I have some exciting news, my new portfolio is now online! Check it out

The new portfolio is responsive, with a clean, minimal design to better showcase some of my latest design projects. I’m still making updates to it daily but soon the website will be directed to my main domain www.montsebalbuena.com and will replace the WordPress version. I hope that you’ll love the updated look & feel as much as I do.

Pantone named the Color of the year 2025: PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse. A soft brown hue that evokes the warmth of coffee, chocolate and cocoa.

PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse highlights the evolving role of design, where colour choices go beyond aesthetics to evoke deeper emotional connections. This trend reflects a growing emphasis on adding dimension and meaning to design, making it more impactful and resonant.

PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse brings harmony and balance, inspiring a positive state of inner peace—creating spaces that feel like a warm embrace. An evocative soft brown that nurtures with its delectable warmth.

Each year, forward-thinking and innovative brands collaborate with Pantone to develop products inspired by the Colour of the Year. This year’s launch partners include Motorola, Joybird, Pura, WIX Studio, Libratone, Spoonflower, IPSY, Society6, Ultrafabrics, Capsule 11, Oyuna, and Post-it, showcasing a diverse range of applications from technology and furniture to fashion and office supplies.

Read more: https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year/2025

Apple Vision Pro is a wearable spatial computer that blends the digital with the physical, heralding a whole new platform for experiencing technology.

At the heart of Apple Vision Pro is an unrelenting consideration of personal use. Each device is modularly assembled in order to ensure a tailored and personalised fit for a wide range of faces and people. It also features a Light Seal, which is made of a soft textile that flexes to conform to the face, also available in a heavily researched range of shapes and sizes.

Check out the Apple Vision Pro site.

I’m officially UX Certified! With a specialty in Interaction Design from Nielsen Norman Group.

Huge thanks to Jakob Nielsen and instructors Kara Pernice, Alita Joyce, Raluca Budiu, Evan Sunwall and Page Laubheimer. You are the best.

These are some of the courses I’ve completed:

• Information Architecture
• Mobile User Experience
• Design Systems
• UX Deliverables
• The Human Mind and Usability
• ResearchOps
• Remote User Research
• Omnichannel Journeys and Customer Experience

Covid-19 has meant a great deal of free time at home so I’ve been able to read more regularly. Here are a few of the books I’ve read over the last few months. I can highly recommend all these!

Design Systems by Alla Kholmatova (2017)

Atomic Habits by James Clear (2018)

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (2020)

Art Direction for the Web by Andy Clarke (2019)

Don’t Make me Think by Steve Krug (2014)