May 25, 2025
How making a simple product can be the best thing for your design career
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4 min read
The Unexpected Power of a Small Idea
I didn’t plan to build anything groundbreaking. I just wanted to make something playful, something that was all mine. That’s how Guilty Stickies was born — a little sticky note generator that turned into one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on. It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t a startup idea. But creating this small tool reminded me what I love about design — and why building something simple can do more for your career than waiting on the next “big” opportunity.
The Spark Behind Guilty Stickies
It started as a casual “what if?” I was in between projects, tinkering with ideas, and kept thinking about how much I loved sticky notes — the colors, the textures, the utility. One day, I thought: What if people could customise their own sticky note? Choose the color, the tape, the size — and download it as an image or SVG?
That was it. I didn’t overthink it. I didn’t scope it out like a client project. I just started building.
Why Simple Projects Are So Powerful
What made this project special wasn’t just the idea — it was the freedom to follow curiosity without pressure.
There were no briefs, no stakeholders, no KPIs. Just me, Webflow, and a weird obsession with sticky notes and tape corners. I got to play, tweak, redesign, and rebuild things over and over until it felt right. And in doing that, I stopped chasing perfection and started valuing process again.
Somewhere along the way, I realised: this tiny project was teaching me more than any client job had in a while. I was making UX decisions on the fly, refining micro-interactions, writing little bits of UI text that felt human — all while staying true to my own style.
The Career Wins I Didn’t Expect
Launching Guilty Stickies (what I eventually named it) gave me something I didn’t know I needed — momentum.
I had something fun to show. Something personal and fully finished. When I added it to my portfolio, people started asking about it. I got DMs saying “this is so cute!” or “how did you make this?” It became a conversation starter, and that led to new connections, client interest, and even people wanting to collaborate.
But more than that, it became proof — to myself — that I could bring an idea to life, even without a client or a “real” brief.
Why You Should Build Something Small Too
If you’ve been feeling stuck, burnt out, or just uninspired, I highly recommend this: make something small. Tiny, even. Something that solves one cute problem, or just makes you smile.
- You don’t need a huge idea.
- You don’t need to be “ready.”
- You don’t need permission.
You just need to start. And you might be surprised how far that one little project can take you.
Advice for Other Designers
If you’ve been sitting on a quirky idea — a tool, a resource, a little experience — I say go for it.
It might not be “impressive,” but it might just unlock something bigger for you too.
Try It Out
You can check out Guilty Stickies here. It lets you pick your own sticky note hue, add cute tape, choose a size — and download the whole thing for fun or for keeps. And if this inspires you to make your own small tool or experience, please send it to me. I’d love to see it.
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