A designer who writes.
I have blogged intermittently since the mid 90s. Thankfully, much of the early teenage angst is lost to time. This collects my writings from this site, an earlier personal website, and some newsletter projects over the years, in mostly chronological order. I also publish new writing here. I publish somewhat more formal writing about content strategy and design careers at Content Career Accelerator.
One my favorite talks I give is about making Dale Carnegie’s 9 Golden Principles for Being a Friendlier Person an accessible idea for UX designers. The first principle is often one of the hardest to adhere to, both IRL and on the web: Never criticize, condemn, or complain. When a user does something we perceive … continue
I did a completely new workshop (and related talk) at Confab this year. By completely new, I mean: Not upcycled from a talk I’ve already given Not an evolution on a previous talk or workshop Not based on a blog post or other writing So new, new, new. It was a lot of work. Confab … continue
Holy shit. So was that a conference or was that a conference? I’m still reeling from the end of Confab 2018, a (the) content strategy conference held annually here in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My employer, Brain Traffic, produces the event. My primary contribution leading up to Confab is to interject unasked-for advice into conversations I overhear … continue
Used a couple of Sharpie twin tips and my Baron Fig Mastermind pad to prototype my latest post for the Brain Traffic blog. Normally when I use pen and paper in my writing workflow it’s very messy and haphazard — notes jotted in random places, maybe a partial mind map, maybe a bullet point of … continue
Was delighted to find that Markdown formatting even works when sending things to Ulysses from other applications. Perhaps this is common for iPad apps but it was the first time I’ve noticed it. Many of my posts start from the camera roll. It’s great to be able to do some quick formatting and position the … continue
I tried Streaks (what an awful name) a while back but it didn’t stick, I think because I picked overly-ambitious things to track. The gang was talking about it recently on Do By Friday and I gave it another spin. It’s clicking this time. This is my current mix: I’ve been try to pick habits … continue
I like when designers solve problems with words in a straightforward and simple way. I nearly opened the wrong end of this carton of heavy cream. But then I saw the all-caps instructions to OPEN OTHER END. So I did. Not hard to imagine a designer using an illustration (which you’d probably decrypt right after … continue
What do you do with that shiny new content ecosystem map you’ve created? Here’s how to effectively put your map into practice.
There’s a lot to like here. Clear heading. Shows up immediately, full screen. The pre-selected path (to remove your email address) adds privacy and is user-focused. It explains what the email address is for in simple language, right there on the same screen without having to go anywhere else to read anything. Love it.
This sign delights me. Snapped this pic in Indianapolis last year during Confab Higher Ed and don’t think I ever shared it. I hope it delights you, too.
Or you will, if you subscribe. Personal dispatches from the desk of Scott Kubie, a designer who writes.