Alright, I owe you an apology. It’s been 90 days since I last hit your inbox. Every one of those weekends, I had plans to share a story or two—because, trust me, a lot has happened. It wasn’t for a lack of content. But today, I’m finally breaking the silence and coming clean on what’s been going on.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s in store today

⭐ 1 Story: Why I stopped writing this newsletter (and what’s next)

⚡ 1 Tip: Identifying the 4 Types of People

💊 3 Resources: Secret Creative Resources That Pros Use

Reading time: 4 minutes

⭐ Shift

Why I stopped writing this newsletter (and what’s next)

I started this newsletter a year ago with a simple mission: to share what I was consuming and, at the same time, hone my storytelling and writing skills. Back then, I was active on LinkedIn and had built a following of over 10k people. While I enjoyed crafting short-form content and sharing interesting insights, I still felt limited by the format.

That’s when I decided to start my own newsletter.

The idea was straightforward—each week, I’d dive into an interesting shift happening in the industry and pair it with curated design resources. My goal was to simply provide a designer’s perspective on emerging tech (a space that’s often dominated by tech and marketing viewpoints).

This led to the birth of Designing Near Future.

Within just 90 days of launching, I hit my first milestone of 1,000 readers. I started receiving emails from designers—students and professionals alike—sharing how much they enjoyed the newsletter. Some read it on their way to work, others during breaks, and a few even used it as a starting point for their own research.

Things were looking up. The feedback was lovely.

Here’s one from April of this year, just one month before I stopped writing.

So What Happened?

In April and May, I missed two weeks of newsletter content. It felt disheartening, especially after being consistent for nearly 10 months. The reason was simple—I was in the middle of moving houses, and my weekends were completely packed (Pun intended). Previously, if I missed a newsletter deadline, I’d scramble to get something out in the next day or two (even if it meant sending it on a Monday or Tuesday) just to stay on track. It wasn’t just about maintaining a habit, but about honoring the commitment I made to you, the readers who signed up expecting a weekly digest.

Around the same time, I was deeply engrossed in a major design project (more on that later) which consumed most of my mental energy. Then, a few weeks later, my dad came to visit, and I wanted to spend every weekend showing him around the beautiful Pacific Northwest rather than being tied to a screen, typing away.

Pretty soon those weeks became months, and all I had was a bunch of bookmarks, a big watch later playlist and a bunch of ideas stored in my notes app.

What did I do during this time?

Apart from moving and showing my dad around, there are a lot of things that happened for me and my career in the last few months. Here are a few:

1. I was promoted to a Senior Designer position at Teague

2. I turned 30! ✌

3. The VR headset, Visor (pictured below), which I led the design for and worked on for over a year, was finally revealed at a keynote event in Austin—an event I had the chance to attend in person.

4. I made content for my Instagram and slowly started writing again on linkedin.

5. I got interviewed by Designboom and IF Awards a few weeks ago. It is yet to be released

6. I updated my portfolio website 😄 

7. I grew YDI to 13k members and 40k IG Followers.

So life in general looked good, and very busy these last few months but I understand that’s not an excuse.

But What’s Next Sushant?

I’ve realized that many of my readers are not just invested in the content I share, but in me as a person. So it’s only fair that I continue to give back and create value for them in return. But managing this newsletter with all that’s going on gets challenging.

But.

Here’s my promise to you:

I’ll aim to deliver a value-packed newsletter every week. But for the days I miss, I’ll make it up to you with a free digital goodie—whether it’s a cheat sheet, a downloadable, a template, or a useful database.

P.S. Missing a few days might be inevitable… but hey, It’ll keep things interesting - for you and for me 😁 

Deal?

Hey real quick, I put a lot of effort into sharing only the best for my subscribers. Join 1870+ creatives Designing the Near Future, Here is a link.

⚡ Tip

Identifying the 4 Types of People

Have you ever had a great idea fall flat because the other person just didn’t “get it”? Or noticed that your detailed explanations bore some people but fascinate others? The problem usually isn’t what you’re saying—it’s how you’re saying it and who you’re saying it to. People respond differently depending on their personality type, which is why adapting your approach is crucial, especially in business.

I first came across the DISC model nearly a decade ago, when a former boss mentioned a German book he was reading. It outlined various personality types and suggested that you can often identify them just by observing how they shake hands.

Understanding these differences has been enlightening for me, and today I want to share a quick guide to identifying the four main DISC personality types and how to tailor your communication to connect with each one more effectively:

• Red (Dominant): Results-driven, decisive, and straightforward. Reds want efficiency and clear outcomes.
  How to deal: Be direct, focus on goals, and skip the fluff.

• Yellow (Influential): Sociable, enthusiastic, and creative. Yellows are big-picture thinkers who thrive on ideas and energy.
  How to deal: Keep it lively, emphasize excitement, and build rapport.

• Green (Steady): Patient, dependable, and team-oriented. Greens value stability and trust.
  How to deal: Be patient, listen actively, and highlight long-term benefits.

• Blue (Analytical): Detail-oriented, cautious, and methodical. Blues need structure and data to make decisions.
  How to deal: Provide thorough information, stick to logic, and give them time to analyze.

Needless to say, this stuff is super applicable to designers with full time jobs who work with multiple people. And if you are one, be sure to read up more on DISC.

Happy Designing!

💊 Resources

3 links to boost your creativity.

• A11y Project has a list of resources on designing assistive technology with a heavy emphasis on web accessibility.

• Awesome Blender is a curated (long) list of awesome blender plugins

• FREE 56mins Storytelling Masterclass is a brilliant video breaking down concepts and frameworks for mastering storytelling