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Always Have Something to Say
If you want to be a great communicator, it’s important to always have something to say. I learned this the hard way. Many years ago I traveled in Chile with a Christian missionary group. One thing we did a lot was share in church services, and often without a lot of advance warning. One afternoon…
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Invisible
Jared Spool once told us, “Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.” Just like the sound guy goes unnoticed till a mic doesn’t work or feedback screams out of the speakers, a good designer’s work goes unnoticed (except by other designers), precisely because she’s…
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Start Small
The internet is all about connection, and if your website is successful it will do just that. Your site’s main objective is to connect with your customers, and for them to connect with you. If you’re just getting started in creating a web presence, think of your website as a business card. Unless you’re selling…
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Nine Design Lessons From Quartz’ New App
Quartz released their iPhone news app this week! Because of recent design projects, I’ve tried to become a student of other app designs, particularly news apps. This one struck for its unique take on news. Here are some of the takeaways from Quartz’ take on news on the mini screen. Start a conversation. The app…
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The notes that you missed
Chances are we didn’t notice. Playing in piano recitals as a kid, any missed note would throw me off entirely. I’d stop to correct it, or smile sheepishly towards the audience, as if to assure them that, yes, I realized I had messed up. The voice of the critic often follows right on the heels…
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“Mobile first” is more than screen size
Mobile devices change everything about how your users interact with your website. When I was first introduced to “mobile first” as a web design principle, I thought it meant sketching designs for a small, narrow screen. I was proud when I had internalized the philosophy enough to create my first mockup file in “iPhone 6”…
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DND for Deep Work
A common problem for creatives (and most of us, really), is making time for focused, creative work. We all crave that couple hours to dive into a project without being distracted, but this kind of focus is hard to come by. Cal Newport calls this “deep work” and “a superpower in our current economy”. Because…
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Wait, Back Up
One common mistake we make as communicators is forgetting our audience’s context. As we dive full steam into our idea, our audience is still back at the station, trying to figure out which way our train’s going. While you might have been fully immersed in your idea for days (or years), your audience might be…
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The Noise Inside
“Nowadays most men lead lives of noisy desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau Many of us would admit to living noisy lives. Often we’d say that our environment, or our culture are to blame. We look at always-on technology, our crazy schedules, our boisterous kids, but these are often red herrings, distracting us from where the…
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Looking for Trouble
Most of us have enough trouble (thank you very much), we don’t go out looking for it. What we’re looking for is a trouble-free existence, free from responsibility and things breaking down, where the drinks are cold and the water’s just right. But is that really what would make you happy? I had this realization…
