These little pseudo-random/emergent cellular sketches were something of a side interest for him at the time. I watched Hofstadter create this one in about a minute, and got kind of obsessed with making my own for a while after that. The process is meditative.
I haven't used Paper since well before FiftyThree was acquired, but recently rediscovered some old sketches that brought back how fun it was to play around with the duplicate tool, area fills, and transparency effects. Plus a gorgeous built-in color palette.
> dev is excited about new web app's ui
> ask dev if design is original or shadcn
> dev is confused
> pull out detailed diagram clearly labeling what's original and what's shadcn
> dev laughs, reassures me: "it's a good design sir"
> open app
> it’s shadcn
(Not a value judgment, but) to say you've never used Figma as a designer is a status signal akin to someone in NY saying they've never ridden the subway