Design Engineering
Encodes a design-engineering perspective on interface polish, components, motion decisions, and the details that make software feel coherent.
Emil Kowalski
Emil Kowalski’s work connects interface design with the code that makes interactions feel right. Explore his React components, writing on motion and visual craft, and Agent Skills for building and reviewing interfaces with attention to behavior as well as appearance.
About Emil Kowalski
Emil Kowalski is a design engineer whose personal portfolio brings together interface components, writing, and educational projects. His work considers how an interface behaves as well as how it looks: motion, feedback, and small interaction decisions are treated as part of the product experience.
Sonner and Vaul make that focus tangible in React applications. Sonner addresses toast notifications, while Vaul supplies a drawer component. They solve distinct interface needs, so adopting either still requires decisions about content, timing, focus, and how the component fits the surrounding application. Vaul is explicitly marked unmaintained by its author.
His writing and courses examine animation and interface craft, while his public Skills provide instructions for designers and engineers working with agents. The components supply implementation; the Skills help guide choices and review. Together they offer different entry points into a practice centered on the quality of the actual interface.
Emil Kowalski’S Design Skills
Explore guidance for design engineering, animation review, and Apple-oriented interface decisions. Use the relevant instruction with actual screens and code, keeping the review focused on what people need to understand or do in that interface.
Review Animations
Reviews animation code for purpose, timing, interruption, performance, accessibility, and fit with the interface.
Apple Design
Applies Apple-inspired principles to web interactions such as gestures, springs, sheets, spatial feedback, and reduced motion.
Emil Kowalski’S Interface Components
Sonner and Vaul address notifications and drawers; Vaul is explicitly unmaintained. Explore the implementations and current documentation, distinguishing active tools from historical work when choosing a dependency.
Explore Other Interface and Tool Creators
Explore creators whose projects connect software, design, and working methods. Comparing their concerns helps distinguish an implementation component from a review technique and identify resources suited to the interface problem you are trying to solve.
Questions About Emil Kowalski’s Work
What distinguishes Emil Kowalski’s projects from his Skills?
Sonner and Vaul are React components you integrate into an interface. His Skills provide guidance on design engineering and motion. Component code implements behavior; instructions help an agent make and review interface decisions.
When should an interface use a toast rather than a drawer?
A toast suits a short status update that does not need a new working surface. A drawer suits additional content or a focused task. Choose based on what the user needs to read or do, rather than treating the two components as interchangeable decoration.
Does using Sonner or Vaul establish a complete design system?
No. They solve particular interface problems. Typography, spacing, color, interaction rules, and accessibility still need to work coherently across the application that uses them.
What should I evaluate when reviewing an animation?
Check what change it communicates, whether its duration fits the task, and whether it interferes with input or reading. Include keyboard use and reduced-motion preferences when examining the real interface.
Can I copy a visual example without checking behavior?
A visual match is not enough. Check focus movement, dismissal, scrolling, responsive layout, and the relevant accessibility behavior in the application where the component will run.
Are both Sonner and Vaul still maintained?
No blanket claim applies. Vaul’s author explicitly marks the repository unmaintained in its README. Check Sonner’s own updates and issue history separately; an unarchived flag is not proof of active maintenance.
Explore Emil Kowalski’S Design Skills
Choose a design or motion question from the interface you are working on. Read the corresponding Skill, inspect the actual behavior, and use the original guidance to frame a focused review rather than a cosmetic imitation.