2017.10.28 links

The Lifelong ROI of Coaches and Mentors
“When I think about the times I’ve made the most rapid progress in my life, it always has been when I was working with a coach or mentor.”

Find the space for your creative ideas
Creative types can be very territorial and protective of their ideas, but we need to get more comfortable with putting them out there, says Mother’s executive creative director.

Invisible design: why less is more
The hardest-working designers – and some of their best design decisions – are the ones you don’t even notice.

I really dig Mansion Lo. Found a nice article at It’s Nice ThatManshen Lo creates surreal, comic-inspired observational illustrations.

Google and the Resurgence of Italian Design
Once upon a time, we had products that were colorful, in shapes that were quirky, whimsical, and expressive. Interesting! And then, almost every tech product became white, silver, gray, black, flat, square, round, and minimalist. Boring. But there are hints that this is changing. And one of the leaders of this change is, somewhat improbably, Google.

Apprenticeships, long common in blue-collar industries, are coming to white-collar office work

Why design for experience? Because designing isn’t the only thing that designers do
Experience Design has become one of those annoying business terms that is grossly overused and widely misunderstood.

WHY THE BEST DESIGNERS DON’T SPECIALIZE IN ANY ONE THING
THE DIGITAL WORLD is at an inflection point, and the implications demand that organizations—from big companies to startups to marketing agencies—hire designers who are smart generalists.

How to create a culture of design in your organisation

The Future of Advertising Is All about Experiential Marketing
As traditional advertising formats – print, spots, web banners, and their ilk – continue to lose impact and relevance, brand stewards must re-frame their marketing approaches to reflect a new, values-based relationship between consumers and brands. One rapidly emerging solution, in the opinion of many creative leaders, is “experiential marketing,” often expressed in the form of temporary or pop-up, brick-and-mortar installations or shops.

‘Sprint’ Author Jake Knapp Built You a New To-Do List
Man, I hate to-do lists. Checking off finished tasks feels good, but the glow of accomplishment masks an ugly truth: Most to-dos are just reactions to other people’s priorities, not mine. And no matter how many tasks I finish, I’m never done — more to-dos are always waiting to take their place. To-do lists just perpetuate the feeling of “unfinishedness” that dogs modern life.

Is the Static Logo Dead?
There’s a bit of disruption happening in the world of logos. The single static logo isn’t enough to carry your brand anymore. You actually need a library of logos to meet all the needs of your brand.

How to futureproof yourself as a designer
Master the art of constant evolution in an ever-changing environment.

10 things I wish every design student knew
This week I had the privilege of speaking to design students at two universities about my career. Here are some of the things I shared, most of which were answers to their questions.