2014 - 2024Paul HanaokaDesign Director

Favorite tool?

I wish it were Figma, but lately โ€” Apple Notes.

Best lifehack?

๐Ÿ™ƒ

If you weren't designing, what would you be doing?

When I was younger, I wanted to be an architect โ€” but now if I wasn't a designer, I'd probably want to build custom homes.

Favorite place to visit?

Copenhagen, Denmark โ€” it's such a happy, bikeable city. In the summer it's not too hot and there's tons of great coffee, food, and thrift stores.

Favorite hotkey?

โ‡งโŒ˜L โ€” Select all occurrences of current selection

I'm pretty sloppy developer, I always need to go back and rename stuff or change lots of things, so this is super helpful.

Advice for ambitious designers?

Invest time in craft, commit to doing things right.

Don't say no to anything, take on challenges and things that will make you uncomfortable.

Don't make excuses โ€” everybody is busy, people make time for what is important to them.

Last book you read?

Taking Brand Initiative: How Companies Can Align Strategy, Culture, and Identity Through Corporate Branding by Majken Schultz and Mary Jo Hatch

Most effective productivity booster?

Delete Facebook and Instagram from all your devices.

Highly recommend this โ€” I did it a few years ago, and it's been great.

What keeps you up at night?

The future.

JK โ€” generally thinking about all the things I didn't accomplish during the day, week, month.

My kids when they're sick.

Best punctuation mark?

Obviously the em-dash โ€” I pause a lot when speaking, so its only natural I do so when writing.

Where else can we find you?

Recent posts by Paul

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Why Design (Week)?

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