On Sunday, September 3, the missus and I pointed our trusty Subaru southeast toward Greeley, Colorado for a week-long series of client meetings. To be honest, we weren’t sure we’d ever escape the smoke. Ash was falling like snowflakes in Butte; though it was less severe where we camped that night in the Tobacco Root Mountains near Pony, Montana, a layer of gray covered our tent when we awoke the following morning. It wasn’t until we approached Cheyenne Monday evening that we were finally out of the worst of it—and even then, northern Colorado was under a dull haze all week.

Imagine my surprise when, last night, I descended Lookout Pass to find this glorious sight.

Did my eyes deceive me? I got out of the car, cautiously sniffed the air, then breathed in one lungful after another of fresh, untainted mountain air. It was as good a “welcome home” as I could have wished for. Glad to have you (somewhat) back to normal, PNW.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

Whether buying a house or auditioning potential mates, Goethe has some advice for you: “Choose well. Your choice is brief and yet endless.”

So how do you order from a menu? Simple:

If you want to experience more pleasure before the meal, order something you have had before; you can access your memory of that pleasure. But if you want to create new memories—more pleasure in the future—order something new. And don’t think too much about the meal beforehand. Research has shown that merely thinking about a certain food can invoke the phenomenon of “sensory-specific satiety,” whereby our liking for that food begins to decline the moment it is in our mouth (and apparently beforehand).

Tom Vanderbilt has more on the “barrage of choice” we face these days.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

I returned from a camping trip this weekend to learn of Walter Becker’s untimely death. For a certain kind of nerdy* kid growing up in the 70s (like, oh, I dunno…me), Becker served as a patron saint: he was an intellectual, a great musician, and a bitingly sarcastic lyricist. In other words, pretty much exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up.

By the time I was out of junior high school—which corresponded with the breakup of Steely Dan—I had stopped listening. I figured that, like most things that strike your fancy at that age, I had outgrown Becker’s music. A few years ago, though, I bought Aja—followed quickly by everything else in Steely Dan’s catalogue. It was like I’d been reintroduced to an old friend, this time with a full understanding of the group’s musical genius and studio precision, rather than simply the camaraderie one feels for fellow “creatures of the margin and of alienation.”

My favorite of their albums is probably Aja, but, for some reason, I put on Pretzel Logic when I heard the news of Becker’s death, followed by Katy Lied and The Royal Scam. But it doesn’t really matter. Pick any Steely Dan record and listen—I mean really listen. If you’re unfamiliar with their oeuvre, you’ll be surprised by their depth and range; if, like me, you’d sort of forgotten about them, you’re in for a treat.

*I mean actual nerds, not today’s hipster nerd wannabes.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

Georgia is apparently one of the least-restrictive countries when it comes to drone photography. But that’s all changing a week from today. So Amos Chapple, “one of the early pioneers of drone photography,” headed there “to make one last aerial record of Georgia’s mountains, lowlands, and cities before the new rules come into force.” The results are stunning.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

From Frank L. Cioffi’s indispensable One Day in the Life of the English Language: A Microcosmic Usage Handbook (2015), comes this sage advice:

The “rules of English” that we were taught, still remember, and even live by provided guidelines for grade-school students, namely, children who were gradually acquiring an understanding of formal English, and who had to be weaned from their childish language. For example, we were taught not to start sentences with conjunctions such as and or so or but. We were taught not to end sentences with prepositions and not to split infinitives. As far more sophisticated users of language, we understand why these rules were created, and though we don’t invariably break them, we also understand that it’s not necessary to blindly or mechanically obey them. In fact, we realize how important it is to routinely question these rules, and to discover their margins and limits.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the writing life  |  make a comment

It’s been a long week. A tough one, if I can be honest. So rather than hit you over the head with an annoying grammar quibble or bore you with a personal anecdote, here’s something fun: a four-minute time-lapse video showing the construction of a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87pNldMBJcA

Have a swell weekend, y’all.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

Even as 2017 seems hell-bent on making 2016 look positively sane by comparison—no mean feat, that—a story like this gives me faith in our species.

Like an idiot, however, I also read this. So…one step forward, two steps back. Maybe I should just quit reading altogether.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

After being out of college for more than five years, I have homework. Homework. Thankfully it’s fun, interesting, and awesome homework.

My one-year-old Shiba Inu, Remi, just advanced to the intermediate level of obedience school, and I couldn’t be more stoked. We adore the trainers, they have a great reputation in Spokane, and I – hands down– would recommend them to anyone with a dog. Every class feels like you’re watching a kid learn to read, or seeing a baby take its first steps. It’s THE GREATEST. Which makes the idea of homework great, too—because you get to bond with, learn from, and teach your furry BFF.

It wasn’t until I actually downloaded the homework that I got discouraged.

Great design is everywhere. So’s good design, mediocre design, and…bad design. But bad design somehow SCREAMS at you. It refuses to be ignored.

As a designer, I have the privilege to be able to correct bad design and point out how good design – even just basic principals – can elevate any piece. Take the below single page from Remi’s homework packet.

Technically, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s all the same typeface, the body copy is consistent, and the header is larger and bolder to set it off. But click to the next image and see what happens when I take that same copy and apply hierarchy and comfortable spacing (both in the margins and in the leading).

Don’t your eyes instantly feel more comfortable? The left and right margins give a visual break while your eye tracks from one line to the next. They can rest and read at the same time without straining. Which means you actually want to read it. And if you want to read it, there’s a better chance you actually will, right?

“Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.”
– Jared Spool

posted by: Courtney Sowards  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment