Hi, I’m Brent! Graphic and user experience designer, father, with a curiosity about how we see the world.
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In Praise of “Dumb” Devices
I recently got a running watch to help track my pace when I’m running. Whenever I look at it’s single-colour, pixelated display, I’m reminded of why I love “dumb” devices. Every appliance and accessory is under pressure to become “smart”. Your camera can connect to Facebook, your thermostat is connected…
Clover
Common, abundant, passed by But they have a most amazing scent. You ask how I know this? My daughter stopped to pick just one (for us to share) From a field full of common and abundant wonders For those who’d like to smell.
The Writing Can Heal You
We’ve all, at one time in our life, experienced the “day after” crash. The day after the book launched. The week after the marathon. The night after the big concert. Seth Godin describes this period after we reach a big milestone “a kind of death.” All the adrenaline of the…
New book: Pay Attention
We often find ourselves feeling distracted and discontent, bored with our everyday routines. As Louis CK put it, “everything’s amazing, but nobody’s happy”. We look for a change of scenery, or dream about a life somewhere “out there” where everything life will be amazing again. Wonder, though, is based more…
The New Car Scent
In 2007 I married my way into Volvo ownership. Our 1987 Volvo 240 might have been falling apart on the outside, but it had a strong heart, and bravely carried us over mountain passes, through winter storms, and proved to not shy away from -30 temperatures (even without a block…
Does the typeface really matter?
I was reading a book recently, For the Time Being by Annie Dillard. When I got to the last page I discovered a note – right-aligned – from the book designer. It read: A Note on the type The text of this book was set in a typeface called Baker…
The ball’s in your court
Good tennis players can bat the ball back and forth endlessly. As long as neither player makes an error or takes a chance, the ball will stay in play, but the game won’t make any progress. Watch all agonizing 1:40 of this longest rally in Grand Slam history. 71 shots…
What you need is here
The words from Berry’s beautiful poem have been resonating with me. What you need is here. What you’re looking for isn’t in tomorrow or some day. Not in a new house or outfit. Not in a new job or income bracket. Not in your screens or daydreams. Not in the…
How to Draw (lessons from a 7-year-old)
I don’t draw well. But I’m learning, thanks to my 7-year-old. When I was a kid, I drew all the time. I drew animals, hockey players (goaltenders sporting 90s Jets gear was my specialty), just about anything. I enjoyed the life of a prodigy artist and drew for the adoring…
Naming the Dust Bunnies
We recently welcomed our third child into the world, making life exciting, rich, and also messy. Actually, the past few months have been a process of turning our house upside down, re-organizing beds, bedrooms and clothing to make room for a newborn, and there’s no promise of it being turned…