Last week’s topic was philosophy. This week, I want to share more about the mission that drives me each day.

As a child, I saw the world as a well-oiled machine, driven by intelligent design in politics, work, and society. But now, I understand our world is propelled by one thing: growth, primarily for profit. This has led to a number-centric view of life, where social status is often dictated by wealth and superficial metrics like online followers.

My mission is bold yet simple: to repair our broken world. It may seem idealistic, or even impossible, but I am dedicated to trying and enjoying the journey. The aim is to shift from chasing numbers to fostering community through new platforms and mindsets. It's a challenging change, but one with promising long-term benefits.

Change is achievable, but it requires belief, even against long odds. Today, perhaps only a few share this mission with me. Yet, I am optimistic that our numbers will grow. You might be observing from the sidelines for now, but soon, you may find yourself an active participant in this journey.

Doing

Our progress with Once UI 3 has been significant, and I'm confident these updates will help you work faster with better alignment with your dev team.

We have reworked the color management, introduced a new border radius system, added new social components, restyled the documentation, and now I’m repurpusing the Templates section. Instead of a pre-prototyped flow design, Once UI will provide a few examples to help you get started quickly.

Furthermore, I'm currently rebuilding our landing page. The goal is to move away from custom coding—which has been time and energy-intensive—towards using Framer. It's proving to be an incredibly powerful tool, akin to 'Figma on steroids'. With Framer, we're integrating third-party tools, including an authentication system. This means if you've previously purchased a product, you'll automatically have a Once UI account, granting access to exclusive content.

Q&A

Every week I publish an answer to some interesting questions from the design community. Ask / Tag me on our Discord or Reddit, and it may get featured here.

“I have recently lost my job. I know the market is in bad shape right now. Do you have recommendations to land a new job?“

That’s a complex question with many aspects and I could write an essay about each of them. I’ll break my recommended timeline into weeks, since it may take some time until you land a job.

Week 1-2:

Prepare 2-3 high quality projects: pick your best projects for showcase. Remember, it’s not quantity but quality that will lead you to your next role. Clearly mark your contribution and focus on telling a story. Include just a few visuals, but make them beautiful. Showcase desktop / mobile versions and other extras to show proficiency.Week 2-3:

Choose the right platform: I would pick Framer, since it’s very similar to Figma. If you’re short on time, there are amazing templates as well. A good Figma prototype could work, though some people are not a huge fan of that. Alternatively you could use sites like WordPress or Squarespace. PDF should be your last resort.Week 3-4:

Stay sharp: start working on side projects you always wanted to do, but never had the time. They will improve your skills and maybe will serve as good materials for your portfolio.Week 4-5:

Revisit your portfolio: If you’ve applied to a bunch of places without success, it’s time to revisit your portfolio. Try to improve the quality of the visuals and pay attention to the details.

Build alternative income streams: monetize a side project or start freelancing. Platforms like Upwork are not a lot of fun since hundreds of designers apply to every job there, but if the pressure is high, you need to be desperate.

The most important thing is to work as you had a job. Develop a daily / weekly routine and stick to it. Start networking and posting on LinkedIn or X (Twitter), but focus on quality. Being consistent on social media is important if you seek visibility, though it’s not enough to post consistently, but deliver high quality consistently.

Creative Friday

I had a blast creating my planet generator library for Figma. I’ll probably release it soon on X (Twitter), so connect with me if you don’t want to miss it :)

P.S. I didn’t have the time and energy last week to compose my weekly newsletter. Usually it takes several hours for me to write an email like this one, and crafting unique content is more important to me than consistency. I’ve lost my 8-week-long strake, but I’ll try to do better next time!

Useful links

Join our DiscordI’m available for a few portfolio reviews (with public feedback).I may offer private portfolio reviews later on.Let me know if you’re interested.Connect on LinkedInI know there’s a lot of clutter on LinkedIn.I’ll try my best to share valuable content.

Connect on XThis platform feels like being in a room full of people who continuously shout random things in your face. I don’t even know what I’m doing here.Check out our productsThough *some* may claim a service like this doesn’t exist, it does:We offer 180-day money-back guarantee for individuals for Once UI.

Lastly,☕ Buy me a coffee - I really need one :)

Reply - let me know how you liked this, and forward it to your creative friends!Speak soon,Lorant

Click here if you don’t want to hear from me.