10 People
The idea is simple: get simple, quick design advice from some of the world’s best designers. Make it easy for those you’re asking, and make it easy to watch for everyone else. What I like is how personal this is. In truth, Mig started this project to enrich his own life and design, but the project lends itself to being shared.
Tina Roth Eisenberg // Creative Mornings
Again (and this will be a theme as I continue to write), a project that started with the specific intent of enriching her own life, Creative Mornings is easily shared. In fact, the idea was so simple, dozens of other cities have jumped in the game. Everyone involved has the chance to feel like this is for their own personal benefit.
Always a big believer in being your own best client, Aaron started Field Notes specifically to create objects for his personal use, knowing that others would want them, too. Field Notes quickly became the pinacle notebook for people in the know.
Drew Melton // The Phraseology Project
A great example of a personal project using crowdsourced information for the fulfillment of the artist, but which benefits everybody. Drew Melton is an amazingly talented letterer. The Phraseology Project was created as a way for him to push himself, practice, and experiment.
Ben Vickory, Aaron Rayburn // FortPort
a blog created to showcase their favorite stuff, FortPort is fulfilling to everyone who follows it.
One of the world’s most famous political bloggers and founder of DailyKos, Markos has another passion: sports. For almost no other reason than to satisfy his own passion, he created a small network of sports blogs. SBNation has grown into the largest fan-created sports network with more than 300 blogs. What’s more, the network has spawned The Verge, a technology blog.
Tim Hoover, Jessica Karle Heltzel // Kern & Burn
Described as a “curated discussion” about entrepreneurship in the design community, Kern & Burn is a simple idea that had instant legs. More than being interesting to the design community, the project highlights the direction that the entire community is moving.
John Maeda // Laws of Simplicity
What began as a research project about how people can simplify their lives became a book about the importance of simplifying all of our systems (life, design, computer programming, etc.) in the face of an increasingly complex world.
Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin Vit // Under Consideration
Brand New is the best known of their endeavors, but Under Consideration has churned out a non-stop supply of design inspiration for more than 5 years. From their blogs to their books, everything they do keeps an eye focused on designers.
Perhaps the most successful example of a simple idea which has grown to improve the entire world. Wurman organized a TED conference in 1984 to highlight the best of technology and design in and around Silicon Valley. TED has been an annual conference since 1990. Speakers ranging from internet celebrities to former U.S. Presidents speak on every possible subject with the specific purpose of making the world a better place.
