By Andrew David Blair, Design · UX · Tech & AI · June 12, 2026 · 2 min read
Every week there's a new "must-have" tool. Most aren't. Here's what actually stays on our bill — the ones that pay for themselves in time saved or work won.
Design & build
Figma — still the room where the work happens. Worth it the day you collaborate with anyone.
Next.js + Vercel — how we ship fast, secure sites that score in the high 90s on Lighthouse without fighting the platform.
A good icon set — boring, but a consistent icon system makes an amateur site look considered.
AI
A frontier chat model — one good subscription beats five mediocre ones. We use it for first drafts, code, and thinking out loud.
An image tool for staging concepts — not for faking product shots (don't), but for mood boards and marketing concepts.
A transcription tool — turns every client call and voice note into searchable text. Quietly one of the highest-ROI tools we run.
Marketing & growth
A scheduling tool ("book a call") — removes the back-and-forth that kills momentum.
An email platform built for growth — owning your audience beats renting attention on social every time.
Good print partners — signage and print still move product. Digital-only is leaving money on the table.
What we stopped paying for
All-in-one "marketing suites" — jack of all trades, master of the invoice.
Follower-count tools — vanity metrics don't close deals.
Anything that emails us a "score" we never act on.
The rule
Before renewing anything, we ask one question: did this tool save us more than it cost this month? If we can't answer yes quickly, it goes.
Tools don't do the work. They remove friction from the work. Buy accordingly.
Building your stack and not sure where to start? That's exactly the kind of thing a taste-test call is for.
The Secret Sauce Club
Coming soon — be first in line.
A note when something new lands on the shelf, plus the occasional thing we only send by email.
