Noisy Decent Graphics

Drawing of a tree, next to a tree.

RDI Insights talk Tuesday night

I'm doing a talk with fellow RDI Michael Marriott on Tuesday night. It's free and virtual and you can sign up here. 

The evening is called Boring Magic and I think there is something of that in both our work. Michael is brilliant, look he made a lamp from a bucket!

We'll both do a really short presentation and then get into questions and a discussion. I think there's a rich overlap in our different disciplines and how we both approach functionality and the ordinary. I'm also hoping we can talk about reuse, something that's common in product and 3d design and not common enough in digital design and service design.

I'm really looking forward to it, so please sign up! It's literally free.

Thanks to Conor Delahunty and Steven Messer who both used the term Boring Magic before me.

 

 

 

Nice design for a pharmacist sign

Work news

In case you don't read Twitter or LinkedIn. Hi Phil.

Public Digital has joined the kyu Collective.

Warhol at Tate Modern

Russell, don't bother. You neither Phil.

Went to see Warhol at Tate Modern on Saturday, err, night. It was ok. Not enough famous stuff for me, but maybe I'm too mainstream. Anyway 15yo liked it very much which was a bonus. 

The Tate was virtually empty. Late on only the Warhol was open but it was very eerie. Strange times.

D&AD Presidency - why I'm making space for others

I love D&AD and I've always been a passionate supporter. I wanted to win the coveted Black Pencil from when I was young and I've wanted to be D&AD President for as long as I can remember. Today I should have been announced as the latest President.

I've been the Deputy President for a year and every other year the Deputy becomes the President. But I look around at the world and I see too many people who look like me, middle-aged white men, in positions like this. So I've decided to stand aside and make space for others.

I hope this small act encourages other people who look like me to do the same. It may achieve nothing, but it at least gives everyone an example to point at.

I want to make one thing very clear. This is not a criticism of D&AD. This statement is not really about D&AD, it's just that when I look back at previous Presidents in all organisations, there has not been enough diversity. That's an indisputable fact. 

Naresh Ramchandani will now become President, followed by Rebecca Wright. Kate Stanners has done a brilliant job through a very difficult time and she's just launched the first ever fully digital annual. In Naresh and then Rebecca there will be a focus on sustainability followed by the first ever President from education. What a brilliant position for D&AD to be in. I will remain a Trustee and look forward to continuing to support D&AD.

Huge congratulations to Naresh on becoming President and Rebecca on becoming Deputy. D&AD is a fantastic organisation, doing great work in education, it’s still the very hardest award to win and we should all support them. 

Thanks to Tim, Dara and all the D&AD Trustees who have supported me in this decision. Thanks to all those who have enabled me to be in a position to make this decision.

For completeness the statement from D&AD is here and there's a good interview with Naresh about next year for D&AD in Campaign here (paywall).

 

Me holding up a D&AD flag in Bucharest in 2007.

 

Judging D&AD Awards in 2010.

 

Winning a Black Pencil for GOV.UK in 2013.

 

Revisiting Adaptive Design by @genmon

Great post by one of the Matts summarising "Adaptive Design". A concept many years old but one that gained a digital prominence in the early 2000s. Well worth reading the full post here. Screws not glue etc.

Might have a go at this "I’d love to for designers to share their ideas for future adaptable iPhones and adaptable apps, expand the discourse, and pushing back on the status quo."

The UX of Lego Interface Panels - I wish I'd written this

This blog post by George Cave is so good. Best proper blog post I've read in years. I wish I'd written it.

It's not just about Lego, it's about design and interface more broadly. Take this point and the links off to the contrasting Dyson and Audi approach to car interfaces. Dyson - all on one screen. Audi - controls on individual parts.

It's a rabbit warren of wonderfulness like that. Glorious. Read it all The UX of Lego Interface Panels by George Cave.

 

 

Architecture by AirBnb

We rented an AirBnb by the sea the other day. This was the bathroom. 

This is not a bathroom designed for someone who uses it every day. This is a bathroom designed to catch your eye in the photos on AirBnb. I expect there's loads of this. 

Presumably whole houses are being designed purely for people scrolling through AirBnb.

Anyway.

YouTubers Corner

I don't have the appropriate close up photograph to illustrate this point so you'll have to look at the picture above, take my word for it and use your imagination.

Expectations successfully lowered let's get to the point.

I went for a run the other day and ended up at Speakers Corner. At first I thought it was very quiet. There were quite a few 'speakers' but they only had an audience of 3 or 4. No huge crowds gathered around one brilliant orator like I've seen before and you've seen in the movies.

Speakers Corner in the 70s. Taken from Leonard Bentley's Flickr account.

As I got closer I saw that there were lots of speakers and they all had crowds 3 or 4 but they also all had microphones and cameras on tripod. The tripod was the give away - a proper semi-pro recording set up.

Presumably what they're doing making these speeches for YouTube and just using Speakers Corner as the location. The physical back drop but also for the YouTube title and the SEO. All that. Turn up at the weekend with a few mates, set up the AV kit and make your speech. Why reach hundreds at the real Speakers Corner when you can reach millions at the virtual one. A quick search on YouTube reveals that to be the case. I'm not linking to anything here, you can Google for yourself.

Of course. It's always so obvious isn't it?

A few screengrabs purely to illustrate the point. I'm not endorsing any of the speakers in any way.