It's amazing to me how often software product work stalls out on visual and user experience design rather than on code. To be sure, code is the existential element of a software product, but more and more often how the product feels to its users is its defining characteristic. And you know what? It's hard to hire artists with enough training.

This has been an interesting, recurring theme during my time in Los Angeles. There are many major corporations here that employ professional artists -- photographers, film directors, costume designers, animators, illustrators, web and software UI designers -- and I've never known a great one to go unemployed.