Web Pasta
December 7, 2022 | When it comes to explaining my web-work, I like metaphors. The temptation in the industry is to baffle clients with a word-salad of business speak and technical jargon: […]
Shilling SEO
June 21, 2022 | “I can’t find my page on the Google. You do that SEO thing?” If I had a nickel for every conversation I’ve had that started this way, I’d […]
And the Color Is: Very Peri!
December 13, 2021 | Most years I get around to (or at least think about) doing a Pantone Color-Of-The-Year post. If you don’t know about Pantone, they’re the industry standard-setter for colors, […]
This Logo is Crass
August 9, 2021 | Punk Rock has always been as much an art project as a music form. From early roots in anarcho-socialist screeds to mass-market t-shirt slingers (Hot Topic!), Punk’s hard […]
Delivering On Your USP
March 4, 2021 | I came across a new term today, “USP.” It was just thrown into the middle of an article — without definition nor explanation — as though the author […]
Bernie Memes Rock!
January 25, 2021 | With all of the chaos, muckraking, and general nonsense surrounding the inauguration, I’m just tickled pink that the thing we’ll all remember isn’t another ham-fisted attempt at revolution, […]
Hipsters, You Did It!
November 17, 2020 | The Economist — my sober news source of choice — had an interesting article the other week: “Flat-white world,” exploring the globalization of hipsterdom. The headline can be […]
KISS, Nazis, Context
September 30, 2020 | Everything’s political nowadays. You could make the case that it’s always been that way: that we vote continually with our dollars, the words we choose, the clothes we […]
I’d Rather Build Relationships
June 15, 2020 | I’ve never been great at sales. That might strike you as odd, being that my line of work is advertising-adjacent. I overlap with the world of marketing pretty […]
Stay Essential!
April 6, 2020 | As far as I can tell, the work world’s split itself two ways, between the extra-busy and the unceremoniously let go. Most people I’m in daily contact with […]
So You’re Working From Home These Days?
March 20, 2020 | Join the club! Sorry to tell you this, newbie, but it’s a far less exclusive clique than you may think. You’re probably picturing yourself like some cool kid […]
You Don’t Need an App For That!
February 28, 2020 | Let’s talk about the Iowa Caucuses, shall we? I always like to let the dust settle a bit before I do this kind of a snarky, smarty-pants write […]
Motown: Never Out Of Nothing
February 17, 2020 | Motown fan? Then you’ll know the name Barry Gordy. He was the guy behind the label, the songwriting businessman who turned a random Detroit two-storey home into the […]
Writing Advice from Cormac McCarthy
January 15, 2020 | Writers on writing: It’s a sub-genre all to itself, and a fun one too, at least for this guy. Grammar books, memoirs on the craft, debates over needlessly […]
My Take. On Meth.
December 11, 2019 | I guess I gotta say something. As a South Dakota-based web-centrict designer, the kind of guy who’s work-life keeps him orbiting one deviation beyond the advertising community, it’s […]
Good, Fast, & Cheap: Let’s Talk Trilemmas
October 14, 2019 | New to the term trilemma? Let me explain it by example, with something everyone can agree on: The Israeli/Palestinian conflict. (I jest! I jest! But still, a fantastic […]
Abandoned Career Path #367
September 27, 2019 | (Note: For the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to speak to a class of senior art majors, to walk them through the basics of setting up […]
Career Advice From Ernest Hemingway
August 25, 2019 | I left them working, the car looking disgraced and empty with the engine open and the parts spread on the work bench, and went in under the shed […]
Type It Up, National Park Style.
April 16, 2019 | Someplace it’s spring, and the urge to get outdoors is hitting this desk-bound design-guy pretty darn hard. When I do get out, I like to get way out, […]
That’s a Fine Lump of Work!
March 27, 2019 | Switching gears here a minute: Let’s update the work blog with something about work itself, about this wage-giving thing we might also call Labor or Toil or Tedium […]
Just Let The Economist Cover It
February 26, 2019 | As many of you’ve heard me mention, I’ve been reading The Economist thoroughly, if not exactly cover-to-cover, for years. Giving the crisis-du-jour time to bounce off of a […]
WordPress Gone Gutenberg
January 29, 2019 | So, how are we feeling about Gutenberg, the new WordPress editing system they’ve thrust upon us? WordPress usually gets it right, and makes it easy to keep up […]
Is This Fake News?
November 16, 2018 | There’s an old maxim that cautions: If the headline asks a question, the answer is “No!” That’s fair – usually the job of a headline is to state […]
Designing Auerbach
June 12, 2018 | The other day I read a write-up on Perry Shall, the guy behind Dan Auerbach’s latest cover art. Perry’s done a bunch of posters and whatnots for Dan […]
Rebranding Resolutions
January 28, 2018 | New Year’s resolutions anybody? Phooey. I say. Phooey. I’m not done with resolutions forever, but this last week reminded me of all of the changes I was hoping […]
Debbie in Denim
May 31, 2017 | Round ’bout the tender age of 14, I stitched together some sections of old jeans to make a soft-sculpture/wall-hanging thing. No idea why I thought it would be […]
The Bowie Achievement Award
February 3, 2017 | Late bloomers, early risers. Those that burn out, and those that fade away. There are artists of many stripes out there, and I won’t fault any man’s path […]
Making Propaganda Great Again
January 25, 2017 | Design’s been a hot word these last few years. It gets tossed about everywhere, from Apple to Etsy, camouflaging big business with cool and explaining away all manner […]
Right-On Retro Packaging
January 12, 2017 | The pop-culture Circle of Life – the Lion King’s got nothing on it. Viewed from enough distance, the square stuff seems charming and one generation’s rebellion looks kinda […]
How Long’s The Drive To Chicago?
August 23, 2016 | Whenever I get into a conversation about a new website, the third question is always the same: “How long’s it gonna take?” (Because time is money, this is […]
Five Spocking
April 10, 2016 | In the run-up to the new movie an age old question has beamed its way back into our friendly family debates: Which is the greater creation: Star Wars […]
Rock The Spam Box
October 26, 2015 | Band logos. Where did they go? I’m thinking this is a lost art. How many bands really do logos these days? I’m not talking typography – fonts and […]
Feeling you, Wes Anderson
July 20, 2015 | I’ve always been of the persuasion that a good feel goes a long way. Facts, figures, functionality are of course necessary proof that some wispy creation has legs, […]
Can I Get Some Fries With That?
June 4, 2015 | The Hamburger Menu – those three little lines at the top of most apps these days – seems to be here to stay. And as it’s a clean, […]
Sketches of Miles Davis
February 3, 2015 | In the 1980s, 30-some years since he birthed his cool and changed the shape of all jazz to come, Miles Davis began to paint. Never one to to […]
New Life and Old Lenses
June 23, 2014 | During one of those stretches when life was fuller with experimentation, I forever-borrowed my dad’s Carter-era 35mm camera. It had sat digitally idled and dusty for a few […]
Doodles Vonnegut
May 1, 2014 | Sometimes drawing comes easier than writing. Words have to mean something to be something. There are rules and conventions which must be respected (or at least willfully rejected) […]
The WordPress 3.8 Admin: All Jazzed Up
February 20, 2014 | Last December, while we were all out enjoying (or possibly fretting) over the holidays, WordPress slid down the chimney and dropped off an unexpected present: Version 3.8. One […]
Microsoft Pulls The Plug On Windows XP
January 12, 2014 | You might not be following the latest news from Microsoft, but this recent announcement could be very important to you: Microsoft has declared that the “End Of Support” […]
Sun Ra’s Cosmic Business Cards
October 16, 2013 | At least once a month someone asks me, “Do you have a card?” I sheepishly say “no no no”, then I bow my head and lie down like […]
Yahoo! Rustles Up a New Logo
September 17, 2013 | Maybe you missed it, but Yahoo! has unleashed a new logo on the internets. “Yahoo!?”, You say? Yes, and the company is still worth billions, though I’m not […]
Disney Duplicates
September 12, 2013 | As a guy who celebrates originality, my head hits the brakes whenever I hear someone say, “Just do it like they did.” Because of this, I’ve sacrificed many […]
Product Photography and “The Illusion of Simplicity”
August 19, 2013 | I’ve really enjoyed doing a bit of photography for my clients. I don’t claim to call myself a professional picture-snapper (I know enough to know what I don’t […]
Google Doodles Saul Bass
May 9, 2013 | If you didn’t catch yesterday’s Google Doodle paying tribute to designer Saul Bass, it’s not too late. The magic of YouTube preserves all things for posterity. Even if […]
Material Honesty: When It Is What It Is
April 30, 2013 | If you are not familiar with A List Apart, let me introduce you. A List Apart started in the 90s as a mailing list for professionals in the […]
It’s a Comic Sans World
April 25, 2013 | Designers have their in-jokes and their shibboleths. It’s a thing that that I knew nothing about as I got my feet wet working on websites 10 years ago, […]
Dropping The Volume On Your Exclamation Point Habit
March 26, 2013 | I’m as guilty as the next guy. Probably worse. I’ve been trying to stick to a self-imposed rule, but I keep falling off the wagon: ONLY ONE EXCLAMATION […]
Pantone Pairings: Two Great Tastes, Together
March 15, 2013 | A few posts back I brought to your attention the official, regal and resplendent Pantone Color of The Year. As lovely as emerald green can be, it’s hard […]
The Old Bait ‘n Switch: Phishing Scams Keep Biting
March 12, 2013 | Ever heard of phishing? Even if you don’t know the word, I’m sure that you’ve seen it in action. If you’ve ever received a suspicious email asking for […]
The Rock Writer’s Well-Worn Crutches
February 6, 2013 | Back in my college days, at least of third of my friends harbored the same secret back-up plan. Wise students that we were, we understood the utility of […]
This Is Officially Kate
January 29, 2013 | The National Portrait Gallery of London recently unveiled the latest look in a line that stretches back to King Henry VII, who sat for a rendering of his […]
The Apple I: Hand-Crafted Coding Machine
January 15, 2013 | Wood-working is a neglected hobby of mine. It’s been years since I’ve attempted to put anything together – and my last creation, my desk – is more a […]
Pantone Crowns The 2013 Color Of The Year
January 10, 2013 | Maybe you didn’t know there was such a thing? If you’re not familiar with Pantone, it’s a big company in New Jersey that sets the international standards for […]
Pedalling Cardboard: Cheap Bike Gets It Right
January 8, 2013 | As much as I love flipping through Dwell, impressed by architect’s insights and the hard-earned calluses of real-world craftsmanship, I know absolutely nothing about industrial design. The closest […]
Scratching the Surface: Microsoft’s New Machine
January 4, 2013 | For about a year I’ve been putting off the purchase of a new secondary screen. I’ve been dragging my feet for a number of reasons. The first of […]
Merry Christmas, Comrade!
December 24, 2012 | What do you get when you combine Soviet ideology and the ancient urge to celebrate the winter’s frosty solstice? Science fiction “holiday” cards! The folks over at the […]
‘Tis The Season for Great Expectations
December 21, 2012 | December always hits like a sprint. Things like blog updates get back-burnered pretty quickly, but don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. The cartoon above sums up the way […]
New Gadgets? Go With What Works
December 4, 2012 | The holiday season means two things to those who’ve worked in IT: One, you’ll be visiting family and they’re going to ask you to configure their new doohickies […]
Draw Smokey Stuff with Silk
November 20, 2012 | The one-shot website is a fine thing. You know the kind I mean – the sites that just have one trick, show off one gag, and then let […]
Go Team! Or Maybe Not.
November 12, 2012 | A few weeks ago our local paper ran a list of the top dozen web design companies in Sioux Falls. I flipped right to it to see if […]
WordPress: State Of The Word 2012, Part 2
November 2, 2012 | Last week, I posted my thoughts WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg’s annual “State Of The Word” address from WordCamp San Francisco. One of these days, I’ve got to go […]
Happy Halloween! Airbrushing The Shining
October 31, 2012 | Seems like a good day to post something a little spooky, dont’cha think? The Shining is one of the few horror films that I endured the whole way […]
Facebook Promoted Posts? You Gotta Be Kidding Me!
October 29, 2012 | For years I’ve been telling clients, “You’ve got to have a Facebook presence!” Even in my hypocrisy (I just got my own together a few months ago) I […]
Apple Wasn’t Always Cool
October 25, 2012 | You’ve had the fight once or twice. Maybe you chose it, maybe it was thrust upon you. Or maybe it was the unexpected outcome of an innocent question: […]
WordPress: Matt’s State Of The Word 2012
October 23, 2012 | I still get a raised eyebrow or two when I’m recommending WordPress to a client. It’s usually the folks in the middle of the web-fluency pack that shoot […]
The Art Of Web Design: An Introduction
October 18, 2012 | Discussing what I do is still a challenge. In any given day, I’ll have a conversation with a computer guy who’s all about the code, an Apple kid […]
Knocking Out A Logo in Six Minutes
October 4, 2012 | Truth be told, it will probably take a little longer, but this video makes you feel like it could be done: If you’re thinking logos, investing six minutes […]
MySpace Hopes To Bring SexyBack
October 3, 2012 | A year ago Justin Timberlake hoovered up some venture capital to give Myspace.com a shot at survival. Now he’s trying to make good on his investment in yesterday’s […]
Euro Say Cheese!
September 11, 2012 | So the new website is almost ready, the e-blast is about to launch, and the campaign is set to go public. If only that one missing piece can […]
The Philosophy of Google’s PageRank Toolbar
August 31, 2012 | I’m a fan of Googler Matt Cutts. He seems like a nice guy, and I’ve found the information that he provides – both officially and unofficially – to […]
Man-Eater, Minus the Hall & Oates
August 28, 2012 | Great design is often simple design. There is an elegance in economy, in the thrifty use of what you have to create something new. Dutch Designer Daniel Disselkoen […]
New site!
August 23, 2012 | Like the mechanic with the rusty car, the landscaper with a yard full of weeds, we never get around to self-applying our skills. I’ve even heard that Dr. […]