Mark Jardine

I’ve been forced to use bug tracking software ever since my first job as a web designer right out of college over 25 years ago. Bugzilla, Jira, Mantis, Fogbugz, Basecamp and Zendesk (I know the last two aren’t really bug trackers, but we have used them for that). They always had feature bloat, terrible UX, and were a drag to use. In the last few years, we (at Tapbots) have been using shared Apple Notes documents for our feature and bug tracking. If that sounds terrible to you, you’d be right. But that’s how much I hate all the paid options out there. About a week ago, I had this idea to try and build a simple bug tracking app using Claude (AI). I didn’t expect it to be good enough to actually use as a team, but I was more curious to see what was possible.

I’m pretty particular about my work space and always optimizing my desk to have a balance between function, focus, and an aesthetically pleasing place to spend my time. It’s the end of the year and I’ve started getting into that mode of re-arranging and reorganizing my office to be more productive and efficient in 2026. I thought it would be fun to write a little about what is actually on my desk.

Back in high school I tried to sketch every day. I had my heart set on becoming an illustrator. As I went through my first few years of college taking art classes here and there, I felt like my drawing skills were progressing too slowly and I was worried that I would not be able to get a job as an illustrator (or make a decent enough of a living doing so). So I pivoted to graphic design—something that I thought would at least guarantee me a job and would allow me to be creative. I’ve been designing for over 20 years across many disciplines now and I decided I want to become a better illustrator again.

Some might wonder why someone who doesn’t look Japanese nor have a Japanese name is creating work/apparel that is Japanese-inspired. I am not Japanese, but I lived in Japan as a kid. My younger brother was born in Japan. I have cousins who went to school and live in Japan. My Korean grandmother was one of the first women to attend Tokyo University. She was fluent in Japanese. My art and design has always been influenced by Japanese pop culture because of my upbringing and inspirations.

I love Korea, but Korea has never really loved me back. Being mixed race has probably been one of the toughest things I’ve had to deal with in my life, and for better or for worse, has shaped my personality and who I am.

Stickers are beloved by almost everyone, especially designers. It’s such a great feeling to see your designs beautifully printed and stuck on objects that you use everyday. But quality stickers can get expensive, you have to wait weeks to get them, and there’s always a chance that they didn’t come out quite as expected. I’ve spent a lot of time finding the right tools, paper, and procedures to make my own die-cut, waterproof stickers that’s 90% as good as what the professional sticker printers make, and I’m going to share it here.