The October Jotter
A collection of things that have piqued my interest, sparked a thought, or inspired action.
Posted here or delivered safely to your inbox on the last Friday of each month.
01. Inspiration is everywhere.
50 years ago Paul Smith opened his first shop in my home city of Nottingham. This recently launched and beautifully designed website is a gold mine of ideas. Random cards float into view encouraging repeat visits for nuggets of inspiration.
02. Let’s walk.
The love of walking is a constant theme in the Monthly Jotter.
Craig Mod invites us to join him on a 500km walk from Kamakura to Kyoto along the old Tōkaidō road. A road not made for walking but cars. “But — by walking, we are forced to contend with the sprawl, to observe it up close and in slow motion… We’ll get to look at all that mess — beautiful and rancid — together.”
His writing and photography will draw you in and help you observe things differently.
03. Why does a TV remote need 45 buttons?
Adrian Chiles wrote this wise polemic on how ‘smart’ technology is anything but smart.
“Everything has become too complicated: cars, phones, computers, ovens, hobs, you name it. In the interest of greater functionality, everything is being overengineered to the point – for many people – of non-functionality.”
04. Talented friends.
Which reminds me of ‘Simple and Usable’ by Giles Colborne (embarrassing photos from his student days are available on request).
One of the examples he writes about is the challenge of simplifying a remote control and how solutions usually fall into four strategies (remove / organise / hide / displace). Each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
05. Chris Killip (1946 - 2020).
One of the finest British photographers died on 13th October 2020. He took intensely moving and empathetic photos of the deindustrialisation of Britain during the 70’s and 80’s.
He said, “In recording their lives, I’m valuing their lives. These people will not appear in history books because ordinary people don’t. History is done to them. It is not acknowledged that they make history.”
Martin Parr described his seminal ‘In Flagrante’ as “the key photobook about Britain since the war.” Photos from his last book, ‘The Station’, are being exhibited at the Martin Parr Foundation until 20th December 2020.
The above tabloid style publications were designed by the very talented Pony Ltd. After seeing the inventive photobook designs of Eamonn Doyle, Chris Killip asked them to work on his latter publications.
06. A book - Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.
This book was first recommended to me by Andy Collett who introduced himself after my ‘10 Principles For Good Design’ Rooster Talk last year.
It’s a well balanced, clearly written treatise on how to take control of your digital life. As Cal Newport says: “Technology is neither intrinsically good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you.”
The aforementioned Craig Mod shares his approach to digital minimalism and his suspicion of tiny loops.
07. Two quotes.
07.01.
“I will cut adrift - I will sit on pavements and drink coffee - I will dream; I will take my mind out of its iron cage and let it swim - this fine October.”
Virginia Woolf
This isn’t the first time (and it won’t be the last), that I thank Harry Watson for sharing such wisdom.
07.02.
“Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out. Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.”
E. B. White
08. Privacy corner.
08.01. Global Privacy Control
Good news if you use DuckDuckGo or Brave as your web browser on your phone or tablet.
If you enable Global Privacy Control in your settings, the browser will express your preference for privacy to every website you visit.
08.02 Google in the dock
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) this month launched an antitrust case against Google, “accusing the tech company of abusing its position to maintain an illegal monopoly over internet searches and search advertising.”
09. Warming the cockles of my heart.
10 years ago I bought my first Finisterre coat, the Etobicoke. To anyone who would listen I would bang on and on about how lightweight and warm that coat was.
What’s more, wrapped within this delivery was a dog treat (so that’s why they asked if I had a dog at the checkout). They no longer do this (a shame), but it has stayed with me and is something I urge any online shop do - add a small trinket with every delivery. It can cost pennies but the surprise will stay with the customer years later.
The good news is that Finisterre continue to make sustainable, recycled and warming clothes. They are B-Corp certified and they have a shop in Bath where they always meet their customers with a cheery hello.
12 emails with 12 email marketing tips, sent weekly.
I did two talks at the Bath Digital Festival this month. One was on why respecting your customer’s privacy makes good ethical and good business sense.
The other was on how to use your email newsletter to build a community.
One of the key tips is to give freely.
To share knowledge because it encourages people to think more deeply and do something. Why research new ideas if we are going to keep them to ourselves?
So to practice what we preach, the button below will lead you to a page where you can permit us to share ideas on creating email campaigns that your readers will look forward to receiving.
Photo of the month.
Look Out at St Anthony’s Head, Cornwall.
