Journal

My recommended reading

During my talks and subsequent conversations, I often mention numerous books that have influenced my thinking. As a result, I’m getting an increasing number of emails and tweets asking for a full list. So, to deal with that, I’ve pulled together the following list. Read »

Maturity and the Weight of Learning

This article was commissioned for the first edition of The Manual.

As the web matures, great designers are distinguished not by conviction but by the ability to look beyond the tools at hand, to inquire deeply, and to define a lexicon for the field. Read »

Lesson

This article was commissioned for the first edition of The Manual.

Marked by intense focus and mutual understanding, a conversation with artist Ian Breakwell yields a necessary breakthrough and sets the foundation for a creative path. Read »

The Manual

I have been fortunate enough to contribute to numerous publications in my time, but without doubt the contribution I’m most proud of kicks off the beautiful and important first edition of The Manual. Read »

Reflecting on New Adventures

After six months of planning and an ever-increasing buzz, the day finally came when 650 web designers descended on Nottingham for the very first New Adventures event. I’m still exhausted and frantically evaluating it all, but now seems like a good time to sum up the highs and the lows of this bold new adventure. Read »

The New Adventures paper

Following on from New Adventures, which finally happened last week, I want to write a series of short posts about the nuts and bolts. Firstly, I’d like to explain a little about the name, the newspaper, and the inspiration for the cover artwork. Read »

New Adventures identity

A number of folks have asked why the New Adventures logo has so many variants, and how it all works together. So, here’s a post exploring the final logo and logotype variants we ended up with after a lengthy process. Read »

That was the year that was

I’d been hesitant about writing a review of my 2010, partly because it is something I’ve avoided each year, and also because I had such a brilliant and eventful twelve months that I hate the idea of appearing arrogant or self-indulgent. Ultimately, I decided that this would be something I’d like to reflect upon at a later date, or might be of use to someone else. So for those reasons, I think it’s justified. Read »

My year in music

I used to write often about music for this journal. Those days of turning sounds into words have slipped by, but I still consume new music as eagerly as I did at any other time in my life. Like many, I cannot help but compile lists, and I shall not apologise for it either. Here, for your pleasure, are my top albums, songs, and performances of 2010. Read »

The Articulate Web Designer of Tomorrow

This article was commissioned for 24 Ways.

You could say that we design to communicate, and that we seek emotive responses. It sounds straightforward, and it can be, but leaving it to chance isn’t wise. Many wander into web design without formal training, and whilst that certainly isn’t essential, we owe it to ourselves to draw on wider influences, learn from the past, and think smarter. Read »