2024 Year-End Recap: Design Awards, Trends, and My First Meetup!

Hi friends 👋

It’s the end of 2024! I hope everyone is taking the time to slow down with family and loved ones!

And maybe you’re feeling … feelings about the year ending, but you know what? It’s okay - you’ve done enough this year and you should be very proud of yourself! /hugs/ 🤗

For the last issue of the year, I want talk about Apple Design Awards - a showcase of the year’s most inspiring apps and games.

Although the winners were announced earlier this year, as a designer, I think it’s really important to keep up with industry standards, know the players in the game, and be inspired.

Oh, and before we dive in, I have to share—my first design meetup just happened in Thailand, and it was such an amazing experience!

And since we’re talking about inspo, I got a few trends and tools this week that will also get your brain, braining - ready for the year ahead. Let’s start!

〰️ 2025 Design Trends by Pinterest Predicts
〰️ Why a messy career is normal
〰️ Designing for a world with no social media
〰️ Writer’s block no more

☁️ news & trends

2025 Design Trends predicted by Pinterest
Think Rococo Revival—lavish, vintage-inspired elegance—and Terra Futura, a nature-meets-tech aesthetic. These predictions are said to have an 80% accuracy rate 👀 so better to see the themes that will influence visual storytelling, UX/UI design, and branding strategies next year.

Feel like your career path is messy? That’s okay
The new year got you reflecting back on your career? You might notice that random moments— a coffee chat or quick intro — can become the foundation of your biggest opportunities. Design writer Carly Ayres shares how her ‘Relationship Graph’ showed that her career is built on happy accidents and mutual chances. Maybe yours is too?

How will you design for a no-social-media Australia?
Australia just banned social media for kids under 16, shielding them from online harm. For UX designers, it’s a call to rethink how we create digital spaces that engage younger audiences in healthier, more meaningful ways. Know how you can practice Responsible Design in the article!

🪐 launches & tools

And the Color of the Year is…
Mocha Mousse! A warm, rich brown that exudes comfort and sophistication. This versatile hue is set to influence design trends across fashion, interiors, and tech, offering a cozy yet elegant vibe. Ready to use it in your projects?

Conquer writer’s block with this tool
Feeling stuck staring at a blank page? Check out Spiral - a nifty tool that uses AI to help you with all sorts of writing, thinking, and creatives tasks, from crafting tweets from podcast transcripts to making client proposals from call notes. For when your brain can’t brain. 😉

If grids feel intimidating…
This website by Obys Agency is a beautifully crafted tool that helps you nail the art of layouts with tips on grid systems, columns, and even the Van De Graaf canon. It gives easy, inspiring tips, perfect for leveling up your layouts and making grids feel like second nature.

🏆 Apple Design Awards

What goes in my head seeing the winners 💭: ‘Just what is so cool about these award-winning apps?’ ‘Can I do something similar too?’ ‘This would be nice for this project!’

Here are the award-winning apps that totally caught my eye. Try downloading them yourself and study how they use different design principles. Hopefully, they’ll spark some ideas for your own design magic too! ✨

Visuals and Graphics Category: Rooms

A creative app where you design, explore, and share 3D spaces with a vibrant community. It’s kind of like sims but cuter, quirkier and less chaotic.

• From a design perspective, Rooms is really good at guiding users through complex creative tasks without overwhelming them.

• Their goal is simple: Get people to share their creations online with their friends, driving more people to try out the app

• The app also offers delightful micro-interactions, like smooth transitions, sounds, and visuals.

Delight and Fun: NYT Games

A collection of daily word and logic puzzles, including Wordle, Spelling Bee, and The Crossword, to keep your mind sharp and entertained.

• Achieved making puzzles accessible and enjoyable. Design goal is not that complicated.

• Typography is sharp and readable, suitable to long periods of usage

• Subtle color variations and contrast also reduce cognitive load

• NYT games showcase how intentional design can increase brand value — like for the New York Times which is focused on intellectual engagement.

• I think it’s a great example of good balance between content and interaction design.

• Set very high bar for education categories apps.

Inclusivity Category: oko

Alerts visually impaired pedestrians to signal lights through haptic and audio feedback.

• A very straightforward user interface

• Minimal visual noise to make sure it’s easy to use for the visually impaired

• Incorporates Apple’s VoiceOver and Dynamic Type features

• Translates visual traffic signals into audio feedback

• Useful for individuals in high-traffic areas

🌼 what is new

I still can’t believe my first-ever design meetup in Thailand happened—and how amazing it turned out! Seriously, the design community is something truly special—safe, welcoming, and full of people who just get it.

The whole experience left me feeling so inspired (and maybe a little emotional 🥹)

I’d definitely love to do it again—maybe next time in San Francisco or Singapore? Let me know where you think we should go next!

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See you on the internet 🌐,

Marisa | @meshtimes