Zach Tarvin
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zachtarvin.com
Zach Tarvin
@zachtarvin.com
140 followers 350 following 190 posts
iOS developer. Dog fan. Beep-booper?
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zachtarvin.com
I've been working hard on a new version of PolitiCall that includes a redesign for Liquid Glass. My hope was to be able to ship immediately after Rep Grijalva was sworn in, but it's not quite in the cards this week.

Another weekend's worth of polish though? Bet.
A screenshot of PolitiCall showing a tab for the current Congress.
November 12, 2025 at 5:28 AM
zachtarvin.com
Inevitably I'll post this and then something at work will claim all my free time for the next two weeks, but I got some really good progress in on simplifying and glassifying PolitiCall this weekend.

Ditched tabs per chamber for a simpler, unified one. Pics are spring update vs. WIP.
A screenshot of the Senate tab of PolitiCall. Beneath the Senate title and search bar, a series of buttons reminiscent of Apple's Mail app offers to sort by political party. "Show All" is selected. Beneath that, a repeating grid of senators in a two-up grid for each state. Senators appear with their headshots as cards. A thin material overlay beneath shows their name and title. A preview screenshot of a future update to PolitiCall. A U.S. Congress tab shows the headshots of members as horizontally scrolling cards. Their names and titles appear under each headshot. Like the previous version, it's broken into states, but this time starts with a pinned "My Reps" section at the top. Tabs have been simplified from three down to two using the new Liquid Glass tab bar.
October 28, 2025 at 2:11 AM
zachtarvin.com
Colder weather, cozier lunch.
A katsu curry rice bowl neatly divided in thirds. Hot curry on the left, thick white rice, and then sliced katsu cutlet. A Diet Coke lingers just out of frame.
October 25, 2025 at 9:04 PM
zachtarvin.com
This is the silliest thing I've made in a bit. It's going into a presentation tomorrow for giggles.
A still from Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends" video. Orange text is superimposed that reads "It's now safe to wake up your Green Day."
September 30, 2025 at 11:32 PM
zachtarvin.com
Been supporting the return of the Snack Wrap for our McDonald's client. Finally got to have mine for lunch today. Check out what we've been up to at snackwrapfiles.com.
A ranch and a spicy Snack Wrap arranged on a McDonald's tray.
July 11, 2025 at 8:07 PM
zachtarvin.com
Was reading this great recap from @twostraws.bsky.social on a walk and made *such* a sound when I saw "sectionIndexLabel()" at least two neighborhood dogs on the trail were concerned. (I squeed)
Screengrab of Hacking With Swift's "What's new in SwiftUI for iOS 26" the selected portion reads "But in talking to developers, it's interesting to see how smaller features are often more popular, usually because they finally resolve long-standing annoyances with SwiftUI." The first bullet reads "How to add list section index labels."
June 20, 2025 at 3:22 AM
zachtarvin.com
Right away I notice my button shapes have changed on detail views. I'm going to have a lot of iPad work this summer, but so far I feel like PolitiCall could be a lot worse. (I did a design overhaul in the spring)
The "For You" tab of PolitiCall, showing a list of rep collections. In order, they are "My Reps," "LGBTQIA+ Reps," and "Oldest Reps." Each collection contains a set of of rows of up to four reps, with their headshots shown in a rounded rectangle. The Rep Detail view for Delia Ramirez. Beneath her headshot are three buttons arranged horizontally and a series of panels for details.
June 9, 2025 at 9:39 PM
zachtarvin.com
Chicago said “June!” 🏳️‍🌈
A rainbow appears to beam directly through the roof of a building. A rainbow arcs over the Sacramento and Milwaukee intersection. The same rainbow arcs over the CTA Blue line and nearby buildings.
June 5, 2025 at 3:46 AM
zachtarvin.com
New client work from the agency job. The Snack Wrap is coming back. We’ve got a ton of new stuff for McDonald’s fans to discover soon.
A screenshot showing SnackWrapFiles.com on an iPhone. The modal on the site announces that the Snack Wrap is back July 10
June 3, 2025 at 4:58 PM
zachtarvin.com
I made two more for PolitiCall earlier this spring! (They’re not amazing, but….)
The icons screen from PolitiCall showing three Pride-focused icons.
June 2, 2025 at 1:28 AM
zachtarvin.com
Today’s lunch? Purple.
An ube mochi donut and a ube matcha boba tea shown on a cafe table.
May 25, 2025 at 1:49 AM
zachtarvin.com
Traffic made me a little late, but we’re here. If you’re at Deep Dish, say “Hey!”
The Deep Dish Swift logo on a projection screen in a darkened conference space.
April 27, 2025 at 6:40 PM
zachtarvin.com
It was 77 degrees after work tonight. So, naturally I walked eight miles.

Really though, it feels good to be physically able to do this again. Too bad the seasonal ice cream shops don’t open until next month.
A mural of a giant robot with a big heart looking lovingly at a pet bird.
March 29, 2025 at 1:15 AM
zachtarvin.com
Played some rounds of Giant Uno yesterday. “Giant” is maybe not doing enough. These cards are so large that if you’re having a rough round, you find yourself with a large fan.
The deck and discard pile of a game of Giant Uno. My hand included for scale. These cards are significantly larger.
March 16, 2025 at 7:29 PM
zachtarvin.com
Bad photo because my phone was in my pocket at the wrong time, but HELLO DOG!
A tricycle is enclosed in metal and plastic, looking like a windowed yellow and electric blue shack. A pink electric sign is illuminated on the back door. Barely visible through the rear window, a chubby-cheeked Shiba Inu stares out at the Chicago boulevard.
March 15, 2025 at 1:44 AM
zachtarvin.com
Managed to get a 4.20 mile walk in while Chicago was 70 and sunny yesterday. It felt good.
A piece of public art shown above the grass of Chicago’s 606. A collection of a dozen eyes in different colors—mostly golds and oranges. The largest looks like an owl’s and sits in the center.
March 12, 2025 at 3:49 AM
zachtarvin.com
I don’t think I will ever get tired of that first-run cycle where everything just clicks into place.

SwiftData migrated to CloudKit, interactive widgets working across the phone and watch. Let’s gooooo!
A modular Apple Watch face. At 10:02 pm on a Friday, the center complication is a new one for a drink logging app. “Today’s Drinks” shows two Contigo bottles. Were hydrated tonight.
February 22, 2025 at 4:05 AM
zachtarvin.com
Finally got to Sando Street. The tonkatsu has me ready to go back already. The memory that they also serve fruit sandos has me thinking about delivery later. 🥰
A tonkatsu sando (consisting of sliced pork cutlet, cabbage, katsu sauce, and spicy aoili) served in halves in deep compostable tray. A side of sweet potato chips are included.
February 15, 2025 at 10:39 PM
zachtarvin.com
These days if I’m on Facebook at all it’s for a few extended family members who don’t use anything else. Over the last month or AI slop in-feed has been getting worse.

Naturally I’ve started screenshotting for the folks who are adamant this is what they want from ad creative.
AI generated post from a Facebook page calling itself “god’s gift.” The post copy is a chain letter for “99 years of good luck.” The generated image alongside it has a human baby lying prone. A second. A second torso extends from the legs, looping up into another set of legs, folded back onto itself. A Facebook post from “Animal Zone” with the same 99 years of good luck chainletter. The AI generated image shows pregnant woman, her stomach transparent and full of microscopic children. Around her, a sea of babies is walking down a wide road. A third chain letter post. This time an oversized head peers at a baby in repose. Like Voldemort rising from a baby’s leg.
January 19, 2025 at 11:55 PM
zachtarvin.com
Grabbed pizza and drinks with a friend tonight. His old fashioned was served smoking. Going forward if the old fashioned isn't old enough to be shrouded in ancient mist/smoke/fog, I don't want it.
An old fashioned served on the raised claw of a tin crab statuette. Beneath the statue, a platter of dry ice releases a shroud of smoke.
January 15, 2025 at 3:27 AM
zachtarvin.com
Started my birthday with a nice snowy walk to my favorite pie and biscuit shop. Because you celebrate with a sausage gravy biscuit and a side of banana pudding pie, right?
A Chicago sidewalk covered in a layer of snow. Trees stretch gently against the cold morning.
January 12, 2025 at 7:57 PM
zachtarvin.com
Ate dinner before I discovered the two food vibes for the night just down the sidewalk.
A restaurant sign reading “#ILoveNoods Noodles, Dim Sum, Bubble Tea” over a storefront An assortment of butter in clear packaging. Available flavors are maple butter, steakhouse butter, pumpkin spice butter, blueberry butter and honey butter.
December 1, 2024 at 12:48 AM
zachtarvin.com
Office views today were a little…frosty.
A snow covered bridge crossing the Chicago river. In the foreground, two American flags fly in a strong flurry. A construction crane looms paused over the closed bridge. In the background, strong flurries obscure downtown Chicago in a wall of fog, ice, and haze.
November 22, 2024 at 12:43 AM
zachtarvin.com
Some days you need demos in a deck for PR folks and you have to use what is at-hand. (Don’t ask how many of these I drank today)
A screenshot of Apple Intelligence’s visual intelligence interface. The camera has a Pepsi Zero Sugar can in focus on a desk. A chat box at the top of a keyword lists “How many calories in this?”
November 20, 2024 at 3:29 AM
zachtarvin.com
Went to the Disney 100 Exhibition. Squeed real hard at this.
The prop spell book used in Disney’s Hocus Pocus.
December 1, 2023 at 3:37 AM