Check out Vintage Cocktails by Brian Van Flandern. There isn’t a single new word or idea in this book. Just old ideas presented well. Great design adds value and buzzworthiness. It’s fundamental to the experience, not something you slap on at the end.
Embracing who you are
April 8, 2011
Great advice from inspired designer Mike Rhode: I was reminded how important it is to focus on becoming fully who we are in a world where it’s the default state to compare ourselves to others who are not us. Seven years ago I wrote In The Valley of the Shadow of Creativity after seeing amazing […]
Newsletter #801: The “Great Ideas Are Everywhere” Issue
September 23, 2010
Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] Great ideas and amazing work don’t just come from the marketing team. They come from other employees, from other companies, […]
Good thoughts for starting (or re-starting) a creative career
April 18, 2010
Chris Pullman was the design visionary at WGBH for 35 years. I met him at TED a few months after he made this classic retirement speech in December 2008. He was very surprised that I had read the speech. He had no idea at the time that it had gone viral. That’s the power of […]
Getting the basics right
July 7, 2009
User interface design is hard. When you look at a website and just don't feel good about it, that often comes from a poor placement. You can't find what you need, you get frustrated, and you leave. Big companies have this problem (click for close-ups): HP: Why is "Basics" the 4th tab? Apple: Why […]
Creepy is wrong
July 2, 2009
A lot of people are creeped out by Facebook right now — because folks are getting friend suggestions that are a little too familiar. Here's what happened to my wife: Facebook suggests she friends 3 of our neighbors. She has never given our address on Facebook or connected to those neighbors in any way. She […]
A little design adds a lot of value
May 15, 2009
Now that every grocery store sells take-out sushi, how does the take-out sushi store make sure they look like a better choice? A bit of well-designed packaging helps. I don't get to sample the product until I get home — but this premium packaging tells me that the store takes their food seriously. I also […]
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