Language is so powerful 💬

Hey!

As you may know, I always tend to tweak and tinkle with the newsletter and its structure. So this will be one of those emails without a major new post, but instead, some of my unfinished thinking. Throughout my career, I’ve found that some of the best things stem from voicing unfinished thinking aloud.

This brings me to this quote from Sir Jony Ive that I recently read:

One surprising thing about Ive’s approach is that conversation, rather than sketches, is how he often begins a project. Thinking—and then speaking about that thinking—is the raw material he works with. “Language is so powerful,” Ive says. “If [I say] I’m going to design a chair, think how dangerous that is. Because you’ve just said chair, you’ve just said no to a thousand ideas.

“This is where it gets exciting,” he says. “You have an idea—which is unproven and isn’t resolved, since a resolved idea is a product—and the only tangible thing about the idea are the problems. When someone says it’s not possible, and all you are being shown is why it’s not possible, you have to think and behave in a different way. [You have to say], from a place of courage, I believe it is possible. 

Thinking, speaking - or writing - all uses the same powerful tool, language. Long-time readers will know that this is something I’ve highlighted again and again. Designers should write. How to get started? Just write.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, perhaps some of these respected design leaders will convince you:

Halli @iamharaldur

Design is visualized thinking. I love Dribbble but it seems like many designers there aren’t thinking much of anything.

Sean Goodwin @TheSeanGoodwin

Once you get to Figma, most of the hard work is already done. 👀

Frank ☼ Bach @zendadddy

What's an unexpected reality about working in Product that nobody warned you about? I'll start: You'll spend a lot of time figuring out if you're "solving the right problem."

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That’s it for today folks - here are three links I think you should check out:

1. Awwwards interview with Halli

2. Don't specialize, hybridize

3. Finding patterns

I’m curious to know what people thought about the interview with Matthew, too long? too short? good? bad? Should I do more of these? Let me know!

Until next time ♥️
Anton