I'm reminded of the book Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. The name comes from a story she tells of her brother attempting to write an assignment on birds one the eve of the deadline. He asks their father how he'll ever accomplish the tasks. The father says, "Bird by Bird." In other words, by chunking the project into parts. Rather than focus on three birds at a time, focus on one. Further, instead of writing about the whole bird, start with a small piece (like it's unique wing span, or strange habits, like this weird mating dance).
Read More"Distract yourself with value-driven action; lots of action. Serve your community, serve your kids, serve yourself (both body and mind), produce good work. Try to fit in a few moments of forced gratitude, just to keep those particular circuits active." - Cal Newport
Read MoreThe project is called Short Stories from Lives, and it is a collection of audio, video, and text that share little moments from the lives of our elders (each three minutes or less). The site is still a work-in-progress. You will see that I used my grandparents as guinea pigs. If you would like to submit a short story, send me a note.
Read MoreWho am I to write about poetry? It's like Shakespeare in some senses. I know I should like it, but I don't know how. The language is foreign, and I don’t understand the concepts as maybe others do. Believe me, I've tried. And some poetry clicks with me. Yet, I still feel insecure about the writing form. After listening to the Conversations With Tyler episode with Harvard English professor and Poetry In America host, Elisa New, I now feel less insecure.
Read MoreCraig Mod walked across Japan. He documented his journey through text and photos shared via SMS. Those moments were sent out into the interweb so others could see them. You could respond to Craig. But, Craig could not see your response. It wasn't until after he finished the walk, several months later, that he read the replied, along with his posts, in a printed book.
Read MoreThe visual identity for Covid-19 is pretty scary. It’s often a super-condensed sans-serif typeface, all caps, in blood red. I’m pretty sure the design team went to movie posters for Outbreak and Contagion for inspiration. As much as I don’t love the Millennialification of everything via branding, I was curious about what the Covid-19 identity would look like if it was more approachable like Chobani. It’s incredible how much a few colors and typefaces can change the presentation of an idea. I’m left almost as scared of branding as I am of Covid-19.
Read MoreFor the first assignment of Translational Research, a course I am taking at The University of Cincinnati, DAAP, the professor challenged students to research of a sensitive topic area. The results of the study were then to be translated into a product or service that we designed. The topic area that I selected is mortality. It’s relevant because previous research showed that young designers often neglect aging populations in project development. I hypothesized that thinking about old people might remind young people of their mortality, causing avoidance.
Read MoreThat an answer I hear most from design students when they describe their target audience. The problem with that answer is that it’s incredibly vague and unhelpful. For instance, I’m a millennial, and I’m 35 years old. I’m also a professional designer, adjunct professor, and working towards a master’s degree. More than my work, I hope to be a decent husband to my wife, pay attention to what’s spiritual, and nurture lifelong friendships.
Read MoreI had lunch today with John and Alyssa of KUNST. Over the years, we’ve worked on several projects together as their company has evolved. Our initial collaboration was a magazine project. The publication covered old local buildings and the people who take care of them. Nowadays, John and Alyssa are the ones taking care of the buildings, restoring them into private apartments, and co-living communities around downtown Cincinnati.
Read MoreWhat does this all have to do with my work in brand identity design and Big Ideas? Well, to uncover the Big Idea behind your brand identity, one has to answer Buechner’s two questions. (a) What brings you deep gladness? And (b) where do you feel the world's deepest hunger? It's in between those two questions that your Big Idea emerges. (a) Are you willing to go there? Or, (b) do you want a new logo (or app)? I’m looking for partners who are (a) willing to go there. We may not go there perfectly, but at least we’ll try.
Read MoreWhy did I wait so long to visit the Lloyd Library? The Lloyd is a charming independent research library dedicated to plant-based science, medicine, conservation, art, and history housed in a Cold War-era building in Downtown Cincinnati. Its current exhibition includes an original print of Darwin's On The Origin of Species, a letter from Thomas Jefferson, a book from Houdini's personal collection, beautiful etchings of Fungi, and so much more. What grabbed my attention the most was an image of the Eclectic Medical Institute (EMI) that once existed at the corner of Court in Plum (also in Downtown Cincinnati). Flying high above the institute waved an oversized flag with the word ECLECTIC in all caps. I had to know what that place was (and where I could get a reproduction of the flag).
Read MoreI set a goal this year to spend more time with other local independent designers. The hope is that we can support each other in the many challenges we face wearing too many hats. I was already meeting with a group sporadically for lunch, and this year, we decided to formalize and meet monthly. Win!
Read MoreThe good people at The Kleigners Group, the parent company of TrueScan, asked me to present the new TrueScan identity to their staff (after it was approved by the lead team). It was an opportunity that I could not refuse. I love talking about the brand identity process, and I'm immensely proud of the new TrueScan brand identity.
Read MoreThere's a moment in the CWT episode with Ezra Klein, where Klein talks about his perspective of Silicon Valley. He explains that the Silicon Valley model is about coming up with 20 ideas knowing only two of them will work. Klein doesn't favor this approach (always), opting for a better understanding of the problem before generating solutions (I lean this way too). In explaining his thoughts, Klein mentions Chesteron's Fence without further explanation. I had no idea what Chesterton's Fence was, so I followed the link to learn more.
Read MoreYou’ll get another version of an answer you already received. That’s the advice from Tyler Cowen in an interview on the 1% Better Podcast. I also recently realized that not asking follow-up questions is a signature of Cowen’s podcast recently and stopped asking so many follow-up questions in my research interviews.
Read MoreThere’s a lot of fascinating stuff in the Conversations With Tyler episode with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat. But, what stood out the most to me was his concerns about exposing children to screens too early. I know that there’s a lot of back and forth about the effects of screens. A few days ago, I saw a New York Times article claiming that they’re not as bad as we make them out to be. Still, I lean toward the side of concern. The Screens of Good assignment that I give to sophomore designers in my user-centered design lecture is proof that position. Ross Douthat shares that concern and has a solution. Real-life.
Read MoreSocializing is weird. I’m starting to notice that most of my conversations, in groups, turn toward the latest episodes of this that or the other series provided by the plethora of streaming services available today. It causes me to wonder if we’re uncomfortable talking about ourselves so much that we hide behind the characters in our shows. Even then, I don’t think most conversations go that deep into the shows being discussed. It’s more so about saying you watched something than it is about unpacking the show and what you enjoyed about it.
Read MoreSomewhere I read that juggling is excellent for your brain. I think it helps you comprehend information better when reading. It has to do with using both sides of your body to activate the different parts of your brain. I also learned, in Range, that it’s helpful to try out an array of hobbies and activities. Why not try juggling?
Read MoreDraw each other. That was the ice breaker exercise that Mike Roller used to kick off the Translational Research course that I am taking this semester. What a scary but exciting task! It became less scary when Mike said that we had to use our non-dominant hand and only had 90 seconds. Why? Because we were all asked to do something that no one is good at or had the time to perfect. There was nothing to lose.
Read More“There’s an Alfred North Whitehead quote that he said: “Sometimes I give a student an A or B instead of a C or a D because they’ll earn it 20 years from now.” A good teacher will lodge education in a student’s mind that may not bear fruit for 10, 15 years.” - Quote by Hollis Robin
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