Design for Internet companies is often thought of as just a top layer of pretty paint, but Facebook and other start-ups are integrating design as an integral part of their overall strategy.

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The purpose was to determine not only what was in the samples in terms of atoms and molecules, but also the precise structures in the interface layer between the original paint and the varnish.

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He painted directly onto this surface, often in acrylics, sometimes brushing on a layer of darkening varnish before the paint cured.

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The upholstered furniture is the first layer, which I always think of as the canvas on which to paint.

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