Work inspiration with Dan Mall

I'm Dan Mall, founder & design director of Philly-based design studio, SuperFriendly. I co-founded Typedia and the Businessology Show.

Hardware

I primarily work on a 27" 2011 iMac with a 21" Dell second monitor. I use the Wacom Intuos 4 Large tablet with my right hand and a Magic Trackpad with my left hand. I use a Rode Podcaster to make sound and Harman Kardon SoundSticks to hear it.

My away-from-my-desk setup is a 2012 15" MacBook Pro Retina with some Lazerwood Walnut Keys and a Karma hotspot to conquer shoddy internet.

Software

There are a handful of apps I launch every time I turn my computer on:

• Mail.app for email
• Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, and Keynote for designing
• Google Chrome for browsing
• Messages for chatting with friends
• Skype for talking to friends
• TeuxDeux (by swiss designer Tina Roth-Eisenberg - WSP) to know what to do
• Twitter for spying on friends
• Notational Velocity for ideas

There are also apps that I have automatically startup with my computer:

• Dropbox for my files
• F.lux for my eyes
• Alfred for easy access to everything
• Droplr for quick image sharing
• Divvy for window management
• Backblaze for file backup
• Editorially (through Fluid) for writing

Dream setup

I just had my office built from scratch, so I have most of my dream setup already. If I were to add one thing, I'd probably want to try out a Cintiq 22" HD Touch.

Inspiration

When I need inspiration, I just take a walk upstairs to see my wife and my daughters. Instant recharge.