CultureThe Art of Code

In the midst of developing, delivering, and keeping up with market demands, we often lose our way. When OKRs and metrics take center stage, a developer’s purpose can become blurry. We find ourselves stuck in an infinite loop: planning, estimating, developing, delivering, measuring—and then repeating it all over again.

As a developer, I recently found myself caught in that loop. If you think this article will help you escape it, you might want to move on. This one is about embracing it.

Because—hear me out—when inspiration failed me at work, I went looking for it elsewhere. And I found it in art.

We’re exploring the Art of Code 🎨.

(This article is inspired by a talk I recently gave at Helvetic Ruby in Geneva. If you feel that the topic speaks to you, feel free to check the full talk here !🙋🏻‍♀️)

🤔 Is there art in code?

You might be thinking, what makes code art?

What is she talking about?

And I get it, I’m no art expert 🙂‍↔️.

But we all experienced art in one form or another.

Being from drawing in kindergarten, to listening to music, to visiting museums.

We were all exposed to art and this helped us shape a common knowledge of what art is and we can recognise it in any form-yes, even in code.

Let’s start with the similarities between Code and Art…

You’ve probably seen the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. It’s a masterpiece—but what inspires me most is its composition.

You’ll notice it’s made up of many individual elements, each complete on its own. Yet together, they live in harmony and tell a much bigger story.

Code and Composition: A Shared Foundation

Just like in art, where each element contributes to the overall composition, code thrives when it’s thoughtfully structured.

Artists consider the placement of elements, how those elements will interact, and the role each one plays in telling the story, wether by creating a mind map or precisely sketching it on canvas. This is the foundation of composition: every part should stand strong on its own, but also contribute to a larger, harmonious whole.

This mirrors how we build software. Clean architecture gives each layer a clear role.

Components work on their own but come alive together. It might help of think of a feature being more than a task—it’s part of the story. When it’s all well-designed, the code flows with a rhythm, and the system feels alive.

And just like in art, none of this happens in a single stroke…

Painters iterate—adding detail, adjusting contrast, stepping back to reassess, and layering meaning over time.

As developers, we follow a similar process.

We start with a rough version, then refine it:

1- Naming better.

2- Abstracting cleaner.

3- Reworking logic for elegance.

4- Adding exceptions for edges cases.

This iterative rhythm is what defines the quality of our craft. Whether it’s brushstrokes or refactors, iteration is how we move from raw concept to something that feels finished, and beautiful.

Structure Meets Emotion

Art isn’t just about composition and mechanical iteration—it’s also about emotion through structure. The way shapes, lines, and colours are arranged can make us feel something: awe, stillness, chaos, clarity.

Like Kandisnky portraying chaos, meanwhile Monet portraying calm and serenity, the structure guides the emotion.

Code, in its own way, does the same.

There’s a quiet joy in reading a well-crafted method—one that’s concise, and does exactly what it should.

There’s frustration in encountering a tangled mess of logic, where intent is buried and patterns are broken.

And there’s real pride in clarity: in writing something that not only works but feels right.

Over time, great developers—like artists—develop a sense of style. They learn to choose structure not just for efficiency, but for readability, flow, and even elegance. You start to see it in:

• The way they name things.
• The decisions they make around abstraction.
• The symmetry in their architecture.

It’s more than getting the job done. It’s crafting something you’re proud to leave behind, like a signature at the bottom of a painting.

Movements in code

Just like art evolved through movements—each with its own style and spirit—so has coding. We’ve had our primitive beginnings with Assembly and FORTRAN, our Renaissance with the rise of personal computing, and even our Baroque phase with overly decorated early websites. Today, open source and modern frameworks are our Pop Art—bold, accessible, and made to be shared.

Each era in tech, like in art, reflects what we value at the time: efficiency, creativity, accessibility, or beauty.

Making Space for Beauty in Code

So how can we, as developers, think more like artists?

It starts with intention. Not just writing code that works, but writing code that feels right. That means refactoring not just when it’s broken, but when it could be clearer.

• Taking the time to rename a variable so its purpose is unmistakable.
• Splitting a method because it’s trying to do too much.
• Deleting that clever one-liner in favour of something more readable.
• Keeping in mind that complex doesn’t always mean better and that less is more also in code.

These are small acts—but they create space for beauty.

Artists obsess over composition, lighting, balance. We can do the same with naming, structure, and flow. It’s not about over engineering—it's about expressing intent with elegance.

I remember a small refactor where I took a deeply nested conditional with five layers of logic and extracted it into well-named, single-purpose methods. The final result didn’t just run the same—it read like a story. Suddenly, what was once confusing became obvious.

That’s the kind of beauty we’re talking about—not flashy, not complicated, but quietly satisfying. And it lives in the details we choose to care about.

In the end…

The loop is still there—plan, build, deliver, measure, repeat. 🔁

But now, I see it differently. Within that cycle, there’s room for beauty.

So here’s an invitation: the next time you feel stuck in this dreadful loop, remember that you are an artist.

Because when we bring Art into our Logic, the loop becomes not just bearable, but inspiring ✨.