Notebook on Afroleft

A Few Photos From Kas, 2023

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 17:03:05 +0000

Sunrise at Kas Peninsula.

Heart leaf.

A Picture in Picture.

7pm, sunset at Big Pebble Beach

Directions

Friday coffee at Fika in Kas.

Sunset at the Kas peninsula bay.

Lunchtime at Kekova, Sunken city boat trip.

This & That #22

Sat, 16 Oct 2021 14:37:00 +0000

A tiny pause in what has been a hectic year has made way for This & That #22. New music and mixes from Dosem, Vintage & Morelli, Cinnamon Chasers, Hausman & MBX and a cheeky 10 year old bootleg from yours truly.

Hope you enjoy.

Tracklist 14 tracks

Highway Pacific Beatless Version Cinnamon Chasers Apple Music Spotify
Highway Pacific Cinnamon Chasers Apple Music Spotify
Almost Home Above & Beyond Extended Deep Mix Above & Beyond Apple Music Spotify
Hey Now Sasha Remix London Grammar Apple Music Spotify
Dawn To Dusk Thomas Schwartz & Fausto Fanizza Apple Music Spotify
Feel Free feat. Christina Coronel Shur-I-Kan Apple Music Spotify
Parfume Dosem Remix Eli & Fur Apple Music Spotify
All Locations Dosem Apple Music Spotify
Rios Alfonso Muchacho Apple Music Spotify
Solarcoaster Marsh Extended Remix Solarstone Apple Music Spotify
Put ’Em High Afroleft Bootleg Paul Keeley & Stonebridge Download
Maheno Extended Mix Genix Apple Music Spotify
Voyager Extended Mix Hausman & MBX Apple Music Spotify
Afterglow Vintage & Morelli Apple Music Spotify

Liked something? Buying or streaming the original supports the artist.

Using What You’ve Learned

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 17:05:06 +0000

A few years back I heard one of my music hero’s Jono Grant from Above & Beyond talk about their process in the studio.

He made a comment that stuck with me.

It went along the lines of “when we kick off a new project, we recite / talk through some of the hard-earned lessons and insights that we’ve made on previous projects.”

When the lights are on you and you’re under pressure, Jono said it’s all too easy to forget the things that you’ve learned from your previous experience.

2020: PPE, Modular Construction & A Weimaraner Puppy

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 19:59:28 +0000

At the start of the year I had to pull together a little software engineering team to kickstart building out the technology responsible for handing off design, controlling quality and running manufacturing operations at Ideal Modular Homes. I was lucky enough to convince the brilliant mind of Duncan Nisbet, the unstoppable Andy Tango and Chris Moorst of Kitsune fame to come onboard.
We learned a lot about modular construction and sustainable materials in construction.

25,000+ Protective Visors for Healthcare Workers

As covid19 began to bite in Northern Europe, lockdown happened. Central Manchester was baron link
In March we were facing a big shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). I kicked off a thread on Twitter (link) that sparked a lot of conversation about how the indie-maker community in the North West could assist healthcare by making PPE.
2 months / 40 + volunteers / 1 handcrafted ordering and dispatch system / £20,000 in donations later, we had produced, sanitised, packed and distributed well over 25,000 protective visors to healthcare workers right across the UK.
People processed orders, printed instructions, volunteered to produce, worked their asses off and donated generously from far and wide to help us bring this to life.

Yours truly doing my best to hide my west country accent live on Heart Radio link
Liverpool Echo interview link
The website visors.doesliverpool.com

This & That #21

In the summer I produced a new mix.

Working on Fetch

Sun, 13 Sep 2020 10:39:13 +0000

I wrote a short intro piece for our Software Engineering blog at Ideal Modular Homes.

We’re building real-time, high-dependency software that assists with the design, manufacture and installation of our sustainable modular homes.

We’ll be sharing more about of technology choices, lessons learned and our process in upcoming posts.

Old Tins

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 19:58:07 +0000

We spent today wondering around Penzance in Cornwall, England.

There was a shop called CASH FOR YOUR JUNK. It looked a lot like my old grandfather’s garage.

A jumble sale of odd things. Plates, lamps, tins, statues, an old petrol forecourt spinning Jet logo etc etc. Hoarder’s heaven.

Loved these old tins dating as far back as 1940.

As we all pull together to cut down on plastic use, what’s the bet that we see the return of the refillable tin?

This & That #21

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 11:55:53 +0000

After a few months of flicking through music, I made a new mix which marks episode #21 of this little show. Soulful music and French house cuts.

Afroleft · This & That #21

Shout out to my Mum and Ryan for putting “Struggle” by Tinush on my radar. A bit of fighting spirit we could all use right now.

Cycle Route: Marple Aqueduct

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 20:34:22 +0000

Opened over 220 years ago in 1800.

Carries the canal 100ft over the River Goyt.

Nice spot to pour a cheeky flask of tea.

Ashton > marple > Stockport | bike Tour | Komoot

afroleft planned an outdoor adventure with komoot! Distance: 39.2 km | Duration: 02:30 h

komoot

Visors for Healthcare Workers

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 12:52:31 +0000

Healthcare Workers are seeing Covid-19 patients without the appropriate protective equipment. A group of us from Manchester and Liverpool are sourcing materials, producing PPE and connecting small scale manufacturers directly with healthcare workers and centrally with hospital procurement teams across the North West, UK.

Update: We now have a website for this project.

DoES Protective Equipment → Head there to see how you can help :)

To help get protective equipment visors, we are:

India 🇮🇳 Kanyakumari to Kashmir

Sat, 14 Mar 2020 21:47:47 +0000

Goats taking over.

Munnar

Smelling great today.

Clooney teaching skills at Anjunabeach

Anjunabeats at Anjunbeach

Snap

New Delhi

The Golden Temple

Maz looking good.

Grumbles in all his glory at, Tso Moriri Lake

RIP

Lucky Man — full story Link

Back where it all started.

Brain is still distinctly average. Try better next time and all that jazz.

Patchwork: Lessons Earned

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:43:00 +0000

A few months back I moved on from Patchwork—a health-tech startup that’s bringing flexible working to healthcare.

When I joined as its product lead, we were at 1 NHS Trust. Just shy of 2 years later and the company is fast approaching 20—double digit marketshare.

Cushy

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 11:54:59 +0000

This was an identity idea for an eco-friendly home builder.

Cushy never got to see the light of day so sharing it here with your lovely eyes.

Fetch Logo

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 12:34:34 +0000

After a few years away from the graphics editor, I dusted off my old copy of Sketch to make a logo for a thing.

Chuffed I have an excuse to use a doggo in a logo.

Need @andy88jones to help me with kerning. He has a friend called Kern.

Here is the shot on Dribbble.

Onwards

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 18:10:18 +0000

It was pissing down with rain—in ways only London can—and I show up at the office for the first time. Before I can even take my coat off it’s:

“We have a half-baked Rota feature, it’s a bit rough around the edges, shall we go ahead and ship it?”

That was my first 30 seconds running product at Patchwork (then LocumTap). Later that day I was reviewing an investment pitch deck with ceo/cofounder Anas.

Stakeholders. What are we optimising for?

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 10:39:27 +0000

One of the things I’m piss poor at is stakeholder engagement—enabling everyone see tradeoffs the way I can. Sadly the problem exacerbates as your company scales.

Helpful to see Chris Thewell speaking at the UX Crunch last night.

On the dial ask

What are we optimising for?

Unpack the tradeoffs.
Involve the right people.
Optimise for the right thing.
Make your informed decision.

Try Different

Sun, 04 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000

The ceiling of the World.

The altitude was around ~5100m.

This was my guide, Riga.

🎵 This & That #20 (Asia Special)

Sun, 25 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

It’s more than difficult to explain what it’s like when your senses collide with Asia; the sounds, the smells, the sights.

I sampled sounds from India’s roaring cities, to chanting in Bangladesh, nature’s orchestra in Vietnam, to the bells of Himalayan horses as a way to tell a bit of my story travelling through Asia.

This mix is made up of the tunes that kept me company on the road as well as some of the classical and devotional music I heard out there.

Lucky Man

Fri, 14 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

It’s never just an S bend — it’s someone cutting the corner

It’s never just a slow truck — it’s someone trying to overtake

It’s never just a bus stopping — it’s someone getting off

Yep, my poetry needs some work.

Disclaimer: this contains some distressing images. Check out these fluffy hamsters if you’re the queasy type.

I was around 3 hours in to the drive from Manali to Chandigarh. It’s a mountainous drive at the bottom of the Western Himalayas and for the most part, the roads are pretty good. Plenty of bends, but wide enough and good visibility.

Stealing Time for My Own Mind

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Dhamma Setu, Chennai — India

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in room alone,”

— Blaise Pascal.

My step mum thought I was going to rehabilitation, my friends thought I was on a fast-track to becoming a monk, and I was only half sure what to expect when I enrolled for a 10 day Vipassana meditation course in Chennai, India.

On and off and with mixed success I’ve been meditating for the last 3 years.

How young are you?

Thu, 22 Dec 2016 08:44:00 +0000

For the last few days I’ve been hanging with Andreas from Sweden. This is a photo of him pulling a silly face.

He is a big, kind, larger than life character. He plays the guitar, takes jaw-dropping photos and wears a Batman cap.

Obama Noodles

Fri, 09 Dec 2016 08:37:43 +0000

Trekked over to the other side of Hanoi to Bún chả Hương Liên — where Obama and Joe Biden came for Bún Chả (noodles, greens and bbq pork strips in a f-u-c-k-i-n-g sensational soup).

The lady pictured top left came to sit opposite me.

Tom & Tom in Koh Rong

Sun, 30 Oct 2016 05:51:22 +0000

📋🏃🏽 written on the move, typos and all

I just got back from Koh Rong – an island off of the south west coast of Cambodia - and I’m en route to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

It’s comical how far some of the coach drivers stretch the definition of a direct journey.

About 4 hours in and we’ve been picking up and dropping off random people at random places. Clearly the driver is sticking some $$ in his arse pocket and taking us all on a detour.

Look around: Costs are everywhere

Fri, 20 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

It’s easy to rest on the assumption that costs are only monetary. In product design, this misses an important point — costs are everywhere:

Waiting for a webpage to load is a cost.
Typing in your card details is a cost.
Figuring out whether to trust a company you’ve never heard of before is a cost.
Learning how a product works is a cost.
Signing-up is a cost.
Waiting to find something out (yes, uncertainty) is a cost.
Having to print out, sign and post a form is a cost.
Handing over your personal information is a cost.

Identifying costs [and] what they might equate to for your users is an insightful way to inform how you think about the products you make.

We used Intercom to add £100,000s of marketplace investments at Fruitful—here’s how

Fri, 20 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Onboarding customers to your new product is tricky.

Onboarding customers to a new financial product is really tricky.

For a mountain of security and regulatory reasons you’re required to collect and validate a towering number of data points.

Of course, for each additional data point that we had to collect = additional cost to the customer = increased risk that they might drop-off and watch videos of otters eating lettuce instead.

Fruitful’s onboarding steps

In Fruitful 1.0 (more about the pivot here ) these were the steps for onboarding new users:

Keep peddling until you find the right problem

Mon, 16 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Back in August 1972, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority introduced the late Massimo Vignelli’s new map of the subway system.

New Yorkers were furious.

Complaints came flooding in:

“Stations seemed to be in the wrong places. The water surrounding the city was coloured beige, not blue. As for Central Park, it appeared to be almost square, rather than an elongated rectangle.”

To Vignelli’s mind, that was the entire point (emphasis added):

The Other Side of the Sunset

Mon, 09 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Admittedly it’s taken us longer than it should have, but here’s the story behind Fruitful and how we raised over £500,000 of venture funding, built and shipped a marketplace that attracted £1.8million of lending, captured the minds of recognised experts in the field as well as pitching some of the world’s leading venture capital firms, all before running — quite quicky — into a brick wall.

We spent 10 months building product…

We ran in to a trademark battle, so we went through two changes to our brand name.

We settled on Fruitful and drew it out on the beach just to make sure.

We worked all hours under the sun and probably contributed a fair bit in helping Pact Coffee secure their series A.

Founders: Avoid Death by Assumption

Fri, 08 Jan 2016 21:17:46 +0000

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” — Isaac Asimov

When you’re building a company, your ability to make good assumptions can be the difference between skyrocketing or skydiving. A few bad calls in a larger business can be damaging, but in an early stage startup it can be — and often is — fatal.

A roadmap to better

At Fruitful we’ve made a conscious effort to get better at making assumptions. We do this by mapping out the following on what we call an assumption roadmap™

Saying Something Memorable

Sat, 28 Nov 2015 17:58:19 +0000

It should come as no surprise: The best way to make a point, teach something or sell a product is to tell stories. Here’s one of my favourite storytellers:

When I start preparing for a talk, I often struggle to think of stories that help explain the ‘thing’ I want to talk about.

After hearing Eamonn O’Brien’s brilliant talk at Sage in Newcastle the other day, I think I know where I’ve been going wrong.

♫ New Mix: This & That #18

Sat, 21 Nov 2015 19:02:16 +0000

Managed to find some time to flick through my music and produce a new mix.

Tinged with autumn leaves, this mix brings together some of my favourite melodic house tracks featuring the likes of Guy J, Vincenzo, Radiohead and the very talented Dosem.

I’ve made it available for download so you can stick it on your phone for listening on that train journey // cold walk home =)

This is how you package consumer goods

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 10:52:45 +0000

Yesterday I was in the market for some plughole unblocker. We’ve moved places recently and I forgot to put this useful little thing in our shower.

So I head into Tesco and — eventually — I find the section for bleaches and plughole unblockers.

I know that Mr. Muscle is a popular brand for this product, so I look for the logo.

Bingo. I find the Mr Muscle.

Just as I’m about to pick up a bottle, I notice the bottle next to it. It’s called Buster — a brand I’ve never heard of.

Questions to ask your design work

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 12:47:33 +0000

Last month I spent some time updating my portfolio. As a product / user experience / web designer, it can be quite tricky to present your work to others.

The rock star visual designers of this world can get away with presenting screenshots of their stunning visual work — job done, money due.

But if your day-to-day consists of making user flows, interaction designs, napkin wireframes, trade-offs, A/B tests, and minimum viable products, then you — like me — need to do a bit more groundwork to do the show and tell properly.

An Icon a Day

Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:25:31 +0000

Keeps the doctor away.

Just found this blog full of wonderful icons.

This was one of my favourites.

Afrolive

Sun, 26 Jul 2015 13:36:57 +0000

I’ve been planning a rebuild of my blog for a while now.

If I’ve learned one thing from product development, it’s know what problem you’re trying to solve.

So I sat down and actually thought about my goal: To write more frequently.

I wanted to worry less about maintaining a server, designing pixel-perfect user interfaces, performing backups and fiddly upgrade paths.

My previous blog was held together by an outdated version of Perch and a whole bunch of duct tape that was wearing thin.

Same Same. But Different.

Fri, 01 May 2015 08:57:00 +0000

It’s Sunday, late morning, and I’m right in the middle of cleaning the bathroom. In the other room I hear a frustrated girlfriend struggling to find accommodation on - lets say - website X, for our trip to the Amalfi Coast.

Complaints flying left, right and centre, vented in a tone that kind of suggests that this is all my fault:

“Why won’t this?”
“It won’t let me!”
“I keep loosing my tab when I go to trip advisor for reviews!”
“I hate this”
“Why can’t it show me what’s available on the dates that we’re going”
“Oh FFS!”

…

How to Pitch Your Product to the Press

Sat, 04 Apr 2015 08:55:00 +0000

Last Tuesday I popped in to DoES Liverpool to see Matthew Hughes give a talk on how to pitch your product to the press. He’s a tech journalist at MakeUseOf — so he had some lessons to share from the other side of the table.

In no real order:

Be as concise as possible - journos receive mountains of product pitches each week.
Sounds stupid but: There’s a difference between product pitches and press releases. The former is an anchor to entice the journo to sign-up for your product, check it out and write a review.
If you have notable investors > name drop them. This adds validation.
You need to entice the journo - lead with the problems you’re solving.
Personalisation is important. Do your research on the journo. What have they written in the past that might make them want to write about your product?
Gifts are cool, but not bribes $$$. UPDATE from Matthew: “Should probably clarify I meant gifts with no monetary value though, and after an article has been published. ;)”
Obvz grammar is super important.
Journos like phone numbers for follow up - so share yours.
Don’t talk about yourself (founders) - especially if it’s a product pitch.

Bookmarks:

press.farm find journalists to write about your product.
blonde20.com good PR agency. Do retainers from around £4,000 a month — much more competitive that London agencies we’ve spoken to.
uber.com/presskit Uber’s press kit is a good example.

You produce results: Learn from these

Sun, 04 Jan 2015 10:54:00 +0000

It’s nearly been a year since I joined Fruitful - a fintech startup that’s working to rethink how savers save and how borrowers borrow.

Since then we’ve been through a significant product redesign, a complete branding overhaul, a successful soft-launch and a customer response that has more than overwhelmed us. With customers investing with Fruitful from all over the globe, it’s clear that people are in search of an ‘alternative’ that offers fair interest rates, secured lending and the flexibility that we should expect from a modern investment product.

Shortcuts You Can’t Take

Mon, 16 Dec 2013 10:50:00 +0000

Last month Sage approached me asking if I could write an article on marketing for their small business community.

To narrow the context a bit, I concentrated on marketing websites. The outcome of which I’m really pleased with. The short post offers an insight into my past 5 years of researching, designing, building and iterating marketing websites for clients. What works / what doesn’t; all brought to life with three tiny case studies from a few of my longstanding clients.

Our Duty

Tue, 26 Nov 2013 10:48:00 +0000

Firstly, think about what your pages do, not what they look like. Let your design flow from the services which they will provide to your users, rather than from some overarching idea of what you want pages to look like. Let form follow function, rather than trying to take a particular design and make it “work”.

For us wonderful folk who make websites, it’s our duty to read John Allsopp’s seminal A Dao of Web Design at least once a year. For an article that was written way over a decade ago, many of those points still offer so much significance today.

This is How You Automate

Fri, 18 Oct 2013 08:39:00 +0000

Just received a wonderfully engaging / automated / interesting / human / polite / funny / direct / personal upgrade message (there’s an oxymoron there, I know) from the folk at TeuxDeux. This is how automated marketing should be:

Dearest Tom,

It’s been six months since the launch of the new TeuxDeux and we very much hope you’ve enjoyed it. Given how much you’ve been using it, it’s our guess that you have. In fact, with 1846 items done since you’ve been with us, you are certainly among the most productive people on the planet!

Lazy Loading Responsive Images

Mon, 07 Oct 2013 08:11:00 +0000

Learn more below or see the Demo →

Most of last week I was rebuilding a website for a longstanding client. Performance (i.e.how fast the thing renders) is not only important to this client, it’s imperative. A good proportion of their customers live out in the sticks, and as a result, many have slow internet connections.

Lazy Load to the Rescue

To speed up page load, we decided to use the popular Lazy Loader plugin which defers the initialisation of images until they were needed. Most importantly though, users on slow connections would have the (essential) page content loaded almost instantly, while (complementary) imagery could download subsequently.

Product Design Process

Mon, 09 Sep 2013 08:05:00 +0000

When we have a new product idea (and are lucky enough to have the skills and tools to execute on it), it’s often more than tempting to jump in with two feet and start building the thing. Before we know it, we’re pitching the hows before whys and problem solving becomes a battlefield of miscommunication. As a result, our product concept becomes more complex and less focused.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been investing a lot of time and energy into a product design process that we’ll be using for an upcoming project.

Portugal

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 20:36:00 +0000

Had a wonderful time in the Algarve, Portugal. We hired a car for most of our stay and travelled right along the south coast. Check out the full Flickr Set ›

If you ever visit, make sure you check out Silves Castle. It was - by far - the most ethereal place I’ve been.

Small Stuff

Mon, 05 Aug 2013 20:32:00 +0000

Bijan Sabet on Steve Jobs:

His relationship with friends deteriorated for the most part. His relationship with family wasn’t great either.

Obviously none of us know the real story but the book reflects conventional wisdom: Steve was focused on Apple and Steve. And in that order.

The question which comes to mind (for me) then is: what if Steve was happy and had a balanced life?

Could he have fixed Apple?

Could he have led Pixar and Apple to greatness?

Could he have it all?

Sabet draws a line, pointing out people fall into two camps for the most part:

What’s next?

Sat, 03 Aug 2013 20:30:00 +0000

When we hit the bottom of your web page, what do you want us to do? Where should we go next? What are other people saying about this service? Should we get in touch with your team or look at the tech specs for this ground-breaking new product?

Too many websites fail to answer these simple questions.

Think about it: It’s a bit like visiting a supermarket with aisles that lead to dead ends. You either walk all the way back up the aisle, or you loose interest altogether and are forced to use the fire exit.

Back to School

Fri, 19 Jul 2013 20:28:00 +0000

I spent most of Wednesday helping out at Liverpool’s Cardinal Heenan School for an Enterprise Day.

Apart from having great fun and a school dinner, I worked with the students on a proper roll your sleeves-up day of taking a product from idea through to pitching a concept.

I think my quote wraps-up the day nicely:

“First things first; taking a product from idea through to concept is more than difficult. Add to that a time constraint of a school day, product pitches, adverting campaigns and financial planning and we’re really talking.

Bootstrapping vs. Barry

Thu, 18 Jul 2013 20:23:00 +0000

A few months ago I was asked by Sage to be one of their business experts. Thinking that sounded a bit like something from The Office, I asked what the role would involve.

The team explained that I’d be rolling my sleeves up and helping the business community by sharing my understanding of the web, design, marketing and business in general. I welcomed the opportunity.

Last week they published my first post:

“How Barry raised investment, risked everything and faced bankruptcy before turning his company into a multi-million pound operation…”

Introducing Demo

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Together with Matt Richards, I’m organising an event in Liverpool on June 20th 2013.

With the hope of bringing together those working on tech products and ideas, Demo asks a simple question; what are you working on?

Hosted at DoES Liverpool, the event will be made up of a maximum of 6 demos with a short midway interval.

Loosely Held…

As far as demoing is concerned, we welcome those at varying stages of development. From early ideas, right through to well established products. Extracted from the Demo FAQs:

This Is Water

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:18:00 +0000

In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn’t become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death. It is, without a doubt, some of the best life advice we’ve ever come across, and perhaps the most simple and elegant explanation of the real value of education.

The Future of Interaction Design

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:39:00 +0000

Check out this video that sheds some light on what we can expect from the future of interaction design.

Lots of discussion around the ‘internet of things’ and how user experiences will become less intrusive and more natural as this area matures.

I guess this dovetails with my analogy that we’re moving further and further away from abstract computer interfaces. To piggyback on Luke Wroblewski’s paradigm, we can see where we’re heading by acknowledging the big interface developments:

Notes from Mobile First

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:37:00 +0000

I read Luke Wroblewski’s Mobile First over the weekend. Here are my (unedited) notes:

Usage

Mobile opens up new opportunities & introduces new constraints
Forces you to focus products & interfaces
Desktop users = deep sea diving
Mobile users = snorkelling

Advantages of Native Mobile Experience:

Better access to system resources
Robust access to hardware capabilities
Core features like access to address book / photos / camera / audio / notifications etc.
In-app sales

Advantages of Mobile Web Experience:

No updates to download
Less expensive
Can be used by all mobiles
Improved share-ability. [Marco Arment wrote an interesting piece about this.]
Easier to A/B test

Constraints

Reduced screen size
Means a reduction in interface debris, complimentary content, ads and unnecessary calls to action
Forces us to focus

Performance is V.Important

Google research shows an additional 200ms can disrupt engagement and effect bounce rates [more so, on mobile]

The Fallacy of the Fall Over Count

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:35:00 +0000

The trick with learning to ski is to start off steady. Making pizza shapes with your skis helps to regulate a comfortable speed for gently coasting down the green slopes.

Of course, quickly you become better at this and you begin measuring progress against the amount of times you fall over.

Two times down the green run without falling over - you’re winning.

Quickly you realise this is a fallacy. You’re not making progress because you’re not pushing yourself.

Quote of the Day

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:32:00 +0000

You can’t simplify something if you don’t understand what makes it complex.

twitter.com/lukew

Can Simon Manchipp Help my Start-Up?

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:28:00 +0000

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to see Simon Manchipp speak at the Liverpool based design conference Designival. If you haven’t been to one before, I’d recommend you do.

The thing I found most engaging about Simon’s talk was his position on logos and branding. For personal reference, I made a few notes thinking about how the the themes could be applied to my new project, Beanbag.

Brodown

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 21:23:00 +0000

Really enjoyed James Jarvis’s inspiring talk at Liverpool’s Designival Conference yesterday [more about this in an upcoming post]. Check out this short he made for MTV.

Typographic Refurb

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:20:00 +0000

I’m only halfway through Ellen Lupton’s Thinking With Type, and she’s already inspired me to make some subtle and not so subtle changes around here.

I think one of the biggest things I’ve taken from the book so far is confidence with type pairing. Previously, using a mixture of different sizes, weights and character spacing I’ve generally stuck to employing one typeface. This is sound methodology, but not having the confidence to mix typefaces quickly becomes a creative straightjacket.

Judging on PC World's Generation Y Campaign

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:09:00 +0000

Just under a year ago I was invited on to the judging panel for PC World’s Generation Y campaign. The initiative focused on discovering and rewarding young business people and entrepreneurs in the technology space.

The applicants and their companies / projects / ideas were outstanding. A crystal clear reminder that even during tough economic times with the right attitude, a good idea and an internet connection – the limits are endless.

Product Design: Extending the Metaphors

Mon, 07 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Around 2 years ago this August, Mikey, Sean and I began conceptualising our ideas for outheard.tv.

Our idea was quite simple; to create a website for sharing gig videos. On top of this, we wanted to group videos from events together – meaning you could browse up and down videos from the breathtaking gig you attended last weekend.

Quite quickly we realised that we’d need to ask users to tag the event in their video once they’d finish uploading it. The technology and function behind this decision was solid and worked brilliantly – upload your videos and tag them to the event.

The City Newsletter

Mon, 07 May 2012 18:59:00 +0000

The University of Liverpool’s Management School publishes a bi-monthly newsletter called ‘The City’. With a special emphasis on the alumni, the newsletter covers topics such as big business news and regional economic comment, through to local start-up achievements.

This month they did a tiny piece on yours truly. Other highlights include Richard Branson’s visit during this year’s GEC, as well as recent achievements from the brilliant Sife Liverpool.

You can download a copy here.

5 Years Late

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:51:00 +0000

With a pile of books and a text editor, around five years ago I started my journey into the world wide web. Since then, I’ve managed to make myself a little place to work and have recently co-founded a place for connecting and sharing with other, like-minded dance music fanatics.

I’ve worked with a bunch of big companies, small companies, good people, bad people, interesting projects and not-so interesting projects, but something has been missing all the way through my little journey. This something has been pushed to the bottom of my to-do pile with the same disregard as my end of year tax return. What you ask?