Nov 20, 2023

Here’s what’s happening today in design: Second Starship goes further than ever; Amo wants to make social apps social again; Jordan Singer adds AI 'Built it' button to Figma; The Sphere is the "iPhone-ification" of tour design; 6 useful smartwatch interactions; Figma Magnifier plugin; DesignCode releases Figma and Framer components; Inter version 4.0 is here; Steven and Nicolas Heller on Design Matters pod; 3D wireframes are a vibe; This bouquet combines high-res pixel-art with 3D; What is this "$1B" device?

1923

Garrett Morgan: A Legacy in Streets and Screens.

On this day in 1923, Garrett Morgan, an African-American inventor, secured a patent for the three-position traffic signal. His seminal design added a 'warning' position – our modern-day yellow light – to the existing red-green system, vastly improving road safety at a time when the automotive age was in its infancy.

Morgan's intuitive color-coded system didn't just revolutionize street safety; it also laid the groundwork for visual communication in modern design. Today, the red, yellow, and green color scheme transcends roadways, echoing in diverse areas from user interface design to status indicators in technology. It serves as a universal language for status indication, intuitively guiding interactions in digital interfaces just as it regulates traffic flow.