Toptal Design Blog

The Toptal Design Blog is a hub for advanced design studies by professional designers in the Toptal network on all facets of digital design, ranging from detailed design tutorials to in-depth coverage of new design trends, techniques, and technologies.

authors are vetted experts in their fields and write on topics in which they have demonstrated experience. All of our content is peer reviewed and validated by Toptal experts in the same field.

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authors are vetted experts in their fields and write on topics in which they have demonstrated experience. All of our content is peer reviewed and validated by Toptal experts in the same field.

Can Designers Make the Metaverse Less Awkward?

UX designer Pam Nicholls has created video games and augmented reality experiences for companies like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and DreamWorks Animation. Here she explores designing for the metaverse and reveals innovative ways to make the user experience more intuitive and accessible.

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Pam Nicholls

Pam is a UX designer who specializes in video games, augmented reality, SaaS, and web applications. She has worked on projects for high-profile clients such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, DreamWorks Animation, Scrabble, the NBA, and the NHL.

Push Notification Best Practices: 7 Questions Designers Should Ask

Mobile app push notifications are powerful engagement tools, but they can be intrusive if not handled correctly. Don’t hit send on your push notification strategy before asking yourself these questions.

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Shoaib Mahmud

Shoaib is a product designer with seven years of experience in mobile UX design for products in the freight and transportation sector, HR solutions, edtech, and logistics. He has worked with numerous startups in the US, Bangladesh, and Singapore overseeing project life cycles, including user research, wireframes, UIs, and prototypes.

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Expert Designers Leading Healthcare Product Innovation

Modern medical products unburden healthcare providers, improve the patient experience, and save lives. What can we learn from the designers leading this surge in healthcare product innovation?

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Micah Bowers

Micah Bowers is a designer and writer whose work has been featured in Fast Company, TNW, and other notable publications. He is a Lead Editor at Toptal.

4 Keys to Remarkable Brand Storytelling

Storytelling is a compelling way to communicate brand value—but only if you’re telling stories that resonate with your audience. Find out how to craft authentic brand stories that captivate customers and build lasting loyalty.

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Dayo Tinkerman

Dayo is a senior designer who creates engaging digital products for organizations like Guinness World Records and American University Washington College of Law. He specializes in uniting consumer insights, user research, and brand storytelling for fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, and real estate clients.

Democratizing User Research to Innovate and Refine Digital Products

Empowering non-researchers to collect client feedback can pave the way to better products and customer retention.

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Mariia Borysova

Mariia is a senior full-stack product designer specializing in healthtech and business operations. Her past clients include the Singapore Ministry of Health and Verizon. Working with a healthcare venture-building studio, she conducted foundational research and managed end-to-end design for multiple products.

You Be You: Creating Content for the Gen Z Design Aesthetic

Today’s young adults have enormous buying power, but they’re choosy shoppers with particular tastes. Understanding what drives their purchasing decisions can help you design content that resonates with Gen Z.

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Jorge Gonzalez Miksi

Jorge is a senior designer and art director with expertise in graphics and animation. He has worked for several brand design agencies and created social content for numerous companies, including the luxury skin care brand Panachea. He holds an MFA in animation from the University of Edinburgh.

Drawing on more than 25 years of design and motion graphics experience, Toptal designer Danny Rubyono explains how he makes enticing promo videos that compel viewers to action.

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Danny Rubyono

Danny is a visual and motion designer who has created promo videos for companies such as AT&T, Intel, Microsoft, and Verizon. He is also the owner of Duro Compagnie, a collective design boutique that specializes in motion graphics for healthcare, cyber security, finance, the military, and the environment.

Toptal Design Expert

Paula Barcante

Paula is an award-winning UX/UI designer, advisor, and illustrator with more than six years of hands-on experience in making complex interfaces delightful and user friendly. She has made a significant impact in large corporations, such as Amazon, Zillow, Google, as well as startups. Her mission is to create efficient, beautiful, innovative, and high-quality experiences for the greater good of society.