Creativity, Building SuperFriendly, and Design Systems with Dan Mall

Technically Speaking with Harrison Wheeler

The Creative Director Dan Mall joins the show to talk about his career path and the moments that led him to start SuperFriendly, his own agency that is all about design systems. Dan shares his ethos and explains why he considers himself as an intentional person. We explore some of the key moments within the foundation of SuperFriendly and we talk about the practices that companies value the most when it comes to working with agencies. Listen and discover what design agencies and Hollywood movies have in common!

Jump straight into:

(01:33) - Introducing Dan Mall: A family man and professional leader who believes that everyone is creative.

(06:52) - Icebreaker questions: A day in Dan’s life, his latest obsession and why people describe him as intentional.

(13:52) - “People value design”: Dan’s background, influences and events that got him into design.

(19:35) - What is SuperFriendly? Get to know Dan’s agency model and why it’s similar to Hollywood.

(22:48) - A decade in the business: Exploring some of the key moments within the foundation of SuperFriendly.

(31:54) - “Narrow positioning draws more clients”: What is SuperFriendly's main focus in 2022?

(36:19) - A centralized-package-managed-version-controlled-software-product: The evolution of SuperFriendly’s concept for design systems throughout the years.

(43:01) - Try to help people: What is Dan looking forward to in the following years? When is his next book being published?

Episode Resources:

Connect with Dan through LinkedIn and Twitter

Dan Mall | Homepage

SuperFriendly

Thinking is Work - Dan Eden

Design is the Rendering of Intent - Jared M. Spool

Get full access to Technically Speaking at technicallyspeakinghw.substack.com/subscribe