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Terri’s Newsletter Archive
Authority By Design | #046
Breaking the rules in 2×2 frameworks, and why the upper R quadrant may not be the best focus. Aiming for imperfection can be an admirable intention. Also, the most fun 5 minutes drawing circles.
Authority By Design | #045
Framework fails and how to avoid them, including a big mistake I made. Also, Seth Godin on grids.
Authority By Design | #044
Could this be your best year-end framework? Chart your past year’s efforts on the Money-Fun Matrix, and discover where to invest your time, energy, and resources in 2023.
Authority By Design | #043
Backcasting: From Point B to Point A. Why “begin with the end in mind” is your secret sauce. Plus, how to stop that god-awful noise when using your iPad.
Authority By Design | #042
A framework makeover. Come peek over my shoulder as I tweak a framework for a colleague’s new online course. See the secret of choosing the right framework shape. Also, meet Pantone’s cheerful 2023 color of the year.
Authority By Design | #041
The secret of designing upside down. Why some problems can only be solved from a 180-degree perspective. The unexpected delights of meeting online friends IRL.
Authority By Design | #040
Barcelona, Paris, London. What can you see with fresh eyes? A quick diversion of pics and observations from my recent European travels as a break during your holiday preparations.
Authority By Design | #039
How to give feedback to a designer without feeling like an idiot. Plus, the best Photoshop alternatives, how to make beautiful presentation-quality Venn diagrams, and a podcast discovery tool.
Authority By Design | #038
So you want to write a book? Here are 5 things you must know and questions to answer. Plus, a battle in the publishing industry and celebrating the creator of Flow.
Authority By Design | #037
How to get rid of selling once and for all. Plus, the best framework to choose for sales situations.
Authority By Design | #036
What’s it like to spend the night in a Frank Lloyd Wright home? Plus, Top 10 Google fonts for your website, and a perfect circle competition.
Authority By Design | #035
Key questions to ask yourself when crafting great frameworks. Plus, my favorite analog and digital tools.
Authority By Design | #034
Do you think in words or pictures? Plus the best online word discovery tool, and a visual Dad Joke.
Authority By Design | #033
Getting others to pay attention to your ideas, and a profile of Visual Thinking Master Dan Roam.
Authority By Design | #032
The shape of $10,000/hour work, and the power of a single framework.
Authority By Design | #031
Meet the simplest framework you’ll ever draw. Plus, simplicity sites.
Authority By Design | #030
New design! Creativity Bingo, links to legit research sites, and design trends.
Putting Art to Work | #020
The director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence learned that one of his museum’s prized masterpieces was being used to market porn. Where do the boundaries of culture, marketing, and IP (intellectual property) intersect? Also, huge free online media libraries.
Bracketmania + Miro | #019
Bracketmania (3x more money bet than the Super Bowl!) and the NCAA March Madness. How can you use brackets for analyzing and making the best decisions? We also explore the possibilities of an infinite online whiteboard with Miro.
Out of This World | #018
In this issue, an infographic of everyday innovations from space exploration, a visually appealing app that tells us how many people are currently in space, and one of Terri’s childhood memories about the space program.
Visuals In Times of Conflict | #017
Leaders have long recognized the power of visuals to rally public sentiment and national unity, particularly during war. We examine the impact that visuals play in times of conflict. It’s a painful time, but we can learn a lot as visual storytellers.
The Zen of Venn | #016
Let us turn our attention to a simple but powerful form: the Venn diagram. I’ve written elsewhere about the simplicity of circles and their impact in communication. In this issue, we unpack the use of circles in Venn diagrams, and their ability to illustrate commonality as well as exclusivity. Pull up a cup of coffee and enjoy the Zen of Venn.
Word Games! | #015
As the winter days of February drag on, I thought it would be good to switch things up with some fun. This issue explores word games, and the fascination they hold for millions of people. We look at a helpful and well-designed graphic for Scrabble fans, and peek at the popularity of the latest word game craze, Wordle.
Turning Big Ideas Into Images | #014
Yes, we know that a picture can be worth (at least) 1,000 words. But what’s the social impact of a well-designed image? Also in this issue, I take a look at the intersection of AI and human creativity. Could machines ever learn to doodle as well as humans?
Topographic Maps, A New Visual Literacy | #013
If you don’t understand the visual language of topographic maps, they remain a series of random and squiggly concentric circles. Also, an image that instructs how to read contour lines on topographic maps, and a resource for free USGS topo maps for printing at home.
Communicating in Color | #012
For those of us attuned to the impact of visuals, color plays a central role in our lives. Color can convey emotion, emphasis, preference, and multiple levels of meaning — even, some argue, personality or gender. Also in this issue, a striking graphic illustrating blood types in the US, and a fast and intuitive web-based color palettes generator
Tastes in Type | #011
Type! We’re surrounded by so much of it daily, we don’t even notice it. Like the proverbial fish unaware of its environment until the water is gone, most type is invisible to us until it’s so glaringly awful that we’re stopped in our (visual) tracks. Also in this issue, an infographic of The Anatomy of Typography, and Typewolf, a comprehensive online resource for all things related to type.
Data in Graphic Form | #010
We are awash in data. It bombards us every day — in the news, in our social feeds, in conversations. But unless it’s clearly presented, it doesn’t serve us well. In this issue, a stunning graphic representing the world’s countries by share of Earth’s surface, and details on a free version of the visual data analytics software, Tableau.
Tools | #009
Do you, like me, harbor the wish to be left for hours in a hardware store or Home Depot, so you can wander the aisles, exploring the endless array of tools? … Well, in this issue, we focus on tools — objects that we use and, in turn, those that shape us and our lives. Also, an 1898 bicycle patent diagram, and a card deck to design websites quickly and easily.
Welcome MMXXII (2022) | #008
Welcome to a new year, filled with potential. And a chance to consider things from a fresh viewpoint. That’s the theme for this issue, as we look at the digits of 2022 as Roman Numerals from a graphic, historical, and cultural perspective. Also, an online resource for calculating your favorite number as a Roman Numeral.
Money-Fun Matrix | #007
Here’s one of my most popular frameworks: the Money-Fun Matrix. May it give you two things: clarity on all you’ve achieved in the past year, and inspiration to make the coming year your best ever. Also check out Jessica Hagy’s fun holiday Venn diagram,
Perception, Stroop Effect, Aphantasia | #006
How do we sense the world through images? Learn about the Stroop Test and selective attention, and the inability to visualize, called aphantasia.
Lists, Top Innovators, List of Lists | #005
Let’s look at lists with more discerning eyes. What works, and what doesn’t? Has the list compiler succeeded in both content AND form? Also, an infographic on the Top 50 Innovative Companies, and an online List of Lists.
Edward Tufte | #004
He’s been called the daVinci of data, the Galileo of graphics. Whether you’ve heard of Edward Tufte or not, you’ve been influenced by his work. This issue analyzes one of his most famous data visualization examples, as well as the rich collection of resources on his site.
Giving Thanks | #003
More than a dinner of turkey and pumpkin pie, this time of year brings a moment to stop and reflect on all we’ve been given. In this incredible 18 months, it starts with thanks for good health — which few of us will ever take for granted again. This issue focuses on giving thanks, a long infographic, and a reverse image search tool.
About Time | #002
For some, time is a circle, the shape of a clock or watch. Others may see time as a page of squares on a calendar. Or, perhaps two stacked triangles, one inverted, like an hourglass. A path also indicates the passage of time. As do the three dots of an ellipsis… What shape does time take for you? Also check out an infographic on digital data consumed every day, and the leading resource for icons on the internet.
5 Key Shapes of Visual IP | #001
This email will now be shorter — more like a digital postcard you can quickly scan. In this issue, an image of the Cognitive Bias Codex, and excerpts from my article on Visual IP about the 5 key shapes of visual persuasion.