PixelPerfect is a series dedicated to creatives who thrive on the intersection of design and technology. Hosting individuals from across different disciplines, we will get to know their process, tools, and inspiration. 

Our guest today is designer and illustrator Yarin Ben-Hamo. 

How would you describe your role?

In a nutshell, a website designer. It’s a very fluid role because you need to wear so many different hats as you navigate different clients, trying to nail your response to match their taste without compromising your design. I’m also an illustrator and I manage to combine it in my work, especially in branding.  

What are your favourite tools, apps or software you use on a daily basis?

Obviously I spend most of my working time on Figma, but I’m still heavily reliant on Photoshop and Illustrator, as they are my main tools for illustration and image-making. 

I also try to incorporate code and mainly use P5JS.  

ChatGPT is a very good friend, helping with everything around written content. I’ll sometimes use it as an image-generator, whenever I just need a reference point. 

Which interest or passion came first - design or the technology behind it?

I believe design is the most important thing. At the end of the day, tools were created to serve design - in order to make the final product better, visually more appealing, and having better user experience. 

As the years go by, the gap between designers and the tools they use is closing, and we can use basic human abilities, such as conversational prompts, in order to get to our desired outcome.  

When you start working on a new project or brief, what guides you first - technical scope or visual inspiration?

The first thing that happens when you start working with a new client is that a whole new industry opens up. Whether it’s architecture or hospitality, you discover so much just from research and scrolling through websites of that specific business. 

I then immerse myself in the visual universe of the brief and try to study it as best as I can. The size of the project doesn’t really make a difference. 

What’s your advice for a designer who wants to dip their toes in the coding world?

Code is another tool, and for me that’s the best way to approach it. The world around us keeps moving forward, offering more tools that have the potential to assist and help with our learning process. Using ChatGPT can generate a whole code for you or help you with fixing an existing one. 

Of course having some baseline of knowledge in code will dramatically impact the level of your work, because you’ll have a deeper understanding of the structure and mechanism of what’s possible and a better way of realizing why things don’t work for example. 

What is the single most important benefit of being a designer who also understands code?

Very similar to design, code is also a set of rules and guidelines. Understanding code can help you build better design systems - smart and efficient ones with its own parameters and values.  

Do you still use a sketch book or digital only tools?

No code will ever replace the feeling of pen touching paper. I fill my sketchbooks religiously and buy them on a weekly basis, and I see the number of visitors in the arts and craft store, and so I don’t see this as something that’s under a threat of going anywhere. 

Of course I also use Photoshop in my illustrations. While it offers an enormous spectrum of possibilities, physical sketches will almost always be better, as they provide a free environment for exploration and less attachment to the results. 

How do you stay inspired and up to date with design tools and developments?

I follow a lot of design influencers. I basically only use social media for following professional and inspirational content in the design industry. When I see something I like I try to explore how it was created. 

Sometimes I think this massive exposure to online content can make designers, especially those starting out, feel insecure and out of the loop. I’d say the best you can do is find your own voice and personal style. At the end of the day that will be the thing that distinguishes you from the rest. 

Share a link to a website/ online project you admire and explain why, on both visual and technological terms. 

I have no idea how this restaurant ended up with such a magical website, but I like to imagine that if my father had a dining business this is exactly how I would approach it. 

A spectacular browsing experience: from the colors and sound to the imagemaking and illustrations, this brilliant design is an inspiration to any project. 

Thank you Yarin!