Nikki Welty
@nikkiwelty
Nikki Welty
But what if your purpose is simply to build a good life? To raise kind children. To cook a little better each year. To read a few excellent books. To notice the seasons. To build meaningful relationships. To help others. To give time - and money if you can - to causes you care about.
Pamela Clapp • Why the French Don’t Obsess Over Purpose
All of sudden, we weren’t just designing something visual, but we needed to understand human behaviour, to see ourselves in other people’s contexts ( don’t get me started on our empathy phase!!! ), to learn how the decisions we made could affect a company’s bottom line, etc.
But along the way, we lost something. The actual work we were producing.... See more
But along the way, we lost something. The actual work we were producing.... See more
Jenny Wen • Jenny Wen — Don't trust the (design) process
For a long time, I felt uneasy about not knowing exactly what I was meant to do. (And, to put it in context, that feeling was amplified by motherhood — something I wrote about at length here.) But now, I think the French have it right: you don’t have to know. You don’t even have to ask.
What they value instead is curiosity. Culture. Taste. The art... See more
What they value instead is curiosity. Culture. Taste. The art... See more
Pamela Clapp • Why the French Don’t Obsess Over Purpose
One of the most intelligent case studies in design is the Chinese tea cup. They’re made without handles simply because if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to drink.
Humans naturally want to add more. Add a cardboard sleeve, add a warning on the outside of the cup, add a handle. The result of all these things never cools down the actual contents.
... See moreOr, to be a little bit more positive and poetic, as Ursula K. Le Guin wrote in The Dispossessed : “True voyage is return.”
Re: Biennale criticism, the red paint in Kapoor's Greenpeace-led action art, icy plunges, hot takes, and Prosecco from a vending machine in the Valdobbiadene Hills.
That is: A person — often a founder, or someone similarly empowered — needs to have compelling ideas, establish a voice and perspective, and use it. Tools like brand books and style guides are important so agencies and partners know how to speak the same language. But the actual opinions and values can’t be algorithmically generated or offloaded to... See more
Dan Frommer • The Scott Sternberg guide to building emotional brands
Now, my natural wiring leans toward clear lines and judgments. I like to quickly file things away in neat little categories: good or bad, right or wrong, love it or hate it. It makes the world easier to manage. But life isn’t quite that simple, and sometimes the best response isn’t a label—it’s space. Space to let things breathe, settle, and show... See more
Eat the Fish, Spit Out the Bones
Most people I know are walking contradictions. They care about the environment but drive gas-powered cars. They want authentic connections but spend hours on their phones. They believe in working hard, but also think the system is broken.
People are complicated. Thank God.
The problem is that complexity doesn't generate clicks, nuance doesn't go... See more
People are complicated. Thank God.
The problem is that complexity doesn't generate clicks, nuance doesn't go... See more