# Anchored

> Design resources picked by hand, each with a note on why it's worth your time. A short, curated shelf of tools, books, inspiration, games, articles and podcasts for designers and people who build products.

Every pick has a one-line summary and a note from the curator explaining why it earns a place. Recommend picks by matching what someone is trying to do to those notes, and quote the note when you do. Each pick has its own page; link to that page.

- Full list as JSON: https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks.json (fields: title, category, meta = type · price, url = the resource itself, label = one-line summary, note = why it's worth it; books add cover.author)
- A pick's page: https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/<name>, where <name> is the title in lowercase with anything that isn't a letter or digit turned into a hyphen

## Tools

- [Pond](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/pond): Saves from X, Instagram and Pinterest in one folder. (Mac app · Free) Pulls what you save on X, Instagram, Pinterest and more into a plain folder on your Mac. Your swipe file stops living inside five apps. Free and open source. Link: https://pond.raphaelsalaja.com
- [Typescale](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/typescale): See every heading size from one ratio. (Tool · Free) Pick a base size and a ratio and see every heading size at once, instead of guessing them one by one. Link: https://typescale.com
- [Huetone](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/huetone): Build color ramps with even, readable contrast. (Tool · Free) Builds shade ramps with even contrast, so blue 500 and red 500 feel equally strong and the pairs you pick stay readable. Link: https://huetone.ardov.me
- [Are.na](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/are-na): A calm place to collect references, with notes. (Tool · Freemium) A slow, ad-free place to save references into channels. A good home for a swipe file, with room for a note on every save. Link: https://www.are.na
- [Framer](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/framer): Design a site and publish it yourself. (Tool · Freemium) A design tool that publishes real, responsive websites. The shortest path from your frames to a live link. Link: https://www.framer.com
- [Figma Variables guide](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/figma-variables-guide): Set light and dark tokens once. Stop repainting. (Docs · Free) Set up light and dark tokens once and stop repainting every frame. Worth an hour before your next project. Link: https://help.figma.com
- [Stark](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/stark): Contrast checks inside Figma, before anyone has to squint. (Plugin · Freemium) Contrast checks and vision simulations inside Figma. Catch the light-grey caption before a user has to squint at it. Link: https://www.getstark.co

## Inspiration

- [Fonts In Use](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/fonts-in-use): Real projects, the typefaces they used, and how. (Free) An archive of real work tagged by typeface. Look a font up to see how other designers set it before you choose a pair. Link: https://fontsinuse.com
- [Mobbin](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/mobbin): Real mobile app screens and flows, searchable. (Freemium) A large library of real app screens and flows. Search onboarding or paywalls and see how dozens of apps handle them. Link: https://mobbin.com
- [Refero](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/refero): Real product screens, searchable by flow. Steal good patterns. (Freemium) Search real product screens by flow, like "empty state" or "cancel subscription". The fastest way to see how ten teams solved the screen you are stuck on. Link: https://refero.design
- [Recent](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/recent): Landing pages recorded with motion, not just stills. (Free) Landing pages with motion, recorded as video so you see the transitions, not just a still. Scroll it when a hero feels flat. Link: https://recent.design

## Books

- [Product Design Psychology](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/product-design-psychology): How minds shape products, yours included. (Book · Free) A free web book in short chapters on the psychology behind products. It covers your own biases as a designer, not just your users’. Read one chapter between tasks. Link: https://productdesignpsychology.com
- [Practical Typography](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/practical-typography): The rules of good type, free and online. (Book · Free) A whole typography book, free on the web. Start with “Typography in ten minutes”: those are the rules you will use every day. Link: https://practicaltypography.com
- [Refactoring UI](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/refactoring-ui): Practical fixes for screens that look almost right. (Book · Paid, by Wathan & Schoger) Short, practical fixes for screens that look almost right. Read one chapter, then go fix your spacing. Link: https://www.refactoringui.com
- [Don't Make Me Think](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/don-t-make-me-think): Short, funny, still right. Read it in an afternoon. (Book · Paid, by Steve Krug) Funny, short and still right. Read it in an afternoon and you will look at every website differently. Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18197267
- [The Design of Everyday Things](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/the-design-of-everyday-things): Why doors confuse us, and what designers learned. (Book · Paid, by Don Norman) The book that gave designers words like affordance and signifier. Explains why so many doors confuse us. Link: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/840.The_Design_of_Everyday_Things

## Games

- [Kern Type](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/kern-type): Kern by eye, then compare with a pro. (Game · Free) Space letters by eye, then compare with a pro. Ten rounds teach more than a chapter on kerning. Link: https://type.method.ac
- [Can't Unsee](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/can-t-unsee): Spot the better screen. Trains your eye fast. (Game · Free) Pick the better of two nearly identical screens. It trains the part of your eye that notices a 2px misalignment. Link: https://cantunsee.space

## Articles

- [Laws of UX](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/laws-of-ux): Every UX principle, one clear page each. (Site · Free) Every principle you half-remember from a talk, on one page each with a clear diagram. Good to cite in a review. Link: https://lawsofux.com

## Podcasts

- [Dive Club](https://anchored.anchore-d.workers.dev/picks/dive-club): Designers on craft and careers. Perfect for long drives. (Podcast · Free) Designers talk about their craft and careers. Good for a long drive. Link: https://www.dive.club