Midnight Snack 009: Collaborative web
Embracing collectivism, screenless laptops and spiritual tech
The sun has arrived in London and we’ve made some Midnight Merch ready for summer 👕 We can’t wait to sit and sip on the roof of our studio at Netil 360 🧃 There’s fresh energy in the air 🌸 And we’re craving to connect and create! So this month, we’ve been thinking about the collaborative web 🫂
Hyper-individualism has not only increased levels of loneliness and decreased feelings of responsibility, but has squished our creative freedom into isolated boxes. In the face of multiple global emergencies, fears surrounding ‘AI’ and the relentlessly crushing force of capitalism, creatives are in crisis.
Chronically online communication has lead to the homogenisation, flattening and middening of culture. Can we even tell the difference between what we create and consume anymore? It’s time for us to break free from our bubbles, embrace collectivism over individualism, and collaborate.
At Midnight, collaboration is at the core of our values and processes. Nothing (good) is made in a vacuum. We believe creativity is stronger when we combine perspectives and disciplines. Which is why we describe ourselves as a development partner for design teams. Where agencies come up with ideas for clients, we help agencies take their ideas and bring them to life on the web ✨
You do the thinking 🧠 We make the thing web 🖥️
We dream like designers 🔮 But our medium is code 👾
We collaborate with designers to create bespoke, detail-oriented brand experiences with code that shines through 🌙. We take on the projects that require more than one brain, and thrive from the foundation of interdisciplinary, cross-agency collaborations. Which is why we’ve been opening up our Studio to welcome creatives from other specialties to share our space.
What’s been on our Midnight Minds:
Last chance to catch Maria Than’s exhibition at Arebyte this weekend
The Creative Computing Institute’s summer festival is coming up next month
Lenovo has released the worlds first ‘screenless’ laptop
The daylight computer is coming soon… but do we really want to increase our screen-time while soaking up rays?
ROVR is a new anti-algorithm music discovery platform
But have you ever been to an algorave?
This anti-encylopedia explores tech and spiritualism in collaboration with AI
Why accessible gaming goes way beyond the game
This Arabic dyslexic font was created in collaboration with dyslexic people
Could angry AI girlfriends teach men basic empathy?
Meet Midnight 🌝
A lot of what devs do feels behind closed doors, but devs don’t belong in the dark, even at Midnight. So, we thought we’d shine a light on our amazing Midnight team members. Meet one of our developers, Nic 🌸
How did you get into coding / how did you learn?
[Like all of us at Midnight] I am self taught! I am originally trained in graphic design and took a web development elective towards the end of my degree. It didn’t stick initially but I started doing some tutorials here and there and then enrolled in a few SuperHi courses. In my previous design agency job I was the given the opportunity to play with and build some of our web projects, which was how I got started with real client work.
Are you coding anything in your spare time?
A few years ago I started building a tool to play around with CSS named colours because there are some silly named colours that not many people know about. I’d love to revisit the project and get it out there just as a personal exercise, and like every other designer/developer will tell you I am working on getting my own website up too.
What’s your favourite website or tech tool atm?
I can be a bit of a luddite and it can take me some time to be open to trying new tools, but GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT have really streamlined the way I complete repetitive tasks and problem-solve.
What music do you listen to while coding?
NTS channel 1 is my go-to to start the day with some of my favourite shows, then letting it play in the background for the rest of the day – not too distracting but it does the job.
Most importantly, what’s your favourite midnight snack?
I’m not a big snacker! But since moving to the UK I have been known to enjoy a cheeky dark chocolate digestive when the mood strikes.
Our Studio 🌿
OnOffice magazine featured our Studio, issue 167 available to buy now. Josie de Guzman and Jess Murphy of Studio Jey discuss how retro interiors, computer games and sci-fi film sets inspired their design of our East London space 💫
Looking for a new spot to work? Join us 🫂 Find out more info and enquire here.
Midnight Merch 👕
Are you looking for a development partner to collaborate on a project? Send us an email 💌 Fancy a chat? Say hello 👋 Find yourself in East London? Pop in for a coffee ☕️
Thank you, until our next Snack…
Midnight 🌙
Words by Kes Inkersole