Design Before Execution.
- Doug Swinton
- Oct 31, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 1, 2025
It’s Still Design Before Execution.
Sometimes, the words mean everything, and the melody just hums quietly in the background.
Take our suave Canadian crooner, Michael Bublé, and his version of the Ray Charles classic “You Don’t Know Me.”
The melody? Smooth, subtle, almost shy.
The words? They hit like Cupid’s arrow with a side of heartbreak.
Now, I know in my last newsletter I claimed the opposite — that the music is the design that carries all the weight and the lyrics are the composition that just danced on top.
But here’s the thing: sometimes it’s East, sometimes it’s West.
Sometimes design leads the parade. Sometimes composition takes the spotlight.
As the creator, it’s up to you to decide which is the star and which is the backup singer.
So what does that look like in painting?
Think of a street scene…
The design, the layout, perspective, light, dark, and flow are there, but a street scene is a bit of a bottleneck painting: tight, focused, small stage.
The players matter more than the stage.
The crowd at the crosswalk, the woman holding an umbrella, the kid chasing pigeons — they steal the show. The design holds it all up (foreground, middle ground, background), but it doesn’t shout for attention.
Sandwich Logic.
So yes — it’s still design before execution
Still, the bottom slice of bread. The most important thinking part. Strategy before brushstrokes.
After that, the way you stack the sandwich, well, that’s all up to you.
Some days it’s PB&J.
Some days it’s a triple-decker BLT.
Either way — you’re the chef.
In these series of paintings, the people or objects are the composition, placed on top of the design. These are the most Important. With nothing really going on in the background, I call these bottleneck paintings.
The design takes a back seat.
Keep those brushes swinging,
Your friend in art,
Doug
P.S. Fun fact: I always thought Ray Charles wrote “You Don’t Know Me.” Turns out it was Eddie Arnold, the country & western star. Just goes to show — even behind a great composition, there’s always another story.
You can only carry one item at a time, so you have to choose wisely between tools like hammers, keys, and screwdrivers. Dropping an item by accident will make noise and bring her running straight to you. Managing your inventory while avoiding Granny is a constant challenge.
저녁 이후 시간을 활용해 새로운 근무 기회를 찾는 분들에게 다양한 조건을 비교할 수 있는 정보가 유용합니다. 확인하면서 급여와 근무요일, 업무시간을 함께 살펴보면 자신의 생활 패턴에 맞는 선택이 가능하고, 낮 시간을 자유롭게 활용하면서 밤알바 필요한 수입을 계획할 수 있다는 점이 실용적으로 느껴집니다.
안내가 명확하고 이용 과정이 편리해 좋은 경험을 할 수 있었습니다. 관련 내용을 확인하며 상품권매입 시간과 노력을 줄일 수 있는 방법이라는 점이 좋았고, 다양한 상황에서 활용 가치가 높은 서비스라고 생각합니다.
하루 일과가 길어질수록 편안하게 쉬는 시간이 중요하다는 생각이 듭니다. 이동 없이 원하는 장소에서 이용할 수 있어 시간 활용이 편리합니다. 관리 전후로 이동할 필요가 적어 휴식에 집중하기 좋고, 업무나 외부 활동으로 지친 날 차분하게 출장마사지 분위기를 전환하고 싶을 때 활용하기 좋은 서비스라고 느껴집니다.
That bit about the street scene really landed for me — the idea that the design holds everything up without shouting for attention is such a good way to think about it. It's like how in some games the mechanics are so seamless you don't notice them, but if they were off, the whole thing would fall apart. Speaking of hidden structure, this reminds me of the krillion answer page — it's just a simple companion site that logs the daily answers, but the way it's organized by rarity and lets you reveal spoilers at your own pace makes all the difference. Sometimes the quiet backbone is what makes the fun possible.