What we learn on site, written down properly.
This is not a blog and it is not repackaged industry research. Everything here comes out of our own projects — the models we actually use to make decisions, the mistakes we have made, and the reasoning behind conventions we now hold to on every set of drawings.
Where we cite a number, it is measured from our own work and we say which project it came from. Where we are stating a professional judgement rather than a measurement, we say that too.
The one number we set before drawing anything
Why display density has to be agreed before the first plan is drawn, why the way it is measured decides whether the number means anything, and how these models quietly drift out of trust.
Read the perspective →Why most retail stores fail before a customer walks in
Six decisions taken too early, usually by the wrong person, and almost impossible to undo once the lease is signed.
Read the essay →How lighting changes buying behaviour
Vertical illuminance, contrast ratio and colour temperature — what we specify, where we spend, and what we have stopped doing.
Read the note →Short notes from live projects
The quicker register — store visits, materials we are testing, and what changed our mind this month.
What we are working on next
We publish when we have something measured to say, not on a content calendar. If you want to be told when a piece goes up, email hello@yoidesign.co.