The October Edition#
published 2025.10.31
stay ready#
via Pedro
1 — a library preserving rare black and brown literary works#
In September, musical artist Solange opened up the Saint Heron Library, a "literary center dedicated to students, artists, creatives and general book/literature enthusiasts interested in exploring and studying the breadth of artistic expression." Consisting of literary works from Black and Brown individuals, anyone can borrow a piece of literature for free for 45-days.
This collection features rare, out of print works by poets, artists, and authors alike. While most works are already being borrowed at the moment, it's still worth checking-out (pun intended).
2 — a portfolio that embraces the process#
The portfolio of Carl Hauser is one of the most unique portfolios I've come across in awhile. As Head of Design at Analogue, Carl showcases a lot of his work through sketches. Landing on his homepage, you are immediately introduced to a grid of product sketches with the words "This is the process. Every day sketches, brainfarts and ideas flying around in my backpack and apartment. I hope they can inspire or help someone out there." right on top.
It's definitely inspiring to say the least, especially when most portfolios are all about the finished product and less about the WIP and embracing the randomness of the process at times. Beyond that, there is plenty of things to explore and poke through on his site —take look!
3 — an interview that demystifies the "design hero"#
Came across this really great interview featuring Leo Porto and Felipe Rocha of Porto Rocha. I have personally met Felipe many years back (when he was still at Spotify) during an intimate creative happy hour session at Ueno. Since then, he’s been an inspiration of mine in this industry, especially as a Latino with immigrant roots. As Porto Rocha enters its 6th year of business, they speak on their cultural influence in their work, demystifying the idea of the “design hero”, and what it’s like not being your “typical” design founder.
stay curious#
via taurean
1 — design a watch face#
I've been curious about watches for a long time but I didn't really get intensely into them until just over a year ago. They're technically tools, utilitarian objects, but we have romanticized them so much. They're not the quickest to read for most people, nor are they the most accurate or most durable. But their designs are imbued with so much history. So many watch designs are informed by the jobs they were originally designed for. They feel like the perfect example of form and function being considered in tandem.
2 — another less-than-smart phone#
Meadow is a small phone-like device that uses your main phone number but strips out social media, browsing, notifications, and most of your other apps. It has maps, music streaming, uber, and some other go-to basics so you can leave the house without your real phone. But you still need a main phone. And it's $399.
My first reaction was that I wanted this and my second reaction was that's embarrassing. I can (and have) set up my phone to behave similarly as it is. There's something interesting about the market responding to phone addiction by selling us yet another device. Given that so many of us work on products that compete for attention and feed into this problem, it's interesting to see us reach for augmentations instead of challenging the root problems.
3 — a phone case that makes your phone unusable#
This one goes hand-in-hand with Meadow. Nullcase is a phone case with a metal grill that you can flip around to block you from using your phone's touch screen. That's the entire product, and limited to 100 units. You can't buy it directly, you have to click "I want one" to send an email with no price listed.
I suspect this one is maybe more of an art project than a typical commercial product but the way it's presented and designed is still interesting. It's made to look heavy, metallic, industrial and brutal. But I suspect it's 3D printed plastic painted to look that way. The limited number of units also is likely due to how hard or cost prohibitive it is to produce but I wonder if it's also an unconscious decision to mirror the way other luxury goods are often marketed.
we (still) want your feedback#
It's insane how fast time has flown. This is our 7th 8th newsletter, and we've already had 5 6 virtual meetups full of great conversations and killer presentations. With that being said, it's hard to gauge the interest in something like a newsletter beyond simple analytics.
It would be so helpful for us if you could take this 5 minute, fully anonymous survey to help us learn what you like and what you think we could do better. Our goal for 3&3 is to be more than just a newsletter. As we approach 2026, our aim is to continue to build an organic real community of creatives and thinkers alike. This survey will help us continue to serve this community as best as we can.
updates#
- we had a great virtual meet this October featuring Steve Crosby! Ever wondered how influential wii sports is to a designer? You're in luck. Check out the YouTube replay.
- Missed the September issue? View last month's archive channel on Are.na.
- November's meetup will not have a presenter. we figure we shouldn't try to force it and it gives us an opportunity to experiment with some other ideas. The November meetup might run a little shorter. The upside is it might be more friendly to those of you who are time constrained.
- we had a great come back virtual meet this september featuring Jon Hargreaves! if you're interested in what it takes to become a design founder, check out the replay here that's available on our YouTube channel.
- our Are.na based archive is still going strong. You can view last month’s archive channel here.
- Steve Crosby of Internet Friends will be presenting for us in October! Don't miss it.
- Have a curiosity or a topic you want to present to our members? We are still open to pitches! You can present something you find interesting, something you're working on, or just seed a discussion you want to have. Reach out via bluesky or email for questions or support. Otherwise, share your idea with us via the google form!
from the community#
We're mixing things up here too. Moving forward, we'll be picking a few of the updates you share with us. Share some updates for the November newsletter.
It's almost November already?! Pedro and I have continued to brainstorming how 3&3 will continue to evolve (and how it will stay the same), we're grateful to have you along for the ride. We'd love to hear your own thoughts via the survey, but we have some ideas of our own as well. See you all in November.
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