Design vs. Reality

Your designer just told you they’re burnt out. Stop sending them to yoga.

The real problem isn’t their resilience. It’s more likely your asinine approval process.

Oct 10 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

5

September 2025

The 350-year-old hack for solving your AI troubles.

Why does every prototype you output just feel like ordering the same sandwich but with different bread?

Sep 3 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

1

The execution trap: how change turns strategic leaders into sprint zombies.

Teams don't freeze when uncertainty hits. They sprint faster. Here's how design leaders can escape the busywork trance and provide direction even when…

Sep 2 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

August 2025

Death of the WIMP Designer: Intelligent interfaces need even more intelligent designers.

The talk no one and everyone wants to have right now: the design profession is having its Blockbuster moment, and most of us are still debating optimal…

Aug 20 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

8

1

From Skynet to Figma: why designers can't escape movie logic.

How Hollywood hijacked our brains and why uncertainty terrifies us more than actual threats.

Aug 17 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

3

1

Why I hire designers who ask dumb questions.

Fresh perspective beats domain expertise every time. The candidate who questions your assumptions will solve problems your experienced team can't see.

Aug 11 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

1

When "data-driven design" becomes "data-paralyzed design".

How over-reliance on metrics can trap teams in local optimization loops, incrementally improving mediocre experiences instead of taking the risks needed…

Aug 7 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

1

The Trojan Horse Prototype: How ancient strategy meets modern design.

Stop arguing for innovation. Start smuggling it past corporate fear instead.

Aug 4 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

3

July 2025

Your design team is too slow (according to everyone else).

How well-meaning design leaders who explain creative timelines accidentally validate every complaint about design velocity and reinforce negative team…

Jul 31 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

3

1

How to talk to your CEO about design thinking – without making them cry.

Why the methodology that drives billion-dollar outcomes still sounds like expensive therapy to most executives, and what to do about it.

Jul 28 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

22

3

2

Design Language: Why most brands are accidentally terrible (and how to fix it)

Your brand feels scattered because you're making random design decisions. Design language is the strategic framework that transforms chaos into cohesive…

Jul 22 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

2

Curating Chaos: The Designer's Role in the Age of AI

Everyone can design now. So what's your job? Stop pushing pixels and start making decisions that actually matter.

Jul 21 • 

Oscar Martin Gruno

3

1