Number 004 here we go! Hitting this months newsletter on time has been a difficult one. With a busy full-time job and a young family, finding the time to squirrel away on pushing my own work forward can sometimes be a challenge! My eldest is turning 4 next month and ever since he was born I have been interested in finding productivity tools to maximise my time. Having tried various digital and analogue tools, nothing quite worked for me. This is where this months product announcement stems from…
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Laminar Update
Having had a positive response to Laminar, a latte cup designed for the perfect latte art, I am happy to announce that I have ordered samples from my production partner that is currently producing Mμ. I’m testing a few new finishes and will be sharing updates here first :)
Iphone (MagSafe) Dock Update
Phi
Oak samples for the face have been machined and boy do they look good! Hand finished with a high solid oil/wax finish, you can be sure the oak will shine, have good protection and be more sustainable (avoiding the use of more harmful finishes). I’d love to hear what you think below.
As with all of my concept products, anyone that signs up to help me meet the target will lock in the best pricing I will ever sell that product for. For Phi, that means you will pay £45 instead of £90. To back a concept, all you need to do is sign up - no money will be taken.
Last months most clicked link: Pablo Cimadevila
My top 5 pieces of content I have found helpful/inspiring:
1.
Smarter Everyday. Another incredible YouTube channel that offers deep dives into explaining often obscure things. This video forms part of a series around manufacturing processes and focuses on “roboformimg”, an advanced metal forming process involving two robot arms. As a designer I am continuously expanding my material and process knowledge and seeing novel processes like this kickstart a thousand ideas in my mind.
2.
Lex Friedman Podcast. When I saw an interview with Walter Isaacson I knew I was in for a treat. As a long time admirer of Isaacson because of his seriously well researched books on innovators (DaVinci, Franklin, Jobs, Musk…), I really enjoyed this conversation. I was particularly drawn to the parallels drawn between some of the most successful innovators and being a visual thinker. I have always felt a designers superpower is being able to visual in 3D and play with problems in your mind.
3.
iPhone 15. I couldn’t not include the latest Apple event in this update. Whilst just about every feature for the iPhone 15 was leaked ahead of launch, I always enjoy taking a deep dive behind the tech. It’s a shame less emphasis is placed on design at Apple events since Ive left but peering into the depths of Apple’s website I came across how Apple pulled off titanium in their latest iPhone. Titanium is incredibly expensive and shouldn’t be feasible to include in any iPhone - cue Apple developing a new thermo-mechanical process to bond the titanium band to an aluminium internal frame. Impressive.
4.
BUILD - Tony Fadell. For any designers out there running your own business or interested in entrepreneurship, this is a must read. Tony Fadell, father of the iPod was at Apple at their height in my opinion and went on to found one of the best examples of disruptive design with the Nest thermostat - proving that a design centred approach really can lead to better, more enjoyable products. Fadell’s current investment work focussed around sustainability proves there are people out there focusing on solving the big problems. This book has so many nuggets.
5.
Vizcom. We’ve all heard about chatGP, DALL·E and Midjourney and the pace of change with these tools is pretty incredible. Another tool I have been keeping a close eye on is Vizcom - an AI tool perhaps more targeted towards designers and industrial designers. Seeing what designers are doing with vizcom and the updates they are releasing is exciting. We can’t be far away from good text to 3D model AI! Make sure to test the water with some of these tools as the “free play” window is closing as many of these tools begin to monetise.
This month is all about productivity. Having tried far too many productivity tools, most quite faddy, I have come to the realisation that as a creative, I am quite a chaotic person and often have 10+ projects on the go which includes (commercial projects, University course delivery + development, Ben Durack Design product development + operations, Origin Plastics Ltd product development + operations). Managing this and jumping from one project to the next can be challenge. It has taken time and my approach is constantly evolving but this is what is working well for me currently:
Gather. Post it notes / cards. I keep a small stack of A8 cards on my desk at all times. Every day, I use a series of these to create task lists for each project I am working on.
Synthesise. At the end of the day, my last task is to gather the cards for that day. I review each card, marking off completed tasks and transfer all remaining tasks to notion (my digital brain). I then start the following day by creating a “to do list” on a card using notion. Interested in using notion? This is the best intro I have seen to date.
Make Visible. Pin up the unfinished to do list. Digital tools like notion are helpful but can often get lost. Having a physical card gives it a permanent presence in my studio.
This works well for me, but I often have a need to keep important cards on view - typically longer term goals / receipts / bank card. If I can’t see it - it doesn’t exist.
Desk space is at a premium in my micro studio and I like to keep it as clear as possible to make space for the cards to build up over a day. This is where “focus“ comes in - a simple, wall-mounted oak band that works with IKEA’s Skadis clips, providing an elegant and incredibly simple system to keep important information in view.
This has been a game changer for me and I think this could work for you too.
Being wall mounted and small in size makes this incredibly versatile and can be used for a number of applications. How would you use it?
Work Setup?
Front Door? Letters, shopping lists, reminders
Family Organisation? Meal plans, shopping lists, kids activities