“Technology has made our lives more full, yet at the same time we’ve become uncomfortably “full”.”
–John Maeda

I just added The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life) by John Maeda to my Bookshelf. John argues that technology and life only become complex if you let it be so. Even then, as he highlights in law #5, we can’t have simplicity without complexity. With that, here are his ten laws and three keys:

• Law 1 Reduce: seek thoughtful reduction to achieve simplicity
• Law 2 Organize: achieve illusion of few through organizing many
• Law 3 Time: give a sense of simplicity by reducing time
• Law 4 Learn: drive simplicity through wisdom

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“Where some see control freakery, others see a desire to craft a seamless, end-to-end user experience. Instead of perfectionism, there is the pursuit of excellence. And, instead of screaming abuse, there is the passion to make a dent in the universe.”
–Leander Kahney

Yes, the book is repetitive. Yes, it is an extrapolation of compiled sources in an attempt to explain what might be going on inside Jobs’ head and how it has shaped Apple. Regardless, it is an interesting read as the author has pulled together various aspects of Jobs’ style, drive, passion and obsession in order to give us a hint of what makes Apple tick.

I don’t believe I would get any arguments by stating that Steve Jobs has molded Apple in his image. Jobs’ core value of developing easy-to-use technology for individuals, coupled with his love of design excellence (where design is the function), has shaped Apple’s innovation strategy: shape the technology to the customer’s needs, instead of forcing the user to adapt to the technology. By owning hardware, software, online services and everything in between, Jobs successfully controls the end-to-end customer experience, and thereby delivers on his core value: products that work seamlessly together and seldom break down.
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First of all, this is no ordinary Shopping Guide! It is The Better World Shopping Guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference which shows that how you spend every dollar can make a difference in the world.

Ellis Jones compiled an easy to use quick reference guide that can help us steer businesses towards becoming more environmentally conscious and socially responsible. The author shares key information and tips for each area where we spend our money, as well as highlighting how companies are doing relative to one another. Though it is not a comprehensive list, it is a great start. Here are some unfortunate tidbits from the book:

• Here is another good reason to switch to fair trade and/or organic chocolate and coffee: child slavery is involved in the production of up to 40% of all chocolate in the industry, and coffee farmers are on the brink of starvation. Nestle is the corporate villain, which is also #6 in the top 10 worst companies.
• Wal-Mart is #3 on the top 10 worst companies list. Their bad deed includes documented exploitation of child labor, and major toxic waste dumping fines.
• General Motors is #1 polluter in the auto industry. I wonder if they would have maintained that #1 position, if they instead invested the $50M in their operations rather than paying the lobbyists.
• You may have noticed the cigarette industry is heavily targeting the developing countries. If you have to smoke, try American Spirit. They use 100% additive-free tobacco, along with other socially conscious activities.
• Who would have thought vitamins and animal welfare would be related? Centrum (Wyeth) is a corporate villain due to numerous federal ethics violations.

You can check out the better world shopper for more top 10s, sources used for compiling this information as well as a downloadable version of this list for your iPod.

So, what does this have to do with Helvetica, a documentary on typography? Before I jump to that, Helvetica is a delightful movie. The documentary gives a different perspective into something we tend to take for granted everyday: fonts and our emotional connection with them. It is all about the world that Helvetica (Neue Haas Grotesk) was created in, how it appealed to modernists, post-modernists and captured the interest of creatives that continuously push the envelope with design.

A company’s brand is its one of most valuable asset. Brand is a set of intangible values, such as beliefs and attitudes, that differentiate a firm’s product or services from another firm’s. For customers, brand highlights the additional value that they will receive from that firm.

Finally, here is the connection. During the documentary, Helvetica was referred to as the font of choice to give brand image the illusion of having social responsibility and accountability, even if that may not be the case. I know I am now paying more attention to the typefaces used in corporate communications. What do you think, is there a connection?

Technorati Tags: the better world shopping guide, Helvetica, brand

There are many books that discuss success and how to think and be successful… There are many business books that highlight the importance of opportunity cost (and sunk cost) evaluation in strategic planning… But I know of only one book that merges the two, and redefines success with the idea of strategic quitting.

Seth Godin’s book The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) is short and effective. It certainly made me question the wisdom of “Never give up, never surrender!” In many ways, I followed Seth’s logic when I left Amazon.com after 5 months of employment. Quitting is an emotional process, otherwise my decision would have come 2 months earlier!

Seth’s book doesn’t offer a recipe for determining if something is worthwhile to quit. That is a process of self-reflection where you ask yourself: will it/I be remarkable, will it/I be best in the world, or in my case “is this what I want to be known for?” You have to determine those questions for yourself, based on your definition of success.

Strategic quitting is key to aligning yourself towards success, but making sure not to quit too early while in The Dip is also Seth’s message. Yes, getting through The Dip is hard, and that is the point: “The Dip creates scarcity, scarcity creates value.” And, value is created when you lean into the Dip, where you push harder and change the rules. Not when you just chug along…