SOMA: Dynamic Branding & Visual Identity by Made by Ruda

Original Source: https://abduzeedo.com/soma-dynamic-branding-visual-identity-made-ruda

SOMA: Dynamic Branding & Visual Identity by Made by Ruda

abduzeedo
05/21 — 2025

Explore SOMA’s evolving branding and visual identity by Made by Ruda. A modular system reflecting architectural logic and adaptability.

Hey, fellow creatives! Let’s dive into a project that truly stands out in the world of branding and visual identity. We’re talking about the SOMA Visual Identity, crafted by the talented team at Made by Ruda. This work, featured on their website, showcases a thoughtful approach to design that mirrors an architectural studio’s evolving nature.

A Foundation in Contrast

SOMA, an architecture studio based in Buenos Aires and Valencia, needed an identity to match their unique, multidisciplinary style. Their work blends brutalist elements with a playful adaptability. Made by Ruda took this contrast and ran with it, creating a system that’s both sharp and soft, modular yet messy. It’s built to shift, just like SOMA’s spaces and ideas.

Deconstructing the Typographic Form

The core concept began with a typographic exercise. Made by Ruda deconstructed the four letters of “SOMA” into modular, softened geometric forms. These pieces became the building blocks for a flexible system. Think of it as architectural logic applied to a logomark and iconography. You can see these modular elements at play in the “Branding and visual identity artifacts” section of their project overview (Page 1, SOMA Visual Identity by Made by Ruda.pdf).

Core Values in Design

This modular identity isn’t just a pretty face; it expresses SOMA’s fundamental values:

Collaboration: Interdependent parts form a coherent whole, much like a team working together.
Disruption and Innovation: Traditional typographic rules are broken, pushing boundaries.
Flexibility: The structure can evolve while keeping its core essence intact.

Made by Ruda also chose Wix Madefor Text as a supporting typeface. Its clarity and graphic neutrality provide a nice contrast to the expressive logomark (Page 1, SOMA Visual Identity by Made by Ruda.pdf). This choice highlights the dynamic interplay within the brand.

Visualizing Adaptability

Take a look at the various applications within the project. The provided PDF (SOMA Visual Identity by Made by Ruda.pdf) offers glimpses into how this system adapts. From the abstract geometric compositions to the subtle branding on a vest or a building facade, the identity maintains its integrity while transforming. The mark overlaid on a building, for instance, clearly demonstrates its architectural inspiration and adaptability.

The identity feels dynamic and shape-shifting. It’s a testament to how a well-conceived branding and visual identity can truly embody a company’s philosophy. It’s not just a logo; it’s a living, breathing system.

The Power of Modularity

What Made by Ruda achieved with SOMA is a prime example of how modular design can create a truly adaptable and memorable brand. It speaks to the idea that design shouldn’t be static, especially for a studio that prides itself on evolution. This project serves as a fantastic source of inspiration for anyone looking to build a flexible and impactful brand.

Want to see more of their incredible work? Check out Made by Ruda’s official website: https://www.madebyruda.com/

Branding and visual identity artifacts

How to Dynamically Change Pricing in Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide

Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/how-to-dynamically-change-pricing-in-shopify

Dynamically changing pricing in Shopify can feel like hacking the matrix at first. I’ve spent months helping clients implement this, testing different methods, and figuring out what actually works — and what’s a waste of time.

So I put together this guide to help you skip the trial-and-error. You’ll see what works, what doesn’t, and exactly how to make Shopify show different prices without breaking everything in your store.

Quick Verdict: How to Dynamically Change Pricing in Shopify

Shopify doesn’t support dynamic pricing natively, but it’s 100% doable with the right approach.

If you’re on Shopify Plus, use Shopify Scripts to apply rules like volume discounts or wholesale pricing directly in the cart and checkout.

On Basic or Advanced plans, your best bet is using apps like Bold Custom Pricing or Discounted Pricing by Booster — they’re user-friendly and require no coding.

If you’ve got a dev or know your way around Liquid and JavaScript, custom code gives you the most flexibility — especially for showing different prices on product pages.

For full control, combine backend tools (apps or Scripts) with front-end logic (code) to keep pricing consistent everywhere.

Your SetupBest SolutionShopify PlusUse Shopify Scripts to apply pricing rules at checkoutBasic/Advanced ShopifyUse apps like Bold Custom Pricing or Booster AppsNeed front-end price display changesUse Liquid + JavaScript to show different prices based on customer dataWant full flexibility and controlCombine a pricing app with custom code for seamless product-to-checkout pricing

Why Shopify Doesn’t Support Dynamic Pricing Natively

Let’s be clear about one thing — Shopify wasn’t built for dynamic pricing.

Out of the box, Shopify gives you a static price field. If you want prices to change based on things like:

Customer type (retail vs wholesale)

Quantity ordered (bulk discounts)

Real-time demand (like Uber-style surge pricing)

User behavior (discount for returning users)

You’re going to hit a wall. And that’s when you start looking for workarounds — apps, scripts, or coding your own solution.

I’ve personally used all three methods. Here’s what actually works.

Option 1: Shopify Scripts (Only for Shopify Plus Users)

Shopify Scripts are insanely powerful — but you can only use them if you’re on Shopify Plus.

Scripts let you change pricing rules directly in the cart and checkout. So instead of creating 1000 discount codes, you just write a little Ruby script and control exactly how prices behave.

Here’s what you can do with Shopify Scripts:

Offer discounts based on cart total or number of items

Show different prices based on customer tags (like “wholesale” or “VIP”)

Create tiered or volume pricing

Apply discounts automatically without codes

Real-world example:
I worked with a brand that sells supplements to both gyms and direct consumers.
We created a script that showed 20% off for wholesale customers, auto-applied in the cart, and stacked it with free shipping for orders over $300.

Here’s the catch:
Scripts only work in the cart/checkout. So on the product page, users still see the default price.

If you want the product page to show the updated price too, you need to combine this with JavaScript (more on that later).

Option 2: Use Shopify Apps for Dynamic Pricing

If you’re not on Shopify Plus, your best option is using third-party apps. This is how I helped most of my small business clients who needed dynamic pricing without switching plans.

Top Shopify Dynamic Pricing Apps (Tested & Reviewed)

AppFeaturesBest ForBold Custom PricingTiered pricing, wholesale, customer groupsRetailers with VIP/Wholesale pricingDiscounted Pricing by BoosterQuantity-based discounts, auto-apply offersFlash sales & volume pricingPricifyTrack competitor prices, adjust your ownPrice monitoring + auto-updatesQuantity BreaksBulk pricing by unitsStores that sell in packs or units

Each of these apps gives you a UI to set pricing rules. No coding needed.

What You Can Do With These Apps

Offer lower prices for logged-in wholesale customers

Show real-time discount tiers based on quantity (e.g. “Buy 3+, save 15%”)

Change prices automatically during a flash sale

Auto-update pricing when your competitor drops theirs (Pricify)

These apps use JavaScript and Shopify’s APIs under the hood to override product page prices and adjust logic dynamically.

One tip: Apps like Bold let you duplicate products with separate pricing tiers. That gives you full control over what customers see — no surprises at checkout.

Option 3: Use Shopify Liquid + JavaScript (Custom Code)

This is where I’ve gotten the most flexibility — especially when the store owner didn’t want to pay for Shopify Plus or a paid app.

With some clever Liquid code and JavaScript, you can show different prices based on:

Whether a customer is logged in

What customer tags they have

Inventory levels

Location (GeoIP logic)

Day or time (for timed promos)

Example: Show VIP Pricing to Tagged Customers

In your product.liquid template:

liquidCopyEdit{% if customer.tags contains ‘VIP’ %}
<span class=”price”>£80.00</span>
{% else %}
<span class=”price”>£100.00</span>
{% endif %}

This will show a lower price for logged-in customers tagged as “VIP”.

But it’s just the display. The cart will still use the original price unless you:

Sync your cart template too

Or use an automatic discount

Advanced JS Tactics

You can also use JavaScript to dynamically change the DOM on the front-end based on cookie/session data. I’ve done this when we wanted:

A/B testing on prices

Location-based pricing

Real-time inventory pricing logic

You just need to make sure your cart logic doesn’t conflict with what you’re displaying — or people will see one price and pay another.

When Should You Use Which Method?

Here’s how I break it down for clients:

Use CaseBest MethodYou’re on Shopify PlusUse Shopify ScriptsYou sell B2B and B2CUse Bold Custom PricingYou want flash sales or tiered discountsUse Discounted Pricing AppYou know Liquid/JS or have a devCustom code itYou want real-time competitor price trackingUse Pricify

What About Shopify Functions?

If you’re on Shopify’s newer stack (Hydrogen + Shopify Functions), you can go even deeper.

Shopify Functions let you build server-side custom logic to control prices, delivery methods, discounts, etc.

It’s kind of like Shopify Scripts on steroids, but more technical.

You’ll need to:

Write functions in Rust

Deploy them using Shopify CLI

Use Shopify’s new extensibility points (Checkout UI extensions)

Most people won’t need this, but if you’re scaling hard or building something custom — it’s worth looking into.

How to Keep Prices Sync’d Across Product Page, Cart, and Checkout

One big problem I ran into early on was pricing being inconsistent.

Product page shows one price

Cart shows another

Checkout shows the full price with no discount

This kills conversions.

Here’s how I fixed it:

Always apply price logic in the cart too (via Scripts or app settings)

Use JavaScript or Liquid to mirror the logic on product and collection pages

Test logged-in vs guest users — pricing can behave differently

Check mobile and desktop — some apps only inject code into one layout

Set up fallback messages like “Discount shown at checkout” if syncing isn’t perfect

Once I cleaned that up, bounce rates dropped and checkouts went smoother.

Pros and Cons of Each Method

MethodProsConsShopify ScriptsPrecise control, seamless checkoutPlus only, cart-only pricingShopify AppsEasy to use, scalableMonthly cost, code injection issuesCustom CodeFree, flexibleNeeds dev knowledge, harder to testShopify FunctionsScalable, deep integrationDev-heavy, new tech stack

Final Thoughts: What’s the Best Way to Do It?

If you’re on Shopify Plus, use Scripts. They’re powerful and reliable.
If you’re not, use Bold or Booster’s pricing apps — they’re solid and battle-tested.

If you’re technical (or have a dev), mix Liquid and JavaScript to show dynamic prices on the product page. Just make sure you don’t confuse your shoppers at checkout.

I’ve done it all three ways, and the best combo is usually:

Use an app for pricing logic

Add custom code for front-end display

Use customer tags or sessions to segment your users

That gives you flexibility and full control — without relying too much on one tool.

The post How to Dynamically Change Pricing in Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on Ecommerce-Platforms.com.

The Basics of Node.js Streams

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/basics-node-js-streams/?utm_source=rss

Explore the fundamentals of Node.js streams for efficient I/O operations. Learn how readable, writable, and transform streams work with practical examples of data handling, piping, and backpressure management in this comprehensive guide.

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Mubien's YouTube Shopping: Art Direction & Motion Design

Original Source: https://abduzeedo.com/mubiens-youtube-shopping-art-direction-motion-design

Mubien’s YouTube Shopping: Art Direction & Motion Design

abduzeedo
05/18 — 2025

Mubien’s art direction & motion design for YouTube Shopping. See their vibrant, playful 3D visual system in action.

Ever wondered how a giant like YouTube keeps its new ventures feeling fresh and genuinely engaging for its audience? It’s often down to sharp branding and smart design. Take YouTube Shopping, their affiliate program helping creators and brands earn by sharing products their audience will love. To bring its visual identity to life, particularly for key events like the ‘Holiday House’ creator gathering, YouTube turned to the creative studio Mubien.  

Crafting a Dynamic Brand Experience

Mubien was tasked with a comprehensive design challenge: to produce a wide range of materials, including a main presentation and several key motion pieces. The core mission was to capture the spirit of the YouTube Shopping brand while layering in a fresh, dynamic feel. Ultimately, the aim was to shape an engaging visual system that would elevate the content and make the overall experience more memorable and fun for everyone involved.  

Art Direction: Vibrant, Playful, and 3D

So, how did Mubien approach this? Their art direction skillfully blended 3D elements, a vibrant color palette, and playful icons. This strategy created a visual language that is both sophisticated and approachable. The team, including Art Directors Daniel Iglesias, Javier Ochoa, and Carlos Almagro, developed a system that feels cohesive and energetic.  

(Image Suggestion: A collage featuring the stage design from page 3, the name badges and stickers from page 4, and the keychain on page 7.)  

You can see this design philosophy in action across multiple touchpoints. The stage design for presentations is clean and modern, using soft lighting and the prominent YouTube Shopping logo to create an inviting atmosphere. The attention to detail shines in items like event name badges, featuring clear typography for names like “Park Hye-min MAKEUP ARTIST” and friendly icons like a heart or shopping bag, all attached to striking red lanyards.  

Even laptop stickers with slogans like “Shop. Watch. Connect.” and distinct, colorful icons were part of the branding suite, making the brand tangible and shareable. A product interface mock-up, showcasing a bright blue kettlebell with a clear “-20%” discount, demonstrates how this visual style translates effectively to the user experience itself. These elements, often featuring energetic reds, teals, and yellows, consistently reinforce the YouTube Shopping identity.  

Motion Design: Bringing Icons and Ideas to Life

While strong art direction sets the stage, motion design is what truly injects dynamism. The motion work, led by Daniel Iglesias and Paula Iglesias, was pivotal in adding that “fresh, dynamic layer” to the YouTube Shopping brand.  

(Image Suggestion: The motion graphics still from the screen on page 5. If possible, an animated GIF showcasing these types of animations would be even better.)  

Imagine those playful icons and 3D shapes—hearts, shopping bags, stars, and smileys—not just as static images, but animating, bouncing, and transitioning smoothly. The visuals captured on the large screen in the provided materials give us a glimpse of this lively approach, with icons appearing to float and interact in a 3D space. These motion pieces were undoubtedly key to making presentations and informational content far more captivating than traditional static displays. For an event like ‘Holiday House,’ where creators explore new program features, such engaging motion design helps to simplify complex information and build excitement.  

A Cohesive System Across All Touchpoints

The strength of Mubien’s work lies in its consistency. The visual system wasn’t confined to event materials or internal presentations; it was designed to extend outward. An outdoor advertisement mock-up proclaiming, “Shop the Trends. Straight from YouTube,” perfectly captures the brand’s direct and contemporary appeal, utilizing the established visual cues and a friendly, relatable face.  

This cohesive approach, evident from large-scale stage graphics down to small branded items like keychains [Page 7] and extending to public-facing ads, is what builds a robust and memorable brand identity. Mubien, working alongside agencies Workshop Built and Wildcatter LA, successfully forged a visual world for YouTube Shopping. It feels inherently part of the YouTube ecosystem yet refreshingly distinct.  

Design That Connects

What can we take away from this? Mubien’s project for YouTube Shopping is a fantastic illustration of how considered art direction and purposeful motion design can transform a program into an experience. The blend of vibrant colors, tactile 3D elements, and universally friendly icons, all animated with a light touch, makes the concept of shopping on YouTube feel accessible and exciting. It’s a reminder that thoughtful design creates connections, simplifies messages, and ultimately, makes interactions more enjoyable.  

Want to see more of their thoughtful design solutions?

Explore the full project and more from Mubien at: https://mubien.com/portfolio/youtube-shopping/

Art direction and motion design artifacts

Designer Spotlight: Ning Huang

Original Source: https://tympanus.net/codrops/2025/05/17/designer-spotlight-ning-huang/

A spotlight on Ning Huang, a Taipei-based digital designer who blends no-code tools and AI to craft expressive, motion-rich web experiences.

Secure Secret Management with 1Password CLI

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/secure-secrets-1password-cli-terminal/

As developers, we often deal with sensitive data like API keys, SSH credentials, database passwords, and other secrets. Keeping them secure while ensuring easy access across different projects can be a challenge.

This is where 1Password‘s’ CLI comes in.

1Password CLI terminal interface for managing secrets

1Password CLI is a command-line tool that allows you to securely access and manage your 1Password vault without leaving the terminal. Instead of manually copying and pasting secrets, which can be tedious and risky, you can fetch credentials programmatically, automate authentication workflows, and integrate secrets management into your development processes.

In this article, we’ll explore how to install, configure, and use 1Password CLI to streamline your workflow while keeping your credentials secure.

Getting Started

If you’re on macOS or Linux, the easiest way to install 1Password CLI is using Homebrew:

brew install 1password-cli

If you’re on Windows, I recommend referring to the official 1Password CLI documentation for installation instructions.

For Windows and Linux, follow the official 1Password CLI installation guide to get the appropriate setup for your system.

Once installed, go to Settings… > Developer in the 1Password app, and check Integrate with 1Password CLI.

Enable 1Password CLI integration in app settings

Then, sign in through the Terminal with the following command and select the 1Password account you want to sign in to:

op signin

Now, you’re ready to securely access and manage secrets without exposing them in plain text.

Command-Line Secret Management

When running commands that require authentication, manually copying and pasting credentials can be both tedious and insecure. With 1Password CLI, you can retrieve secrets dynamically using the op read command and the Secret References.

To get the Secret Reference, you can click on the dropdown arrow of the value within the item you’d like to refer to in 1Password.

Copy secret reference from 1Password item menu

Then pass it in the command that requires the secrets. For example, to authenticate with doctl using the DigitalOcean API token, you can run:

doctl auth init –access-token $(op read op://Internet/d439ada/token)

Environment Variables Integration

Another way you can use 1Password CLI is by setting the secrets as environment variables. This is useful when working with multiple secrets or when you need to pass them to a script or a program.

If you’re using Chromatic to test your UI components, you can set the CHROMATIC_PROJECT_TOKEN as an environment variable using the op read command:

#!/bin/bash
export NPM_TOKEN=$(op read op://Internet/d439ada/npm_token)
export CHROMATIC_PROJECT_TOKEN=$(op read op://Internet/d439ada/chromatic_token)

// Install the dependencies, including the private ones that require NPM_TOKEN.
npm install

// Chormatic will automatically use the CHROMATIC_PROJECT_TOKEN.
// @see https://www.chromatic.com/docs/cli/#continuous-integration
npx chromatic

Then, you can run the script using the op run command, as follows:

op run — bash chormatic.sh

Shell Plugin Extensions

To make it even more seamless, you can use the Shell Plugins to integrate 1Password with popular third-party apps such as Github CLI, Docker, DigitalOcean CLI, AWS, HuggingFace, OpenAI, and many more.

In this example, we are going to try to integrate it with the Github CLI. To do so, we can run:

op plugin init gh

You’ll be prompted to import your GitHub credentials into 1Password or select an existing 1Password item where your credentials are saved. In this case, since we’ve already saved the GitHub credentials in 1Password, we can select the existing item.

Initialize GitHub CLI plugin with 1Password integration

Then, it will ask you the scope where the selected credentials can be used. In this case, we’d select it to use it globally so that we can use it across different repositories.

Configure GitHub CLI plugin scope in 1Password

If this is your first time installing a shell plugin, you’ll need to add the source command to your RC file or shell profile to persist the plugin beyond the current terminal session. For example:

echo “source /Users/jondoe/.config/op/plugins.sh” >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc

That’s it for the setup! Now, you can use the gh command to interact with GitHub without exposing your credentials in plain text. To test it out you can run the gh auth status.

GitHub CLI authentication status with 1Password integration

Conclusion

1Password CLI is a powerful tool that allows you to securely access and manage your secrets from the Terminal. With a little bit of setup, you can streamline your workflow and integrate secrets management into your development processes with other apps without exposing your credentials in plain text. If you haven’t tried it yet, I recommend giving it a try to make your development workflow more secure and efficient.

The post Secure Secret Management with 1Password CLI appeared first on Hongkiat.

Developer Spotlight: Andrew Woan

Original Source: https://tympanus.net/codrops/2025/05/15/developer-spotlight-andrew-woan/

A beautifully honest, unexpectedly funny reflection on creativity, code, and being human—this is not your average dev story.

10 Ways to Pretend You’re Not Just Copying Other Designers

Original Source: https://webdesignerdepot.com/10-ways-to-pretend-youre-not-just-copying-other-designers/

Feeling like you’re running out of creative steam? Don’t panic—here’s your ultimate guide to pretending you’re not just copying other designers. So, go ahead, steal like an artist and make it look like you’re breaking new ground. No one will know the difference—except you.

From SplitText to MorphSVG: 5 Creative Demos Using Free GSAP Plugins

Original Source: https://tympanus.net/codrops/2025/05/14/from-splittext-to-morphsvg-5-creative-demos-using-free-gsap-plugins/

GSAP’s premium plugins are now free, and this article explores their creative potential through five playful animation demos.

CNCF Triggers a Platform Parity Breakthrough for Arm64 and x86

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/platform-parity-breakthrough-arm64-and-x86/?utm_source=rss

Learn how Actuated, Ampere, and Equinix collaborated to solve ARM64 CI/CD challenges for CNCF projects, enabling native builds that replaced slow emulation with high-performance microVMs, and more.

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