Design machines

Automation and commoditization of design and content is driving a homogenous digital culture. We’ve made it easy for machines to take over our jobs. But it doesn’t have to end there. We can borrow the techniques from the editorial process and combine our design and writing efforts to produce expressive, engaging digital content.

Transcript

1. DESIGN
   MACHINES
   How to survive the digital apocalypse
   

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2. !
   

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4. Art at its most significant is a
   distant early warning system
   that can always be relied on to
   tell the old culture what is
   beginning to happen
   Marshall McLuhan
   

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5. Web design
   

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6. Web design
   We create terrible experiences
   Every Company
   

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8. EVERYTHING
   LOOKS
   THE SAME
   

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9. PRESSURE
   

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10. Metrics-obsessed
    pseudo science.
    

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11. Copycat culture.
    

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12. Crap content
    selling crap.
    

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13. Crap content
    selling crap.
    Stop reading this crap we’ve produced
    and sign up for our crappy newsletter
    so you can receive more crap.
    

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15. We don’t care
    about content.
    We only care about what it can do for us.
    

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16. WE
    DESIGN
    LIKE
    MACHINES
    

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17. THE
    MACHINES
    ARE HERE.
    AND THEY
    WANT OUR
    JOBS.
    

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24. Speed!
    Reach!
    Tracking!
    Convenience!
    Conversions!
    Profit!
    

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26. Information is
    POWER
    

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29. But…
    

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30. Distr i b u t e d
    Information
    wants to be
    

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31. We have
    the tools
    

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32. Humans are
    unpredictable mushy
    bags of irrationality
    and emotion.
    

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34. We need to be better
    than the machines.
    

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35. Art at its most significant is a
    distant early warning system
    that can always be relied on to
    tell the old culture what is
    beginning to happen
    Marshall McLuhan
    

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37. Web vs Editorial
    

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38. Web vs Editorial
    Design systems
    Content
    Collaboration
    1
    2
    3
    

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39. Design systems
    1
    

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40. Built for automation.
    Built for repetition.
    Built for consistency.
    

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41. Systems designed for variation.
    Not prescription.
    

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42. Web stops at the system.
    Editorial starts there.
    

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43. Understand the medium.
    

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44. Prototype for
    variation.
    livewires.io
    

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45. Build software that
    anticipates variation.
    

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46. We like Craft buildwithcraft.com
    

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47. Not just for web
    

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48. How we treat content
    2
    

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49. Content first.
    

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50. Content first.
    So we know how big to
    make the boxes.
    

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51. Content
    Design
    

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52. Content
    Design
    Do we even
    need boxes?
    

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53. Expression
    AMPLIFIES
    the message.
    

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55. EXPRESS
    Don’t just read the text.
    Think about how you can…
    information.
    

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56. Graphical media
    that works
    exclusively with
    the content.
    

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57. TYPE
    makes great graphics
    Interesting
    

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58. Play with
    size
    style
    and
    

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59. COLOUR
    

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60. Collaborating
    3
    

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61. Typography
    Colour
    Shape
    Illustration
    Photography
    Detail
    Layout
    Interaction
    Information architecture
    Wireframing
    Prototyping
    Research
    Testing
    “UX design” “Visual design”
    ARBITRARY
    Design divided by job title
    

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62. Typography
    Colour
    Shape
    Illustration
    Photography
    Detail
    Layout
    Interaction
    Wireframing
    Prototyping
    Quality research
    Proper testing
    Research Design
    Content
    Content Strategy
    Copywriting
    Editing
    Journalism
    Illustration
    Photography
    

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63. Design divided by component
    Global systems
    Design
    Content
    Research
    Overall issue
    Design
    Content
    Research
    Features & departments
    Design
    Content
    Research
    

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64. Flow
    

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65. Destroy the barriers.
    Content Design
    

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66. Don’t let metrics do your job.
    

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67. PUSH
    BACK
    We’ve got the scripts: louderthanten.com/resources
    

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68. BITE
    THE HAND
    that feeds you
    

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69. The machines are here.
    It’s time to revolt.
    

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70. THANKS!
    @travisgertz @louderthanten
    louderthanten.com
    Resources: lt10.co/words-and-pixels
    

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