Reading Time: 2 minI’ve long been thankful for the time in history in which I’ve grown up. We got an early computer when I was young (a Commodore 64), then I got to grow up through an amazing generation of video game systems, and now we have stunningly powerful machines, AI, and so much great stuff. While I’m […]
Design
Thrash early, not late
Reading Time: < 1 minIn most projects, you need to get a handful of people involved to get their input. The more you can front-load that input, the more smoothly things will go. As shared by Seth Godin in his book “Linchpin“: “The point of getting everyone involved early is simple: thrash late and you won’t ship. Thrash late […]
A logo is a reminder of your brand
Reading Time: < 1 minBuilding a solid brand is essential for any business, but a “brand” and a “logo” are very different things. A few years ago I shared that a brand is simply your reputation, and your logo is just a way for people to remember your brand. In his book “This is Marketing“, Seth Godin takes it […]
The Simple Stick
Reading Time: 2 minOf all of the things that Apple is known for, a major one is simplicity. It seems weird to say it, particularly when talking about complicated, powerful devices like iPhones and Macbooks, but everyone knows that it’s true. When compared to competing devices, Apple’s are almost always simpler to use. This wasn’t just due to […]
Creativity isn’t about writing or drawing
Reading Time: < 1 minI consider myself to be rather creative when it comes to solving problems, but not at all creative when it comes to art. So does that make me “creative” or not? In a fantastic podcast episode of The Futur, Blair Enns referenced Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi with a simple quote that aims to add some clarity to […]
Making good use of lock-in features
Reading Time: 2 minIn the digital world, there are a lot of ways that companies try to lock you in. They may give you a pop-up when you try to leave a site to entice you to stay. They may offer a discount if you try to unsubscribe from their mailing list. They might create an unnecessarily long […]
Process drives outcomes
Reading Time: < 1 minSolid processes can be difficult to build, and perhaps a bit boring to follow, but a lack of processes can make it difficult to reach your goals. In his book “Win Without Pitching“, author Blair Enns mentions this concept a few times, summarized here: In almost any of our repeated endeavors, it is the strength […]
When creativity helps the most
Reading Time: < 1 minCreativity can be a double-edged sword. While it’s often a very good thing, if used excessively or carelessly it can lead to trouble. As David Ogilvy has said: “When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you […]
Design is how it works
Reading Time: < 1 minGood design can be hard to notice. Not because it’s so beautiful or creative, but because of how well it makes things work. A well-designed product is ideally beautiful and creative, but the true design comes from the function of it. In an article in the New York Times 20 years ago, just after the […]
No one will be there to explain it to the customer
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen it comes to design and marketing, being able to explain and justify your decisions is a good thing. You shouldn’t be creating anything that just “looks nice”, and everything should have a purpose. At the end of the day, though, you’re not going to be able to explain things to your end user — […]