The Jotter - issue 40
“Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible.”
Don Norman (thank you Feasts and Fables for quoting this quote before me).
Hello,
A coincidence of sorts… the Jotter is 40 issues young and the first Apple Macintosh was launched 40 years ago. As national treasure Stephen Fry writes; this and the world wide web are arguably the most influential things that have happened in the modern world.
I don’t say this lightly, but the Mac changed my life.
My gateway drug was buying an iPod in 2003. Not long after I bought an iBook (which was later passed onto Ingrid at Dunleavy Vineyards).
Unpacking an Apple product in the noughties was an occasion. I can still remember the smile on my face as I first lifted the lid and a whole world of possibilities opened up. On this white brick I learned the rudiments of web design. Then one summer evening in 2006 I sat on a field in Bathford and went through the pros and cons of taking redundancy from Kodak to start my own web design business.
The pros won.
I look back on this week and am very glad they did. I have worked on websites for a film producer, a horse trainer, an architect, a kombucha maker and a Jacobean mansion. I spoke to a bicycle manufacturer, an artist and a desert shoe maker about the possibility of working with them. The enthusiasm and ingenuity of my independent minded clients forever amazes and inspires me.
Thank you and onwards
Andrew
01, Notebook.
Rob Kendrew at Paperwallah is my preferred maker of notebooks, but I hope he understands why my head is temporarily turned by this beautiful handcrafted notebook. Made by iA Writer, my favourite writing software.
02, AI.
The MIT Technology Review asks six questions which need to be asked about AI and John Naughton challenges the hype while acknowledging the reality.
Two of my favourite people come together… Stephen Fry reads a letter written by Nick Cave about Chat GPT and creativity.
“There are all sorts of temptations in this world that will eat away at your creative spirit, but none more fiendish than that boundless machine of artistic demoralisation, ChatGPT.”
In the meantime, let’s hope Nightshade helps artists fight back against their copyrighted work being scraped by those dastardly generative AI tools.
03, Gizmo.
Do you miss a tactile keyboard when using an iPhone? This may be the answer.
04, A few of my favourite things (2023).
Each year I share the music I’ve liked and the photobooks which have inspired me.
If that doesn’t satisfy your curiosity for lists, here’s a few more of my favourite things from last year.
Exhibition: the enthralling Hiroshi Sugimoto at the Hayward Gallery.
Film: What might have been in Past Lives.
Books: The gentle musings of Rick Rubin in A Creative Act and the return to serfdom by Yanis Varoufakis in Technofeudalism.
View: Spending a languid hour watching the tide rise and the sun set on Rhossili Beach.
Meals: cassoulet at the Luttrell Arms and, of course, Nessa’s fish pie.
Visits: The extraordinary post-modernist puzzle, Cosmic House, and an inspiring visit to Vitsœ.
©Vitsœ;Dirk Lindner
“Vitsœ's building is a statement of intent: if ever more people around the world will buy less from us, then this building, and all it stands for, will be justified.”
Mark Adams
05, Thought.
Each December, 24 anonymous authors create an advent calendar of things they thought about a lot this year. Illuminating and moving pieces that challenge preconceptions or take you inside someone’s inner most thoughts.
For example, some feel the appearance on the high street of charity shops implies a decline. This piece may encourage you to reconsider.
06, Business.
Two contrasting articles about businesses.
05. 01, celebrating independence
Landrace Bakery in Bath. Downstairs, purveyors of the finest baked goods. Upstairs, servers of delicious dishes.
05.02, the scourge of private equity
Jill from Life Litter is a wonderful writer. This post about rescuing a pub for the community after a Cayman Island based private equity company puts it up for sale will make you laugh and fume.
07, Photography.
Rejoice, the MK Gallery is hosting the largest exhibiton of Saul Leiter’s work we have ever seen in the UK. There is also a book published celebrating his centennial and if you look at the back you may see a familiar name in the ‘Thank Yous.’
08, Work.
Dan is the best financial adviser in the west. Yes I am biased. I have worked with him since he launched his business in January 2020 and not only is he a jolly nice chap, but he also gives very good advice. This month we did a little tidy up of his website and added some wonderful illustrations designed by the talented Scott Joyce.
I’ve said hello to Jacqueline on dog walks for a number of years. As we passed on one such walk she stopped to ask if I’d be interested in designing an ecommerce store for her intricately beautiful artwork and luxury homewares. I replied of course I would. In time for Christmas, we launched her website full of lovingly handmade wares which you can now browse and buy with a click of a button.
Thank you for reading the January Jotter. The next issue will grace your inbox on Friday 23rd February at 11am. In the meantime, enjoy the snowdrops and the lighter evenings.
Onwards
Andrew
“When burdened by the feeling that there are too many photographs in the world, I ask myself if there are too many flowers.”