#MagicInk
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unormal.bsky.social
'"interaction is an essentially negative aspect of information software"

One of the greatest hot takes ever.

I revisit Magic Ink all the time, and you should absolutely read it if you're serious about design:'

worrydream.com/MagicInk/

c/o: x.com/geoffreylitt...
September 30, 2025 at 5:38 PM
benjaminschneider.ch
The full essay is quite verbose, but worth skimming for the other examples at least

worrydream.com/MagicInk/
February 17, 2025 at 4:47 PM
impactology.bsky.social
Some good examples include
Bret Victor's Essays
worrydream.com/MagicInk/
worrydream.com/DynamicPictu...
worrydream.com/ExplorableEx...
worrydream.com/MediaForThin...
worrydream.com/LadderOfAbst...
Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface
worrydream.com
August 23, 2024 at 7:59 PM
docpop.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Lil update on the sandwich art: I’m hoping to do this is part of my CMW series (cyan, magenta, white), but I don’t think I’ll be able to pull of the fine details with my MagicInk markers.
I might have to do this digital, but I’ll see if I can fix this analog version first.
A drawing of three men running away from a man with a sandwich. This is based on an incident on D.C. involving federal officers. The drawing is still a work in progress, but my complaint is the man with the sandwich isn’t getting enough details because my pink and blue markers are too fat.
August 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
impactology.bsky.social
Another realization that got delayed by being too much of a fan of bret victor's magicink essay

Interactions are useful—very useful, actually. An interaction serves as a container for both information and emotion.
May 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
docpop.org
Good question. I mostly do line art, so I refer to all my tools as “pens”, but I think these are technically markers. Some have fine tips though. MagicInk are alcohol based and don’t tend to smear or streak when interacting with my other pens and markers. I hope that helps.
July 16, 2025 at 7:27 PM
impactology.bsky.social
That avoidance has probably made the field so dry and dull and susceptible to being enshittified by MBA bros

I drank that kool aid years ago and regret it, wrote a bit about it

bret victor's magic ink essay was a turning point for me worrydream.com/MagicInk/
I was reflecting on the fact that I really should have done graphic design a decade ago. I’ve come to realize that I essentially drank the Kool-Aid of a lot of UX designers. Early on—and even now—they trivialize anything that leans towards beauty or aesthetics. They think that focusing on aesthetics is somehow not strategic, not sophisticated, not part of methodological thinking. They’ve built this narrative that aesthetic work, or being obsessed with beauty, isn’t serious design work. Because of that, they downplay things like graphic design or visual design. They paint them as unsophisticated or even useless. And I bought into that. I used to trivialize graphic design too. I’ve written threads where I lament the reduction of interface design to just "making sexy visuals," and to some degree, that critique still holds because interface design should also focus on inventing new concepts for interaction, right? But in framing graphic design and visual design as somehow trivial or shallow, I now realize I was wrong. Today’s realization, that I should have pursued graphic design earlier, is rooted in this: at its essence, graphic design is simply beautiful communication—communicating something beautifully. When you look at how it’s been applied, graphic designers have excelled at beautifully communicating the essence of brands. That’s where brand design comes in—communicating the product, its features, its unique selling points—through beautifully crafted visuals. That’s business communication, and that’s where visual identity gets shaped. But as I was walking and thinking about this, I realized: **anything** can and should be communicated beautifully. Who doesn’t like something that’s communicated in a beautiful way? And maybe it’s actually a disservice to think of graphic design only as a tool for branding. Yes, graphic designers make a living through branding, and yes, that’s how their portfolios are built. But beyond that, there are other ways graphic design could be applied. Imagine all the topics, ideas, or issues that have been marginalized, suppressed, or devalued—things that need to be communicated, that need to be put out into the world. You could take any of those and use graphic design to communicate them beautifully through visuals. That’s graphic design too. Whether it’s an idea, a concept, or an issue, if you’re communicating it beautifully, that’s the essence of graphic design. If we think about it this way, graphic design is just taking anything you want to communicate and making it visually beautiful. That’s such a powerful ability. That’s an incredible creative power, right? It’s like having a superpower for getting your message across. Maybe that’s how artists think—this drive for creative expression. And perhaps there’s a blurred line between visual art and graphic design. Some graphic designers probably defend that line fiercely, to keep their work distinct from that of visual artists. Their argument mostly rests on the fact that they’re doing business communication, branding work—the stuff that pays the bills. But if you look at graphic design through a phenomenological lens, it’s really about visual communication—communicating things beautifully. And of course, that overlaps with visual art. Graphic design might just be a more accessible form of visual art, using typography, layout, colors—all those elements. So yeah, I’ve come to see what a great power graphic design can be. I wish I hadn’t listened to those UX designers who downplayed it and instead just mastered it years ago.
November 17, 2024 at 10:17 PM
docpop.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
A bit of nostalgia from back when products served their users’ needs, not the other way around.
Drawn with MagicInk and a Pentel Presto. #clippy
A drawing of Clippy, the Microsoft mascot, in light brown paper in blue and pink ink. Clippy is saying “It looks like you’re the product now.”
August 14, 2025 at 12:05 AM
impactology.bsky.social
A less punishing and more creatively rewarding (both for teachers and students) system of evaluation could be possible with his ideas
worrydream.com/DynamicPictu...
worrydream.com/MagicInk/
Dynamic Pictures
worrydream.com
June 4, 2024 at 4:17 PM
walkingalchemy.com
Old, but still one of my all time favorites:

worrydream.com/MagicInk/
Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface
worrydream.com
November 20, 2024 at 6:33 PM
docpop.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Channeling Kirby, but in my pink and blue comic style. #fantasticfour
The Fantastic Four superhero team drawn on a yellow sheet of paper, using pink and blue inks and some whiteout. These are drawn in my stretchy/cartoony style, with Ben Grimm in the front, Reed Richards standing elongated with a really long torso and arms, The Invisible Woman is drawn with dotted lines, and the Human Torch is racing towards the viewer on the right hand side. You can also see the two MagicInk brand pens and Pentel whiteout that I used for this sketch.
July 25, 2025 at 12:45 AM
charlesboury.fr
Et pour de la lecture sur le sujet UX, je recommande, et même j’oblige, à lire worrydream.com/MagicInk/
Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface
worrydream.com
February 20, 2025 at 10:28 AM
hnbot.gsuscs.xyz
Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface

https://worrydream.com/MagicInk/
June 3, 2025 at 6:00 AM
hnws.bsky.social
Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface
L: https://worrydream.com/MagicInk/
C: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44142519
posted on 2025.05.31 at 03:14:00 (c=0, p=3)
June 3, 2025 at 4:49 AM
docpop.org
I’ve been playing with a new drawing style lately, using pink and blue inks to create a darker purple color. I’m using #MagicInk pens, which are awesome AND refillable!
A self portrait drawn in pink and blue ink on a white sheet of paper. The drawing is of a man with a beard (me) looking forlorn for some reason. The pink and blue inks occasionally overlap, creating a darker purple color. A drawing in pink and blue ink on a white envelope. The drawing is of a man making a comedically sad face. The envelope is surrounded by 8 pens of various sizes. The pens are all either pink or blue colored. Sketches on a white sheet of paper of various people and animals. The drawings started off with random shapes drawn in yellow ink, then using pink and blue inks to create faces, bees, witches, and other things. A pink and blue pen are held in the foreground.
July 16, 2025 at 4:16 AM
impactology.bsky.social
Was thinking of this essay by bret victor that describes ui as dynamic pictures

worrydream.com/MagicInk/Mag...

worrydream.com/DynamicPictu...

and I just realized history of software interfaces is a history of making pictures for controlling input-output
August 14, 2025 at 4:52 PM
sketchfile.bsky.social
Got my test shipment of 8 different brands to try (though I made a mistake and accidentally got all watercolor -one alcohol set but there's always next birthday). MagicInk wasn't on brands to try but since I messed up getting an even split of water vs alco I'll keep this in mind thanks!
July 16, 2025 at 10:51 PM
docpop.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
I’ve been playing with a new drawing style lately, using pink and blue inks to create a darker purple color. I’m using #magicink pens, which are awesome AND refillable!
A self portrait drawn in pink and blue ink on a white sheet of paper. The drawing is of a man with a beard (me) looking forlorn for some reason. The pink and blue inks occasionally overlap, creating a darker purple color. A drawing in pink and blue ink on a white envelope. The drawing is of a man making a comedically sad face. The envelope is surrounded by 8 pens of various sizes. The pens are all either pink or blue colored. Sketches on a white sheet of paper of various people and animals. The drawings started off with random shapes drawn in yellow ink, then using pink and blue inks to create faces, bees, witches, and other things. A pink and blue pen are held in the foreground.
July 16, 2025 at 4:16 AM