As I meander through stories and biographies of artists and designers (both past and present) a common theme emerges – makers make because they feel they have to and they can’t imagine doing anything else. What’s not clear yet is the motivation. Is it aggrandizement? Industry awards? Or does it go deeper than that – are we fishing for opinions on our worth from those who live outside of our own head? We don’t judge ourselves on our output but rather everyone else’s response to it.
Reading time: 6 minutes
Whilst I cannot speak for Tolstoy, Dickens or Bronte it’s clear to me that writing is about more than just the language or verse, it’s about more than hard work and endless hours of writing and re-writing – it’s about recognising that our own stories are important and interesting enough to tell.
Reading time: 5 minutes
I propose a new frame of reference, a new meaning for this sought after sense of self-worth. This label of ‘creativity’ we so aspire to have bestowed upon us by colleagues, friends or family need not be a judgement of value but rather a judgement of repeated behaviour and repeated behaviour only.
Reading time: 3 minutes
As the fabric of society get more tightly woven day by day, alone-time is becoming harder to find and the consequence could be catastrophic for everyone’s childhood friend; imagination.
Reading time: 7 minutes
If “patience” were an animal, the world would be up in arms. Sir David Attenborough would be called in for a special documentary to broaden awareness of its plight. The World Society for Protection Against Animals would be accosting people in the street asking for donations to fund an initiative on behalf of the species. Funds would be found in government departments to assist in trying to bring it back to life and no doubt, some sort of international committee would be formed to help spare us of its demise. No, it’s not a cute cuddly critter nor is it a starving African child. Patience however is becoming extinct and technology is the assassin.
Reading time: 9 minutes
I deal with the Hue, Saturation and Brightness (HSB) colour system on a daily basis as a creative professional, forever trying to achieve the perfect balance of these elements in order to tell a story and communicate a message. I was quite surprised when I discovered then that humanity seems driven by a similar but much more powerful set of component parts – Cue, Saturation and Blindness. These three elements work together and bring about emotion and change as well as a lasting impact upon how we live our lives.
Reading time: 11 minutes
Design is bigger business than ever before. As businesses try to to get a grasp of the digital revolution, designers have found a gap in the market where design is no longer needed. Selling the idea of design and other simple, everyday concepts is a lot less effort and a lot more profitable, provided you’re a wordsmith and have the personality and the pie charts to back it up.
Reading time: 9 minutes
If reading is exercise for the brain then my brain is morbidly obese. The birth of a new year helps a lot of people focus on losing those few extra pounds that showed up in the mirror over the Christmas break. My problem hasn’t been the physical but the mental. I haven’t been looking at the world with the same set of eyes over the last 3 or 4 months and my ability to articulate my thoughts has been akin to an obese person trying to climb a flight of stairs.
Reading time: 7 minutes
Like designer jeans, job titles in the online industry will change style, come in and out of fashion and in a few years, look ridiculous at your next job interview. My advice? Leave the hipster designer labels at the front door and focus on what you do best. Solve problems that improve the quality of life and do it with the help of like-minded people.
Reading time: 4 minutes
Are we sacrificing our sense of ‘touch’ and ‘feel’ for convenience and portability or will touch just take on a different meaning now? Are we about to witness a revolution in making our multi-touch devices more tactile? The quilted back of the Kobo, the plethora of leather, wood and felt cases for all our current mobile devices, make it obvious to me that I’m not alone in wanting a more comforting digital experience. It’s clear that humans find comfort in tactile experiences, what interests me going forward in my professional life is how we’re going to address this need if our content is trapped within the confines of the 2D, gloss-coated LCD.
Reading time: 5 minutes