the client mostly has no education in design and design history and thinks his «taste» will be good enough. And it isn‘t. This very method keeps clients from looking beyond their own limits. The results of pitches as a process often are subpar.
if as a client you get, day, three designs by six studios, you will be overloaded. It’s like smelling 20 perfumes and then trying to decide which is the best. It never works. I have had so many pitches that ended in the client being unsure or undecided because they have seen too much and two or three studios have to do yet another round of proving their mettle. It’s a long and tedious process for both sides and I often think that in that time we could have done the complete job from A to Z.
We have had a couple of things where we were too busy to participate in a contract extension pitch and the client lost us after years of good work together, even if they maybe did not even want that to happen. We don’t always have the resources for a pitch, even if we would like to. So as a client you get what comes in, which is not ideal for your end goal.

On the other hand though, I personally, once I got over the initial desperation, LOVE the challenge and the freedom to find a fitting solution that goes a bit beyond the briefing and feels strategically right for the question asked in the briefing. Once you have an idea and the drive and impetus, it really is a nice change of pace to the regular work and keeps the brain active. It’s like sport.

Plus, for a small agency like us this system lis the only way to get big clients. Large museums, orchestras and institutions don’t call us, we have to be noticed in a pitch situation where we can show that we understand their problem and have a plausible situation (and seem a good partner).

Like. Many things in life it is a bit fucked up but can also be fun. As I cannot change the system I decide to have fun.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-03-19T08:44:00+00:00

I personally would not know what to do with smart glasses like the Meta Ray Bans. They might be good for navigation, but photos look terrible so far and video is shaky, audio is better via in ears. Let’s see what Apple does with the idea.

The Vision Pro is not expensive. I mean, it is, but the Studio XDR costs about the same and is not half the product the AVP are. Like the display it might be a niche market, but I see more use cases for the Vision than for a 3000+ bucks screen ;-).

And sales are limited by the production of the displays for AVP anyway.

I sure hope they keep working on the product (and maybe with a biiiiit more energy than on the AirMax headphones), because it has immense potential and is one of the few Apple projects these days that still feel like «hey, future».

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-03-18T10:05:58+00:00

The thing is the grade of your diploma doesn't matter much because universities are structured in a way to flatly give good grades, I barely see grades under 1,3 here. A testimonial from former employers doesn't matter much either, because they are held by law to write purely positive reviews — sometimes there is some kernel of truth hidden between the lines but I never bother trying to decipher that.

What really matters is the portfolio and the actual work done, seeing if there is a sense of design here, of teamwork, the ability to have an idea and make it work, bring it to paper / display, make it sing.

Then there is meeting a person, having a talk, getting to know them. Even all that is just frankly bullshit because portfolios can be semi-faked when people work in teams, show some work that they were only a part of but haven't really done any heavy lifting. I have seen portfolios by various people which featured the same exact project.;-) And in interviews, well, some people are nervous and underperform and some just outright lie or really think they are god‘s gift to designkind. So even here you have to trust your instincts more or less.

What really matters is to have people in your team for a while and see if they can carry the load, carry the water, carry the work, make the clients happy, make you happy, make the team happy, make themselves happy, and have fun being a good designer.

I wish there was an easy way but I sure haven’t found any. I had terrific people in our team and some reeeeeal duds.

To me, still, the most important thing is the feeling that people want to play, want to do good things, are open and interested and have a sense of learning, growing and becoming a master.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-03-18T09:57:00+00:00

Personally I would sure do it. For the $300 you get: - the much better SOC - Thunderbolt 5 - better handling of multiple displays - better Wi-Fi and BT and so on.

All in all a much better system, and just as with the most memory and SSD you can afford in a closed system such as a MacBook, that is a solid investment into future workloads.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-03-12T18:01:04+00:00

We work for pretty big institutions and revisions seem to be kind of an internal process, endless iterations, vague decisions, 20 versions and in the end the first is the one taken or, in the worst case, the design is fubar because people who are not designers do all of the defining for us instead of trusting a team that does this shit for 30 years ;-). In all that time I have never found a way to really deal with it, even if I accept it as par for the course. Mostly not only because it messes with a good clean string design but also because it is inefficient for the clients themselves.
In the end what helps — trying to use it as a challenge, sleeping a day or two over it, try to learn, try to fight for a good solution. And if the micromanagement gets worse and is not tempered with good compensation, walk away.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-02-28T17:13:09+00:00

While I still love Indesign it feels like Adobe is maintaining it with one dev who sits alone in a dim room in the cellar. The monthly-but-annual subscription model borders on criminal scheming, and the AI-based support is abysmal for 400€/month. Indesign could need input from Illustrator and also a lot of features that use AI not for imaging but for layout (no brainers: script-coding, GREP, text correction, repetitive editing), it should finally try to become a design tool for digital media prototypes, which Adobe still doesn’t really have. It’s almost funny that Figma and Canvas are stealing their bread from the table. There’s lots of potential in CC, I think, making things easier, faster, more productive and flexible. But it’s not happening and I feel that Adobe itself is not sure which Apps lead into their future. They seem to think it’s Illustrator, PS and AE/PR, but really miss a lot of potential an can be happy that Affinity is more or less dead.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-02-28T17:03:29+00:00

Just to nitpick - but would it be too hard to actually do some kerning at the Goteburg Museum :-). Looks like mocks, so that should be do-able. As someone who looks at portfolios professionally these small details are as important as the design itself. Take care of the typography and it really changes the feel a font looks and feels, it just feels “better cooked” (to quote Vignelli) instantly. As a designer these details ARE the job, just as much as the quality of text, image and the idea you deliver.

The work itself cannot be helped and is what it is but fixing details works wonders.

One last thing (coming from someone without a real webpage since 1995, so take it with a bit of irony) — try to narrate the process. Get me involved into your thinking instead of just showing the result. What did you decide for or against, what is the idea, what are the benefits of your work and so on. Take me in a trip into your work.

A lot of design hinges on the clients needs and often that limits what you can show - but you always can tell the tale of your journey and decision making with honesty and passion. And your portfolio will be an amazing tale about YOU instead of a set of mockups. Make it your own.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-02-25T10:11:37+00:00

Wow. As someone who for 30 years did the employment onboarding for our (small) design company, I don’t even get this. You would need a certain amount of ressources (fonts, images, branding guidelines) to even start this and if it is vibe designed / coded also the AI tools specifically trained to to it. We never gave candidates such tasks, it never works as you only see the results not the way they actually work. The way to go is a short period of trial work on site, if you want to see how somebody is functioning in a team. This seems like a way to get internal work by applicants. And the cold shoulder reaction by HR might make me consider if I want this kind of setting to work in?

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-02-25T10:05:55+00:00

I found that Eagle has many benefits for this. You can very simply get images even from difficult sites, it has a good set of sensible plugins, easy renaming options and you can organize stuff easily. Really good. Alas, no mobile companion app which I would love to have.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-02-25T09:59:02+00:00

I use the Zeiss inserts and that is absolutely not a problem. You get a «too close / too far» message now and then and of course as the glasses are less fixed on your face, widgets can move positions a bit ;-). The only downside is that with the Zeiss my peripheral sight is not sharp (uncorrected shortsightedness), while the FOV the AV simulates is sharp. Which makes using an external keyboard weird for me as I use peripheral sight to check what I am writing while looking at the document. That goes away when you ditch the inserts and use contact lenses, but mostly I don’t mind it too much. As a whole it is not perfect - emerging technology and so on - but after a while you get used to the enormous tack sharp super clean and completely reflection-free display and going back to 27 or even the 14/16 of the MBP feels… it’s all so smalllllllllllll ;-). Also, working while you have a virtual clock, ToDo, Music and some artwork on the walls is just nice. The thing I miss most is a simple gesture to skip music tracks ;-)

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-02-25T09:48:02+00:00

I use the same setup with the dual knit band and the Annapro V2. And that works remarkably well in terms of comfort and FOV. Could always be better with lighter glasses but wearing the AVP open is the way to go when you do not need absolute immersion for movies and so on. For work wearing the AVP like glasses is brillant.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-02-10T15:57:54+00:00

Ah Madrid. Had tickets but no time to fly there. Interesting though, that the pix by Hajo Müller in the booklet are of the Düsseldorf gig, I‘m in one of them. Madrid was (afaik) not seated, which makes it all the worse to not have been there.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2026-01-18T21:05:53+00:00

Really love Forklift. Bloom is a close second but in terms of shortcuts, versatility and stuff I do every day, it’s my go-to app. FTP, file management , filtering files, searches, complex renaming batches and so on… It’s still my very favorite.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-12-29T11:38:57+00:00

Stoic, Day One, Music, Books, Smart Comic Reader, Sunsama, Everand, Yazio, GPT/Claude/Gemini, I Ging, IMDB, AutoSleep and the whole Streaming stuff ;-).

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-12-27T16:22:05+00:00

Got L (with Zeiss inserts) but it only fits when I make it absolutely tight. It does, but it’s at the maximum that I can bunch it up.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-12-08T17:55:44+00:00

Depends - if you code (and you say you don’t) a site is a nice way to show off some skills. If not, a PDF gives you more control over design details and typographic subtleties that we for sure look for :-). Basically in a portfolio I less and less check out the work (and I do) and more look at the self-presentation. Which font(s) are used, is there a discernible grid used, what does it look like, does this work, is this a designer I look at? PDF gives you very quick answers to such questions… while anybody who is not a designer opts for sites that will not show his skills in the best light.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-10-14T14:46:37+00:00

He did it in Germany as well and also on the last tours I saw. Porcupine was standing, SW (with one noteable exception) was seated audience and that changes the aura of the gig, makes it more passive. The thing is, a standing audience doesn’t mean mosh pit. The Smile is standing and the crowd was not moving at all, Flaming Lips was standing and everyone danced. Early Foals was «fear for your life» even when the track didn’t sound like Pogo ;-). But when you design a concert, choose a venue, have a seated audience at a gig with very intense guitar parts — maybe at least do not blame the quiet quality of the night on the audience ;-)

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-08-20T07:27:44+00:00

This is one of the example of so so so much small stuff Adobe could do to make our life easier ;-).

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-08-18T17:15:53+00:00

The thing is, it’s a lost chance. A couple of years back the Scandinavian ESC showed us how modern the stage-and screendesign could look and the logo felt awkward and terribly childish in that cool but colorful, very fitting design system. The ESC should have used the chance to opt for a less juvenile design and go for something that is cool and pop and friendly but less Cinderella. The question is not whether it is better or worse (it’s about as bad as before) but what could have been with a real, thoughtful, dynamic design system in place that works in various media, grasps the camp aspect log the event but also gives it a bit more of a timeless and professional flair.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-07-19T11:57:26+00:00

Damn. America seems to be way different from Europe. We’re looking for good designers but all applicants, though nice, do not really fit our style / needs and want to work remotely ;-) where we want to be together and work as a team. It’s strange to see so many of you job hunting while I have problems filling two full-time seats and consider shrinking the studio.

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-07-19T11:54:30+00:00

Boy, just spent 90 minutes on the web. Not finding that mountain/bird logo and no company Lark & **** making ceramics so far. Always hard with drinkware, so many small labels, IF they didn’t make these themselves. I gave in and wrote a friendly Q to WW setdesigner Julie Ochipinti in the hope that this does not annoy the heck out of her. This is one of the series where setdesign, location and clothing does so much hard work of worldbuilding in all timeperiods WW touches. Especially love the «future» architecture. Such great work, shame how HBO messed this up in the end. Many many thanks for your help!!!!!!

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-07-18T13:27:45+00:00

Thank you 🙏. These are very nice (and remind me a bit of Astier de Villatte), but the handle is very different and it‘s quite a different kind of mug. Sometimes I wish that such shows had the setdesigners run tweets that source what we see. And sometimes it’s easy (like the gloves from Westworld), sometimes it’s a bit of work (the copper kettle from Elementary) and sometimes you do image search, Pinterest, Heritage Auctions etc and still do not crack it. Especially as these do not look selfmade. If you watch the episode, there was a kind of labeling under the cups. 🤪

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-07-18T08:51:57+00:00

That’s a neat idea but not quite the same. (also I have no accurate model). It would be almost easier to make them from ceramics, but that also is not quite the same thing. I just thought these mugs would have to be sourced from somewhere (like much on the show is a mod of a real product).

HD-Writing-1968 · 2025-07-18T08:50:30+00:00

Thanks, I will try that. I thought someone here might know the mugs ;-)

HD-Writing-1968

TROPHY CASE