The Journal

Notes on design & engineering.

Essays, guides, and field notes on building interfaces that feel right — design systems, animation, React, and the craft in between.

Featured · Design Engineering

Tailwind CSS v4: Complete Migration Guide and Game-Changing New Features

Tailwind CSS v4 is the biggest release in the framework's history, replacing JavaScript configuration with a CSS-first approach. Here is everything you need to know to migrate your project and take advantage of the powerful new features.

Mar 28, 202618 min readRead

Design Engineering

AI-Powered UI Development: How LLMs Are Changing the Way We Build Interfaces

From AI-generated components to intelligent design systems, discover how large language models are revolutionizing frontend development and what it means for the future of UI engineering.

Mar 25, 202620 min read

Engineering

React 19 Server Actions: The Complete Guide to Full-Stack React Components

Master React 19 Server Actions to build full-stack components that handle data mutations, form submissions, and server-side logic without writing API routes.

Mar 22, 202620 min read

Design Engineering

View Transitions API: Building Smooth Page Animations Without JavaScript

Learn how the View Transitions API enables native-feeling page transitions in web apps. Build cinematic route animations, shared element transitions, and smooth state changes with minimal code.

Mar 20, 202618 min read

Engineering

Building a Production Component Library: From shadcn Primitives to Your Own Design System

A complete guide to building, packaging, and shipping your own component library on top of shadcn/ui primitives. Learn monorepo setup, versioning, documentation, testing, and distribution strategies.

Mar 18, 202622 min read

Design Engineering

The Design Engineer's Playbook: Bridging Creativity and Code

Discover what a design engineer does, the essential skills needed, and why this hybrid role is transforming modern product teams. A complete career guide for 2026.

Mar 10, 202615 min read

Design Engineering

From Figma to Functional: My Design-to-Development Workflow

Turning Figma designs into clean React code doesn't have to be painful. Here's the exact workflow I use to go from mockup to production-ready Next.js components.

Mar 8, 202615 min read

Design Engineering

Building Design Systems That Engineers Actually Want to Use

Most design systems fail because engineers hate using them. Here's how to build a React component library with Tailwind CSS that devs actually enjoy and adopt.

Mar 6, 202615 min read

Design Engineering

The Art of Prototyping: When to Code, When to Design

Should you prototype in Figma or jump straight to code? It depends on what you're trying to learn. Here's a simple way to decide.

Mar 4, 202615 min read

Design Engineering

Motion Design for Engineers: Making Interfaces Feel Alive

Good animations aren't just pretty. They guide users, give feedback, and make your React app feel polished. Here's how to do motion right with CSS and Framer Motion.

Mar 2, 202615 min read