08. Courtny Cotten: Leading design teams through the AI revolution

09. Skyler: Foundational brands for bitcoin startups, research > intuition, and more

In this episode of the Studio Twentyone Show, Sahil walks with Skyler, founder of Finite Supply, a Bitcoin design agency. Skyler shares his journey from graphic design student to optimization specialist at companies like Walmart Labs, Kraken, and Fedi, before launching his own agency. They discuss the importance of research-driven design, the art of branding, and Skyler's philosophy of "Socratic design." 🔍 What you'll learn in this episode: * Skyler's journey from graphic design school to Bitcoin design agency founder * How early exposure to A/B testing shaped his scientific approach to design * The philosophy of "Socratic design" and seeking truth in product development * Why research and user observation matter more than designer opinions * The process of creating foundational brand identities for Bitcoin companies * How to develop taste and craftsmanship as a designer * Building scalable brand systems for early-stage companies * The future of human-computer interaction and AI delegation 🔗 Subscribe for more content on Bitcoin and product design from the Studio Twentyone Show! Connect with Skyler: * Twitter: https://x.com/skyler_fs?lang=en [https://x.com/skyler_fs?lang=en] * Website: https://finitesupply.co/ [https://finitesupply.co/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skylerwestby [https://www.linkedin.com/in/skylerwestby] Connect with Me: * Twitter: https://x.com/SahilC0 [https://x.com/SahilC0] * Nostr: sahil@primal.net/sahil [https://www.notion.so/13ec28c8fa2581d68114d63d4f626d47?pvs=21] * Web: https://sahilc.com/ [https://sahilc.com/] Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to the Studio Twentyone Show  01:20 Skyler's early design journey and education  02:36 Learning HTML and web development in design school  03:24 The important internship requirement project  04:12 Discovery of A/B testing and quantifiable design  05:16 The philosophy of "Socratic design"  06:22 Research vs opinion in Bitcoin design decisions  07:30 Walking through Vegas and design conversations  09:01 The mortuary rebranding project from college  09:28 Transition from optimization to product design  10:02 Working at Aspiration and discovering Bitcoin  11:22 The fulfillment of measurable design impact  12:23 Newsletter break  12:34 Applying optimization thinking to Bitcoin companies  14:20 The easy sell of value-based design improvements  15:17 What Skyler loves about running Finite Supply  16:22 No boss, fewer meetings, and creative freedom  17:07 22+ clients and foundational brand work  17:32 Dealing with quality concerns and imposter syndrome  19:25 Product work and cleaning up "vibe coded" UIs  21:04 Managing growth and saying yes to too much  22:12 The Bitcoin network effect for designers  23:15 Brand project process and client discovery  24:47 Using AI for word definition exploration  25:09 The Bitcoin Bond Company branding story  27:03 How clients become friends through collaboration  28:08 Making brands scalable for non-designers  30:23 Living out brand principles beyond visuals  31:16 Whether taste can be learned or is innate  33:05 Developing taste through physical craftsmanship  34:09 The command-Z impulse in leather work  35:09 Newsletter break  35:27 How Skyler discovers design inspiration  37:38 Limiting Twitter consumption with ARC browser  38:16 Sahil's disciplined social media workflow  39:48 Looking ahead: building for American workers  41:21 Solutions in search of problems vs real pain points  43:15 The vision for reducing human-computer interaction  44:30 Delegating robot tasks to actual robots  45:00 Closing thoughts and future conversations Background image credits: Jason Marder https://jtrain.studio/ [https://jtrain.studio/]

08. Courtny Cotten: Leading design teams through the AI revolution

In this episode of the Studio Twentyone Show, Sahil walks with Courtny Cotten, a design leader who has worked at major tech companies including Microsoft and Stack Overflow. With a strong background in visual design and leadership, Courtny shares insights from his career journey, discusses the evolution of design tools, and explores how AI is transforming the design industry. 🔍 What you'll learn in this episode: * Courtny's journey from art student to design leader at major tech companies * How gaming inspired his passion for digital experience design * The evolution from traditional graphic design to modern UX/UI practices * How AI tools are transforming the design industry and empowering designers * Practical tips for becoming a more effective design leader * The convergence of product design and front-end engineering roles * How to use AI as a designer's superpower rather than a threat 🔗 Subscribe for more content on Bitcoin and product design from the Studio Twentyone Show! Resources & Tools Mentioned in the Episode: * Figma (including Figma Beta AI features): https://www.figma.com/ [https://www.figma.com/] * Adobe Illustrator: https://www.adobe.com/in/products/illustrator.html [https://www.adobe.com/in/products/illustrator.html] * v0 (by Vercel): https://v0.dev/ [https://v0.dev/] * ChatGPT: https://openai.com/ [https://openai.com/] * Grok: https://grok.com/ [https://grok.com/] * Cursor: https://www.cursor.com/ [https://www.cursor.com/] * Blue Cyclops Design Agency: https://bluecyclops.com/ [https://bluecyclops.com/] * Design Break Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-design-break/id1451267703 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-design-break/id1451267703] Connect with Courtny: * Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtnycotten/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtnycotten/] * Twitter: https://x.com/courtnycotten [https://x.com/courtnycotten] Connect with Me: * Twitter: https://x.com/SahilC0 [https://x.com/SahilC0] * Nostr: sahil@primal.net/sahil [https://www.notion.so/Sahil-to-give-final-branding-13ec28c8fa2581d68114d63d4f626d47?pvs=21] * Web: https://sahilc.com/ [https://sahilc.com/] Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to the Studio Twentyone Show  01:09 Courtny's career journey and background  02:17 Early apprenticeship in graphic design  05:19 Transition from print to digital and mobile design 0 7:05 Experience at Stack Overflow and developer tooling  09:08 AI design tools discussion begins  10:24 Sahil's recent AI workflow transformation  13:26 AI for divergent thinking in design  15:54 The convergence of product design and engineering roles  20:15 Ethical questions about AI copying creative styles  24:04 New Figma Beta AI features  28:13 Using AI for better employee feedback and reviews  30:17 Effective leadership principles  33:35 Excitement about AI comparable to discovering Bitcoin  36:39 "Reflexive AI use" concept  38:40 Closing and request for feedback Background image credits: Jason Marder https://jtrain.studio/ [https://jtrain.studio/]

07. John Magill from Zaprite: Building a design-first bitcoin startup

In this episode of the Studio Twentyone Show, Sahil walks with John Magill, founder and CEO of Zaprite, to explore his journey from traditional graphic design to building a Bitcoin payment platform. John shares insights from his background in art, his transition to digital design, and how he built Zaprite from the ground up. 🔍 What you'll learn in this episode: * John's path from art school to Bitcoin entrepreneurship * How freelance design led to creating a Bitcoin payment solution * Building an MVP as a non-developer and raising funding * Balancing the roles of CEO and designer at a growing startup * Managing feature requests while maintaining product vision 🔗 Subscribe for more content on Bitcoin and product design from the Studio Twentyone Show! Connect with John: * Twitter: https://twitter.com/john_zaprite [https://twitter.com/john_zaprite] * Website: https://zaprite.com/ [https://zaprite.com/] Connect with Me: * Twitter: https://x.com/SahilC0 [https://x.com/SahilC0] * Nostr: sahil@primal.net/sahil [https://www.notion.so/Sahil-to-give-final-branding-13ec28c8fa2581d68114d63d4f626d47?pvs=21] Web: https://sahilc.com/ [https://sahilc.com/] https://sahilc.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to the Studio Twentyone Show 00:34 Meeting John Magill from Zaprite 01:03 Bitcoin Community in Austin 01:36 John's Approach to Digital Privacy 02:11 The Economics of Social Media 03:36 Early Freelance Design Career 04:47 Artistic Background and Education 09:03 Transitioning from Industrial Design to Graphic Design 12:14 Design Nature vs. Nurture Debate 14:00 The Origin Story of Zaprite 17:16 Building the MVP with Nate's Help 20:27 Design Consistency Through Growth 21:39 Balancing CEO and Designer Roles 24:23 Starting with Code as a Designer 27:45 Working with Parker and Will 31:08 AI Tools for Design 34:16 Managing Customer Feature Requests 40:52 QA Process and Feature Rollout 44:16 The Linear Approach to Features 48:38 Hot Takes on Collaborative Design 51:18 Future Design Plans for Zaprite 54:05 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information Background image credits: Jason Marder https://jtrain.studio [https://jtrain.studio/]

06. Stephen DeLorme from Voltage: Designing for lightning and open source bitcoin

In this episode of the Studio Twentyone Show, Sahil walks with Stephen DeLorme from Voltage to explore the intersection of design, development, and Bitcoin. Stephen shares his journey from comic book artist to graphic designer to Bitcoin builder, and insights from his work on Lightning Network infrastructure. 🔍 What you'll learn in this episode: * The evolution from traditional design to Bitcoin engineering * Approaches to building open source Bitcoin products * Using AI tools to accelerate design and development * Lightning Network's unique challenges and opportunities * How designers can start coding with modern tools 🔗 Subscribe for more content on Bitcoin and product design from the Studio Twentyone Show! Connect with Stephen: * Website: https://d.elor.me/ [https://d.elor.me/] * Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephenDeLorme [https://twitter.com/StephenDeLorme] * Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephendelorme [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephendelorme] * Contact: steven@vtdo.ge Connect with Me: * Twitter: https://x.com/SahilC0 [https://x.com/SahilC0] * Nostr: sahil@primal.net/sahil [https://www.notion.so/Sahil-to-give-final-branding-13ec28c8fa2581d68114d63d4f626d47?pvs=21] * Web: https://sahilc.com/ [https://sahilc.com/] Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to the Studio Twentyone Show00:40 Meeting Stephen DeLorme01:19 Stephen's Hackathon Success02:09 UX for the Streets Workshop06:35 Stephen's Background and Journey10:11 From Comic Books to Graphic Design13:23 Discovering Bitcoin and Spiral Grant15:10 B2B Experience and Bitcoin Design19:42 Working on the Bitcoin Design Guide24:27 Approaches to Open Source Design30:08 Lightning versus Other Layer 2 Solutions32:37 Voltage's Approach to Lightning Infrastructure36:30 Starting with Code for Designers40:57 Using AI Tools for Development44:47 AI's Impact on Design and Development Jobs49:05 Current Projects and Future Plans51:34 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information Background image credits: Jason Marder https://jtrain.studio/ [https://jtrain.studio/]

05. Mia White: Designing bitcoin products as a freelancer

In this episode of the Studio Twentyone Show, Sahil walks with Mia White to explore her journey from marketing to Bitcoin design and her experiences as an independent designer working with various Bitcoin companies. 🔍 What you'll learn in this episode: * Transitioning from marketing to product design * * Working with early-stage Bitcoin companies * * The challenges of explaining Bitcoin concepts through UI * * Being a "cowboy designer" in the Bitcoin space * * Balancing freelance work with personal life 🔗 Subscribe for more conversations on Bitcoin design and product development! Connect with Mia: * Twitter:https://x.com/mia_white21 [https://x.com/mia_white21] Connect with Me: * Twitter:https://x.com/SahilC0 [https://x.com/SahilC0] * Nostr:sahil@primal.net/sahil [https://www.notion.so/Sahil-to-give-final-branding-13ec28c8fa2581d68114d63d4f626d47?pvs=21] * Web:https://sahilc.com/ [https://sahilc.com/] Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to the Studio Twentyone Show  00:30 Meeting Mia White  01:14 Mia's Background in Business and Marketing  02:57 Transition to Design During COVID  04:31 Online Design Education  06:20 Starting as a Freelancer in Bitcoin  08:05 Working with Engineering-Heavy Startups  10:34 Managing Design Process with Multiple Stakeholders  13:40 Using Secondary Research to Convince Teams  15:32 Freelance versus Full-Time Considerations  19:30 Challenges in Bitcoin Startups  20:46 Bitcoin Education and UX Challenges  23:35 Designing for Technical Constraints in El Salvador  24:47 Copywriting and Website Design  27:36 Using AI Tools in Design  29:14 The Future of Designers with AI  31:35 Being a "Cowboy Designer"  33:17 Learning New Skills On-the-Go  34:51 Hot Takes on Bitcoin Companies  37:13 The Education Problem in Bitcoin Products  39:28 Staying Updated on Design Trends  40:57 Future of Bitcoin Design  44:30 Personal Growth and Balance  45:21 Closing Thoughts Background image credits: Jason Marder https://jtrain.studio/ [https://jtrain.studio/]