I ran across the poster work of the designer Andreas Markdalen a few years back when I was heavy into pinning. I figured it was the work of an agency or publication, not a single designer. It had such a strong message, I…

Career · Process

Training

December 23, 2015

Please Read: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/12/training-and-the-infinite-return-on-investment.html Seth hints at the value of hours. The power of an hour, over time, when it compounds. Just like a monetary…

Teams · Strategy

Prime Proof vs. Traditional Agency

November 30, 2015

Traditional agencies become more successful by providing solutions similar to past implementations. They optimize processes to maximize profits. Their goal is to find a niche and saturate the market with an optimized…

Teams · Featured

Winning Alone, A Culture of Me′s

November 2, 2015

Culturally we are polarizing, either winners or losers, no gray area. In order to win, we focus on controlling as many factors as we can in the scope, timeframe and players to win. Ask any student if they like working on…

Career · Life

Confronting This & Considering That.

October 6, 2015

Years end is approaching with increasing velocity. Endings incite retrospection. Many of us know that we are leaving things on the table or actively ignoring potential sources of future happiness. Staring out a window…

Culture · Teams · Featured

Why is Social Praise an After Thought?

August 18, 2015

Consider the social world we now live in. All of your accounts, both professional and personal; your peers, colleagues, friends and family. We are all bombarded with social, but rarely think of praise. FIRST AN…

Teams · Career · Featured

When Things Go Wrong

July 1, 2015

Things will go wrong at some point. On a project, in an interview, your first job, etc. The amount of time your spend being wrong depends on you. SHIT HAPPENS, MOST OF US JUST CHOOSE NOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT We are wired to…

Process · Teams · Featured

Momentum

May 30, 2015

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand why people get in the way of momentum. By the very definition it implies direction. It implies movement, and movement in a direction is progress. SO WHY… would anyone or anything…

Strategy · Featured

Reaction to: “Why ‘Mobile First’ is Outdated”

May 22, 2015

READ THIS FIRST: https://blog.intercom.io/why-mobile-first-may-already-be-outdated/ Lately as I have considered rebuilding two personal projects I am confronted with the question of technology framework and my strategic…

Strategy · Featured

Mobile or Experience First?

April 21, 2015

Interesting Article: http://www.uie.com/articles/curse_of_mobile_strategy/ Interesting article that shreds on the Airline industry and addressing the complaining consumer who wants. It is a bit long winded, but it…

Craft

Our 5 Most Useful Gestalt Principles

April 19, 2015

Similarity Figure-Ground Relationship Grouping Closure Continuation 1. Similarity Objects that look similar are perceived as similar. 2. The Figure-Ground Relationship Elements are perceived as either figures (distinct…

Craft

Gestalt in 4 Properties in Web Design

April 17, 2015

1. Emergence When trying to identify an object, we (humans) first attempt to identify the object’s outline, and then match it to outlines we already know. It’s only after this outline pattern identification that we start…

Career · Craft

Master of None, but Damn If I’m Not Interested!

April 15, 2015

What advice do you have for the emerging designer? What I didn’t get when I was a student, and what took me a long time to get but really sustains me now? As a designer, and specifically a graphic designer, there’s a…

Craft · Process

Never being happy with the work while you are doing it

April 15, 2015

When annual reports were a big thing, I’m not sure we were that excited about designing annual reports, and I’m not sure we are now that excited about designing websites and apps! Even when we have partners who come in…

Teams

Agency Size and Approach

April 15, 2015

As a partner at Pentagram can you provide insight into the long term success of the agency? Pentagram has a unique structure that is dead simple, but no one has ever really copied it. It’s based on a couple of…

Strategy · Teams · Featured

Building infrastructure is the bedrock for massive influence.

March 18, 2015

When I think about how to make a big difference I have the reference of Vanderbilt, the Commodore . Is there an influence like him these days? Consider Elon Musk and Tesla Motors? With his technological investment in…

Career · Strategy · Featured

Trail Blazer

March 12, 2015

I had an interesting conversation with a small business owner today. He thinks he is perfectly positioned to provide valued services to his clients for the next several years, maybe he even thinks he’s in at the ground…

Life

Understanding What Makes a Hero

March 9, 2015

This has a context around hero stories of the church, but I like it as a hero archetype: raglan the hero. http://www.amazon.com/The-Hero-Study-Tradition-Literature/dp/0486427080 “If, instead of saying that thieves will…

Life

Dearest Friend,

March 9, 2015

We heard of your recent loss and were touched deeply in this moment. In our time we create the story of our lives. There will be highs and lows. Do your best to find those highs and cherish them. As you continue to write…

Process

Effort

February 4, 2015

Recently asked to do an ungodly amount of work. Of course the answer is yes. I have always looked at work as an opportunity to show off my value in tight situations. Pressure makes diamonds and the great work usually…

Culture · Craft

Perceptions About Design

February 4, 2015

Note that these are neither condemning or validating these: Designers get in the way of getting things done Designers make things pretty Everyone is a designer Design is a hotbed for feedback, other areas not so much…

Making · Culture · Featured

Awe... Business Cards

February 4, 2015

Holy Shit are people passionate about their public brand. Not so long ago people wouldn’t have said a peep about a business card or a print ad. They would look at it, potentially have an opinion, and not say a word…

Craft · Featured

Design Philosophy

February 4, 2015

Just some thought today around the simplicity required to communicate effectively across cultures and languages. In some instances we are asked to focus our design toward limited audiences each with a rather refined set…

Strategy

Following Wile E Coyote

January 28, 2015

Think for yourself. Hopefully you’re in a situation that allows you to fail and grow. An opportunity to build you our process is something that usually never comes up in an interview. Most people are without a process…

Process · Teams

Providing Feedback | Art & Creative Direction

January 20, 2015

Feedback has always been hard. I usually take it very personally. Especially from people that I love and respect. It feels like a kick in the stomach. Personal or Professional When someone gives me feedback on design I…

Culture

A response to the dark social topic.

January 12, 2015

If you want to catch up: http://www.futurebook.net/content/5-things-publishers-need-know-about-dark-social Dark Social Admittedly at first I was very intrigued by the term “dark social”. I have been intrigued before by…

Making · Strategy

Sparks snuffed out...

January 12, 2015

It’s the real secret. The spark, an idea, a thought that makes your stomach tie in knots. But all your ideas not all without consequence or target. Remember The Gap in 2012? They decided that they were going to change…

Process · Career

Motivations. I can't make you care...

January 5, 2015

SIDE NOTE: I love how reading one thing can totally change the course of a post/conversation/life. Tomorrow is a new year at work for everyone. We are all going to say that it was a well needed rest from the daily grind…

Process · Craft

The Basics, Practice the Basics, Master the Basics

January 4, 2015

Advice for everyone, master the basics. Move on into whatever version of advanced study you want, but don’t forget the basics. Students always wonder how to get better fast, excel and get that great job ahead of the next…

Career

An interview question I always ask...

January 2, 2015

(Sometimes I ask even if they’re not interesting) “You could probably do anything, why are you a designer/information architect/developer?” I want you to talk about yourself, your motivations. If you don’t know why you…

Ideas

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