October was an absolute banger. Two weddings, a 40th birthday, a baby shower, and the ultimate holiday: Halloween. Plus a lot of exciting work. What a frickin’ month.
But for all the riches that October gave me, November is looking blissfully dull and quiet. I can’t wait to hibernate.
Last week I virtually attended the Adobe MAX conference (thanks for the tip, Anna!), and, of course, it was all about AI. Adobe’s marketing team did a great job spinning it: AI isn’t replacing creativity, it’s a creative partner. You’re still in control.
It got me thinking about how the creatives I know might use AI to make even more incredible things. I found myself daydreaming about creating a feature-length animated film that wouldn’t take five million years to finish. Wild.
Still, AI’s far from perfect. Watching the Adobe hosts prompt it live and react to its chaos was pure entertainment. Obviously, it’s also hard not to think about the flip side: the artists who will lose work, or how we’re training these systems to one day replace us (even if Adobe swears we’re not). It’s complicated. And yeah, they skipped over the environmental part. Ugh.
Then came a different kind of tech adventure: launching Flatbush Cats’ new website with the powerhouse team at None Other. Seeing it live — and working! — felt amazing. But switching out a site is never seamless. Picture me in the passenger seat of our car on a Sunday morning, still sweating from volleyball, inhaling McDonald’s while frantically prompting ChatGPT about all things DNS. Did I fully understand what I was doing? God no. But moments like that remind me how lucky I am that these tools exist.
So yeah, I’ve got a lot to ponder this month. Good thing November’s empty.
Thanks for reading. See you in December.
Brand Notes
Who caught my eye this month:
- Walker Art Center. I knew it was special from reading about it in school — how its in-house design studio shaped the field of graphic design — but I didn’t truly understand how special until I saw it myself. Walking through the sculpture garden, passing the in-house performing arts theater (jaw drop), seeing how they merge dance, photography, art, fashion, media, design, and film all under one gorgeous modern roof. Really cool. And maybe the best part: every gallery attendant seemed genuinely happy to be there. One was sitting in a chair and occasionally sketching (!), and another pair was whispering excitedly about what’s inspiring them right now. Precious.
- Tesiny. Go there. The vibes are immaculate and Lauren curated it all herself. My friend group has been filtering through and every single person comes out texting: the food! the drinks! the people! the ambiance! Try walking by without being pulled in by the warmth. You won’t!
- Anne Helen Petersen. She just moved Culture Study to Patreon. Apparently, Substack has some serious competition now. I’m curious to see who follows...
To Understand the Backlash About the Philadelphia Art Museum Rebrand, You Have to Understand a Universal Truth About Design
A rebrand can’t build connection; it can only reveal how much of it was there to begin with.
The drama is still unfolding — and people are (rightly) fired up. In this week’s piece, I dig into why it struck such a nerve: the implications of hiring a non–Philly agency, what the reaction says about our city’s relationship to its institutions, and why the museum’s comms team might currently have one of the toughest (and most underpaid) jobs in town. At the end of the day, I’m rooting for the team, the PhAM, and for Philly.
Last Scraps
- Is social media over? No, it’s just more scattered. [Social 3.0]
- There are so many reasons a newsletter is worth your time, even if only a handful of people read it. [Inbox Collective]
- I love when branding experts talk about Charli xcx’s marketing genius. This one also digs into a topic I’m perpetually fascinated by: anti-brands. Which, of course, aren’t really anti-brands at all — they’re just brands. [Creative Boom]
Comments