iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Olson

@molson.design

Michael Olson @molson.design · 24/07/2025

Huge personal news: I have learned that the official Flash website for the award winning motion picture, Shrek, is available to experience via the Internet Archive.

A basic HTML page with advertising partners for Shrek, including Sour Punch ("Click here for exciting Shrek contests"), Baskin Robbins ("Check out our cool new Shrek treats"), Heinz EZ Squirt ("Click here for fun with Shrek & Heinz EZ Squirt"), Burger King ("Check out Shrek Candy Caddies"), Kroger, and Walmart. A pensive Lord Farquaad looks up at the word ADVERTISEMENTS.

Shrek's beautiful house, but with strangely large bugs climbing around.

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 25/05/2025

walgreens, don’t pretend to be cool. this is embarrassing.

A notification from the Walgreens app reading:
INCOMING Trend Alert
Your friends have probably already tried these items. Open to join the fun and check out these deals

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 21/05/2025

- apple watch: dies while sleeping - every app with access to my sleep info: YOU GOT ONE HOUR AND FOURTEEN MINUTES OF SLEEP YOU ARE DEAD

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 04/05/2025

elegant or over-engineered way to handle horizontal navs on mobile? I think it's neat, but it might not make it to production for a few reasons. #uxsky #designsky

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 26/04/2025

It’s incredible that Clair Obscur was made by French people; it seems intent on confirming all cartoon stereotypes about French people.

A video game victory screen reading “Battle Loot: Baguette, Baguette”

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 16/03/2025

rebuilding portfolio website, day 1: nothing fancy, I just need to do the bare minimum, make it look good, and be done in two weeks day 93: I have implemented a bad version of figma’s comment system

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 09/03/2025

If we have to continue living with daylight savings we should at least have fun citywide sirens.

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 24/01/2025

I finally turned off the “Michael, you’re on a roll on LinkedIn!” emails that I seemed to get every day despite never opening LinkedIn, and it’s the most noticeable improvement in my quality of life in roughly 3 years.

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 13/12/2024

Here's one of the very few just-for-fun illustrations I've actually finished. Heavily inspired by Arnie Jorgensen's work in Banner Saga, which is inspired in part by the art of Eyvind Earle. Dated March 9, 2020 😰

A cool hued and snowy mountain peak, framed by a cloudy but warm sky, perhaps at sunrise. Snow steams off the mountaintop and clings to the side of the mountain.

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Reposted by Michael Olson

Matt Nava @mattnava.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

10th anniversary Journey thread, recreated: I was the art director of thatgamecompany's Journey. It set the course of my career and my art. I'm forever thankful to the community of players and their incredible love for the game. This is a thread comparing early dev images and how things shipped.

The intro title shot from the PS3 game Journey. This is from the finished game. The title "Journey" is displayed above a distant mountain, with the player character seeing it from atop a sand dune.

The intro title shot from a work in progress version of Journey. The title's font is different, the composition is asymmetrical, and the distant mountain is not as tall as the final version.

My initial sketch for the title shot for the game Journey. A simple, small line drawing featuring the player character in the foreground and the mountain in the distance.

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 27/11/2024

I added a day counter to my portfolio site starting when it launched, so everyone knows I was 3 years dumber when I made it. (I did this to avoid working on a new version)

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 25/11/2024

Yokai before and after domestication smh

A giant skeleton stands awkwardly in a front yard, partially obscured by a barren fall tree. It wears a shirt with a cartoonish turkey wearing a pilgrim hat, and underneath are the words “happy thanksgiving.”

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 23/11/2024

Dear #uxsky, Are there any good inspo resources out there for user flow charts & diagrams? I’m working on some things with a lot of forking paths and user attributes that my standard practices feel clunky for.

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 17/11/2024

If you’re like me and built your whole life around being sort of good at drawing when you were a child, I think you should watch Look Back. (Or if you just appreciate great animation and have a Prime account)

A poster for the movie “Look Back.” A elementary school girl sits hunched at her desk with her back to the viewer. Her face is visible in a mirror, and she is focused intently on the drawing she is working on. She sits in a reasonably messy bedroom, with a few pieces of crumpled up paper in the floor beside her next to a trash can. Outside the window in front of her is a foggy view of a rural Japanese town featuring traditional rooftops, trees, and a large hill or mountain.

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 16/11/2024

Introduce yourself with 4 video games

Box art of the PlayStation 2 game "Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner"

Box art of the video game "Life is Strange"

Box art of the PlayStation 2 game "Final Fantasy 10"

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 16/11/2024

As my first official act on bsky, here's a list of all the fine folks I could find here who've been guests on the good good design podcast dive.club by @ridd-design.bsky.social. Hope to see more soon!

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Michael Olson @molson.design · 16/11/2024

Hi internet friends! It was tough, but I made the incredibly noble and righteous and brave decision to delete my other account (with a really, really big following!) and come here.

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