If a brand has been around long enough to earn trust, trendy design is usually the wrong move.
Trendy design is loud.
Legacy is already loud.
So for Dean Entertainment Group, the goal wasn’t “make it feel current.” It was to make it feel inevitable.
A focused visual system. Clean decisions. No extra decoration.
Because restraint is what makes a brand like this feel expensive.
#branding #logo #logodesign #branddesign #visualidentity
Stocking the kitchen for the startup team. Making sure the Ai is fed. Grind grind grind.
Messing with overlays and filming. Will eventually get it right.
#buildinginpublic #aidesign #codingwhilehungry #startups
I’ve been a designer for 15 years and this prototype looks like sh*t.
But I don’t care.
Because it does what other feedback tools don’t: it actually works.
I talked to agencies about their current tools:
• “Buggy as hell”
• “Sites won’t load properly”
• “Way too expensive”• “Every update breaks something”
So I’m building Talki to be simple and reliable.
No BS. Just works.
Still looks rough. But the UX is there.
I’m building this solo with my 4-month-old as my acting co-founder.
She’s great at naps. Terrible at code reviews.
If this sounds useful, DM me or drop a comment.
Otherwise, share this to help spread. It means more than you know. 🙏
#buildinpublic
No investors. No revenue. But I am securing funding.
The gig economy way. Babysitting, dog walking, and poo scooping.
My least favorite is the poo. Babysitting’s not so bad though. I do it all the time.
It pays the bills and gives us a little more runway to keep going.
And that’s what it’s all about. Just keep going.
#designboom #designgraphic #businessstartup #designinspiration
(This is what they mean when they say “do whatever it takes to make your startup work” right?)
Paul Graham lists “single founder” as the #1 mistake that kills startups.
So here’s why I decided to bring on a cofounder for @usetalki :
- You need someone to talk you out of stupid decisions.
- You need someone to cheer you up when things go wrong.
- You need someone who sees what you can’t.
Building something alone felt like freedom. Building something with someone feels like purpose.
#startupcompany #designspiration #teamworkmakesthedreamwork
Our startup office tour dropped.
@bchesky started in his living room. I work from my living room.
Brian had a cofounder. I have a cofounder.
@airbnb disrupted hospitality. We’re disrupting… something.
Basically the same company. Just different industries.
#buildinpublic #dadcore
My cofounder has this thing where she just stares directly at me while I’m working.
Doesn’t break eye contact. Doesn’t blink. Just. Stares.
We’re still figuring each other out but I’m starting to think my first hire will be HR.
#buildinpublic #buildinginpublic #girldad
Met my cofounder in October.
She’s opinionated, gets cranky without frequent naps, and honestly? Pretty demanding.
But we’ve been building @usetalki together quietly. The screen recorder I wish I had for the last 15 years as a designer.
Record your screen. Send a link. Get video replies back. No accounts, no friction.
We just launched. usetalki.com if you want to try it free.
My favorite time of year
The month I met your mother
And now you, November
October 11, 2025
November Joni Sorrentino
———
I am the luckiest man in the world. Watching your mom become a mother has been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. She carried our little jellybean for nine and a half months. Through kicks, hiccups, and heartburn. And she did it all with grace.
Now we get to raise our beautiful baby girl on this small island in the corner of the world. There’s no one else I’d want to do this with. Nowhere else I’d rather be. I’m so grateful this life and will always be here for you my two ladies (and our dog babies).
