Friday, July 18, 2008
Twittering & Agencies
Since I started twittering last month I've been wondering why I'd write long paragraphs of drivel when I can just spew it forth in 140 character chunks in real time - and update my facebook status while I go. If you're the crazy type that's looking for my brand of blather on a more frequent basis you can find it here: http://twitter.com/designtruth
I'm probably going to keep posting things here, but not with any additional commitment than I have so far, which is to say not so much.
In the meantime, has anyone else notice how badly digital agencies want to be so-called "traditional" ones, and how badly the traditional ones want to be digital? The agency world has been fraying at the seams for a while. When are we going to see it begin to tear apart?
I'm probably going to keep posting things here, but not with any additional commitment than I have so far, which is to say not so much.
In the meantime, has anyone else notice how badly digital agencies want to be so-called "traditional" ones, and how badly the traditional ones want to be digital? The agency world has been fraying at the seams for a while. When are we going to see it begin to tear apart?
Friday, May 30, 2008
Twitter, Innovation and Lifestyle Brands
Well, I've crossed the threshold, so to speak, and have signed up with twitter. Its like facebook and blogging but a lot messier. And it seems to break a lot, but we'll see how it works out. So far I have 3 followers, one of which I don't even distantly recognize (kinda like some of those lets-get-back-in-touch "friend" requests). Ahem.
Innovation: really last year's buzzword? Really, people, its as old as the rolling wheel. In a heated and humourous internal email exchange I spat out the definition that innovation means "unlocking previously unrealized value in human experience through some change to status quo." Yes, I realize that 's a bunch of crap, but I have yet to hear one I like better - save for Paul Pangaro's Insight>Change>Value poster.
I think the more interesting question - given that innovation isn't new at all - is why its bubbled up to the surface so much over the last few years. I would guess it has to do with the also-no-so-new concept of disruptive innovation and the proliferation of the iPod. Perhaps it has more do with evolving a business culture that places so much value on reliability. Something's painfully wrong someone thinks its our vampire killer.
And did anyone else notice how little structured thinking is out there on lifestyle brands? Really, people, WTF? Been to an Ikea lately? Been to an Apple store? Why is this such a black hole? I'll let you know when I figure it out.
Innovation: really last year's buzzword? Really, people, its as old as the rolling wheel. In a heated and humourous internal email exchange I spat out the definition that innovation means "unlocking previously unrealized value in human experience through some change to status quo." Yes, I realize that 's a bunch of crap, but I have yet to hear one I like better - save for Paul Pangaro's Insight>Change>Value poster.
I think the more interesting question - given that innovation isn't new at all - is why its bubbled up to the surface so much over the last few years. I would guess it has to do with the also-no-so-new concept of disruptive innovation and the proliferation of the iPod. Perhaps it has more do with evolving a business culture that places so much value on reliability. Something's painfully wrong someone thinks its our vampire killer.
And did anyone else notice how little structured thinking is out there on lifestyle brands? Really, people, WTF? Been to an Ikea lately? Been to an Apple store? Why is this such a black hole? I'll let you know when I figure it out.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Death by Powerpoint
Just want to give props to Alexei Kapterev's brilliant presentation I found in Dave Gray's post on Communication Nation. If you use PowerPoint (as I do, all the freakin' time), please please please check this out. Your audiences may never know, but they should thank you.
Rally Porn
Because I basically have nothing to write about insight and design (too busy doing it to talk about it), I bring you this: Courtesy autoblog.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Reading List
So, in the absence of inspired writing (and remember, inspired doesn't mean high quality) here's some of the non-design stuff I read all the time.
the whisky lounge - My bud Ian in Ottawa is busy aging whisky in his very own mini-cask. I'm hoping to get a taste of his finest spirits next weekend. Who knew you can turn crap scotch into something so good by stuffing it into a cask and just waiting?
whatdooyoucallit - One of my former colleagues runs this awesome blog of really weird stuff and things she finds. I can't believe how many strange things are out there, and I have no idea how she finds them.
FFFFOUND! - Provocative graphic design and photography - my daily dose of visual inspiration. If you're not a creative, and you don't think about design, this blog threatens to changes that.
Team Polizei - Alex Roy is my hero. Gives the cops the single-finger salute in every country worth driving in - with style and humour. He's got a pretty good blog too. Who knew?
Spacing Toronto - Absolutely the best urban planning and public spaces blog about Toronto hands down. And the only one I've ever read, but don't mind that. Brilliant stuff, and they do it in Montreal too.
Enjoy!
the whisky lounge - My bud Ian in Ottawa is busy aging whisky in his very own mini-cask. I'm hoping to get a taste of his finest spirits next weekend. Who knew you can turn crap scotch into something so good by stuffing it into a cask and just waiting?
whatdooyoucallit - One of my former colleagues runs this awesome blog of really weird stuff and things she finds. I can't believe how many strange things are out there, and I have no idea how she finds them.
FFFFOUND! - Provocative graphic design and photography - my daily dose of visual inspiration. If you're not a creative, and you don't think about design, this blog threatens to changes that.
Team Polizei - Alex Roy is my hero. Gives the cops the single-finger salute in every country worth driving in - with style and humour. He's got a pretty good blog too. Who knew?
Spacing Toronto - Absolutely the best urban planning and public spaces blog about Toronto hands down. And the only one I've ever read, but don't mind that. Brilliant stuff, and they do it in Montreal too.
Enjoy!
Changes
Some times things happen very quickly, and before you know it you're up to something completely new.
A little over a year ago I started this blog as a bit of a personal exercise. At the time, my workplace was not exactly brimming interesting conversations about insight and design. Quite the opposite, and I felt as if my mind was going to atrophy. I needed a venue to scribble down my thoughts and perhaps start a few conversations, so I started blogging. Not only that, but I started spending more time hanging out with people at places where interesting conversations were happing about insight, design and interactive stuff in general. Gap filled: I felt better.
A few months ago I started at Critical Mass. I had been prepared (warned?) about the intensity of the work and the expectations of the position I took: Planner. Well, now I've been there for nearly three months, and not that anyone would really notice, but my blog posts have become fewer and farther between then even my least prolific months in 2007. What's happened? Its not as if I got bored, but there's been a shift.
Rather then filling my life with extracurricular events, my personal need to be involved, challenged and excited about new work, smart thinking, and great ideas has been met (OMG!) at work (OMFG!). I know. Sounds crazy. Who knew work could be...ummm...whats the word? Fulfilling? Wow. Reading that back to myself just sounds kinda silly. But it is. It doesn't feel like a job; it feels like someone's let me loose in a playground full of all my favourite toys and whole bunch of new friends. How cool is that?
So this is a problem, of course. What the heck am I going to write about? I sure can't write about what I'm working on, or the concepts and ideas, or new approaches to old problems. This is what I do now - its part of what we charge for. Yes, I know, there's probably all kinds of stuff I can write about (if only in opaque general terms), but I'm not inspired to write about it here - that stuff has a different venue for me now.
But never fear... there's more good stuff coming. Just not sure what its going to look like yet.
A little over a year ago I started this blog as a bit of a personal exercise. At the time, my workplace was not exactly brimming interesting conversations about insight and design. Quite the opposite, and I felt as if my mind was going to atrophy. I needed a venue to scribble down my thoughts and perhaps start a few conversations, so I started blogging. Not only that, but I started spending more time hanging out with people at places where interesting conversations were happing about insight, design and interactive stuff in general. Gap filled: I felt better.
A few months ago I started at Critical Mass. I had been prepared (warned?) about the intensity of the work and the expectations of the position I took: Planner. Well, now I've been there for nearly three months, and not that anyone would really notice, but my blog posts have become fewer and farther between then even my least prolific months in 2007. What's happened? Its not as if I got bored, but there's been a shift.
Rather then filling my life with extracurricular events, my personal need to be involved, challenged and excited about new work, smart thinking, and great ideas has been met (OMG!) at work (OMFG!). I know. Sounds crazy. Who knew work could be...ummm...whats the word? Fulfilling? Wow. Reading that back to myself just sounds kinda silly. But it is. It doesn't feel like a job; it feels like someone's let me loose in a playground full of all my favourite toys and whole bunch of new friends. How cool is that?
So this is a problem, of course. What the heck am I going to write about? I sure can't write about what I'm working on, or the concepts and ideas, or new approaches to old problems. This is what I do now - its part of what we charge for. Yes, I know, there's probably all kinds of stuff I can write about (if only in opaque general terms), but I'm not inspired to write about it here - that stuff has a different venue for me now.
But never fear... there's more good stuff coming. Just not sure what its going to look like yet.
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