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I was listening to some analysis of Presidential politics which included references to technology (be assured, I mean this as a party-neutral observation).
It occurs to me that we expect leaders at this level to know lots about governance, foreign affairs, finance, and so on--but that we rarely hear anything about is a candidate's knowledge of technology.
I realize, of course, that because a President can't know everything, they surround themselves with experts. But, when I think about how significant a role technology has played in my life in the last 30 years, personal and professional, I can't help but think people who (for the most part) have others do things for them, have not experienced the fundamental shift in lifestyle those of us who are most closely tied to it have.
It makes me wonder how well they are equipped to lead a nation that is experiencing such an explosion in technological advancement. Some still claim (long after it was fashionable), to wear their lack of computer knowledge as a badge of honor.
I'm not referring to a general knowledge of what Google is, but something deeper--like how daily use of the web ultimately becomes an extension of your thinking. And I'm not talking about an understanding of the financial scope and power of an entity like Apple, but rather, an understanding and concern of a phenomenon like the "filter bubble." The stuff you might not understand quite as well if you haven't experienced it.
Is technological change something you have to experience to understand deeply? Do we need leaders who "feel" what's happening? I can't help but think people who truly appreciate the possible dangers of technology, and its vast potential, would be far better equipped to lead us in 2015 and beyond.
Be well,
Chuck
Countless creative ideas, marketing insights, and over 300 meticulously formatted
documents on a dual-format CD-ROM
Everything from brochures, newsletters, and direct mail to packaging, calendars, and books (one CD works with both Mac and PC). Use two or three files and you'll pay for the entire book and disc...
For Adobe InDesign
Here > http://www.ideabook.com/the_indesign_ideabook_59.html
For QuarkXPress
Here > http://www.ideabook.com/quarkxpress_templates.html
In the future, books will...
...be made of paper? Yup, apparently a lot of them anyway. That's right, reports of the demise of books in print may have been premature. According to this article from the New York Times, E-book sales are slipping and print is making a comeback.
"...The digital apocalypse never arrived, or at least not on schedule. While analysts once predicted that e-books would overtake print by 2015, digital sales have instead slowed sharply.
Now, there are signs that some e-book adopters are returning to print, or becoming hybrid readers, who juggle devices and paper."
Have a personal preference?
From the New York Times: The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead...
Here > http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/media/the-plot-twist-e-book-sales-slip-and-print-is-far-from-dead.html
Everyone is A/B testing everything
At least it seems that way. Why? Because it works. You doing it? If not, these pages offer an inkling of what is possible.
What do you A/B test? How's it working?
From Wired: A/B testing websites...
Here > http://www.wired.com/2012/04/ff_abtesting/
From Amazon: A/B Testing APPs...
Here > https://developer.amazon.com/appsandservices/apis/manage/ab-testing
From Draft Revise: An A/B testing service ...
Here > https://draft.nu/revise/
From Smashing Magazine: A guide to testing ...
Here > http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/the-ultimate-guide-to-a-b-testing/
From MailChimp: About A/B testing email campaigns...
Here > http://kb.mailchimp.com/campaigns/ab/about-ab-testing-campaigns
Meet illustrator Ben Wiseman
I really like Ben Wiseman's simply-told stories.
Example 1...
Here > http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51f2e8e4e4b098110aee4c6c/51f2e8e4e4b098110aee4c77/538e4f23e4b0a08b20554034/1401835326638/Shopping2.jpg
Example 2...
Here > http://benwiseman.com/covers/dpewdh4tz502etbflp9dgog8yffmow
Example 3...
Here > http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51f2e8e4e4b098110aee4c6c/51f2e8e4e4b098110aee4c77/538e4f1ee4b03b85cd730596/1401835325268/Security.jpg
Used for an online story in the New York Times...
Here > http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/29/magazine/voting-rights-act-dream-undone.html
Ben Wiseman's website...
Here > http://benwiseman.com/
Interesting GIF animation by Rebecca Mock...
Here > http://www.rebeccamock.com/files/gimgs/45_italy-fcompletelayersanimtumblr1.gif
Regarding Adrian Frutiger and the signs for the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris
Adrian Frutiger died September 10, 2015. I'm certain most here are familiar with his namesake typeface, Frutiger, which he designed in 1968 for the development of signage at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. What you may not know is that the same man designed Univers, OCR-B, Avenir, Linotype Didot, and many others.
When I asked typeface designer and calligrapher Michael Clark if he had any lasting impression of Frutiger, he said, "I always go back to this quote (from Frutiger) when I prepared a font: 'A letter follows the same canons of beauty as a face: A beautiful letter is in perfect proportion. The bar of a 't' placed too high, the curve of an 'a' too low, are as jarring as a long nose or a short chin.'"
Thanks to Jessica Jones for pointing us to it.
From The New York Times: Adrian Frutiger Dies at 87; His Type Designs Show You the Way...
Here > http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/arts/design/adrian-frutiger-dies-at-87-his-type-designs-show-you-the-way.html
From Linotype: Adrian Frutiger-Traces ...
Here > http://www.linotype.com/793/adrianfrutigertraces.html
From Eye: An interview with Frutiger ..
Here > http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/reputations-adrian-frutiger
Renowned graphic designer and lettering artist Mark Simonson shares how Frutiger influenced him (18.3 MB PDF)..
Here > http://www.marksimonson.com/images/FrutigerTalk.pdf
From Fonts In Use: Frutiger in use...
Here > http://fontsinuse.com/typefaces/3481/frutiger
Many of the typefaces Frutiger designed...
Here > http://www.myfonts.com/person/Adrian_Frutiger/?refby=ib
Adrian Frutiger-Typefaces: The Complete Works...
Here > https://books.google.com/books?id=X3_oBQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=#v=onepage&q&f=false
Typeface designer and calligrapher Michael Clark's website...
Here > http://www.typerror.com/
How to attach visual theatre to products
Carefully considered design can have a dramatic influence. House of Antique Hardware took something as potentially uninteresting as house hardware and turned it into theatre.
They specialize in authentic antique and vintage reproduction hardware for period homes. And they know how to present it in a way that makes it look like jewelry.
Imagine the same individual pieces of hardware shown in a typical catalog style without the association of styles. Instead of relying on the customer to envision a story, they present each product in the context of the others.
Example 1...
Here > http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/manhattan-collection
Example 2...
Here > http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/carnegie-collection
Example 3...
Here > http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/windsor-collection
About House of Antique Hardware...
Here > http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl/it.I/id.19/.f
Take a look around, they have lots of interesting groupings that will get you thinking about how to organize and present products...
Here > http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/
As I was breezing through email recently...
I'm reminded how little time you have to get someone involved. If you can even get the reader to open it after reading your subject line, you'd better promise value quick.
The lastest one I zapped started like this...
***
Hi Chuck,
We couldn't resist just one more nudge, encour...
***
...Zap. The first mistake was using "we"--it tells me an organization is talking to me, not a person. And second, the writer began by reminding me I wasn't interested in their first email.
I can't say I wouldn't have made the same mistake, but this is a good reminder about just how vigilant you need to be in thinking everything through.
Have you seen Michael Paul Smith's latest work?
I so admire an illustrator who can make such a dramatic transition from old to new
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About this newsletter
I try to remain as objective as possible about the information I share here. Unless I tell you otherwise, I receive no compensation from the organizations and people mentioned except for occasional product samples. I
am an affiliate of Lynda.com and MyFonts.com -- that means, if you purchase something from them, I get a small commission. Comments? Suggestions? Write me at chuckgreen@ideabook.com -- Chuck Green
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