Dane O'Leary Media

Dane O'Leary Media Sculptor of brands, creator of aesthetic languages, marketing magician, and visual communicator. My business is writing.

More specifically, I'm a freelance writer, tech journalist, content marketing strategist, designer and web developer. At present, my freelance writing is a full-time endeavor that affords me with an opportunity to utilize my diverse skill set, experience and knowledge to provide clients with web content that's optimized for search engine and social media visibility. Additionally, I write longer-fo

rm content such as essays and technical or analytic articles, blog posts, sales and marketing copy, press releases, biographic and profile content, how-tos and tutorials, and much more. By offering such diverse and high-quality writing services, I've maintained strong professional relationships with clients in a variety of industries, including business, real estate, marketing, sales, technology, natural sciences, healthcare, and numerous others. In addition to freelancing, I'm a feature writer for Stodzy Internet Marketing, an agency for which I write ebooks, articles, and other types of long-form content on topics related to recovery and rehabilitation. I also operate my official website, which is where I offer a little something for everyone: Science, technology, film and book reviews, how-to's, writing and career guides, my blog, and other awesomely cool stuff. I love literary fiction, nonfiction, horror movies, coffee, and my amazing and supportive boyfriend. Be sure to "like" my official page so you can stay up-to-date with all current and ongoing projects.

03/28/2025

Work smarter, not harder—let Figma do the heavy lifting.

If you’re still manually renaming layers, aligning elements pixel by pixel, or copy-pasting the same design 20 times… you’re making life harder than it needs to be.

Here are 5 ways to automate your Figma workflow so you can spend less time on tedious tasks and more time designing:

🔤 Batch Rename Bliss
Tired of “Rectangle 99 copy copy FINAL”? Use Figma’s Batch Rename to clean up layer names in one go. Your future self (and your team) will thank you.

🖥 One Master, Many Instances
Make anything reusable a component. Instead of updating 20 buttons manually, change the master once and watch the updates cascade everywhere. It’s basically a superpower.

📐 Auto-Layout All the Things
Stop nudging pixels all day. Auto-layout handles spacing and alignment for you—like cruise control for your UI. Once you start using it, you’ll never go back.

🔌 Plugin Power-Ups
Let Figma’s plugins handle the boring stuff. Generate dummy data, create flow arrows, check accessibility contrast—there’s a plugin for almost everything. Work smarter, sip coffee.

⚡ Quick Action Hero
Hit Ctrl+/ (or Cmd+/ on Mac) to open the Quick Actions search bar. Jump to any tool, setting, or plugin in seconds—no endless menu-clicking required.

The less time you spend on tedious tasks, the more time you have to focus on actual design (or, you know, starting your weekend early).

Have you automated part of your design workflow? Drop your favorite Figma hack—I’m always looking for new shortcuts! 👇



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👋 Hi, I’m Dane—sharing daily design tools & tips.
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03/24/2025

Your messy layout? It’s probably your grid system.

Grids are the backbone of good web & app design. They create structure, balance, and cohesion—but many designers struggle to use them properly.

Here’s a simple gridding breakdown:

🔹 Start with a baseline grid → Use 8px spacing for consistency (or 4px for finer adjustments). Some prefer 5px increments if they don’t use REM.

🔹 Use a column grid → The viewport width dictates the columns.
📱 Mobile: 4 columns
💻 Desktop: 12 columns

🔹 Set margins & gutters → Margins = space between content & screen edges. Gutters = space between columns to keep layouts breathable.

🔹 Make it responsive → Don’t just shrink things down. Adjust column width & breakpoints for readability.

🔹 Break the grid (intentionally!) → Once you understand grid rules, you can bend them—overlaps, asymmetry, layering—but never at the cost of usability.

Want the full guide as a PDF? Drop “PDF” in the comments!

What’s your go-to grid setup?👇

03/23/2025

If you’re reading this instead of enjoying your Sunday… you might be a designer.

Unsure? Some of the other signs you’ve fully embraced the chaos include:

🎨 Analyzing the title sequences of the movies you watch.
📐 Positioning elements by feel—but then still checking with guides to be sure.
🖍️ Appraising others based on their font choices. (Papyrus? Really, James Cameron?!)
📁 Your desktop is an abstract art piece from all of the unnamed files.
🌈 Having very strong opinions about color theory (and “corporate Memphis” illustrations 😵).
✏️ Needing to explain—repeatedly—that “stretching the logo” is not a real solution.
🛑 Having lengthy internal debates on the benefits of 16px versus 18px body text.
🔍 Zooming to 800% to align pixels at basically a cellular level.

Design brain doesn’t take weekends off—although neither does bad typography..

What’s your most “I can’t turn off my designer brain” moment? Drop it below ⬇️

03/22/2025

Not all great designs are pretty. Sometimes, ugly works.

This used to drive me nuts. I’d spend hours perfecting layouts, finessing typography—only to see a clunky, mismatched, borderline-offensive design outperform mine.

But I eventually realized something important: If something doesn't function or serve its intended purpose, then it doesn't matter how “pretty” it is.

Aesthetics are just the cherry on the usability sundae, and here’s why:

1️⃣ Clarity > beauty
That outdated, cluttered site? It might not be a visual masterpiece, but if users know exactly where to click, it’s doing its job.

2️⃣ Function drives engagement
People don’t engage because something is pretty. They engage because it’s useful, intuitive, and easy. If a “ugly” design helps users get what they need faster, they’ll always choose function over form.

3️⃣ Familiarity feels right
Ever wonder why some outdated designs still work? Because users already know how to navigate them. Reinventing the wheel for aesthetics alone can actually hurt usability.

Now, does this mean we should all start making ugly designs on purpose? Nope.
But it does mean that visual perfection is not the goal—effectiveness is.

What’s a “bad” design you’ve seen that actually works? ⬇️

03/21/2025

Leading like a designer isn’t about telling—it’s about showing.

One of the best ways to mentor junior designers? Bring them into your Figma world.

A live example beats a theoretical lesson every time, and real collaboration builds skills faster than any design course.

Here’s how Figma can help you be an even better design mentor:

👀 Show & Tell
Invite junior designers to peek inside your Figma files. How you structure frames, use components, and annotate your designs will teach them way more than just talking about “best practices.”

🎨 Live Design Jams
Co-designing in real time (even remotely) helps juniors pick up how you make design decisions. Seeing your process unfold live—including the messy iterations—gives them confidence to explore their own ideas.

📝 Comment Coaching
Leaving feedback in their Figma work is like dropping digital Post-it notes—guiding them without taking the mouse (or creative control) out of their hands. A well-placed comment can be the difference between frustration and a breakthrough.

🚀 Empower Ownership
Give junior designers real responsibility. Let them own a small part of a project, knowing you’ve got their back if things go off track. Experience is the best teacher—mentorship just makes the lessons less painful.

⚡ Lead by Example
If you want juniors to name layers properly, use components, and keep files organized… do it yourself. The habits they see you practicing are the ones they’ll adopt.

Good mentorship isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about making space for others to grow.

Shout-out time! Tag a mentor who helped level up your design skills—or someone you’re mentoring now. Let’s give credit where it’s due! 👇



----------------

👋 Hi, I’m Dane—sharing daily design tools & tips.
❤️ Found this helpful? 'Like’ it to spread the word.
🔄 Share to help others (& save for later).
➕ Want more? Follow me for daily insights.

If you need a 5-minute walkthrough to explain your UI, that’s a good sign to start over.Remember: Users don’t read manua...
03/20/2025

If you need a 5-minute walkthrough to explain your UI, that’s a good sign to start over.

Remember: Users don’t read manuals. They don’t sit through onboarding videos. They don’t have time to figure out a confusing interface.

If your design needs an explanation, it’s probably already failing.

Here’s why intuitive design matters:

📐 Clear layouts guide users naturally.
Good design doesn’t need a tutorial—it shows people where to go. Spacing, hierarchy, and contrast should make interactions effortless.

🚪 Unclear UI = higher drop-off rates.
Confusing navigation? Too many choices? Hidden buttons? Users won’t ask for help—they’ll just leave.

⚡ Good UX isn’t about ‘learning curves’—it’s about removing friction.
Great products don’t demand effort; they make actions obvious. The best UI isn’t the one that looks the coolest—it’s the one that just works.

What’s the worst example of an overcomplicated UI you’ve ever used? Drop your horror stories below! 👇



----------------

👋 Hi, I’m Dane—sharing daily design tools & tips.
❤️ Found this helpful? 'Like’ it to spread the word.
🔄 Share to help others (& save for later).
➕ Want more? Follow me for daily insights.

The most successful designs aren’t usually the loudest—they’re the ones that just work.Remember: Users don’t notice grea...
03/19/2025

The most successful designs aren’t usually the loudest—they’re the ones that just work.

Remember: Users don’t notice great UX because it gets out of the way so users can just use it. But bad UX gets noticed immediately:

🔴 Buttons that don’t look like buttons.
🔴 Forms that make you re-enter the same info twice.
🔴 Confusing navigation that turns a simple task into a scavenger hunt.

We’ve all been there—staring at a screen, frustrated that something that should be so simple feels so hard. That’s the hallmark of bad design: making people work to do something that should be effortless.

Great design feels intuitive. It removes friction, guides users naturally, and fades into the background. Think about the apps and products you use daily without frustration—chances are, they’re designed so well you barely notice them.

💡 Effortless design doesn’t seek attention—it earns trust. The less a user has to think, the more they can focus on what actually matters.

The goal isn’t for people to admire the design. It’s for them to never have to think about it.

What’s the best example of invisible UX done right that you’ve seen lately?👇



----------------

👋 Hi, I’m Dane—sharing daily design tools & tips.
❤️ Found this helpful? 'Like’ it to spread the word.
🔄 Share to help others (& save for later).
➕ Want more? Follow me for daily insights.

Your users expect effortless UX—because Netflix, Google, and Apple trained them to.The most-used platforms in the world ...
03/18/2025

Your users expect effortless UX—because Netflix, Google, and Apple trained them to.

The most-used platforms in the world set a high bar. Everything feels intuitive, seamless, and instant. Users don’t have to think—they just do.

And here’s the problem: If your product doesn’t meet that expectation, users won’t try to learn it.

They’ll just quit.

So how do you fix it?

▶ Predict user behavior.
Netflix auto-plays content because it knows you don’t want to make a decision. Smart UX anticipates what users need before they even ask.

🧠 Reduce decision fatigue.
Too many choices = paralysis. People abandon products when they feel overwhelmed. Curate the experience—help users get to what they want faster.

👀 Make actions intuitive.
Users shouldn’t have to search for the next step. If they hesitate, that’s friction. Great UX surfaces the most important actions exactly when they need them.

Your competition isn’t just in your industry. It’s every smooth digital experience. If your product is harder to use than what people are used to, they won’t adjust their expectations—they’ll just leave.

What’s one app or product that you think does a great job of feeling effortless to use? 👇



----------------

👋 Hi, I’m Dane—sharing daily design tools & tips.
❤️ Found this helpful? 'Like’ it to spread the word.
🔄 Share to help others (& save for later).
➕ Want more? Follow me for daily insights.

St. Patrick’s Day has always been a big deal for my proudly-Irish family—especially my grandmother.Every year on March 1...
03/17/2025

St. Patrick’s Day has always been a big deal for my proudly-Irish family—especially my grandmother.

Every year on March 17, I think about the many years she made the day feel special, and even though she passed a few years ago, her memory makes this day very emotional and nostalgic.

You see, it wasn’t about extravagant celebrations—although my grandmother always pulled out the stops. It was more about bringing all of us together for colcannon and Guinness cupcakes, retelling the same stories of previous generations in the family, taking turns reading from her book of Irish blessings, and keeping traditions alive.

What does this have to do with design? Well, the older I get, the more I realize how much design and storytelling are connected.

A great design—whether it’s a brand, a website, or a product—isn’t just about how it looks. It’s about what it makes people feel.

The most successful designs tell a story:
✅ They create a sense of belonging, familiarity, and connection.
✅ They honor the past by carrying pieces of their history with them into the future.
✅ They have purpose and meaning, which make a lasting impression.

Thinking about my grandmother, especially on this day of all days, reminds me of what good design should do—it should make an impact, touch something deep inside, and bring people together.

What design (or brand) have you seen lately that you feel tells a great story? 🍀

Your users aren’t dumb—maybe your UI just isn’t clear.And that’s okay… as long as you’re willing to fix it!When people s...
03/17/2025

Your users aren’t dumb—maybe your UI just isn’t clear.

And that’s okay… as long as you’re willing to fix it!

When people struggle with your design, it’s not because they’re “untrained.” Bad UX happens when:
❌ Clickable elements don’t look clickable.
❌ Navigation feels like flipping a coin.
❌ Users really have to stop to think before doing.

Remember this: Your users are just trying to complete a task as quickly as possible. If they’re getting confusedin the process, that’s on the design, not them.

Here’s how to fix it:

✅ Make clickable elements obvious.
it may sound obvious, but take care that buttons look like buttons and links look like links. No one should have to guess what’s interactive.

✅ Reduce cognitive load.
The more effort it takes to understand an interface, the more frustrating it feels. Simplify choices, declutter layouts, and make paths obvious.

✅ Design with intuition in mind.
Users come in with expectations. They know how buttons, menus, and common patterns should work. Don’t reinvent the wheel unless you really need to.

The best design doesn’t need an instruction manual. It just works.

What’s one UI mistake that instantly frustrates you? Drop it below! 👇



----------------

👋 Hi, I’m Dane—sharing daily design tools & tips.
❤️ Found this helpful? 'Like’ it to spread the word.
🔄 Share to help others (& save for later).
➕ Want more? Follow me for daily insights.

03/16/2025

With more than a decade of anecdotal evidence, I think I’ve identified 5 stages of reading client feedback.

1️⃣ The “High Hopes” Stage (AKA optimism)
“Sweet, feedback! Can’t wait to see their thoughts.”
(You open the email. It’s… a lot.)

2️⃣ The “But Why” Stage (AKA confusion)
“Wait… what are they asking for? And why?”
(The logo should be bigger but also subtler? Make it ‘pop’ but also ‘less distracting’?)

3️⃣ The “Pearl-Clutching” Stage (AKA frustration)
“Why does it feel like this is going against everything that’s been discussed?”
(Remember that carefully crafted strategy doc? Apparently, neither does the client...)

4️⃣ The “Personal Economy” Stage (AKA acceptance)
“You know what? Sure. Let’s get this over with...”
(You start making the changes while muttering under your breath.)

5️⃣ The “Can’t Even Today” Stage (AKA resignation)
“Fine, I’ll fix it… on Monday.”
(You close your laptop and let future you deal with it.)

Designers, where are you on this scale today? ⬇️



----------------

👋 Hi, I’m Dane—sharing daily design tools & tips.
❤️ Found this helpful? 'Like’ it to spread the word.
🔄 Share to help others (& save for later).
➕ Want more? Follow me for daily insights.

If designers had no filter, feedback would sound like this…🗣 Client: “Make it pop!”🎨 Designer: “By ‘pop,’ do you mean ‘l...
03/15/2025

If designers had no filter, feedback would sound like this…

🗣 Client: “Make it pop!”
🎨 Designer: “By ‘pop,’ do you mean ‘look like a fever dream’?”

🗣 Stakeholder: “Can we just move that 2px to the left?”
📏 Designer: “Absolutely. Would you like me to invoice per pixel or by emotional damage?”

🗣 Client: “Can we see more options?”
🎭 Designer: “Of course! Here are three variations that all accomplish the same thing, because strategy.”

🗣 Stakeholder: “I showed this to my cousin, and he had some thoughts…”
😬 Designer: “Great! I’ll be sure to get my dog’s opinion as well.”

🗣 Client: “It just doesn’t feel right. But I don’t know why.”
🤡 Designer: “Okay! I’ll just, um… redesign everything based on intuition.”

Designers, what’s the wildest feedback you’ve ever gotten? Drop it below ⬇️

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Welcome to Dane O’Leary Media

Hello. My name is Dane. Pleased to meet you.

I have been a professional content creator for nearly a decade, focused particularly on writing, tech journalism, marketing, and graphic design.

What I do

Over the past seven years, I have written for clients and publications spanning across many different industries, including mental health and substance abuse treatment, real estate, business, finance, consumer technology, entertainment, and countless others. These opportunities allowed me to write diverse forms of content, such as: