Hey there 👋

Welcome to this installment of Pixel Perfect Picks. Here I'm sharing something that I heard, read, and saw. You can subscribe to this newsletter here. I'm additionally publishing a more extended essay about software development, design, and freelancing every month.

This edition of Pixel Perfect Picks will be a bit special. We break out from our usual structure and thought to share my highlights of the year, in different categories. We will get back to the usual style of PIxel Perfect Picks at the 13th of January.

I have never read so much this year, and I believe that is partly due to the book that has excited me the most and set everything in motion: Melody by Martin Suter. I truly hope that this book will soon be available in other languages, as it has absolutely captivated me. I don't want to reveal too much here, but I can definitely say that I have thought about no other book more than this one this year.

And yes, I will deliberately leave out the business books here.

This year has been incredibly eventful at work. One of my absolute highlights was the opportunity to be a speaker at the Into Design Systems conference.

I also gained more confidence in front of the camera and occasionally streamed on Twitch, as well as recorded a lot of Memorisely classes. It’s absolutely crazy to be able to say that I’m teaching more than 5,000 students now. Thank you for this amazing opportunity!

Amid so much work, one must also find personal balance, and I achieved that this year with a big trip. I fell incredibly in love with Japan during my two weeks there and look at the pictures every day. I'm already planning the next trip, learning the language, and I can't wait to discover what else this country has to offer.

This year, I have never run as far and as much as I have so far. With 1,500 kilometers of running, this is definitely my record, and in addition to a new personal best in the half marathon, I also completed my first marathon. Running has been such an important constant for me this year, and I am grateful that I can go outside every day and enjoy nature.

Last but not least, there is one big highlight for 2024: you. All the people I have worked with, talked to, written to, or interacted with in any way have been a true enrichment. I am incredibly grateful that I can create this newsletter and receive such wonderful feedback. And above all, that you are reading this. I have reached a point where writing the newsletter is easier for me than ever, and I look forward to writing it every week. And that’s how it will continue next year. But for now, I will take a break, recharge a bit, and reflect on the year.

Thank you for everything. Have a wonderful, relaxing Christmas and a great start to the new year. Until then.

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Keep Creating Awesome Stuff ✌️

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-Marvin