Design Loops and Time Travel, Ep. 4: Gandalf the Grey Came Back in White

Sometimes a layout dies.

You kill it off during a review. You archive it quietly. You walk away muttering, “Well, that’s not making a comeback.”

But then something changes.

New context.

New research.

New eyes.

And suddenly, you’re looking at that old idea again - not as it was, but as it could be.

This is the magic of design resurrection. Not necromancy (well… a little bit). Just growth.

Some ideas aren’t bad. They’re just early.

And when you revisit them later, with more clarity and less ego, they can come back transformed.

Just like a certain wizard who leveled up after falling into a pit of shadow and chaos.

What resurrected layouts can teach us:

🔁 Most “bad” designs weren’t flawed - just unfinished

🎯 You solve different problems when you’ve seen the full arc

🌱 Letting an idea go doesn’t mean you can’t grow something better from its bones

🧙 A return doesn’t mean a repeat - it means you’re ready to wield it better