Unplugging: There are plenty of good designers on Instagram, but after observing their work daily, I realized that once in a while, I need to turn off social media. By consuming all this visual content, I feel full, but at the end of the day, the creation isn’t mine, and it can be confusing. I strive every day to design and invent.

Mind-blowing work: Furniture designer Brodie Neill created a contemporary hourglass filled with microplastics instead of sand to highlight the issue of ocean plastic pollution.

Inspiration: Swiss design and typography, École cantonale d’art de Lausanne, and artists and studios like Olafur Eliasson, Malika Favre, Yayoi Kusama, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Camille Walala.

Fresh thinking: First of all, play! Never think that you already know what the end result will be. Experiment, read, and keep your mind and soul open for new experiences. Find new collaborations with designers, strategists and multidisciplinary creators you admire. The human mind is fascinating. Keeping the right people around you and always looking for new people are the keys to new inventions.

Best festivals: Every year, two people from our team have traveled to participate in an international design festival. They’ve usually attended the Latin American Design Festival in Lima, Peru. The entire office has also traveled to participate in the Dehache festival in Mexico.

Emerging talents: Here in Colombia, there are many super talented young designers. I especially admire the guys from Bastarda, who are doing a great job with type, and food design and photography studio Espacio Crudo, which is taking great product photography.

Design IRL: My favorite place to see the latest design trends is the supermarket. You can see everything there, and if you feel like buying something because of the design, that is because it stands out! But if you are too lazy to go to the supermarket or don’t want to spend your money on cravings you don’t need, you can check out websites like It’s Nice That, AIGA Eye on Design, Fonts In Use and Asociación de Directores de Arte y Diseñadores Gráficos del FAD.

Cutting-edge studio: DIA is definitely breaking new ground with its kinetic designs.
 

Powerhouse studio: I have great respect for the quality and standard that A24 brings to every aspect of filmmaking. The company works with the best people across film, music, fashion, art and design. It’s a beautiful orchestra of creativity. I also admire how inventive A24 is when extending its titles out into the real world. A24’s Public Access project, where some of its films were screened on billboards in the locations where the films are set, was so smart. The combination of community building and guerilla marketing was seamless. Bravo!

Splurge-worthy investment: My LG Ultra-Fine 5K monitor gives me motivation to work. Finding the right-sized monitor with a juicy color display was a huge productivity booster. Sometimes I want to be mark making in a sketchbook, but when I’m focused on designing, I love being enveloped by an on-screen canvas.

Ones to watch: Typographic motion designers and creatives who are able to use animation and video editing to push visual storytelling; specifically, those who are working in virtual reality.
 

Work soundtrack: National Public Radio is constantly on while I’m working. I’m also addicted to the news, especially now that it seems useful to know what is going on in the world.

Go-to planning tools: We use iCal like crazy, and Google Spreadsheets keeps track of our complicated projects.

Treasure trove: We try to stay away from the latest trends. Before the COVID lockdown, my favorite place to visit was the Strand bookstore in Manhattan. The store has thousands of new and used books to browse. My favorite thing to find is a book that is at least 20 years old but still feels fresh.

Talented teammates: I’ve had the privilege of working with amazing young designers such as Sharon Gong, Jena Myung and Nicholas Weltyk. All of them have made huge contributions to Studio Lin.

Stirring up business: Instagram seems to be the main source for design “news.” I’m able to see what my friends and peers are up to all the time. For getting new business, however, I don’t think any social platform or competition beats doing a good job for your current clients.

Strengthening essential skills: At Under-Consideration’s First Round, speakers are asked to share their first-round creative presentation and process. What I love about First Round is that it focuses on presenting the work to the client. It’s one thing to create exceptional design work, but it’s a whole other skill to get it approved. First Round gives you an opportunity to see how other people approach presenting work, contextualizing it and guiding their client to the best solutions.

Words to remember: I read David Foster Wallace’s book This Is Water over and over. When I need an empathy reminder, it is my go-to.

Under the radar: I’m putting this one in “underappreciated” based on the number of followers, but Eunoia puts out some fantastic content! Carolyn Hadlock interviews “beautiful thinkers” across various disciplines and discovers many great nuggets of truth.

After-work treat: I’ve been enjoying the YouTube channel Weeds & Sardines. Other cooking and baking shows I like include Chef’s Table, America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country, The Great British Bake Off, and Salt Fat Acid Heat. I never really make the food; I just love watching the process. It’s so pure.