I was scrolling through some recent design reports this morning, and it struck me how much we talk about the digital world as if it is this separate, sterile dimension that has nothing to do with the physical objects on our desks. We spend all day looking at glass screens, but then we go home and we want to touch a heavy book or look at a textured painting. It is this weird tension that defines how we live now. We are caught between the infinite scalability of the cloud and the finite, tactile reality of a piece of paper.
It is the defining paradox of the late twenty-twenties, Corn. I am Herman Poppleberry, and I have been obsessed with this specific intersection lately. Today’s prompt from Daniel is about Jenna Romano, and she is essentially the personification of that tension. She is a lead content creator at Wix Studio, which is at the bleeding edge of how the internet looks and functions, but she is also a printmaker and the co-founder of the In Print Art Book Fair in Jerusalem. We are talking about someone who spends her nine-to-five defining the future of artificial intelligence-driven web design and her weekends championing the slow, manual craft of independent publishing.
It is a fascinating dual-track career. You have someone who is influencing how millions of websites are built through her work at Wix, but then she spends her time at the Hansen House in Jerusalem championing physical zines and limited-edition artist books. It is like she is living in two different centuries at the same time. One foot in the hyper-automated future and one foot in the Gutenberg era.
The timing of this discussion is perfect because Jenna just released a massive report on January twenty-seventh called the eleven biggest web design trends of two thousand twenty-six. It has become a sort of manifesto for the design community this quarter. She identifies these shifts like nature distilled and museumcore, which sound very high-concept, but they are actually very grounded in how we are reacting to the sheer volume of artificial intelligence generated content we see every day. As of today, March twenty-second, two thousand twenty-six, the design world is still vibrating from the implications of that report.
I want to get into those trends, but let us look at the foundation first. She moved from New York to Jerusalem in two thousand eleven. That is a significant shift in environment. She has a background in museum studies from Arizona State University, where she graduated in two thousand nine, and then she went to the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design for printmaking, finishing there in twenty-fifteen. That combination of museum curation and hands-on physical production seems to be the key to her whole perspective. How does a New Yorker end up becoming a central node in the Israeli independent publishing scene?
It was a gradual but very intentional process. Her time at Bezalel is where the technical practice really solidified. If you have ever been in a printmaking studio, it is dirty, it is loud, and it is incredibly slow. You are dealing with ink and metal plates and heavy paper. It is the literal opposite of the instant gratification you get when you are building a website. But when you look at her digital strategy, you see those fingerprints. She treats digital content with the same structural intentionality that you would use to curate a physical exhibition. She isn't just "making content"; she is building an archive.
You mentioned she founded Contemporary Art in Jerusalem, or C A I J, back in twenty-fifteen. That was her first major move to bridge the gap, right? Creating a digital platform to map out a physical art scene. It feels like she was trying to solve a discovery problem for the local community.
She was. Jerusalem is a complex city, especially for the secular art scene. It can be fragmented and sometimes overshadowed by the scene in Tel Aviv. C A I J was an attempt to create a central node, a digital guide that made the physical galleries and studios accessible. But the real scaling of her influence happened when she joined Wix. She has authored over one hundred fifty articles for them and Wix Studio. When you are writing at that scale for a platform that powers a significant portion of the web, your personal aesthetic begins to inform the global aesthetic. She is translating the grit of a Jerusalem print studio into the clean lines of a professional web platform.
That brings us to this two thousand twenty-six report. You mentioned museumcore. Give me the breakdown on that, because it sounds like something I would find in a dusty archive, not on a modern website.
Museumcore is a direct reaction to the flatness and the "sameness" of early two thousand twenties design. It is about bringing the gravitas and the archival quality of a museum into the digital space. Think of high-contrast typography, lots of negative space, and a focus on the object as a singular, important entity. It is about making a website feel like a curated collection rather than a feed of information. It is very much an extension of Romano's philosophy that the digital space needs to feel human and intentional. It is the idea that a website should have the "weight" of a gallery wall.
And what about nature distilled? That is another one she mentioned. Is that just putting more pictures of plants on websites?
It is more technical than that. It is about using organic shapes and textures that are abstracted from nature to create a sense of calm. In her report, she talks about how we are moving away from the bright, neon, high-energy aesthetics of the early artificial intelligence boom and moving toward something that feels more tactile and grounded. She calls it tactile maximalism in some contexts. It is the idea that even on a flat screen, we want to feel the grain of the paper, the unevenness of the ink, the "tooth" of the design. It is about bringing the sensory experience of her printmaking background into the user interface.
It is interesting that she is pushing for tactile maximalism at the same time Wix is leaning heavily into artificial intelligence. I mean, just on March second, Wix launched their dedicated app within Chat G P T. They are also doing a one point seven five billion dollar share repurchase program right now, which shows they are in a very strong, aggressive position. How does Romano reconcile the efficiency of agentic artificial intelligence with this manual, slow-art philosophy she champions at the In Print fair?
That is the core debate in the Jerusalem scene right now. I was reading some of her recent writing on agentic artificial intelligence, and she actually views it as a way to give designers superpowers in terms of efficiency. Her argument is that if artificial intelligence can handle the repetitive, low-level tasks—the "grunt work" of resizing images or basic coding—it actually frees up the human designer to focus on the intentional, high-level creative work. It is not about artificial intelligence replacing the artist; it is about artificial intelligence clearing the path so the artist can be more intentional. It is like having a digital apprentice so you can spend more time on the masterwork.
I hear that argument a lot, but is it actually happening? Or are we just getting a flood of artificial intelligence generated content that looks like everything else? If you look at the In Print Art Book Fair, which she co-founded with Danielle Gorodenzik, that fair has grown from thirty exhibitors in twenty-eighteen to over sixty-five today. That suggests a massive hunger for things that artificial intelligence cannot replicate. You cannot download a physical zine. You cannot feel the grain of the paper through a screen.
The growth of In Print is a direct signal of digital fatigue. People are traveling to the Hansen House, which is this incredible historic venue—a former leper asylum in the Talbieh neighborhood—just to stand in a room with other people and look at books. Danielle Gorodenzik and Jenna have built something that functions as a bastion for physical media. Danielle brings this incredible curatorial background from her master's at Bezalel, and together they have managed to bridge the gap between the local Jerusalem scene and the international art book world. What is really smart about their model is how they have navigated the funding side of things.
You are talking about the shift away from municipal grants, right? That is a very conservative, pro-business approach to the arts that you do not often see in Jerusalem. Usually, these things are begging for city funding.
It is a necessary evolution. Relying on municipal funding or government grants is a gamble, especially with shifting political priorities and budget cuts. Romano and Gorodenzik have pushed for a vendor-driven, independent model. They have turned the fair into a self-sustaining ecosystem where the exhibitors and the visitors are the primary stakeholders. It makes the fair more resilient. It is less about waiting for a check from the city and more about creating a marketplace that people actually want to participate in. They are treating the art fair like a startup, which is very much in line with the "Boutique Diplomacy" we discussed in episode four hundred fifty-two.
That episode on Jerusalem’s startup embassies really highlights the unique cultural entrepreneurship in the city. People aren't waiting for permission to build things. They are just creating these nodes of activity. The Hansen House is the perfect example of that. Right now, as we speak on March twenty-second, they have the "Above Water" exhibition running through April thirtieth, and they just launched "Looping Fourhead" last week on March eighteenth. It is a very active, high-energy environment that feels separate from the bureaucratic side of the city. It is a design and technology center that honors its history while pushing forward.
And that environment informs her work at Wix. When you are spending your time in a place like Hansen House, surrounded by people who are physically making things, you bring a different perspective to your content strategy. You start thinking about digital interfaces as objects. In her writing for Wix Studio, she often talks about emotional design. It is the idea that the user should have a visceral reaction to the interface, similar to how you would react to the weight of a well-made artist book. She is trying to inject "soul" into the machine.
I am curious about the technical side of the In Print fair. When they have sixty-five international and local exhibitors, how are they curating that? Is it a focus on the book as an art object, or is it more about the content of the books?
It is both, but the emphasis is definitely on the book as an art object. They are looking for works where the physical form of the book is inseparable from the art itself. This is where Romano's background in printmaking at Bezalel really shines. She understands the mechanics of how a book is put together—the binding, the paper weight, the ink absorption. She knows the difference between a mass-produced paperback and a hand-bound, risograph-printed zine. That level of technical knowledge allows her and Danielle to curate a fair that feels like a coherent artistic statement rather than just a book market.
I imagine that expertise makes her very valuable at Wix when they are trying to figure out how to make their professional-grade platform, Wix Studio, appeal to high-end designers. If you can speak the language of a Bezalel-trained artist, you can build tools that actually meet their needs. It is about bridging that gap between the "craft" and the "code."
That is exactly why she is in that lead content creator role. She is translating the needs of the artistic community into the language of user experience design and artificial intelligence automation. We talked about the S I T R E P method back in episode five hundred fifty-three, where we looked at how to extract high-protein information from news cycles. Romano is doing something similar for design. She is filtering out the noise of every new artificial intelligence tool and identifying the core aesthetic shifts that actually matter for the long term. She is providing a SITREP for the visual world.
Let us talk about the agentic artificial intelligence tension again. If we are moving toward a world where artificial intelligence can generate a full website from a single prompt—which Wix is essentially enabling with their latest tools—what happens to the human and intentional design she advocates for? Does it become a luxury good? Do we end up with a two-tier internet where most sites are artificial intelligence generated and the high-end, museumcore sites are the only ones with human fingerprints?
We are already seeing the beginning of that. The museumcore trend she identified is essentially a luxury aesthetic for the web. It is expensive-looking because it is minimal and intentional. It is the digital equivalent of a limited-edition artist book. The mass-market web will likely be dominated by artificial intelligence efficiency, but the brands and creators who want to stand out will have to lean into the tactile, human-centric design that Romano is talking about. It is the only way to create a distinct identity in a sea of algorithmic perfection. If everyone has a "perfect" website, the only thing that will matter is the "imperfection" that makes it feel human.
It is a bit of a counter-intuitive move for a company like Wix, which is pushing artificial intelligence so hard. But I suppose they need both. They need the efficiency to capture the mass market, and they need the high-level design theory to keep the professional designers on the platform. They can't just be a "website builder" anymore; they have to be a "design studio."
They have to. If the platform only produces generic sites, it loses its value for the creative community. By having someone like Romano leading their content strategy, they are signaling to the design world that they still care about the craft. They are saying, "Look, we have the tools to make you fast, but we also have the insights to help you make things that are beautiful and meaningful." It is about maintaining that professional-grade reputation even as the tools become more automated.
I want to go back to the Jerusalem context for a second. You mentioned the secular art flight in episode twelve fifty-eight, where we looked at the shifting demographics of the city. Does a fair like In Print help anchor that secular, creative population in Jerusalem?
It is one of the most important anchors they have. When you have an event that attracts thousands of people to the Hansen House, and it is focused on contemporary art and independent publishing, you are creating a reason for people to stay. You are building a cultural infrastructure that feels modern and global, even in a city with as much historical weight as Jerusalem. Romano’s work with C A I J and In Print is essentially an act of community building. She is proving that you can have a high-level, international career in tech while still being deeply rooted in a local, physical art scene. She is showing that Jerusalem can be a hub for the "new" without losing its "old" soul.
It is also a very resilient model. By focusing on independent art books, they are operating in a space that is relatively insulated from the fluctuations of the digital economy. Even if the tech world has a downturn, people are still going to want to make and collect physical books. It is a hedge against digital volatility. It is "slow media" in a "fast media" world.
And it is a hedge that is paying off. The fact that the fair has more than doubled in size in six years is proof of that. And Romano is not just doing this in a vacuum. Her partnership with Danielle Gorodenzik is key. They have managed to bridge the gap between the local Jerusalem scene and the international art book world. They have exhibitors coming from all over the world to a historic building in Jerusalem to sell books. That is a massive achievement, especially given the geopolitical complexities of the region. They have created a neutral ground for creativity.
It really highlights the importance of the physical venue, too. The Hansen House is not just a backdrop; it is part of the experience. It is a design and technology center now, but it carries all that history. When you are looking at a modern zine in a room that used to be part of a leper asylum, it adds a layer of depth and context that you just cannot get in a modern convention center or a digital gallery. It makes the art feel more "real."
It fits perfectly with the museumcore aesthetic she is talking about. It is about the power of the object in a specific space. I was looking at her report again, and she talks about how designers are increasingly looking to historical archives for inspiration. They are looking at old typography, old paper textures, and traditional layouts. It is like the design world is collectively looking backward to figure out how to move forward. We are using artificial intelligence to help us rediscover the beauty of the analog past.
It is a return to form and tradition as a way to navigate a chaotic and rapidly changing present. It is saying, "Okay, the world is moving fast, everything is digital and automated, so let us anchor ourselves in things that have stood the test of time." A well-designed book, a balanced layout, a clear hierarchy of information. These are timeless principles.
They are. And Romano is one of the few people who can articulate those principles for both a printmaking press and a digital design platform. That is a rare skill set. Most people are either tech-heavy or art-heavy. She is both. And she is using that position to push for a more intentional web. I think her influence is only going to grow as we get deeper into the artificial intelligence era. People are going to be looking for guides who can help them maintain their humanity in a digital world.
So, for the designers and creators listening, what are the actionable takeaways here? If someone is feeling that digital fatigue we talked about, what can they learn from Romano’s career?
The first thing is to look to physical print mechanics to solve digital problems. If you are stuck on a user experience problem, don't just look at other websites. Go look at how a physical book handles navigation. Look at how a museum exhibition guides a visitor through a space. There is a wealth of knowledge in the analog world that we have largely ignored in our rush to go digital. Use the "Print Is Not Dead" philosophy as a design framework.
That makes sense. It is about cross-training your brain. If you spend all day in Figma or Wix Studio, go spend an hour with a physical book or a piece of art. See how it makes you feel and then try to bring that feeling back into your digital work. It is about "emotional design"—making sure the digital space has a visceral impact.
And the second takeaway is about sustainability. If you are a creator, look at the In Print model. Don't just wait for a grant or a sponsor. Look at how you can build an independent, vendor-driven model that relies on your community. It is harder to start, but it is much more resilient in the long run. Self-reliance is a powerful tool for an artist. It gives you the freedom to be truly intentional without worrying about the whims of a funding body.
And finally, read that two thousand twenty-six design trends report. Even if you aren't a designer, it is a great roadmap for where the culture is heading. Understanding things like museumcore and nature distilled helps you see the patterns in the world around you. It makes you a more informed consumer of the digital world. You start to see the "why" behind the "what."
It really does. It is about becoming an active participant in the design of your life rather than just a passive user of these platforms. Jenna Romano is showing us that you can lead the digital charge while still holding onto the things that make us human. She is proving that the future doesn't have to be sterile and glass; it can be textured, intentional, and grounded.
It is a hopeful message. In a world of agentic artificial intelligence and billion-dollar share repurchases, there is still room for a hand-made zine in a historic building in Jerusalem. I think that is a balance we should all be striving for. Can the "human and intentional" design she advocates for survive the full integration of artificial intelligence? I think the answer lies in how we use the tools.
I agree. It is about using the technology to amplify our humanity, not replace it. Romano’s career is a masterclass in how to do that. She isn't fighting the machine; she is teaching the machine how to appreciate the art of the book.
Well, this has been a deep dive into a corner of the creative world I didn't know much about this morning. It is always interesting to see how these local Jerusalem stories have such global implications. Jenna Romano is a name we are going to be hearing a lot more of as this design cycle continues.
It is the beauty of the city. Everything that happens there feels like it has a weight to it. And Jenna is right in the middle of it, bridging the gap between the ancient and the automated.
I think we have covered a lot of ground here. From the mechanics of printmaking to the future of agentic artificial intelligence, it is all connected. It is all about how we communicate and how we make sense of the world.
That is the goal. Making sense of the weird prompts Daniel sends us.
He certainly keeps us on our toes. I am going to be thinking about museumcore for the rest of the day now. I might even go buy a physical book.
Just one? You might get hooked. It is a dangerous path, Corn. Once you start appreciating the tooth of the paper, there is no going back to the Kindle.
I'll take my chances. Before we wrap up, I want to say thanks as always to our producer, Hilbert Flumingtop, for keeping the gears turning behind the scenes.
And a big thanks to Modal for providing the G P U credits that power this show and allow us to explore these topics in depth.
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This has been My Weird Prompts. We will see you in the next one.
Goodbye.
