Johannes Holmberg UI developer & designer

Uses

The tools I use to do my work.

Hardware

  • 14” Macbook Pro M1. This computer is just so solid. Went with the 14” because it was the optimal trade-off between power and portability. Got the basic processor and RAM but splurged on the storage and increased to 2TB.
  • Apple Studio Display. Oh, how I waited for a properly priced Apple display. I love the 5K native resolution.
  • CalDigit TS3 Plus Dock. This is the dock that connects all peripherals to a single place. Then I can plug in my computer with one Thunderbolt cable and it’s all set up.
  • Magic Keyboard. I love the small footprint this keyboard makes on the desk. And it mirrors the layout when I use my laptop standalone.
  • Magic Trackpad. I’ve been a trackpad user for the last 10 years. Would be hard to go back to a mouse by now.
  • AirPods Max. I got these directly when they went on sale and have used them pretty much every workday since. Always got some kind of ear fatigue with other headphones, never had a problem with these. They’re just so comfy.
  • Silverstone MR01S. I use this to raise the monitor up a bit from the desk. And on the plus side it gives a bit of extra space underneath where I can pop away my dock.
  • MagSafe Duo Charger for my phone/airpods and watch.
  • Elgato Wave 3. I love that this mic has a USB-C connection that I can plug directly into my dock. No extra audio interface required. And quality is completely suitable for my needs.
  • Wave Mic Arm LP. And it sits on a low profile mic arm. The good thing about this is that it doesn’t cover my screen when it’s in use. I like how small of a footprint it makes.

Apps

  • Browser: Firefox. I just like the privacy centric philosophy from Mozilla.
  • Editor: VS Code. Since VS Code came around I haven’t ever needed to look elsewhere.
  • Theme: Nord Dark. I favor dark themes over light ones and this is my current pick.
  • Font: Dank Mono. Since I’m looking a lot at code it’s nice to have a premium feeling font. I love how it spruces up the look of my code.
  • Terminal: iTerm2.
  • Design: Figma.
  • Photo adjustments: Pixelmator Pro.
  • Tasks: Reminders.
  • Email client: Mail.app.
  • Scratchpad: Drafts.
  • Notes: Obsidian.

Utilities

  • Alfred. Is amazing for navigating my file system.
  • Keyboard Maestro. My main go-to tool for macros and various workflow configurations.
  • Moom. My window manager of choice.
  • Bartender. Keeps things nice and tidy in the menu bar.
  • CleanShot X. Brilliant tool for annotating and sharing screenshots.
  • 1Password. Where I keep my passwords protected and accessible.
  • ColorSnapper. For grabbing the color code for anything on the screen.
  • PixelSnap. Nice little tool for quickly measuring any element on the screen.
  • Reeder. My preference for catching up on RSS and other read later services.
  • Focus. I play around with this now and then to block out distractions and get in the flow.

Other gear

  • Backpack: Goruck GR1 21L. Have used Goruck’s products for almost 10 years. Best in the world.
  • I wear my AirPods Max nearly all day while at the desk, and use my AirPods Pro while out walking or traveling.