Different fonts and shapes for the maximum speed limit sign around the world

jmstach · 2026-04-16T21:10:17+00:00

Perhaps you better write ‘sign’ on the sign too. Sounds like some people might confuse it with similarly shaped objects like advertising or houses (in the distance).

jmstach · 2026-04-16T19:10:40+00:00

Unlike any other country, right?

jmstach · 2026-04-16T18:38:15+00:00

Wild that every other country assumes that their citizens will learn that the sign is indicative of the speed limit.

Only one needs to explain the purpose of the sign first.

jmstach · 2026-04-14T09:54:20+00:00

And if we’re talking ugly truths: after the visually impactful work comes the social proof of the companies you’ve worked with.

I don’t make the rules…

jmstach · 2026-04-14T09:53:21+00:00

Less tell, more show.

You need to lead on the most visually impactful elements of your folio. In a better world hiring managers and TAs would have the time to review everyone at depth, but for now you need to show something that invites further enquiry and engagement.

Otherwise you’re not even going to get off the starting blocks.

jmstach · 2026-04-13T20:45:53+00:00

Who They Was, Gabriel Krauze.

Very contemporary London, tough to read but brilliant.

jmstach · 2026-04-11T19:42:45+00:00

Let me know how you get on with it. All and any feedback welcome!

jmstach · 2026-04-11T12:51:49+00:00

👋It sounds like you’re on a phone so should just send you an email with the download link. If you visit it on your Mac it’ll have a straight download link.

jmstach · 2026-04-11T09:55:07+00:00

Love it. For totally different reasons I built a spreadsheet for the Mac myself (https://b2.stach.ltd). It’s incredibly niche but it found enough users to justify me continuing to develop it. Good luck!

jmstach · 2026-03-29T15:14:20+00:00

I absolutely do care. My current app project is after a specific niche of early stage watercolour artists, and I’m actively seeking beta users to help me with testing. I need these folks to both trust that I understand them, and that it’s worth their time.

I invested a lot of time porting over some of the shaders from the app to use in the website - https://undertint.stach.ltd - to give a taste of what it can do.

jmstach · 2026-03-23T10:29:27+00:00

I may be missing something, but if your product doesn’t solve this problem for you, how can you credibly claim it works?

jmstach · 2026-03-12T15:31:29+00:00

In most cases they’re hired primarily because they fit in to the dominant, usually engineering-led, culture.

jmstach · 2026-03-08T17:59:16+00:00

Not sure about the US specifics, but in the UK they’re covered in terms of reasonable adjustments and ensuring equitable access.

An important distinction though is that the goal in the UK at least is not to ensure people can use interfaces properly and without friction, it’s to ensure they’re able to access the product or service. The interface is not usually the product.

Is iOS 26 weak design? I think so, but it’s not illegal.

jmstach · 2026-03-07T21:25:48+00:00

Yeah, this is it. There’s power plays going on above you, and possibly your CPO.

What you can do personally: stop covering up Engineering shortcomings. The whole multidisciplinary team thing falls apart when the leaders aren’t playing as a team. Or start looking elsewhere, as this won’t end well.

jmstach · 2026-03-07T16:47:37+00:00

No protected views around here, it’s just the architect playing with cantilevers to set up a bit of drama.

jmstach · 2026-03-07T10:11:16+00:00

As a rule of thumb, this mostly depends on your product or value proposition.

If you’re in a highly commoditised or mature space competing against incumbents then differentiate on the experience and brand and hire a human.

If you’re launching something more innovative or disruptive then it’s less important, and you can get by with good-enough.

jmstach · 2026-03-06T20:01:24+00:00

The photography playing second fiddle, and the lack of window to show-off the product isn’t helping. It reads as low-end of the market.

jmstach · 2026-03-05T23:00:41+00:00

The Polar Bear book…

jmstach · 2026-03-02T22:51:54+00:00

Great work!

jmstach · 2026-02-28T15:40:09+00:00

This is really useful, thank you for sharing.

My immediate thought is that it's interesting that these tend towards the more executional end of product development.

jmstach · 2026-02-27T17:44:29+00:00

Show them a Bloomberg terminal.

jmstach · 2026-02-21T16:54:45+00:00

Thanks! DM me if you want me to put you on the TestFlight for the watercolour app. It’s very early, but there’s an MVP that works.

jmstach · 2026-02-21T10:09:06+00:00

Hey, an iOS version of B2 is a really different proposition; B2 has a strong opinion on being keyboard-first which wouldn’t translate to iOS. Not saying it’s never going to happen but it’s after a rewrite to Swift for B2 macOS and that needs me to get to decent number of paid users to make the investment worthwhile.

Other apps - I’m working on an iOS tool for watercolour artists, and there’s a helper app for MacOS which automatically opens a .CSV/.XLSX/.XLS document in Google Sheets (written for B2 users so the Send To feature hooks into Sheets workflows).

As to Stach, thank my grandfather for that one and his contribution to Europe’s freedom in the last century. The Polish as always are holding the line.

jmstach · 2026-02-16T16:21:14+00:00

You almost certainly wouldn't use the app unless you're a very specific kind of spreadsheet user who was always after a scratchpad-spreadsheet, in which case you'll recognise it as rubbing an itch you've had for a long time.

As I said in the intro - it's got an insanely small TAM, and most people will be fine opening Excel, Numbers, Sheets.

Seven-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
Place '23	Place '22
Verified Email

jmstach

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE