✏ Issue #500: 11 Principles of Design, Work For Free Without Wrecking Your Career, Adobe MAX, Twitter’s New Font, and more…

At some point in our working lives, we all find ourselves doing pro bono work, whether it’s helping out our Mom’s Facebook group, debugging our neighbor’s first WP site, or full-time volunteering. This week we share 7 rules for donating your time without doing lasting damage to your career, your relationships, or your altruism.

Adobe’s MAX conference is one of the highlights of the creative conference season, and this year, just like 2020, it’s both entirely digital and entirely free to attend. There are 11 creative tracks, and you’ll enjoy live sessions with industry experts, connect with other attendees, and see what Adobe has been working on in 2021.

Design is a complex process that takes a lifetime to master, but you can drive yourself head and shoulders above the competition by learning the basics. In this awesome primer, Cameron Chapman walks us through 11 fundamentals of visual design, from creating unity to exploiting negative space to achieving balance.

In January, Twitter announced its new brand typeface, Chirp. All looked well until last week when Chirp transitioned into the UI of the app and website, introducing a previously unencountered set of accessibility problems for users with migraines. Anna 4erepawko Mészáros looks at how Twitter should have managed the update.

If you’re a developer, you’ve probably worked with a few project managers. Some of those experiences may have led you to believe you could do the job better. In fact, transitioning from developer to project manager is a highly desirable path. Product School has some excellent advice for anyone considering the move.

Back in the 00s, we used browsers for browsing; these days, browsers are primary work tools. SigmaOS is an awesome app that’s been designed to update the professional browser. You can organize by project, keep two active panels open on split-screen, collaborate with others, and do everything with just your keyboard.

The website footer is one of the most undervalued elements of any design. A good page footer is both a brand reinforcement opportunity and a functional tool. Studies have shown that when it comes to customer service, it’s the footer rather than the main menu that users search. Awwwards shows us how to get them right.

Notion Web Designer Hub is a cool set of training wheels for freelancers. It includes templates for managing your workflow based around a CRM. In addition, it will guide you through every phase of a project, from onboarding a new client to reaching sign-off. If you’re new to web design and want to be successful, it’s a tremendous help.