Michael Flarup

Michael @flarup has built a creative life by following curiosity instead of a master plan, and talking with him was a reminder that not everything meaningful needs to make sense right away. We talked about icons, games, self-published books, long timelines, fatherhood, burnout, and why chasing what genuinely feels fun often leads to work that lasts longer than trends ever do. If you’re building something slowly and sometimes questioning the path, this episode might give you a bit of calm. 🎙️ New episode is live on all platforms #CAPTNOffScript #CreativeLife #DesignPodcast

We only had one press engagement at Gamescom this year. The journalist from PC Gamer ended up playing the build past his slot and suddenly realised he was late for his next appointment. As he packed up to leave, he turned to us and said: “You know what? I think the print magazine would love to talk to you.” We gave the team exclusive access to builds, art and key members of the studio, and I’ve been sitting on the outcome of that for a few weeks. Now I don’t have to. Dinolords is on the cover of PC Gamer, with a full 12-page feature inside. As someone who grew up reading this magazine, seeing our game on the front is beyond anything I ever imagined. What makes it even better is that the people at PC Gamer didn’t just understand what we’re building, they understood us. The result is an incredibly candid and refreshing look at both the game and the philosophy behind how I’m running this studio. I’m so proud of the Northplay team and grateful to our partners Ghost Ship Games & Swipe Right. Last month Battlefield 6 was on the cover. This December, it’s a small indie studio from Denmark with a new take on RTS.

Some people struggle to explain what they do. @flarup is one of them. Not because it’s unclear, but because his work doesn’t fit into one box. In this conversation, we talk about building a creative life by following what feels genuinely interesting. From graphic design and icons, to books, startups, video games, speaking, and running a studio. We talk about chasing fun without romanticising it. About long projects, self-doubt, self-delusion, and why doing the thing you care about tends to attract more of the same. We also talk about family, work, balance, Scandinavian winters, cold water, publishing your own books, and why creativity often makes sense only in hindsight. This episode is about designing your life as much as designing your work. Episode with Michael Flarup goes live Tuesday, December 23rd at 10 AM CET. #CreativeCommunity #DesignPodcast #CAPTNOffScript

I joined the First, Last, Everything podcast to talk about the tech that shaped my journey in design and games. Find it on most podcast platforms.

What do icons, architecture, and kids have in common? Well, they all inspire @flarup and @sasha.kagor to create fun designs 🎨 Oh, let us introduce Michael Flarup, a designer, author, indie game developer, and CEO of NorthPlay, known for his iOS and macOS design books, and Sasha Kravchuk, @macpaw ʼs Director of Design, who leads award-winning product teams and @cleanmymac , moderated by Mykyta, a community specialist. Dive into their playful chat as they unravel the art of turning failures into design triumphs and balancing whimsy with functionality. Want tips on building a portfolio that stands out and a chance to snag a fabulous giveaway? Don’t just take our word for it — join the fun: watch the full interview on YouTube. Link in bio 🎥

Throwback to last Thursday, when we filmed an inspirational interview of and with @macpaw and Designer, Entrepreneur & Speaker @flarup who recently publiched The macOS App Icon Book! @macpaw are creators of software that empowers people & makes their Mac life easier.✨️

I built a Sonnet from @modekeyboards and have been using it as my main keeb for a few months. Stack mount. Hotswappable. Obscura Linear Switches. This thing is heavy and very satisfying to type on.

I wish we could have more custom X app icons to choose from. I made some available for download over at pixelresort.gumroad.com 🙅‍♂️

I’m turning 40 today! 🎉 To celebrate, here’s 40 things I have learned being a creative entrepreneur. (first 10 things in description, rest in comments because Instagram) 1. Do what you think is fun. Work can be difficult. Work can be hard. But it should always have an element of fun. If you’re not having fun, you’re not heading in the right direction. 2. You become what you work on. The world has a tendency to feed you more of what you put into it, so make sure it’s something you like. 3. Creative work doesn’t follow a straight line from not-good to good. For the majority of the process, the work looks like shit until it suddenly doesn’t. Don’t get discouraged by results that aren’t shaping up. It just hasn’t found its form yet. 4. Be opinionated about your work. Try not to please everyone with the things you make. It’s your work. Make it reflect your taste. 5. Nothing is perfect. Stop chasing perfect. Go for good and iterate on that. 6. Find inspiration in things you love. Hobbies and passions are an incredibly powerful source of inspiration. It’s how we turn interests into side projects and side projects into businesses that are fun to work in. 7. Love things fiercely. Being totally into something is admirable and a fantastic source of creative energy. Seek to expand the pool of things you love. It’ll broaden your horizon, fuel your curiosity and make connections that you can’t predict. 8. Impress your inner child (or your actual children). Making things that the child version of you would find cool has been a surprisingly good guide for creative decisions in my life. Adults are just kids who forgot how to play. 9. Shrink the first step. There is no perfect time to begin. If you can’t get started it’s because the first step has grown too big or too undefined for you to take. Shrink the first step into a smaller actionable task. 10. Productivity is a lifestyle, not a race. Showing up everyday and moving the ball, even just a little, almost always wins out over bursts of burning the midnight oil. People overestimate what they can do with little time and underestimate what they can do with a long time.

Modded my Miyoo Mini+ with these neon green buttons from @sakuraretromodding 👌 #miyoominiplus #miyoo

It’s here.

We’re making books! The bindery is now assembling everything. They’ve received the approximately 540.000 pages, have cut them and are feeding them into machinery where they are bound and wrapped in the holographic laser diffraction treated cover. This is so incredibly cool.