Issue 20: Ain't That Just The Way
On change, the stories we tell, and the loveliest lies of all.
🍂 It’s been a long, long time
Hello, and welcome back to the ‘Stack! I had a truly wonderful time in Argentina, celebrating the wedding of a lifelong friend, eating dulce de leche, and admiring the unparalleled street art and windows of Buenos Aires. As a country, it blew me away, and I’ve returned home inspired, and not at all regretting the 11-hour American Airlines flights it took to make it happen. Most importantly, I’m excited to be back with you all and ready to dive into a new season of design.
It’s currently spring in Argentina – a mind-bender for someone (me) who’s never been to the Southern Hemisphere before. As much as I welcomed the fuchsia blooms and tentatively balmy air, I found myself very ready to return to the golden autumn glow and crisp evenings of my beloved home at the end of the week. As a proud New England native, of course I love everything about fall. I also have a tendency to get very protective of it – especially as it’s become trendy in recent years. As we talk about so often, I believe in authenticity above all else, and when I see influencers layering chunky knits under LA palm trees in 85° heat, I often find myself looking out my window at the rain and dead leaves and feeling more than a little smug. We put in the work, dammit! Pumpkin spice is a privilege, not a right.
But as ridiculously easy as fall is to romanticize – Irish sweaters, jack-o-lanterns, steaming mugs of cider, mountains-upon-mountains of orange leaves fluttering to the ground – I often have to remind myself that if I’m going to gatekeep my favorite season, I owe it the same commitment to authenticity I demand of everyone else. Autumn’s beauty lies not just in its coziness but even more so in its complexity. There’s nothing more comforting than an apple cider donut; there’s nothing more stressful than an upcoming election. Seasons of transition are inherently hopeful. So too are they wistful and even melancholy. There’s a principle in color theory that says you make a color pop most by pairing it with its opposite (blue with orange, purple with yellow, etc.). To experience the full beauty of the season, we must celebrate it in its entirety. To overlook any one of these qualities is to do disservice to the others.
That’s why, this week, we’re welcoming autumn in all its complexity. We’re jumping in leaves and puddles. We’re cozying up by the fire and remembering to pay the oil bill. We’re watching Over the Garden Wall and contemplating the mysteries of existence over potatoes and molasses. Read on for all this and more!
🍄 Moodboard of the week
This week’s moodboard is inspired by walks in the wood, muted tones, pops of orange, childhood memories, and, of course, the odd ghostie. I didn’t mean for there to be so many mushrooms, but darn if they don’t just capture the vibe. Click here or below to view the full board and original links on Pinterest.
🔍 Question of the week
“How important is storytelling in design?”
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal, no matter what we do, and design is no exception. In a literal sense, stories are extremely compelling. When my mother can tell people that her business, The Fig Cooking School, is named after her daughters (Francesca, Isabella, Gabrielle) and that she refined her culinary expertise by cooking both with us, and with her own mom, people understand everything they need to about her business values and what kind of communal experience they can expect. Every brand tells a story whether or not we mean it to, and fundamentally every piece of design we put out contributes to the lore around the central brand. When I design for her, as for all my clients, I always stay grounded in how a given design will relate back to that story. In her case, for example, a rainbow cookbook shelf and message wall in the bathroom bolster the message of welcoming and inclusivity.
However, as somebody who has worked in design for nearly half my life, I’ve gotten a little jaded by how we assume storytelling is always fundamental, or even appropriate, to successful design. Any young designer will tell you that the necessity of storytelling is beaten into us from the first days of our first internships, but design, like any field, is not immune to platitudes and buzzwords. Much in the way startups like to “disrupt” when sometimes what we really need is an improvement on something that works, I think design can get so hung up on storytelling that we lose sight of why we do it or whether or not it’s helpful.
Storytelling is compelling when it makes sense. But if everything has a “story” in the nebulous aesthetic sense, not every brand has a story in the literal sense. So often I see brands trying to construct a lore around their product in a way that rings so deeply inauthentic, it has the opposite effect. Anyone who has ever purchased a granola bar knows what I’m talking about – was it really your lifelong dream to honor your great-grandmother’s legacy by creating the world’s first grain-free, GMO-free snack food based on byproducts from the coconut milk-making process? Are you not owned by Unilever? Who do you think you’re kidding?
If the brand we’re designing for doesn’t have a story in the literal sense, then is storytelling really the most valuable framework to think about how we design for it? Or is it a missed opportunity to craft our strategy to what the design actually needs? As with all aspects of design, the point of storytelling is authenticity. If the medium itself comes off as inauthentic, it can only backfire. Storytelling is a valuable tool, but few tools work in every situation. The most important thing with any principle is to interrogate what it’s actually doing for us. It’s vulnerable to go back to square-one, but our designs deserve it and will be better for it. Story is important, yes, but never at the expense of the message.
Submit your burning design questions by sending me a message below. Questions can relate to design itself, entrepreneurship, workflow, or anything you think I may be able to answer. There are no limits.
🎧 Soundtrack of the week
This week’s soundtrack is inspired by the long country drives that embody New England fall to me. Every single one of these songs has serenaded me on a long drive to Burlington, VT or simply around rural Connecticut (if you’ve never been to Chester or Essex, CT, may I suggest a road trip). Preview the playlist below, or click here to listen to the full thing on Spotify.
🍒 My Favorite Things
When I was in Buenos Aires last week, I found myself in a showroom for Argentinian shoe and handbag brand Jackie Smith. I’m obsessed with the whole brand’s commitment to loud, bright colors and abundant sparkle…
…but one item that particularly stood out to me was this change purse, featuring these graphic sticker-style designs:
This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about fruit stickers here on the Substack, and with good reason. I think there are certain everyday items that have such immense potential for whimsy, and I’m obsessed with how the bright colors and simple patterns both maintain the integrity of the original medium and make it undeniably fashion. It reminds me a lot of another favorite piece of design, the cover of Matt Bernstein’s “A Bit Fruity” podcast:
I have never once listened to this podcast, but it’s come across my radar a few times and the blend of photorealism, pop art, and gen-z gradient styling make it a total win for me.
Change purse and website screenshot sourced from Jackie Smith. A Bit Fruity podcast cover sourced from Spotify.
🧀 Honorable Mention
I don’t have anything specific to say about this crocheted Babybel cheese, I just love that it exists and want you all to know about it.
Original tweet here.
🌱 Touching Grass
🍴 What I’m eating: Lest you think I have my life any brand of together, I truly did just cook a bunch of chicken this weekend and have been trying to pass it off to myself as tacos. Not my culinary high point, but you know I’m going to keep it real regardless ;)
📖 What I’m reading: I’ve gotten back into Shannon Chakraborty’s Kingdom of Copper this week after a bit of a hiatus to read a number of, let’s be real, quicker reads, and it’s absolutely amazing. I’m also listening to the audiobook of The Confidence Game.
🎧 What I’m listening to: I didn’t think I could love anything more than the Ballad of the Witches’ Road from Agatha All Along Episode 2… until I heard the 70s rock version from Episode 4. Both have been on repeat nonstop. This spooky season is truly blesed.
📺 What I’m watching: The new season of Heartstopper came out this week. I truly don’t understand how that show manages to get more perfect with every new thing it puts out, but this season’s exploration of mental health, growing up, and identity may be the best thing it’s done yet, and I don’t say that lightly. I truly believe this show should be required viewing for everybody – and I’m hard-pressed to think of anyone who wouldn’t love it. If you’ve never watched it, I can’t recommend it highly enough!