In preparation for the upcoming Design In Tech
Design Is … -isms
S1 E1 of Aichaku Podcast / Jamie Myrold × John Maeda
S1 E0 of Aichaku Podcast / Diego Rodriguez × John Maeda
My Four Rules (1999)
- Don’t speak ill of others.
- Avoid passive aggressive behavior.
- Listen broadly, but don’t waffle on decisions.
- When in error — admit, apologize, move forward.
Minimum Viable Lovable Product (MVLP)
MVLP is a real mouthful when read out loud as “Minimum Viable Lovable Product” — and it’s awfully hard to remember a 4-letter acronym that doesn’t spell out a word.
Humans don’t have viable experiences without love, and humans can’t really love an experience that is prone to failure.
Continue reading “Minimum Viable Lovable Product (MVLP)”Salt Fat Acid Heat and Design
As a fan of eating delicious things, my eyes and brain perked up when I read about Chef Samin Nosrat and her new cookbook entitled “Salt Fat Acid Heat.” In her book she describes this phenomenon as the perfect storm of tastes as achieved by the simple grilled cheese sandwich:
“Learn to balance them perfectly and you’ll learn to create the perfect meal. Take the grilled cheese: if the pan is too hot, the bread will burn without the cheese melting; too cold, and the sandwich will turn soggy. The butter on the bread is the best fat to marry with the heat for this result. The cheese on the inside provides the necessary saltiness to cut through the butter, and the pickles on the side provide the acidity needed to balance a rich meal.”
Continue reading “Salt Fat Acid Heat and Design”Business Wisdom via a High Perch in Tokyo
Continue reading “Business Wisdom via a High Perch in Tokyo”「店は客のためにある」
“Stores exist for customers.”
—倉本長治（くらもと ちょうじ）/ Choji Kuramoto (1899-1982)
5 Books on Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life
Painting by Jane Mount
When I moved to Silicon Valley, I donated all of my books to Designer Fund in San Francisco. It’s freeing to let go of the past. I’ve found that it makes things a lot simpler for yourself — and it forces you to figure out what truly matters. As I wrote in a book on simplicity now over a decade ago:
Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.
Continue reading “5 Books on Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life”Design in Tech Report 2018
Silicon Valley design guru John Maeda distinguishes between three categories: “classical” designers, who create physical objects or products; “commercial” designers who innovate by seeking deep insights into how customers interact with products and services; and “computational” designers, who use programming skills and data to satisfy millions or even billions of users instantaneously.
—Clay Chandler on the Design in Tech Report
Startups are great, but we can learn a lot from “end-ups,” too
End-ups have resources; start-ups have commitment.
by John Maeda / February 3, 2013
for GigaOm
At last week’s DLD Conference in Munich, I had the opportunity to sit onstage with the co-founder and CPO of Airbnb, Joe Gebbia. We started by discussing the unique creative culture at Rhode Island School of Design, where Joe went to college, and where I currently serve as president. Joe shared some of his secrets of being a successful designer-founder, and then turned the tables and asked me what it’s like to run a 136-year-old institution like RISD.
Continue reading “Startups are great, but we can learn a lot from “end-ups,” too”