The Shell-Out 🐢 | Monthly Design Inspiration | Substack

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Snoots, Berries, and White Cabbage

Blackberry phones in 2026, Simpsons greyhounds, found shopping lists, and find out why I'm staring at you like this.

Feb 3 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Albert, Blackletter, and Piss

Six cool things from the world of design last month

Dec 2, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Sharp Teeth, Blend Modes, and Good Hugs

Five design finds celebrating human creativity: stunning illustration, mysterious motion design, purposeful craft, and handmade warmth. What made me…

Nov 4, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Butter, Cavemen, and Banana Milk

and turds, of course

Oct 7, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Stuff I found this summer

And returning after a break

Sep 2, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Rainbows, Squiggles, and Expensive Chairs

Google's plan to make phones less boring, mid-century chair art, design rules that actually work, and more cool design finds.

Jun 3, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

The Shell-Out 🐢 | Monthly Design Inspiration

The Shell-Out 🐢 | Monthly Design Inspiration

Your informal monthly dose of cool stuff from the world of visual design and tech. Expect a light-hearted, turtle-paced journey through UX/UI, branding, and product design ✨

Monthly Shell-Out

Tracks, Beans, and Trees

Pentagram's stonemason-crafted typeface for St Paul's Cathedral, a flying saucer coffee concept, and why the Brazilian Amazon branding went viral.

May 5 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Duck Pics, CMYK, and Expensive Knobs

Six things this month: Jony Ive's Ferrari interior, free public domain art, a CMYK halftoning tool, split-flap boards, lo-fi rugs, and classic game…

Apr 7 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Snoots, Berries, and White Cabbage

Blackberry phones in 2026, Simpsons greyhounds, found shopping lists, and find out why I'm staring at you like this.

Feb 3 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Albert, Blackletter, and Piss

Six cool things from the world of design last month

Dec 2, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Sharp Teeth, Blend Modes, and Good Hugs

Five design finds celebrating human creativity: stunning illustration, mysterious motion design, purposeful craft, and handmade warmth. What made me…

Nov 4, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Butter, Cavemen, and Banana Milk

and turds, of course

Oct 7, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Stuff I found this summer

And returning after a break

Sep 2, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Rainbows, Squiggles, and Expensive Chairs

Google's plan to make phones less boring, mid-century chair art, design rules that actually work, and more cool design finds.

Jun 3, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Articles

Stop Microwaving Your Designs

After years of trying to make generative AI work for me, a poster on my village noticeboard finally made my position clear. It's all thanks to…

Apr 15 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Designing Space Mission Patches

Discover how Katherine Bjelke creates space mission patches that blend storytelling, symbolism, and design to capture the essence of exploration.

Feb 9, 2025 • Tom Ayling 🐢 and Katherine Bjelke

Turtley UX is now The Shell-Out

But the turtles are here to stay.

Mar 18, 2024 • Tom Ayling 🐢

Rethinking the Web: How Arc Breathes New Life into Browser UI/UX

A Refreshing Approach to Browsing after Years of UI/UX Stagnation.

Nov 14, 2023 • Tom Ayling 🐢

I went to the Design for Planet Festival

The bits I enjoyed from the 2-day eco-extravaganza 🌍

Oct 25, 2023 • Tom Ayling 🐢

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Your informal monthly dose of cool stuff from the world of visual design and tech. Expect a light-hearted, turtle-paced journey through UX/UI, branding, and product design ✨

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The Shell-Out 🐢 | Monthly Design Inspiration

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