Carlos Cuéllar

Wildflower

2025-12-24T00:00:00+00:00

Wildflower is the name of the album that The Avalanches published back in 2016, 16 years after Since I Left You, their electronic sample masterpiece. Fonts In Use remember the back cover of the album, an eclectic typographic sampler: 21 tracks, 21 different fonts, all hand-embroidered.

Pentagram Archive

2025-12-23T00:00:00+00:00

More than 2000 projects and 50 years of Pentagram work condensed in one archive page, with a somehow neat and useful AI search.

How I Use Workflowy

2025-12-10T00:00:00+00:00

I’ve mentioned Workflowy in a few posts before, and I finally decided to write about how I actually use it. After years of bouncing between todo apps and note-taking apps (Things, Trello, Notion…), I realized I was splitting my thinking across too many tools. Workflowy changed that, it’s the one place where everything lives.

Why an outliner works for me

Workflowy is an outliner at its core, and that perfectly matches how I think and write. I don’t think in documents or databases, I think in hierarchies and relationships. An outline lets me start broad and drill down into details, or zoom into a single task and see everything connected to it. It’s flexible in a way that feels natural.

But what really sold me was the ability to change views. A single list can be displayed as bullet points, checkboxes, a dashboard, or a kanban board. This means I don’t have to maintain separate systems for different contexts, the same information adapts to what I need in the moment.

My setup

Here’s how I’ve structured everything in Workflowy:

Task management with kanban boards

I run two kanban boards: one for personal tasks, and one for work. Each uses the classic agile-inspired columns Backlog, Focus, and Done.

For work tasks, I don’t just track what needs to get done. Each task links to related folders where I keep context: project documentation, research notes, meeting summaries, and personal evaluations. This makes it easy to jump from a task to all the background information without hunting through files or folders.

I also use Zapier to automatically import assigned Azure DevOps items directly into my work backlog, which saves me from manually syncing between systems.

Work organization

Beyond the kanban board, I maintain separate folders for:

Projects: Long-term initiatives with their own sub-structures
Meetings: Notes organized by date and topic (automatically imported from Google Meet via Zapier)
Work performance: Career goals, feedback, and reflections

Everything connects back to the tasks on my board through links, so context is always one click away.

Reading and bookmarks

I have a dedicated list for website bookmarks that populates automatically via Instapaper and a Zapier integration. Whenever I save something in Instapaper, it shows up in Workflowy. This keeps my reading queue and references in the same place as everything else.

Knowledge repository

One of my favorite sections is my UX knowledge repository. This is where I capture principles, patterns, research findings, and lessons learned. It’s not a formal wiki, just an evolving outline that grows as I learn.

I also keep a folder for inspiration and ideas I find online: design work, interesting approaches, things that make me think differently.

Everything else

A few other folders round out my setup:

Kids learning: Homeschool curriculum, activities, progress tracking
Habit tracker: Simple daily checkboxes for things I want to build consistency around
Meal planner: Weekly menus and grocery lists
Archive: Completed projects and old notes I might need to reference

One more thing: Siri integration

The Shortcuts integration is a game-changer. I can dictate ideas and thoughts to Siri, and they land directly in Workflowy. Whether I’m driving, walking, or just away from my desk, I can capture things the moment they hit me. It removes all friction from getting thoughts out of my head.

Why it works

The beauty of Workflowy is that it doesn’t force me to think about where something should go or how it should be formatted. Everything is just an outline. I can reorganize, link, zoom in, zoom out, and switch views depending on what I need. It scales from quick task lists to deep knowledge work without feeling bloated or complicated.

If you’re tired of juggling multiple apps and systems, give an outliner a shot. It might just be the simplest productivity system you’ve ever used.

Design Elevation Skill for Claude

2025-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

Here’s the other Claude skill I use when I need to generate something with a visual output (presentations, spreadsheets, dashboards, etc.). Instead of the bland styles that you would get by default, it references best practices from design systems like Stripe, Linear, and Apple, making better choices about typography, color theory, spacing, and visual hierarchy. Not quite perfect, but it improves things.

UX Writing Skill for Claude

2025-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

This is a really handy UX resource: an open-source skill that teaches Claude how to write better interface copy. It’s based on actual UX writing research and helps you craft things like error messages, button labels, and empty states that feel clear and human instead of robotic.

What’s nice is how thoughtful it is: it evaluates your writing for accessibility, suggests the right tone based on what your users are feeling, and even gives you specific metrics to aim for.

8 Ways to Build with Figma Make

2025-10-09T00:00:00+00:00

Figma’s team shares practical tips for using Make, their new prompt-to-app feature. The key takeaway: be detailed in your initial prompts to reduce back-and-forth. Use the point-and-edit feature to swap generic components with your design system components. For small non-visual tweaks, jump directly into the code with the “go to source” button. You can also build with real-time data like stock prices or weather. Worth reading if you’re exploring AI-assisted prototyping.

The Little Book of Strategy

2025-09-23T00:00:00+00:00

Peter Bihr shares a practical guide to organizational strategy and leadership. The book covers three main areas: strategies for scaling and de-risking, ways of thinking about problems and planning horizons, and leadership fundamentals from hiring to burnout prevention. It’s designed as a “cheat sheet” for leaders navigating transitions and complex decisions without rigid frameworks. Available free as both web content and PDF. A solid resource if you’re leading a team and need actionable guidance over theoretical models.

Titulares

2025-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

Menos es más. Titulares es un agregador de noticias minimalista al estilo de The Brutalist Report. Es también un pequeño experimento personal hecho en una noche mientras mi pareja veía “Love is Blind” en Netflix. Podéis echarle un vistazo al código en Github.

Greetings from Chella, Spain

2025-07-25T00:00:00+00:00

Album Art History

2025-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

Matt Ström-Awn writes about the evolution of album cover design, from the utilitarian beginnings to the emergense as a vital form of artistic and cultural expression. Fun fact: after all these years collecting records, I have to admit that I didn’t know the origin of the term “record album” until I read Matt’s post.

Digital Hygiene

2025-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

This is a nice guide to enhancing personal cybersecurity and privacy. Although I was familiar with most of these recommendations, I learned some new tricks I’ll be using soon.

Monster List of UX Books

2025-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

Just in case you need something to read :)

20 Years of Scrobbling

2025-02-24T00:00:00+00:00

I started using Last.fm exactly 20 years ago. This means two things:

My Last.fm account is a precise digital record of my musical taste evolution
I’m officially ancient in internet years

The Cold, Hard Stats

Total scrobbles: 215,237 songs
Artists listened to: 4,788
Most active year: 2024 (apparently I’m peaking late)
Least active years: Several complete gaps in my listening history (life happened)
2024 trend: Listened to 46 tracks with “fire” in the title (midlife crisis? You decide)
Most played album: “The Smile Sessions” by The Beach Boys
Most played track: “Thirteen” by Big Star

What This Data Proves

I’ve spent approximately 14,333 hours of my life listening to music (that’s 597 days or 1.64 years)
If I had practiced a skill instead of just listening to music during this time, I could have become world-class at almost anything
Despite technological revolutions, platform changes, and life upheavals, my dedication to tracking what plays in my headphones has remained weirdly consistent

My Last.fm account is older than YouTube, Twitter, and the iPhone. It has outlasted three cars and at least two career paths. Here’s to another two decades of obsessively documenting my listening habits while wondering if this is a healthy use of my time!

My Hybrid Audio Setup

2025-02-20T00:00:00+00:00

I’ve been running a setup that bridges decades of audio technology. It’s made me think about the trade-offs between convenience and longevity.

The WiiM Amp is the command center. It handles streaming, connects to my TV via HDMI ARC, and looks slick with its Mac Mini vibes. But the software can be glitchy. And I keep wondering what happens in 5-7 years when updates stop and streaming services change their APIs. Maybe I should have gone with a WiiM Ultra streamer paired with a separate amp for better future-proofing. One downside: no phono preamp built in, so I added a Schiit Mani to the chain for vinyl. Another box, another cable.

The real star is my Kenwood KD-550 turntable. I found it used and after some light maintenance—lever grease, oiling some mechanical parts—it performs like a champ. This thing is built like a tank. Dense plinth, solid construction, direct drive motor with serious precision. What gets me is the modular design. Almost everything is user-serviceable and replaceable except maybe the motor. Try finding that in today’s disposable tech. A modern turntable with this level of engineering would cost $3,000-4,000. If the motor holds up (these direct drives were built to last decades), I can’t imagine ever needing to upgrade.

The speakers came almost by accident. A pair of Boston Acoustics MR-V60s from the 90s that I basically got for free. Originally designed for home theater, but perfect for music in my space. There’s not much documentation about them online, which makes them feel like a hidden find. The mid-range detail is exceptional. They could use more low-end punch (they were meant to pair with a subwoofer), but for everyday listening they’re great. Something someone practically gave away has become one of my favorite components.

This mixed setup has me thinking about audio equipment differently. The vintage gear represents building things to last generations. The WiiM represents our current era’s focus on features, connectivity, and software. I wonder if we’ll ever return to building electronics with 30+ year lifespans, or if software-dependent audio means we’re locked into upgrade cycles forever.

Warner Records Promo Posters

2025-02-05T00:00:00+00:00

I love these 70s Warner/Reprise posters, featuring some of their artists. The use of the ‘unicase’ Helvetica glyphs here is pretty cool. Seen at Fonts In Use.

A Month Using the Boox Palma2

2025-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

My girlfriend surprised me with a Boox Palma2 last month. If you haven’t seen one, it’s a phone-sized Android device with an e-ink screen. No phone calls, but full Google Play Store access. There’s a small cult following around these things, and now I get it.

The killer feature is running real apps. I’ve been using Libby and Kindle for my book library, Plexamp for music, and Pocket Casts for podcasts. The native e-book reader is solid too, with decent AI features for summaries and search. Reading on e-ink is genuinely easier on the eyes than any blue light filter or dark mode on a regular phone.

Some things don’t work well, but that’s by design. Video apps technically run but the refresh rate makes them painful. Spotify struggles with gradient-heavy interfaces. The built-in browser is limited, so I swapped it for Vivaldi. I haven’t installed any social media or messaging apps. That would defeat the purpose.

The Palma2 isn’t cheap. You’re paying mid-range smartphone prices for what is essentially a single-purpose device. A Kindle Paperwhite or Kobo Clara would be cheaper, but they don’t have the Play Store.

Here’s where I’ve landed after a month: the device has changed how I consume content. When I pick it up, I default to reading instead of scrolling. Having something that makes reading pleasant and distractions unpleasant has been worth it for me. The simple act of switching devices creates a mental shift. My brain knows it’s reading time, not endless-scroll time.

The Palma2 isn’t for everyone. But if you struggle with digital distractions or appreciate purpose-built tools, there’s something special here. Sometimes the best technology isn’t the one that does everything well. It’s the one that does one thing exceptionally while making other things harder.

Macrodata Refinement Simulator

2025-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Just in time for the second season of Severance. Praise Kier.

Bluesky Comments Web Component

2024-11-25T00:00:00+00:00

Here’s a little experiment. I’m replacing the GitHub powered comments (that nobody ever used) with Bluesky powered comments. Here’s the code I borrowed from LoueeD to make it work. I installed it locally, changed a couple of things in the CSS and then adapted to work on my Jekyll blog. It was quite simple, let me know if you have questions about this.

UX Tools Map 2024

2024-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

Here’s the UX Tools Map for 2024. I think that the most significant change is the irruption of all these new AI tools for processing data. It’s not clear how many of these will stick around, but some of them are certainly useful. And then the map itself is so much fun!

Restoring a Homebrew Setup

2024-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

Yesterday I bought the new Mac mini M4. This thing is so cute, and since I traded in my old Mac it was a bargain! I’m setting it up now and I decided to do a clean installation, but to save some time I’m using this tip to restore an existing Homebrew setup. In case you are not familiar, Homebrew is a package manager for MacOS that allows you to install apps from the terminal.