exploration and research

A collection of 24 posts

design process

McNuggets

Why we still need brands, the lost tip for presenting, and a call to not be average.

exploration and research

Leftovers

No work shit. Just soothing links to help your digestion.

visual helpers

Visual Scrap #7

Kind of the typography issue, but not entirely.

exploration and research

What Advertising Can't Do

And also what it should.

exploration and research

Visual Scrap #6

A linkfest for your downtime this week.

exploration and research

The Idea Or The Execution?

Which is more important? Don't all say "both" at the same time.

exploration and research

Visual Scrap #5

Did green kill Napoleon, and other color stories.

exploration and research

Plop, Plop, Fizz...

Why are pharmaceutical jingles so sticky even if we hate them?

exploration and research

Visual Scrap #4

An excess of interesting links for your enjoyment.

exploration and research

The Great Disconnect

Coming to a head soon is the technology disconnect between companies and consumers.

exploration and research

System Collage

How a pickle recipe led me to the convergence of bad system design and collage.

visual helpers

Visual Scrap #3

Snack size ideas and visuals from the depths of my brain/bookmarks.

it's relative

A New Way to Think About Quiet Luxury

Expensive brands may not own quiet luxury anymore. And when restrictions lead to great work.

design process

Change My Mind

Why it's so hard to change minds. And should that even be the goal?

feedback

A Poke In The Ribs

A new (old) structure for looking at design.

design process

It's a Mood

How to build a moodboard with signifiers.

mechanics of design

Should It Stay or Should It Go?

Do we store too much or not enough? And is it on the right medium?

exploration and research

The Data Oracle

“Nothing is easier than to accumulate facts, nothing is so hard as to use them.” – Jillian Hess

creativity

Putting it All Back Together

After years of hyper specificity, are we ready for a wider view?

exploration and research

Visual Scrap #2

This was one of those weeks where someone else said it better.

design process

Not Sketching is Sketchy

Why sketching is an essential tool.

exploration and research

3 Reasons Your Brainstorms are Going Off-the-Rails

I've been in a lot of brainstorm sessions over the years. Here are my top three reasons they're not as successful as they could be, or devolve into a bitch session. And then some ways to make it better. 1. Half the meeting is spent delivering

design process

Making the Invisible Visible

If you want to communicate the idea of “sad,” how would you? You could simply write the word “sad,” although there are probably a lot more interesting ways to use words to convey that concept or emotion. What if you could not use words? The vast majority of graphic design

exploration and research

No As Without Qs

I might have a bit of a reputation as a question asker. Occasionally, it's taken as aggressive. I'm not sure how asking a question in my job is aggressive. I think often people get defensive when they don't have an answer. My questions come