26 links for 2026
Happy New Year, folks!
This one opens with the energy of the Year of the Horse. Forward-moving, the Horse embodies enthusiasm, speed, and fierceness, bringing a year focused on bold moves and exploration. It’s a year that favors momentum over perfection and action over endless planning. Creatively, it feels like a nudge to ship the thing, share the idea, say yes before you’re fully ready and trust that you’ll find your footing once you’re already in motion.
In no particular order, here are 26 links to kickstart 2026:
YearCompass
I share this every year because it always slaps. Some sections are repetitive, but it’s a nice way to reflect on 2025 and manifest for 2026.A crowdsourced database that logs reported mass shootings in the U.S., tracking incidents, dates, locations, and basic details. There were 488 mass shootings in America in 2025. We are 5 days in, and there have already been 7 in 2026. Read that again.
The NYT Book Review’s annual list celebrating 100 standout books from 2025—covering fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry, and more. It’s a great snapshot of what readers and critics loved most last year, from literary debuts to big ideas in narrative and culture.
Pantone Color of the Year 2026
Pantone’s pick for 2026 is Cloud Dancer (PANTONE 11‑4201), a soft, calming off‑white meant to symbolize clarity, a fresh start, and visual rest in an overstimulated world. Naturally, it’s already sparking discussion across design circles.
It’s Nice That: The Year in Graphic Design 2025
A roundup of 25 standout graphic design projects from 2025. Bold branding, clever typography, and fresh visual ideas from around the world that shaped the year in design.
An extremely chaotic showcase of websites made with Readymag.
A global calendar and directory of contemporary art exhibitions, letting you browse current and upcoming gallery shows by city, date, and artist.
An iconic Italian design brand known for its playful, sculptural furniture and home objects that blur the line between art and function. The website is equally stunning.
Overtype Foundry
An independent type foundry run by Inès Davodeau and Tim Vanhille.A candid essay by Sherry Ning about creativity, choice, and wanting.
A clutch shaped like a pigeon. Don’t overthink it. Don’t pay £730 for it.
A thoughtful blog post by Jay Acunzo about why aiming to be their favorite is a smarter way to build work people actually connect with.
A collection of found cassette tapes from different locations. The audio fragments include voice memos, field recordings, mixtapes, bootlegs, and more.
A web toy that generates customizable printable grid paper. Pick your grid size, spacing, and style for sketching layouts, UI ideas, notes, or just satisfying graphing.
A quick demo showing how to create a slick 3D gyroscopic motion effect in Figma—no code, no After Effects, just one clever plugin.
A simple demo page showing a customizable accessibility widget. Text resizing, contrast options, and screen-reader-friendly controls you can add to your own site.
An interactive web experience that lets you compare the relative sizes of everything from atoms to planets. Perfect for losing a few minutes (or hours) and marveling at the universe.
Duettist inspires and supports creative collaborations between pairs of people who do different things.
Xiao Yang’s Prosthesis
I don’t know who this person is, but this has to be the coolest prosthetic leg I have ever seen.A playful journaling app that mixes writing with quick sketches. Journaling + doodling = Joodle.
How Singing Can Improve Your Health
A BBC Future piece digging into why singing isn’t just fun. Research shows it can boost lung capacity, help with breathing control, lower stress, and even make social connections stronger when you sing with others. I might need to start a Cobble Hill Choir.
A guide on growing wiser over time with practical questions you can ask yourself.
Tell me you were born in the 90s without telling me you were born in the 90s.
A web experiment that generates a faux “tax receipt” showing how much of your money hypothetically goes to different public services and programs.
Hire Super Keen ;)
For those who are new here, I co-run a small studio called Super Keen. We’re taking on new projects in 2026, so if you have an idea you want to chat to us about, get in touch! We’d love to hear from you, especially if you’re working on anything that isn’t purely software-related.Become a paid subscriber
A necessary evil for me to link to; however, this email will always be free if you can’t afford it. If you enjoy receiving my emails and want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber. It’s as cheap as Substack allows me to set it ($2.50/month) and helps me cover the costs of hosting the directory.
Hope you’re off to a great start to 2026.
— Gabby
All resources and links are shared purely because I think they are cool, interesting, or helpful. No content is sponsored unless explicitly stated. I’m open to submissions, but can’t promise they’ll be featured.
Still want more? Check out the directory where all the (curated) links live.
OMGLORD
Things that make G–Lord say OMG
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