As I was creating the landing page for my upcoming macOS app, I needed a way to include a video demo of the app within a suitable frame.

I like how Apple shows different app screenshots embedded in a sleek MacBook Pro model on their website, and I thought to use that as inspiration.

Taking the MacBook Pro model as a reference from the Apple website, I opened Figma and sat down for around an hour to make this mockup that I'll use as a frame to demo the app on its landing page:

But why go through all the trouble of designing a mockup from scratch when there are many available to download and use right away?

It's the satisfaction derived from the work that makes the difference.

In an age where we often optimise everything for time and find shortcuts to speed up our jobs, sometimes it's worth taking the long, manual route because the experience itself is rewarding.

When I looked at the MacBook frame placed on the landing page the next morning, I smiled and thought, “I made that”.

Now, I'm not oblivious to the fact that building upon ready-to-use materials, such as a mockup, software framework or starter material, is not only helpful but often necessary to produce results fast and on time.

But when you're not in a huge rush, try taking the long route and making or assembling something yourself instead of using an off-the-shelf solution.

It could be cooking something from scratch, assembling a tech gadget instead of buying a ready-to-use one, etc.

Yes, it'll be slower and tedious, but the experience will be rewarding and worth remembering.

Now, before you move on to the rest of this newsletter issue, here are a few words from: