iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 21/09/2026

No love for rhubarb?

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I post some rambles and half baked thoughts over on danmh.xyz which might be interesting

YouTube video by THE LINE

Until then I'll keep watching this beautiful Ad to promote yoghurt consumption on repeat. www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-Ng...

youtube.com

Dear Alice

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This model of consumption even shows up in how I think and talk about design systems — consumers and consuming teams. I wonder what would be reshaped if the language was changed to connected teams?

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What would designing for true connection look like in technology? Would it connect people, place, passions all together? Can we get back to subcultures and expression having places to exist and shared boundaries to move between? (see A Pattern Language)

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So much of life and dystopian futures are about consumption - scarce resources to compete over. Perhaps there are clues in thinking about connections instead. Is the best future one where we can connect with those we live near and those we care about? Social media went from connection→consumption.

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Why Nothing Looks Cool Anymore

I got a lot out of this video essay: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgjX... I’m also (still) reading How Infrastructure Works by Deb Chachra. It also has a challenge to imagine the best future. I’m finding it hard.

youtube.com

YouTube video by Design Theory

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 05/09/2026

Babies with food on their face: not cute 🤢 But to the parents of the kid it often is adorable. This is a tweet about design systems.

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 30/08/2026

Like I said, I find myself opening crush first and pushing through. Good looking software covers up the cracks

Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 30/08/2026

Main thing I miss is the plan/build modes. But there are a bunch of PRs flying around that suggest it is close. Discord v active and the team responsive. Hooks are great for bringing determinism back 😄

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 17/08/2026

A Pattern Language has a lovely metaphor for design of poetry and prose. Generative AI is putting together many cromulent web experiences. Polished, balanced, refined. But is this compression — this shorthand of clues, hints, and suggestions — something only humans will be able to do? 🤷

Or when it comes to visual languages, is this something only people can do?

Can AI write poetry?

Not sure I fully follow this, let me think out loud. “Your service and data” your here is the the provider right, rather than the user? “Intentional composables” I’m not familiar with compsables as a concept. A quick search suggests modules or small self contained parts are synonymous.

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Ah that is an interesting model. Maybe we will also see API only plans Starts to comes back to REST, but all in

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On the other hand it asks app makers to give up a lot of control (or at least change how it manifests) I can see why that wouldn’t be attractive to some

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 12/08/2026

This is such a cool thing. Grateful you are sharing it

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At GitLab I saw it allow our best work, informed by all our quirks and atypicalities because we were able to show up with deeply considered views and actual perspectives. And later, re-evaluate or re-commit to those decisions.

Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 12/08/2026

Async is more than sending well crafted messages or recording video walkthroughs. It’s about creating space for everyone's input to be heard, however they communicate best, and capturing it for both the short and long term.

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 12/08/2026

Spicy take: lots of 'async' I've seen promoted isn't async. Record a loom, drop a message, wait 6+ hours for a reply. Is this just slow sync? 🌶️🌶️🌶

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 06/08/2026

Love that open graph image!

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 06/08/2026

Design systems designer who likes to wear many hats. Portfolio: danmh.co.uk Wanting to work with values and mission driven companies. Full time remote, async preferred. Working at GitLab changed me danmh.xyz/gitlab

gitlab.com/danmh (2022–2026)

Senior Designer on the design systems team.

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So excited for this! Will be the boys first time watching it as well ☺️

Thanks pal! I wanted it to feel like my gameboy

Original gameboy on an orange desk mat. The gameboy has been modified with a clear transparent case, backlit screen, upgraded speaker, and transparent orange d pad and a b buttons.

Super Mario Land 2 title screen is on the display.

A keyboard is in the top left and a blue gameboy camera in the bottom right.

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What is next? I am open to new opportunities. Lets talk about design systems.

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I am so grateful I was able to be myself, be part of a team where values mattered, and where work happened in a way that let everyone contribute. GitLab has employed some of the kindest, most curious, and best people. I've learned so much from all your generosity and patience.

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After over 4.5 years I've taken a voluntary redundancy and completed my last day at GitLab. Being at GitLab was the best job I have ever had, and where I've done some of the best work. I wrote some of my reflections, it changed how I think about work, forever. danmh.xyz/gitlab/

gitlab.com/danmh (2022–2026)

Senior Designer on the design systems team.

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 22/07/2026

Love this, liquid glass physics with flat plastic materials

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 22/07/2026

Yes, that makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks for the thoughtful response. In that case we’d decided the tokens are the specification, rather than an input. Tradeoffs all the way down 😄

Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 21/07/2026

I’ve found it beneficial to have values such as transparent or full border radius available as design tokens when the tokens power the code and Figma implementations of a component. Updating the aliases used in the component would update the appearance across css and Figma in one sync.

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 21/07/2026

To add clarity for things like ‘color.black’ we called these ‘constants’: values that don’t get modified by mode or theme. Seemed to help set expectations in our context.

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 17/07/2026

I find myself choosing to use software that is more beautiful or fun but less capable over 'better' alternatives more and more often

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 16/07/2026

Appreciate you both so much 🫶

Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 16/07/2026

So lush to hear @donnie.damato.design and @bencallahan.com be so vulnerable on wireframe.ds.house tonight. Very generous people who serve the design systems space so well (in very different flavours 😅)

wireframe.ds.house

Wireframe Live weekdays @ 5pm ET

Transparent Design Talk

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Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 11/07/2026

Super interesting! Thanks for sharing

Dan MH @danmh.xyz · 06/07/2026

Video game music is the new standards Might be more interesting to you youtu.be/oKWgLe-jQjc

youtu.be

The Nintendo-fication of Jazz

YouTube video by Adam Neely