March 17, 2026
Spec work or soul work?
What I Learned When I Started a Design Studio (2011)
2011 studio confessions still roasting 2026: love your clients or it all falls apart
TLDR: A 2011 post about running a design studio says people matter most and you must believe in your clients’ products. In 2026, readers agree it’s still true—warning that otherwise you’re just “implementing specs”—while skeptics argue belief is nice but bills are real, sparking craft-versus-cash debates.
A blast-from-the-past blog post about starting a design studio in 2011 just detonated in 2026 comment sections, and readers are saying the lessons still sting. The author’s big takeaways? People over press, and love your clients or your work will wilt. That “heart first” message has folks nodding—and arguing.
The top mood is hard agreement: one developer says if you don’t believe in a client’s product, you’re just a button-clicker with a fancier title. “Believe in it or be bored by it,” became the unofficial slogan. But not everyone’s buying the romance. A more cynical camp fires back that belief doesn’t pay rent—that some weeks you take the paycheck, shut the laptop, and move on. Cue the eternal fight: craft vs. cash.
There’s also drama around the dream of using client gigs to fund your own product. Veterans groaned in unison: the “do services by day, build your app by night” plan gets cooked by meetings and deadlines. The funniest reactions roast “spec-implementing” as modern-day grunt work in a hoodie, while others defend it as honest, stable trade.
Net-net: this decade-old advice—pick people you love, pick clients you believe in—is either timeless wisdom or a luxury few can afford, depending on who you ask.
Key Points
- •The author co-founded an interaction design studio in New York City about ten years prior and stayed for four years.
- •He argues that team composition and alignment matter more than contracts, press, or revenue in building a successful services business.
- •His studio formed under post-9/11 circumstances without strong alignment, leading to internal strife and dissatisfaction.
- •Belief in clients and their products is essential; lack of conviction leads to subpar work and harms reputation.
- •The article introduces a discussion on using client services income to fund products, but the excerpt ends before conclusions are presented.