But... it's not at all for designers. They don't even mention designers as an audience. I mean, sure, designers can use it, just like anyone else. But when I see a title like this, I'm assuming they've paid special attention to the design crowd.

There is. Netlify is a hosting service where you can use any static site generator (Jekyll, Metalsmith), and it will automatically run a build (doing things like sass compilation and js minification) whenever you check a change into your git repo. They even have an open-source project that's a visual cms-style editor for markdown pages with front matter.

If you don't want to bring your own static site generator, Webhook is sort of an all-in-one solution. You basically install a small application locally that works with the hosted service. The downside is that you are tied to their template / setup choices; the upside is that there's nothing to really set up or configure.

Netlify is really good for static content. Easily integrates into your workflow, and can build your site (Jekyll, metalsmith, etc) automatically.

I think the hope is that the progress bar subtly creates an uneasy incomplete feeling until you've seen the rest of the content. Would be curious to see if anyone has A/B tested that. I don't think it's designed to be an aid for the reader; I think it's designed to encourage you to stay on the page.

What I'd be nervous about is that it amplifies the expectation of your app being a pure native app. The problem is, it's just hard to live up to that expectation with a webkit powered UI. I think the Slack approach is probably best as they don't completely mimic the look of a native app.

"We obsessed creative spirits and realized they wanted more."

I honestly have no idea what that even means.

Does anyone know if he also did the NBA logo? It's of course very similar in design and philosophy.

Feels a lot less specific to the brand—a lot less personality. Along the lines of Open Sans and friends. And I don't really feel it adds any bit of "modern," either, which I'm sure was one of the stated objectives.

On the page, I wish they wouldn't replay the animations as you scroll back up. On the machine, it looks like the glass doesn't go all the way to the bottom, but instead cuts off above the MacBook label. Looks like a bit of a design compromise; one that stands out on an otherwise gorgeous machine.

I am amazed at how prolific these guys are. Building image editing software has to be amazingly complex, and Affinity Designer has iterated very quickly. If Affinity Photo starts as strongly and iterates as quickly, the two together will make for an impressive software set.