Feed: Amit Das • SVP Design, Urban Company • Godgeez

#57: My book Beyond Tools is out now!

I was frustrated with the quality of the candidates I was interviewing. The candidates were not entirely at fault. It was their exposure and what they learned from industry "mentors." They didn't know any better. So, in an attempt to do my part, I wrote a simple list of '88 tips for young product designers.' This was in 2022.

The post gained some popularity. Later that year, I transitioned into building hardware products. That's when I thought about expanding the tips with more reasoning and actionable exercises for designers to follow and practice. I've been writing the book ever since.

Initially, I expanded the book to cover different domains, including digital UI/UX designers, content writers, and a few more, but kept trimming as my thoughts matured.

In a way, I wanted to 'document' everything that I'd learned after interviewing, hiring, and working with many young designers over a decade in an easy-to-carry-everywhere format.

This is that book.

This book will hopefully teach you how to prepare your portfolio, prepare for memorable interviews, do work that helps you stand out, perform and grow at work, and build your career. Also, a bunch of things that you absolutely should not do, despite the industry telling you otherwise.

Beyond tools: A practical guide for designers to become irreplaceable. Buy it and leave a review if you love it. :)

#57: My book Beyond Tools is out now!

I was frustrated with the quality of the candidates I was interviewing. The candidates were not entirely at fault. It was their exposure and what they learned from industry "mentors." They didn't know any better. So, in an attempt to do my part, I wrote a simple list of '88 tips for young product designers.' This was in 2022.

The post gained some popularity. Later that year, I transitioned into building hardware products. That's when I thought about expanding the tips with more reasoning and actionable exercises for designers to follow and practice. I've been writing the book ever since.

Initially, I expanded the book to cover different domains, including digital UI/UX designers, content writers, and a few more, but kept trimming as my thoughts matured.

In a way, I wanted to 'document' everything that I'd learned after interviewing, hiring, and working with many young designers over a decade in an easy-to-carry-everywhere format.

This is that book.

This book will hopefully teach you how to prepare your portfolio, prepare for memorable interviews, do work that helps you stand out, perform and grow at work, and build your career. Also, a bunch of things that you absolutely should not do, despite the industry telling you otherwise.

Beyond tools: A practical guide for designers to become irreplaceable. Buy it and leave a review if you love it. :)

#56: Why all my blog headers are AI-generated

#55: Like what nothing recommends to you

#54: Who are you without AI?

#53: How to walk without your headphones

#52: The most taboo thing in 2026

#51: Back to Kindle. Almost.

#50: Invest in design

#49: Blogging still. What's next?

#48: A working log

#47: The living room turned into a casino

#46: Hobbies & boredom

#45: Hack your workspace

#44: Design solves. Art stays.

#43: You were trained to be derivative. Instead, imagine more.

#42: Styling vs. designing

#41: AI slop

#40: Vision & ritual board 2026

#39: Dumb smart app of the future

#38: Instructions for living

#37: Writing for yourself vs. writing for others

#36: Library of good intentions

#35: Draft angles

#34: Toyota slow Toyota fast

#33: Start at the epicentre

#32: Build your thing

#31: Expensive guessing

#30: Stay small

#29: Success teaches better than failure

#28: The real world is just an excuse

#27: Walking in public

#26: Vanishing footpaths

#25: Lunch box

#24: Text in the world

#23: Koramangala's WIP

#22: Mall plants

#21: Hold hands

#20: Micro-adjustments

#19: The joy of low stakes

#18: Gifting

#17: Attention span

#16: Work desk

#15: Scarcity

#14: Brushing at night

#13: Instagram feed

#12: The last 5%

#11: Ordinary

#10: The myth of 'balance'

#9: My online versions

#8: Meetings

#7: Stoicism

#6: The safest bet

#5: Walking alone

#4. Feedback fatigue

#3. Things I don't tell my parents

#2. Coffee mug & busy people

#1. The 'after-this-week' lie

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