A pixel is the smallest unit of an image on a television or computer screen. Nowadays, we can create screens where it’s hard to distinguish individual pixels. They’re especially popular for smartphones.

I like designing on screens where you can make out the individual pixels. There’s something grounding about it. Text and interfaces look much better on high-pixel-density screens, but those aren’t yet common enough to design primarily with them in mind.

I don’t wear prescription glasses that would affect my perception of colors. In the same spirit, I don’t use screens that would display my designs differently from how most people see them.

In addition to working on a screen where I can see the pixels, I keep a cheap Windows laptop with a 1366×768-pixel screen handy in a drawer. I use it to review my projects. Sometimes I change them based on how they look on that cheap screen. I value this part of my design practice. Greg