Stop sharing the work of other designers as if it is your own.
I am saddened that this is even a conversation we apparently need to be having, but I'm seeing an increase in posts where work is shared in a way that subtly—or not so subtly—suggests the poster is the one who created it, while giving no credit to the original designer.
I think folks do this under the guise of marketing, trying to just 'share inspo' or get traction so they can drop their subscription design service in the comments, but it's a shameful way to try and grow.
At best you are cheating yourself out of the chance to actually connect and engage with those creating the work that inspires you.
At worst you will inevitably get called out, look like a fool, and immediately go on 'do not hire or refer' lists that you probably weren't aware even existed.
Our industry is small, and careers are long. It may seem tempting, like any shortcut is, to do it for the views or as a way to get started, but I promise you your integrity, authenticity, and relationships are far more valuable.
It's great to share work that inspires you! We all love discovering new things. But when you do, share it in a way that honors and credits those who made it.
The day will eventually come when you wish someone did the same when sharing your own work.
Back in the day the computer didn't make the work soulless—designers used to do this with photolithography and physical collages, and Helvetica survived the transition fine. The tool has never been the variable. The people who couldn't help caring always found a way to care with whatever they had.
And they still exist. Linear, Vercel, Craft. Those products feel like someone lost sleep over them. AI makes it easier to ship mediocrity, but it also gives the obsessives the leverage they never had before. The slop was always going to come from people who didn't care 🤷♂️.
The values point is the crux. An agent that knows your roadmap can inform. One that knows your decision patterns can infer your values. At some point ‘informing based on what you prioritize’ and ‘deciding’ are the same thing, which might be fine for execution, but trickier when you’re trying to change direction as a builder.
@raphaelschaad The risk isn't AI replacing collaboration. It's AI making shallow collaboration feel sufficient. Five people with AI can produce the output of fifty, but output isn't the same as thinking together. I guess that's the distinction Notion is drawing.