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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11 Dec 2019 • 3 min read

Portfolios with exemplary case studies

Case studies are the heart of a portfolio. It's where you have the chance to put your work in its best light and tell the story as you intended it to be told.

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10 Dec 2019 • 3 min read

Why we mute or block

I used to never mute or block anyone on social media. I always felt that I could take everything, sort through it and have a constructive conversation with anyone who comes my way. But recently, I changed my view on the subject.

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6 Dec 2019 • 4 min read

How to stay motivated when you’re spread thin

With this series, I am attempting to answer questions from readers asking for design advice. I can’t promise I know the right answer, but I’ll always do my best to be honest and share the most practical information I know.

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4 Dec 2019 • 3 min read

5 inspiring design studio from Malaysia 🇲🇾

In every Design Around the World interview we do, we ask designers to tell us which studios we should know about from their city or country. This question keeps our trail twisting and turning through different design communities, leading us to discover inspiration and talent outside our own little c

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22 Nov 2019 • 2 min read

A dangerous approach to problem solving

The most interesting people are the ones who don’t avoid reality. The people who are honest both with themselves and with others. Who not only recognize their flaws or fears or mistakes, but openly admit them – even laugh about them.

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21 Nov 2019 • 7 min read

Finding your brand voice

Your voice is what sets your brand or offering apart from others. It’s the combination of the language you choose (both visual and written), the tone you use and the feelings you evoke in your audience.

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12 Nov 2019 • 4 min read

How to write your portfolio bio

The infamous portfolio bio. A source of angst for designers, the inspiration for satire, the cause of inexplicable decisions like calling ourselves “empathy lovers” and “pixel princes.” Plenty of articles provide pointers, but few show us what a good bio looks like in practice.

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5 Nov 2019 • 3 min read

The art of doing

I’ve written about this so many times. Directly and indirectly, inspired not only by my own thoughts, dreams or concerns, but often those around me. A conversation with a friend that keeps repeating itself, in circles, again and again.

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31 Oct 2019 • 5 min read

The books that changed your life

Today, we can easily fill our time reading tweets, news headlines, Instagram captions and emails. With so much “content” vying for our attention, it’s a wonder anyone still writes and reads books. But it seems that we do and, believe it or not, books are still changing lives.

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29 Oct 2019 • 13 min read

Design in Tokyo 🇯🇵 featuring Irobe Design Institute

We recently started exploring design in Japan through our Design Around the World series, starting with Nagasaki. Now we are looking at the design scene in Tokyo with Irobe Design Institute.