Everything looks like something else. Everything reminds us of something else. Anything and something else are best friends. There are only so many colors but yes I have more fonts. Thousands and thousands of them. You want them all? I’ll put them in a ZIP file and then I’ll head to the movies to watch something that will probably remind me of something else.
Bad Criteria
Over the years, there’s one thing that stands out as the thing clients do that really chaps my hide. It’s not urgent timelines, conflicting feedback, nor scope creep. While those things suck, the one thing I just can’t over is when a client holds up one really important thing that needs to be accomplished but then in the end, it turns out to not be a big deal at all.
It might be really particular analytics or it could be a really specific visual feeling they want to capture. Whatever it is, it maybe the thing driving the urgency, or the unwillingness to compromise, or the reason for the project in the first place.
And after sustained agony and an overall terrible process, the need for that thing all of a sudden disappears entirely.
The client didn’t need X after all because they were able to get over themselves and go with Y after putting everyone through the ringer.
It’s bad criteria. And no amount of talking about the bad criteria at the front end will suffice. Turns out, everyone involved just has to go through the shit for the bad criteria to finally get snuffed out. It’s probably just another example of typical human stubbornness. It’ll always be there because there’s always someone willing to go along for the ride.
Television Commercials
Advertising is a mirror. What we care really about, what we really buy, how we really act. It’s not really persuading us all that much. The data just serves us back our behavior within a margin of error where the decision is made, which is usually only dictated by price point. If we’re in the particular target audience, forget about it, we want it and that’s that.
Is it too much?
Part of the job of being an effective communicator is knowing when you’ve gone too far. Choosing how much to communicate is equally as important as what we communicate. We need to be extra mindful to not overwhelm, weigh down, bombard, distract, or obscure. Hardly, if ever, is the answer to just give them everything. When that happens, it’s almost impossible for anyone to know what to do.
Strike while the iron is HOT
No time to dilly dally. It’s time. It’s now. The moment has arrived and you have to reach out and grab it before it’s too late. You can think about it forever, or you can kick it into high gear and go for it. There’s no guarantee you’ll get another. This could be it. Don’t get scared now.
No Gear
Anything that requires a lot of gear, to me, is suspect. Another bastard step child of capitalism, here’s just another thing that requires you to buy all sorts of other things just to participate. Well to that, I say NO goddamnit.
Gear is, most often, completely unnecessary. It’s extra frosting in small dagger doses of diabetes. Gear adds unneeded complexity. What happened to keeping things simple, people? Gear adds to the likelihood of something going wrong and being unable to easily identify what exactly is going wrong. Well, the main thing is fine, is it extra thing #1 or extra thing #2? Or maybe extra thing #10 or #11? Jesus Christ this is exhausting. So tired thanks to all this gear.
It also feels like we’re being planned obsolescenced to death. Because all the new gear is only good for so long before all the gear needs to be replaced. Again. And again.
Gear is bush league craftsmanship.
Gear is a door-to-door junk salesman.
Gear is an excuse to not focus on what’s important in life. Which is, of course, NOT BUYING MORE GEAR.
Thankful for you
For the people I get to work with all the time, or just some times, or every now and then, I am really thankful for you all. Without you, all this design work collects dust on some old hard drives in the basement. Because of you, the work gets to be seen and make its mark on the world. That’s a pretty special thing. It makes these days exciting. So to all of you, a heartfelt note of thanks, and a cheers for what’s to come.
