Tobias van Schneider

Hi, I'm Tobias, a German designer living in New York. I'm the author of this blog, nice to meet you!

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1 Oct 2025 • 2 min read

How to reverse AI brain rot — A note to myself

Stop chasing frictionless convenience Accept some slowness and complexity in your life. Don't use shortcuts everywhere even if they're easily available to you. Embrace manual effort to train your mind and body. It's the only way to grow and retain personal agency in a

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4 Jun 2025 • 7 min read

Death by a Thousand Buttons — from the Desk of van Schneider — Edition №268

Welcome back to DESK! New York threw us another perfect weekend so I took the Escape Machine down to Balthazar in SoHo for some overpriced eggs benedict (a Tobias favorite, although I prefer it at PASTIS in Meatpacking District, same owner, better food). While enjoying my brunch I watched the

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27 May 2025 • 4 min read

3 lessons from Jony Ive

I nearly walked away from writing this essay. Trendy or current topics usually make me turn the other way, but I'm making an exception today. I'm not sure if you watched the interview with Jony Ive and Patrick (CEO of Stripe) last week. It's

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12 May 2025 • 3 min read

That thing that you loved (before you googled it)

There's something special, even sacred and pure about experiencing something for the first time, all by yourself.

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6 May 2025 • 8 min read

Smoke, Mirrors, and Toothpaste Foam — from the Desk of van Schneider

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22 Apr 2025 • 5 min read

The story of the Orange

Welcome back! Many new readers joined this email list last week. Makes me happy that my writing resonates. Thank you for recommending this newsletter to your friends and colleagues, it means a lot to me ♡ LAST WEEK ON DESK Last week I wrote about "The future of Design"

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7 Apr 2025 • 10 min read

The future of the designer — From the Desk of van Schneider — Edition №263

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26 Mar 2025 • 4 min read

The lost art of meaning & the aesthetic trap — From the Desk of van Schneider — Edition №262

The lost art of meaning & the aesthetic trap This article is dedicated to Surya, now a friend and once a talented junior designer on my team who has since grown into quite the successful man. This essay is born out of one of the many conversations I had with

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18 Mar 2025 • 7 min read

First movers & last standers — From the Desk of van Schneider — Edition №261

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25 Feb 2025 • 5 min read

The great manipulation

JOIN THE DESK Want to receive these articles in your inbox weeks before I publish them on my blog as well as exclusive articles? You're invited to join my personal DESK newsletter. No Spam, no Bullshit. Yes, please! Design is all about manipulation. It's as simple