Musings: Saul Bass On Presentations

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

“I often think that presentations are more difficult than the work itself. A presentation has to share just enough of the process so that someone who has not been a participant can understand the ‘inevitability’ of the solution, and that the solution is the culmination of a rigorous and systematic investigation of all reasonable possibilities. It’s surprising how hard that can be sometimes.”

-Saul Bass, from Saul Bass: A Life In Film And Design

(Hat tip from David Airey’s LogoDesignLove)

Nov 15 2012

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Musings: Death To Cynicism

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

Cynicism (and its practitioners) should be confined to the museum of your organization as a long-dead relic — helpful to study, but worthless in practice.

Oct 30 2012

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Musings: Emotions As Fuel

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

It can be easy in business or life to discount the importance of emotions in favor of things that are more easily measured. But the difficult-to-quantify are sometimes the most valuable and crucial in the long run. Nothing inspiring or meaningful ever gets done without the application of genuine emotion. Emotions might be ethereal and ephemeral when compared to numbers on a spreadsheet, but they are the fuel rods that power passionate action.

Sep 18 2012

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Musings: Weave Passion Into Business

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

Sure, we all have to eat and pay the mortgage. But it’s easy to become a creative mercenary if you’re merely chasing lucrative markets or the next profitable, exploitable space. The wise and happy path:

Either figure out how to get deeply excited about the work you’re doing, or find a way to integrate your already-existing passions into your business. The world doesn’t need more creative hired guns; it needs more people who truly believe in what they do.

Aug 1 2012

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Musings: Great Thoughts From Greater Designers

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

These incredible designers and thinkers said it well:

“The discipline of asking bigger questions can lead to profound changes for brands.” -Marty Neumeier

“You design for durability, for function, for usefulness, for rightness, for beauty…” -Paul Rand

“Navigating through the political process — building trust — building relationships — it’s everything.” -Paula Scher

“Marketing without design is lifeless, and design without marketing is mute.” -Von Glitschka

Jul 16 2012

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Musings: Having “New Fatigue”

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

Sometimes it gets exhausting having to stay current with all that is the latest-greatest, emerging, or cutting edge. “New” sells gadgets, delivers clicks, and attracts notice, but it also gets tiring. Whether it’s new software, new devices, new ways to store old clothes, or fresh ways to dice up cucumbers, it can be a bit much. On some days I have what I call “new fatigue.”

The flow and rate of info creation in our culture is immense, and it’s tough to keep up with everything. We might have a professional responsibility to stay abreast of all the changes in our industries and the world around us, but it doesn’t have to be a hamster wheel we can’t escape. It’s healthy to recognize that you don’t have to have the latest, greatest thing, upgrade to the newest versions of apps, or live on the bleeding edge 24/7. It might be more important to live a balanced life, not chasing after each new thing, because new ≠ better at all times. It’s possible to spend too much time searching for new ways to work and live. And that’s significant, because if we get lost in tomorrow, this present moment pays the price.

Jul 5 2012

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Musings: Confidence vs. Arrogance

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

After buying a new iPhone 4S this week, I’ve been reflecting on the chief person who helped create such a wonderful device. Steve Jobs. And that led me to consider one of his central tenets, that things in life, creativity, and business were either “insanely great” or “total shit,” and you can guess which side his opinions and ideas fell on. That is arrogance, not confidence.

There is a difference between the two. Arrogance is binary. It demands My Way. I’m right and you’re wrong. My idea is awesome and yours is utter crap. Confidence, on the other hand, shows trust in your own abilities and intelligence, especially if you’re right. But it also allows for the fact that there are other views, other options, and myriad possibilities beyond your own to consider. We would all be wise to suss out the difference.

Jun 7 2012

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Musings: Eames on Art

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

“Art resides in the quality of doing; process is not magic.” – Charles Eames

Jun 1 2012

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Musings: Looking For Serendipity

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

I’ve been reading (on paper) Eli Pariser‘s book “The Filter Bubble” and it’s amazing and chilling at the same time. He discusses many of the unplanned ramifications of a world where customized information changes our view of the world, our creativity, and how we interact with others. It’s absolutely worth a read, and might disturb you out of your current filtered bubble. Do we go looking for serendipity that will interrupt your planned day and narrowed thought paths? Do we make an effort to go further outside of our boxes to explore the ideas and truths that might dent or re-sculpt our worldviews?

In our future, maybe the next big thing in social computing technology will be recreating our rapidly-eroding experiences with serendipity.

May 29 2012

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Musings: History Matters to Everyone

Our short musings on design, branding, business and the human condition.

History isn’t just words on a page, dates, or events of the past. History tells us where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and how we’ve gotten where we are. It provides context, connects us to the past, and weaves onward to the future. Show me a person who doesn’t care about history, whether it’s personal, societal, or organizational — and I’ll show you a person who doesn’t truly grasp the world. Those who seek to understand history are the ones who know the world, and long to find their place in it. History matters to us all.

Apr 19 2012

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