Ridiculously good essays about design. Learn more 

Great ideas come from people who work in the trenches every day, who design because they can't help it. Practitioners are able to write serious criticism that can change our field for the better.

Towards that end, Distance is a space we created for kickass essays. We want to preserve, share, and discuss great ideas. We want to inspire the actual living crap out of you.

Distance is proudly made in, and is largely a result of, Chicago, IL, USA.

Distance 01

 
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Distance 01: Beginnings

  • Hard Fun by Benjamin Jackson

    What makes Zynga's games so successful, and how is Zynga influencing the whole casual gaming scene? Ben Jackson analyzes what it means for gamers, game developers, and Zynga themselves.

  • What Designers Know by Jon Whipple

    Institutional knowledge is tricky to pull off when you're so immersed in the act of creating every day. Jon Whipple encourages us to break out of our routines to establish a long-term organizational memory.

  • Local Communities In Practice and By Design by Vitorio Miliano

    We design things all the time, but we neglect to design our own communities of professional practice. Vitorio Miliano researches how and why communities break down, and proposes an annual survey to move things forward.