Super8: Eight intriguing articles from April.

It’s official – winter is on the way. With daylight savings done, the days are getting darker, and the morning air is just that little bit crisper. I have a hypothesis though…

It’s times like these that encourage a bounty of new ideas and inspiration. Our minds and bodies are readjusting to the changes occurring around us. There must be something in the Autumn air, because the articles my fellow Augies shared this month are supercharged with creative concepts and unique ways to challenge the way we think.

This month’s Super8 is all about innovation, ideas and incubation. From all over the web we’ve curated a cosy collection of clever articles, so you can curl up and contemplate. Alliteration aside, I’d recommend reading these articles with a pair of thick socks, a glass or two of red and a bring-it-on attitude. It’s Super8 in April, time for some autumnal inspiration.

1. Nine ways to become more creative in the next ten minutes.

design + content

• Read the full article here.
• By Larry Kim.
• Contributor: Elliott Grigg.

It’s not only those working in creative fields, such as design, who run into issues with imagination – coming up with original ideas is a common struggle that anyone can face. While most people may feel creativity is an inherent skill, Larry Kim insists that creativity is something to be developed and mastered through simple exercises.

My favourite tip is the circle test: quickly draw 30 circles and turn each one into a different object by drawing additional elements on or around it. It’s a simple technique anyone can perform when you’re feeling mentally fatigued, or if you just need a five minute time-out. Do like Larry Kim and draw some inspiration!

2. Everything you need to know about Facebook’s ten year plan.

business

• Read the full article here.
• By Adario Strange. 
• Contributor: Athalia Foo.

While we’re on the topic of big ideas, how about the recent Facebook F8 event where CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the platform’s plans for the next decade? The shopping list reads like something from a brilliant sci-fi film. Facebook has plans to implement virtual and augmented reality, 360 cameras, live video APIs and drones, and additional article features.

However, among all the acronyms and new-age speak it was Facebook’s messenger bots that caught my attention the most. Developers will soon be able to build bots into apps that allow users to do all sorts of things: order flowers for delivery, catch up on daily news headlines and make dinner dates with friends.

3. The web app ‘discovery problem’.

design + code

• Read the full article here.
• By Remy Sharp. 
• Contributor: Matt Agar. 

In its simplest form, a web app (or progressive web app) is an application you can add to your phone’s home interface straight from a website you are browsing. It will then function as if it were native – no downloading required.

In this article, UK developer and blogger Remy Sharp tackles the issue many developers highlight: the level of difficulty in actually finding and downloading progressive web apps in comparison to those we purchase from app stores. It might only be one man’s educated opinion, but this article promotes thought for the future of app interfaces. And, some key considerations relating to how the digital world is always changing.

4. The surprising habits of original thinkers.

content

• View the talk here.
• By Adam Grant. 
• Contributor: Zoë Warne.  

If ‘unicorn companies’ and billionaire digital moguls have got you feeling like you’re just another ordinary pixel in a sea of screens, then watching Adam Grant’s TED Talk about the traits of original thinkers will have you dreaming big again. As an author, professor and organisational psychologist, Grant studied what he calls ‘Originals’: Da Vinci, Martin Luther King, Edison. The high-achieving types.

By noting behaviours and thought patterns, he tries to decipher what makes them so unique. And, the answers? Some surprisingly common practices that you might even be engaging in right now…

5. How the 2016 Olympic logo + font were created.

design

• Read the full article here.
• By Matt McCue.  
• Contributor: John Broadfoot. 

The world has come a long way since the colourful Olympic symbol was first introduced in 1920. Since then the games, along with their design assets, have become a symbol of unity, honour and the heroic struggle to achieve. Its global recognition and familiarity makes it challenging to design country-specific logos that still capture that sense of togetherness.

Enter Rio 2016’s new logo and custom font, a beautiful cross continental collaboration between Brazil’s Tatil Design de Ideias and British typeface firm Dalton Maag. Logo design can be polarising, so rather than reading this article with the intention to judge the final product, instead focus your attention on the impressive process involved in developing both designs.

6. Unfit bits: how to hack your fitness data.

content

• Read the full article here.
• By Joel Werner.  
• Contributor: Athalia Foo.

Art, technology, life hacks and data mining. Those words sum up this hilarious and slightly sinister article on the Unfit Bits artwork from New York artists Tega Brain and Surya Mattu. Scan the gifs and you’ll have a great chuckle while scratching your head, wondering why you’d want to trick your trusty fitbit into thinking you’re one helluva athlete.

It is a great article to remind us of the value in our data, raising the question of what is legal and ethical when it comes to the use and recording of personal information.

7. The art of service: secrets of the maitre d’.

business

• Read the full article here.
• By Jay Rayner & Tim Lewis.
• Contributor: Sarah El-Atm.  

‘If you get hospitality right, the food tastes better’ says Fred Sirieix, one of London’s most famous maitre d’s, and host of Channel 4’s reality dating show First Dates. Whether you’ve flipped burgers or frequented cafes, the hospitality industry is a fantastic tutor on good, bad and great service – all of which are necessary lessons to learn in our ever customer-centric society, no matter the position you may be in now.

Whatever the nature of your work, understand your customer, make them feel at ease and be transparent throughout. Those lessons are as applicable in digital work as they are for a dinner service.

8. The problem with design thinking.

design + business

• Read the full article here.
• By Tim Malbon. 
• Contributor: Daniel Banik.  

Design Thinking is a term that often gets used in agency land. It involves bringing many people from multiple disciplines together to work on problem solving. In this article, Tim Malbon makes some interesting points about the limitations of the design thinking method.

Namely, he mentions the lack of scope and silo-esque set up as having the potential to kill real innovation, due to the methods lacking multiple view points early on. Tim did write a response article, ‘The Solution To Design Thinking‘, but before we can have the solution, we need to understand the problem. Take it in and be sure to check out the follow up!

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That wraps up Super8 for April.

As always, if there’s an article you couldn’t stop reading or forwarding to your desk buddy then add it in the comments below and we’ll check it out!