NYT 2020: recommended reading for storytellers of every kind

The NYT Innovation Report in 2014 was so raw and smart and poignant I literally took my clients brand names and swapped them with “NYT” and walked clients through the analysis as if it was their own digital/content strategy assessment. Today, the NYT released its latest version of that report, and although it’s less […]

Done is the Engine of More

Revisiting The Cult of Done Manifesto every so often is always worth it.

I’m re-reading Creativity, Inc — here’s a HBR piece on how Pixar fosters creativity

Behind Pixar’s string of hit movies, says the studio’s president, is a peer-driven process for solving problems and how physical office space impacts culture… How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity

What is a trend, anyway?

Trends emerge when basic human needs bump up against external change to create (or unlock) new needs, wants & desires. Consumer trends are, at their heart, an essential part of uncovering innovation opportunities. Otherwise they’re just intellectual masturbation: diverting, pleasant and entertaining, but with little real purpose. Source: trendwatching.com’s October 2013 Trend Briefing “CONSUMER TREND […]

HBR: Why Smart People Struggle With Strategy

“The problem with smart people is that they are used to seeking and finding the right answer; unfortunately, in strategy there is no single right answer to find. Strategy requires making choices about an uncertain future. It is not possible, no matter how much of the ocean you boil, to discover the one right answer. […]

Fox’s Jim Gianopulos on adaption and change rather than protectionist thinking

“While technology provides headwinds, it also provides great opportunities to see past them and say, ‘OK, I can get on the other side of this and use it to my advantage.’” via Fox’s Jim Gianopulos Leads Studio Through Uncertain Times | Variety. [via MediaRedefined]

The implication of the non-designed object

The Ball jar, originally made for canning and storing foods, which has now been appropriated by hipsters and those looking for a travel mug not over-excessively utilitarian, was never intended to be used as it now often is. Designers have struggled countless hours in many design firms and offices across the globe to create the […]