Where are you going?

The great thing about having a path... is than when you wander, you have a place to come back to.

Resistance is not futile… it is optimal.

Ever ridden down a steep hill at such a fast rate that you could not pedal? Your feet just can’t keep up. It’s an uncomfortable feeling… almost out of control. Riding the flats or uphill… with some resistance gives us the choice to go faster or to slow down.

An experienced salesperson lives for an objection. It is only at that point that they get to do their job. If you ever want to frustrate a salesperson, just smile and nod as they run out of things to say.

When I was a young designer I used to bristle at constraints. Constraints were definitely the things that held me back from doing great design. What I later discovered was that those very constraints that I loved to complain about, were the foundation of my work. They were the problems I solved, the edge that gave me grip, the launching point of discovery. I began to seek those challenges that afforded both opportunity and accomplishment. Learning to embrace constraints was possibly the single greatest lesson I ever learned in design. 

a city of design

I could not be more excited about my relocation. The city that became home to the bauhaus... a city that so embraces industrial design and architecture. Just walking around the city... whether it be the burbs, the midtown areas or downtown... you know that people thought about this stuff... and made it work. 

So much design... so much design education. It already feels like home. 

product perfect... perfect products

As a teenager working in the sign shop down the street, I was surrounded by bikes and bikers. Not the pedaling sort, but the motored kind. Outsiders might recon that this meant some ruff influence with unruliness not fully endorsed by the parents. But the influences that stuck were from the music and art. Rock and roll is obvious… but the other was pin striping. In their spare time these guys were decorating bike fenders, gas tanks and were often paid for striping trucker’s rigs.

When body ink began gaining traction a dozen or so years ago, it was not a huge surprise to see many of those visual elements from striping find their way to shoulders, arms, lower backs and other more discrete locations. The immergence of graffiti as a legitimate art form was a bit of a surprise but its influence on body art was not.

So none of this is really news, and you might be asking what is the point?

More and more these forms and imagery have been showing up in mainstream items, from t-shirts, dress shirts, jeans and even household fabrics. It is a far less committed way of wearing body art. What is striking about the third or fourth iteration of these visual elements is the embrace of what a product manager might deem a defect. None of these canvas, the human body, a brick wall, or a truck body panel constitute anything close to a perfect canvas. The uncontrollable elements of shape, dimension, texture and material effect, in a substantial way, the outcome of the final product. These ‘defects’ or artifacts have come to be embraced. The imperfections are a huge part of what makes this cool to those willing to fork over a few bucks… and display it. It’s worth noting even when generating technology products, that the consumer has influence here… and that perfection is not always perfect. Those imperfections may in fact become desired attributes.

Social media and transitions

I have argued that social media, in and of its own, is a bit of a novelty. Its real benefits are realized when it is purposed… as it ties to specific areas of interest and activities. This may be where MySpace lost its way. As a conduit for bands and fans of bands, it had a specific purpose and place in the world. Beyond that it has drifted in comparison to the drive and growth seen on other social sites.

Working through a change in location and new employment has put me in the situation of living in two places at ones while not really being at home in either. Social media, specifically Facebook, online discussion groups and even LinkedIn have provided some unexpected continuity beyond emails, phone calls, texts and face-to-face during this time. I am a bit surprised at the stability, comfort, and utility these sites have provided. Frankly, I am also surprised at my needs – or appreciation of these outcomes. These sites have allowed me to efficiently and effectively communicate status, updates and questions to friends and colleagues – and for them to respond. While it seems rather obvious in hindsight, it’s not the sort of thing I would have effectively predicted through my own projections.

the quiet mind

Nothing original from me today… but I did run across a remarkable paragraph in a book I am reading called, ‘Effortless Mastery’. The author, Kenny Werner writes the following:

“The folly of human history is the search for this state (of mind) in things outside us. This explains wars, all the conquests of money, power, sex and other sensory experiences. The ultimate security one seeks can only be found within.”

We all need more Van Morrison moments…

These are tough times… I really don’t need to tell anyone that. Every day I talk to a friend, coworker or associate that is worried for their job, their company or just the state of the economy in general. We all do what we can to brace for the shocking turn of events or the inevitable, but in the end, the time stressing may not be time well spent.

I was heading home from work the yesterday day and it was unseasonably warm… I had the windows down and the radio up. The sun was shining. Three things hit me simultaneously and they turned my day around. I passed a construction site and the smell of fresh earth being overturned was unavoidable. A great song from my high school days came on the radio. And lastly, as I sat at the light waiting to make my left turn home, the sun peaked out and the warmth on my shoulder felt great after what seems like an eternal winter. These three relatively simple things converged to take me back to a time of optimism, carefree fun, and an excitement and anticipation for what the future holds. I could visualize in my head several similar convergences from my youth. Man, was that great.

Your particular flavors may vary… your music, your sensations, your memories… but we all need more opportunities to appreciate the moment, restore our optimism… and if for only a few seconds, shed the weight of our responsibilities. Here’s hoping you have your own version of a Van Morrison moment soon.

Why design?

On occasion I have looked around and had the strange sense that people are asking themselves, “why is he so passionate about design?” Or, I am sure in some cases, “why is he so indignant?”

Design is a special place to me. Design is that space in innovation and product development where things find their purpose and their success. Great technology does not matter if it doesn’t have purpose, if it does not add value, and if it is not used. Design, is the difference between the 10 – 15% of products that succeed, and all the rest.

Form, function and fit are the key to design. How does it work and how does it look are obvious to most. We all understand the frustration of products that just don’t work well. We also understand the ugly product out there in the world. Some products are so great, so impactful as to overcome bad design and find success in spite of themselves.

But fit… fit is the unsung hero of product design. Fit is when a product does what it needs to do in the context of use. It is how ordinary products get set aside in preference to great products. Pardon the tired example, but it is why nearly everyone has an ipod and not one of the dozen or so mp3 players that preceded them.

But still… why so passionate, is it really that big a deal? In a word yes. I was raised with a notion of contribution. It might sound simplistic or even idealistic, but I would rather give than take. I want to go beyond ‘leave no trace’, I want to ‘leave things better off’. A flat economy is not a good thing. Creating value is an important component to a growing economy. Creating value is not the same as just making money. Making money is easy. Creating value is where a person or people make an intangible difference to success. I am talking about the kind of success that puts purpose, and therefore value, in the hands of those who need it [insert life saving healthcare product success story here]. Yes there are dramatic instances, but when someone adds just a little bit of value to an otherwise ordinary product, they are doing something very special.

This is the hallowed ground of economics and commerce. This is why I am passionate about design. And yes, this is why I am indignant when you treat design with disregard and reduce it to rote process as a cost management tactic.