A Shipper, Not a Prototyper - A Reflective Writing and a Cover Letter

In March 2025, 37signals published a letter [1], as part of their hiring effort, where they connect writing with design. They want a product designer, yes. But they also want a writer. What they gave us, connected with writing, solves what they want:

\

We're looking for a designer, not a decorator. A product builder, not a picture maker. A shipper, not a prototyper.

\ When reading that letter [1], I was able to see the role of a designer through the writer’s lenses, to see how writing is at the center of it. I connected with that because I share the values presented in the letter. The moment of listening became a reflective moment. And it took me to write, to engage with a reflective exercise. That reflective exercise turned out to be a cover letter, the following cover letter. Thanks to 37signals for giving us that letter.

The Cover Letter

That idea of a “shipper, not a prototyper” freaks me out, I confess. It always did. But today, differently, I fear that prototyper role. This is so because we miss a point, right there, about what is in between:

\

writing

\ To explain, and to let you know who I am, let me start with the situation that UX, UI, front-end development, and copywriter should be seen as one role. I agree, designers are generalists. \n

But right there it starts the complication, right? To even think about that is wrong, right? This, a perceived complication, sets us to face the real complication that takes us away from that truth - that writing is in between - and from being shippers. Mr. Jason, allowed me to go back to when I was the “Fastest Keyboard in the West,” the non-writer version of me:

\ Jason, I tried to, too many times, to do that “right” thing, to do it by being that fast prototyper. So I did it. My brother, around 2000 and during the DHTML days, said that I was the “King of the Little Menus.” Jason, Netscape took me, from Brazil and to the USA, with that 20+ pages “H1-B” justification [here was a hint for me] for taking the job of an American. And then, Jason, I arrived at Netscape. And someone important at some point said “Marcio, whatever you are smoking, please keep doing that.” WYASPKDT. I received claps, for prototyping and that is that, and for inspiring them. Professionally, indeed. Even Brendan Eich once wondered “Can we do that with JavaScript?”

\ Kings to me, a king of prototypes, or perhaps a non-writer fast typer. But like a king, I had to pay the price. The price, from being okay with WYASPKDT, went along with that anxious corporate agenda which, again and again, does take advantage of the fresh new employee, the next in line. WYASPKDT, we say. The prize as a price to pay is us taking ourselves away from seeing things. No one had even the time to ask “Hey man, were you smoking?”

\ Having started there, it took me 25 years between that said specialist and the truth, the hard way, indeed. Running the risk of entering that 800+ page novel, the problem-solution could be introduced with what Steve Job had said, that we can’t see the dots while doing it. But back to what matters and at the core of this journey too, the real problem has to do with how we see ourselves - or how we do not see ourselves - when we are running, there, into that jungle of trees, of code, demos, prototypes, meetings, activities, and everything else:

\ If we had the time, to look, perhaps we would see the flip side of “what you see is what we get” and “what we don’t see is what we don’t get.” If we could see, then we would ask “Man, if you are not talking about it, you will miss it!” And then, see that you and I need to write about the things that we want to ship. Now, I wonder, have I avoided writing?

\ (Have I avoided engaging with that reflective writing for myself and for colleagues?) It may be so because I was too busy with claps. Or I was trapped by the idea that WYASPKDT meant “no need to engage with reflective writing,” and the other writings from there.

\ Having paid the price, I started to value writing. Not as a tool to make things beautiful. But as a way to see beyond those black boxes - beyond the prototype - and to transcend. As the thing that takes us to connect the dots. Now, am I good at doing that? Of course, this is not the point. It matters more that it is life-changing - writers know it.

\ To address the point of “Why do you love the web?” I say, “Yes I love it” as it is the big canvas we made for ourselves. But I also hate it, depending on how we do the things we do:

\

Hot links? I fear them as they get cold and are lost in the dark too soon

\ In other words, that comfortable specialist-prototypist as a goal is a path to a dead end, to miss talking about things, with that to miss evolving things and to miss the shipping thing.

\ What you see, what we see, is what you and I write about, and is on the way of what we will get and of what becomes real. In other words, it is through writing, or through exposing it, that we open ourselves, to collaborate.

\ Regarding other’s work, I appreciate the work of Andy Grove (High Output Management and Only the Paranoid Survive). Andy teaches us about design too. In terms of slowing down, the Blizscaling lectures were helpful for me. In terms of founder and self-management, Michael Dearing helped me rewrite part of my OS. In terms of writing vs. self, I am thankful to Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, which also took me to other life-changing paths.

\ These are some pointers that make me think that I write therefore I am. As a plus, and going back to the other things that matter too, when I write, I see that outcomes - such as UX/UI - get better. In other words, I feel closer to design, to the design work that ships. With that, to close, I hope to find a team, and minds, who support me to grow as a person and to grow as a colleague who supports our growth.

[1] “Web App Product Designer” Job Specification by 37signals

I say thanks to the following writing. The following is a masterpiece. And I know it is the truth, that it tells us about how 37signals do things. The following, for me, was also a great starting point for a moment of reflection about the role of a designer. More than that, the following document is an opportunity for all of us, as a reflective writing exercise. The following document helps us to pause, to listen, to consider, to reflect, to engage, to cross-check an examination, to learn, to assess, and it serves for us to buy in. I buy.

\ “37signals is hiring a Web App Product Designer. We don't hire for this position often, so this is a rare opportunity. We're looking for a designer, not a decorator. A product builder, not a picture maker. A shipper, not a prototyper. There's plenty of the latter, but we're after the former. We've built a close-knit team of five wonderful designers, and we'd be thrilled to have you as our sixth. Depending on your skills and experience, you'll either come in at the Senior or Lead level. Senior pays $193,858, Lead pays $229,064. Additional perks, benefits, profit sharing, and more are detailed in the handbook.

\ About the Job

At many companies, product design is split into different roles: UX, UI, front-end development, copywriter, etc. At 37signals, it’s all one role. This means our designers are exceptional generalists. Along with having great visual taste and sensibilities, you must be able to write your own production-quality front-end HTML, CSS, and English. You'll pair up with a back-end programmer to bring designs, features, and products to life.

\ We believe the best designs come from someone who can see it all through, from ideas to visuals to the finished product. We work from the interface first — starting with design, rather than ending with it — so you'll be involved in the work right from the beginning. Our projects are design-led, so you’ll have a lot of flexibility, freedom, influence, and impact right away. We follow the 6-week cycle Shape Up process, invented here.

\ You'll get to work on heavily-used products like Basecamp and HEY that push the industry forward. You won't be sequestered on a team that only gets to work on a slice of something — you'll work on all of everything. Working at 37signals as a designer means working on whole products. Existing products, brand new unreleased ones, and internal tools, too.

\ As a manager of one, you’ll drive shaped projects, big and small, over six-week cycles. You’ll set direction, take ownership, make calls, and ultimately, once situated and comfortable, see things through without a lot of oversight.

\ You love writing, too. You understand that copywriting is design. The words matter as much as the pixels. No matter how great the visuals are, bad writing is bad design. You should care about how things are phrased as much as you care about how they look. “

[2]A Note About HackerNoon

What you see, the above reflection tells you a bit about the life of one who went through a struggle. And about the one who had found, through writing, an enlighted path. This is also an opportunity to say thanks to HackerNoon, and to this community. To you, for being a platform that supported my development toward becoming a writer. And for doing that for many of us. We are all writers, we are all better learners through writing. We are all designers.