Illustrations are exercises in summary. The ability to take goals, proposed feelings, and aspirations into something visual that can be universally understood across languages and cultures is very challenging… how do people do it?

Klaviyo designers Charlie Coombs, Gui Schmitt, and Sam Beachell take a look behind the scenes and talk about the process and challenges of creating illustrations for branding purposes. We also highlight some of our favorite pieces of branded illustrations done by other companies. Getting visual on a podcast is not easy, so make sure to refer to the links below!

================

Material Design / Google Illustrations • https://mayastepien.nl/googlecalendar.html

Sno-Cone Klaviyo Shirt Illustrations • https://dribbble.com/shots/5630486-Email-Sno-Cone

Klaviyo 2020 Product Illustrations • https://dribbble.com/shots/14835043-Klaviyo-Iconography-2020

Hipmunk mascot • http://files.guischmitt.com/iblzdk

Color theory • https://99designs.com/blog/tips/the-7-step-guide-to-understanding-color-theory/

✨ Recommendations ✨

Blush Design • https://blush.design/

The Noun Project • https://thenounproject.com/

Foundation • https://foundation.app/

Communication Arts Magazine • https://www.commarts.com/magazine/2021-illustration

Field Notes • https://fieldnotesbrand.com/

Featuring

Charlie Coombs - Senior Visual Designer

Gui Schmitt - Product Designer

Sam Beachell - Lead Designer II

Music credit: Christian Gentry, Muzak 1

Edited by: Aaron Goeglein

When pursuing a career in design, there are many paths that you can take  - which one is the right one for you? Be a freelancer and chart your own path? Find a job on an agency and explore a wide range of assignments with the same team? Get a job on an in-house team and go deep into a problem space? Ah, the dilemma!

Tune in, as Karen Muller, Charlie Coombs, Sam Beachell, Tim Dwyer, and Gui Schmitt share their experiences and tips navigating the maze of job opportunities.

✨ Recommendations ✨

Eric Singer Explainer Videos • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&list=PLt-UvOEPhKmgSOcAqtjRSxSUqTrkPvzXo

Good One Podcast • https://www.vulture.com/news/good-one-podcast/

LogoLounge Book 12 • https://www.logolounge.com/book12winners

Muzli Extension • https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/muzli-2-stay-inspired/glcipcfhmopcgidicgdociohdoicpdfc

CleanShot X • https://cleanshot.com/

Xbox Game Pass • https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass

Featuring

Karen Muller - Senior Copywriter

Gui Schmitt - Product Designer

Charlie Coombs - Senior Visual Designer

Sam Beachell - Lead Designer II

Tim Dwyer - Senior Digital Designer

Music credit: Christian Gentry, Muzak 1

Edited by: Aaron Goeglein

For e-commerce centric companies like Klaviyo, Black Friday / Cyber Monday is considered a "Super Bowl type event". 

How do we get ready for the big day? 

Designers Adeniyi Sonoiki, Ally Hangartner, Bram Oosten, and Gui Schmitt chat about the importance of those days to our customers and how the reality of 2020 changed everything this year. We also talk about Klaviyo's culture for BFCM and, as the new year starts, some resolutions we have for 2021. 🤞

=== 🔗 References ===

Keepa, Amazon price tracker • https://keepa.com/#!

Klaviyo's 2020 BFCM Numbers • https://www.klaviyo.com/blog/online-store-sales-cyber-weekend-2020

=== ✨ Recommendations ✨ ===

Spotify Wrapper 2020 • https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-12-09/3-tips-tricks-to-enhance-your-2020-wrapped-experience/

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics Book • https://amzn.to/3c0O2Tt

Refactoring UI Book • https://refactoringui.com/book/

How To with John Wilson • https://www.hbo.com/how-to-with-john-wilson

Oculus Quest 2 • https://www.oculus.com/quest-2/

Beat Saber • https://www.beatsaber.com

Have any feedback for us here at the Klaviyo Design Team? Send an email to [email protected].

If you like the show, consider leaving a review on the Apple Podcasts, it really helps!

––––––––––––––––––

Adeniyi Sonoiki, Associate Product Designer

Ally Hangartner, Senior Product Designer

Bram Oosten, Product Designer

Guilherme Schmitt, Product Designer

Edited by: Aaron Goeglein

Trends in design come and go. But… where do they come from? How do you know which ones are worth paying attention to and not just some fad? Is everything a never-ending cycle?

In this episode of the Klaviyo Design Podcast, we discuss how design trends play a role in our work. We also reflect on which upcoming trends in style and user experience are worth paying attention to and which ones are better left behind in the fad category.

=== 🔗 References ===

Neumorphism • https://www.justinmind.com/blog/neumorphism-ui/

Neumorphism in-car UI • https://www.theverge.com/transportation/2019/11/17/20967565/ford-mustang-mach-e-electric-suv-specs-price-la-auto-show-2019

Playstations mobile app navigation • https://blog.playstation.com/2020/10/28/introducing-the-new-playstation-app-redesigned-to-enhance-your-gaming-experiences-on-ps4-and-ps5/

3D illustrations on Dribbble • https://dribbble.com/search/3d

Design to prevent misinformation • https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/covid19-vaccine.html

iOS 14 Do Not Track • https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/covid19-vaccine.html

Facebook Frictionless Sharing initiative • https://flatworldbusiness.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/from-trend-to-fad/

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/?sh=61d0ebca6668

TikTok For You Algorithm Explained • https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-finally-explains-for-you-algorithm-works/

=== ✨ Recommendations ===

Feedly • https://feedly.com/

Omsom • https://omsom.com/

Watch Dogs: Legion • https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/watch-dogs/legion

Have any feedback for us here at the Klaviyo Design Team? Send an email to [email protected].

If you like the show, consider leaving a review on the Apple Podcasts, it really helps!

––––––––––––––––––

Adeniyi Sonoiki, Product Designer

Don Ton, Product Designer

Guilherme Schmitt, Product Designer

Edited by: Aaron Goeglein

The journey of learning more always starts with a question. But requesting feedback is only part of the puzzle of building better designs. Properly interpreting any input to our work is just as important. In this contemplative episode Klaviyo designers Gui Schmitt, Marissa Mac, and Robert Yu discuss how to overcome our natural blind spots, reject spontaneous reactions of defense and bring a growth mindset to feedback discussions.

✨ RECOMMENDATIONS ✨

Codenames • https://www.amazon.com/Czech-Games-00031CGE-Codenames/dp/B014Q1XX9S

Adobe Lightroom for iPhone • https://apps.apple.com/us/app/adobe-lightroom-photo-editor/id878783582

Sister Sister on Netflix • https://www.netflix.com/title/70157256

Downeast Cider • https://downeastcider.com/

Loom • https://www.loom.com/

Among Us • http://www.innersloth.com/gameAmongUs.php

Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well • https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Feedback-Science-Receiving-Well/dp/0670014664

Villagers Boardgame • https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinisterfish/villagers-card-drafting-and-village-building-for-1

Have any feedback for us here at the Klaviyo Design Team? Send an email to [email protected].

If you like the show, consider leaving a review on the Apple Podcasts, it really helps!

With 2020 bringing a set of new challenges to design teams everywhere, the designers at Klaviyo took the opportunity to rethink our career progression system. In this self-reflective episode, we dive deep into how that process went about, and how other teams might tackle this challenge. 

We chat about career progression in design, how to measure change as you grow, how management path should be considered, and how designers should focus on growth and learning over meaningless titles.

=== RECOMMENDATIONS ===

Poolside.fm • https://poolside.fm/

DBBD The Design of Business | The Business of Design Podcast • https://designobserver.com/designofbusiness

Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace • https://www.amazon.com/Orbiting-Giant-Hairball-Corporate-Surviving/dp/0670879835

A good design is centered on clear communication and words are one of the key vehicles to achieve it.

Acting as the bridge between minds, words can excite, motivate, and guide people when used right.

However - words can frustrate, confuse, or worry users about not doing things the right way if they are not used properly. In this episode of the Klaviyo Design Podcast, we have special guest Karen Muller - Klaviyo’s Senior Copywriter - to talk about the importance of copywriting in design, myths around the job of a copywriter and tips for anyone interested in becoming a better writer. We also touch upon brand identity and how language in social media is changing the way we communicate IRL.

=== Links ===

Twitter's... Twitter account • https://twitter.com/twitter

Wendy's Twitter account • https://twitter.com/Wendys

Duolingo's April Fool joke • https://push.duolingo.com/

The Reformation • https://www.thereformation.com/

Spreadsheet that tracks terms across languages • https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EBNCqbiK-X-DljBD1WhfmsLXaO4iJYGe0Mi5yTuiUb0/edit

Simple English Wikipedia • https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

=== Recommendations ===

Hanabi • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanabi_(card_game)

The Last of Us Part II • https://www.thelastofus.playstation.com/

Grammarly • https://app.grammarly.com/

Roam Research • https://roamresearch.com/

Because Internet • https://www.amazon.com/Because-Internet-Understanding-Rules-Language/dp/0735210934

Blue Land cleaning products • https://www.blueland.com/

Fonts for Instagram • https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kz.nur4i.ifonts&hl=en_US

From our home to yours, it's the Klaviyo Design Podcast!

In our first remote episode in the midst of a pandemic, Klaviyo designers Don Ton, Guilherme Schmitt, Griffin Drigotas, and Sara Reich have a candid conversation about the struggles of working from home - what is working during this transition and what still needs some help. We dive into all the ways we are trying to keep sane during these crazy times and reflect on how things could be different in the future #NewNormal.

We recorded this via Zoom so we figured it would be a good opportunity to make this available in video as well!

Watch it here: https://medium.com/klaviyo-design/klaviyo-design-podcast-ep-18-working-from-home-special-94aed19816a7

✨ Recommendations ✨

Monopoly for Figma • https://www.figma.com/file/Na6Hxgd0aE8vy26xcupkhT/Monopoly-for-Figma?node-id=0%3A

Figma Catan • https://www.figma.com/community/file/834302905869835373

Figmabble (Crosswords in Figma) • https://playfigmabble.webflow.io/

Sporcle • https://www.sporcle.com/

Bookshop.org • https://bookshop.org/

Some Good News • https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOe_y6KKvS3PdIfb9q9pGug

Niche Plant Shop • https://www.nicheplantshop.com/

Animal Crossing: New Horizons • https://animal-crossing.com/new-horizons/

🐦 Follow us on Socials!

Klaviyo • twitter.com/klaviyo

Don Ton, Product Designer • https://twitter.com/ccdonton

Griffin Drigotas, Product Designer • https://griffindrigotas.com/

Guilherme Schmitt, Product Designer • twitter.com/guischmitt

Sara Reich, Product Designer • https://sarareich.com/

Edited by: Aaron Goeglein • https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarongoeglein/

What is the role of an Engineer?

In the second episode of the "Working with X" series, we interview engineers Noah Durell and Jordan Griffin on how development has evolved, the challenges of collaborating via lines of code, and the thrill of finding solutions to hard problems. We also dive into how engineering and design relations should unfold for an outcome that works for everyone.

✨ Recommendations ✨

Tame Impala - The Slow Rush • https://smarturl.it/TheSlowRush

Genius Verified video series • https://genius.com/shows/verified

Drawing 101 Skillshare • https://www.skillshare.com/classes/Learn-to-Draw-Daily-Practices-to-Improve-Your-Drawing-Skills/1948270521

Figma • http://www.figma.com

Maze • https://maze.design/

Drawabox • https://drawabox.com/

Parasite • https://www.parasite-movie.com/

American Factory • https://www.netflix.com/title/81090071

🐦 Follow us on Socials!

Klaviyo • https://twitter.com/klaviyo

Guilherme Schmitt, Product Designer • https://twitter.com/guischmitt

Julie Lungaro, Design Manager • https://twitter.com/juliedigsdesign

Noah Durell, Senior Mobile Engineer • https://twitter.com/ndurell

Zack Breakstone, Product Designer • https://twitter.com/zbreakstone

In the first episode of our new "Working with X" series, we interview Klaviyo Product Manager ( a.k.a. PM) Hansen Liang (https://www.hansenliang.com/) on what product management is and what it isn't, how strategic product management can make or break a product's outcome, and how designers and PMs can collaborate effectively. We talk through Hansen's journey to become a product manager and share tips for finding out if product management is something people would like to do for their careers.

=== RECOMMENDATIONS ===

The Short Game • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRpG00kNdF4

Renting digital books and Libby app • https://libbyapp.com/welcome

Apple Archive (UPDATE: it's down ☹️)•

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind •https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095

Brief Answers to the Big Questions • https://www.amazon.com/Brief-Answers-Questions-Stephen-Hawking/dp/1984819194

HBO's Watchmen • https://www.hbo.com/watchmen