Here’s something that happens in almost every team, eventually: shared jokes and humor. It’s great when there’s a shared reference, an in-joke, a moment where the room cracks up and the energy lifts and suddenly the idea feels sharp: edgy in exactly the right way, just provocative enough to get attention, clever enough to reward
The bubble problem Read More »
In May 2026, Starbucks Korea launched a promotional campaign for a new large tumbler. They called it “Tank Day.” They scheduled it for May 18. They wrote copy with a certain slogan. Every single one of those decisions was a catastrophic mistake, and none of them needed to happen. What went wrong May 18 is
The $1.4 Million Lesson from South Korea Read More »
Some years ago I joined a knowledge work automation software company partway through a refresh of their e-learning materials. The training already had a light fictional scenario running through it: one established character going through scenarios of using the product. My job was to help modernize the rest. I decided to run a little experiment
Design Is Not Just About Intention In the previous post, I showed a very unfortunate community poster. Let’s continue from that. As designers, illustrators, and creators, we tend to think in terms of what we mean to communicate. We choose inclusive characters, warm language, and positive themes, and assume that if our intent is good,
Unfortunate Poster, redesigned Read More »
I came across a poster recently that stopped me in my tracks. “Participation – We belong to a family and a community, we should help each other grow in love and kindness.” The imagery featured four figures arranged in multiethnic harmony in a symmetrical formation, reaching toward one another on a round table. The intention
Good Intentions, Bad Design Read More »
