Lee Black

Founder ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

I’m really honoured to be named Best @Framer Designer 2025.

A lot of hours, a lot of care, a lot of obsession, and a lot of trying to make things feel a bit more human.

Very thankful to Framer and to everyone who’s supported the work. Means a lot. 💙

[Framer @framer]

The winner of the 2025 Framer Award for Best Framer Designer is
@mrblackstudio!

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Apple could’ve released this, but they have to stagger and draw out their releases and sales.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

@talhaminhaas No plans. Just ideas. I’m mostly just living for today. It’s the only thing can influence tomorrow.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

When I’m done with design, or the design industry is done with me (my money is on the latter), I’ll retreat back to painting and printing.

I spent several years exploring both in my 20s. Even managed to get my work into the front window of a respected art dealer in Glasgow’s West End, with a few collectors buying my pieces along the journey.

Not bad for a young me who wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing. Come to think of it, not much has changed.

Sometimes I wonder where those pieces ended up, whose walls they hang on and what kind of mood they bring to people. There’s something rather lovely about making something that goes off and lives a life of its own.

But this time round, I’ll have my own little gallery, my own window and a collection to sell.

After 25 years of designing things that live on screens, the thought of making something you can actually hold, hang on a wall and pass down feels rather wholesome.

And the best part? I don’t have to make it responsive 😅

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Agree with you here. We’ve had some as a studio and also when I was a freelancer. Up to 3-6 years working together. It’s always interesting to see where you start and how it evolves over time. Proof that a standard 30 page brand guideline handover isn’t the source of truth till eternity. Same for design systems. They’re just templates for evolution.

We still work with one client since 9 years. Initially as a freelancer, then into our studio. Same product. Many iterations as the tech stack and industry has changed.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

@apostraphi So gooooood 🔥

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Yesterday we visited the Neanderthal Museum, in the actual Neander Valley where the first recognised Neanderthal bones were discovered in 1856.

Seeing 40,000 year old bones was quite a surreal experience.

Got me thinking about human evolution, creativity, craftsmanship and how we’re now outsourcing so much of it to AI.

Millions of years of making things ourselves and now we can’t be arsed to write an email.

Quite the family day out 😅

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Good design is not a science. It’s an art.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Mobility+ has been rated as Europe’s number one electromobility app on both iOS and Android for 8 consecutive years, with a rather healthy 3 million users.

Not bad for a small studio, eh? 😎

Big credit to @gurskystudio, who took over the lead from me and has been doing a cracking job. Proud of what we’ve built at @1042studio.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

One of my 2024 Playgrounds fully zoomed out so only seeing half the page. Am I doing it right?

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Original PSD shots from 2013. I think back then I had developed you can even navigate most of the app with only swipe gestures.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Revisiting a project from 2013 on the basis that there are around 1.6 million car crashes per year in the US alone due to smartphone use whilst driving, and nobody seems to be doing much about it.

I did some deep research back then, and today those numbers have increased fourfold.

Roughly 25% of those crashes result in serious injuries, with around 400 to 500 deaths per year.

Whilst I absolutely don’t advocate using your phone whilst driving, I feel an urge to revisit a project that could make even a small difference. Because let’s face it, although using your phone whilst driving is illegal, it’s clearly a law that’s widely ignored.

So what’s the idea? Take simple smartphone functions and make them more driver friendly. Things like calling, answering calls, listening to music, switching between apps (navigation, music, driving gadgets) and messaging.

Bigger buttons, eyes free gestures (two finger slide up and down to adjust volume, or a thumbs up air gesture to answer a call), shortcuts to your favourite native driving apps, preset navigation coordinates, GPS motion safety and Bluetooth steering wheel controls that can operate all aspects of the app.

This is just a rough first pass at revisiting the original idea. Plenty still to explore, but you get the gist.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

@brflux Yeah. Another idea is to just create it as an installation and let the audience be the performers. If I’m honest, I’ve never enjoyed the performing part. Uses a lot of nervous energy.

Let’s see!

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

@AlexAperios Yeah I was away for almost a month and it’s like Groundhog Day round here. Still, the tool is not the most important thing in the room and if you think it is, the big tech marketing is working.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Nice! I’ve never exhibited but done a lot of solo ambient performances and DJ sets.

Been working on an air conductor app (making ambient using cameras to track my hands) and coupling it with audio visuals that bend to the sound. Not really an installation, but a bit more than just performing sound. Hopefully I get to exhibit next year.

Yeah the random tapes for loops is interesting. It’s like a gift you have spend hours opening to see what goodies are inside.

I’m trying to find interesting children’s story cassettes narrated by interesting sounding voices. I think as I’m getting older, I’m chasing these real nostalgic feelings as a symptom of how fast we’re moving coupled with the over perfection and manufacture of sound as a hook.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Damn, this is amazing. Sensory bliss. We need so much more these analogue installations. Are you exhibiting often?

Love the cassette deck. Almost picked up a reel to reel version under the same brand at a car boot sale in the summer. I thought, nah I don’t need it. Probably the wrong decision 😅

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

@miggi Amazing 🤩

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Teenage Engineering doing that thing again that makes you feel like you’re a kid and you need an army like toy field radio/speaker.

Damn, the EP—35 is gorgeous, and functional.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

@CraigAppleHair Absolutely. It’s amazing. Love it when the little indies are given a platform.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

Teenage Engineering APC—2 vinyl cutter out now. Only costs €60k Euros or pay 15k and 1k a month on their atelier program 😅

There goes a dream machine I’ll never own.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

@brflux Thanks man. It’s a 1970s Russian made portable analogue tv. Has a six inch screen.

You’ll like these. It’s a framer built audio visualiser transmitted to the tv using an RF transmitter adaptor. Then a pepper ghost variation using glass and acetate.

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

@miggi Sold 😜

[Lee Black @mrblackstudio]

I’m not so sure about that. They’ve now just brought in the guitar crowd on this one. Not to forget it’s also multi channel audio interface, a guitar amp, has a camp light, built in FX, super battery, and sounds premium. This is made to be outdoors.

I think I’ll buy it to pair with my KOII, and my semi acoustic. Then of course I’ll go for the pedals too haha 😅🫣