There's a video store just a few miles from work and home called Videodrome. A tiny shop, it can't quite compete with Blockbuster (who now can't compete with Netflix). But it doesn't try to.
We like to pick a book out every couple months to read as a group here. It serves as a nice platform to start conversation about new ideas and how they might apply to what we do. We're currently about half way through with Linchpin, the new book from author Seth Godin. The basic premise is this: How to be remarkable. That is, the future is in ideas -- the ones who will succeed are the visionaries. Those who create the kind of value that can't always be measured by numbers. The Jobses, the Dylans, the Bransons.
As print and film continue to fade away, A Bryan Photo is turning what seems to be something negative into a competitive advantage. The medium has become more valuable, more niche. They've embraced it. It's a stubborn nod to authenticity. And it's exactly what we need more of.
In 1907 Dixie designed the disposable paper cup as a solution to health concerns caused by the then-common use of shared glasses in schools and on railways. A century later, we now have to figure out how to curb our addiction to not only paper cups, but all the other disposable things we use in the day to day.
A good brand doesn’t “give people what they want”; a designer’s job isn’t to find out what makes the customer happy and thus continue doing it.
It's become apparent that the iPad isn't really meant to be a device of creation, but rather of consumption. Where would the Pad fit in your life? Does it fill a necessary niche, or will it just turn into an extra gadget to haul around?
My first printer was an old HP LaserJet that was built like a tank and weighed about the same. It worked flawlessly for almost ten years before being replaced by a far more advanced model that was twice as fast and half as durable.
I have a dilemma. You see, as a rational, Earth-dwelling person, I care about the environment. But I also love cars. Put those two together and what you get are depressing visions of a world filled with soft, bubbly hybrids and electrics.
We live in a brand-obsessed culture, where we are often defined by the labels to which we are loyal. But for over two decades now, there's been one company that has built quite a devoted following despite flying under the radar and more or less avoiding the turbulent brand wars.
In closing out 2009 and the decade before, we talk about what has inspired us. Blake set things off with a nice list of "best practices". We are often inspired (and humbled) by great work produced by our fellow designers -- especially those with different backgrounds, skill-sets, and styles.
