Empathy trumps accuracy
When we answer a question or solve a problem, what answer are we seeking to provide? Is it better to give the answer we feel is right or the answer we know is right?
How much is my Starbucks coffee?
Today’s quiz question. How much is my Starbucks coffee if the price shown behind the counter says £3.55? (Here’s a clue… it’s not £3.55.)
When is an e-bike not an e-bike?
Fires caused by batteries on e-bikes have been grabbing the headlines. But the headlines don't tell an accurate story, and are spreading a misplaced fear of e-bikes. Here's one way to fix it.
Dear J Salmon… wish you were here!
J Salmon, Britain's oldest printer of postcards, went out of business in 2017. Did the sun really need to set on this 137-year-old company?
Why food banks should BOGOF
Food banks have been in the news a lot. As has the bad guy of supermarket marketing tactics, the Buy One Get One Free deal. It’s time the two walked down the aisle together.
Meet the hermit crabs of branding
Hermit crabs are remarkable – and famous for their use of shells that once belonged to other creatures. Some brands are similarly inclined, taking on what others have left behind – and sometimes making better use of discarded ideas than the original owner.
Do you know who your customer isn’t?
Someone's review of an app I wanted was scathing. The app was pointless. The app was a con. The app made their life more difficult, not easier. The app should be avoided at all costs. I read the review, smiled and happily installed the app, even more certain it was the right one for me.
Trick or tree?
It’s said that the Inuit people have 50 different words for snow, and the Sami have 1,000 words for reindeer. This abundance allows subtlety and precision – something lacking in our culture where trees are concerned…
Horseless carriages and engineless cars
In a way, Uriah Smith was the Elon Musk of his day. In 1899 he launched the Horsey Horseless: a motorised carriage with a life-sized model of a horse’s head attached to the front. Over a century later, it seems Tesla had the same train of thought…
RIP Bob Gill
Legendary designer, illustrator, writer, teacher – and one of my heroes – Bob Gill passed away on 9 November, aged 90. Bob co-founded Fletcher Forbes Gill back in the ’60s, which went on to become the internationally respected agency Pentagram.