Issue 72

WELCOME

Being Designerly skipped the last issue while on summer break, but #72 is back with curated articles about the designerly skill of Observation, curiosity and learning, Microsoft's new default font, top brands and logos, authors-AI and intellectual property, and a farewell to the blue bird.

FEATURE

Being Designerly - Notice & Observe

If you think of observation as a superpower, the superhero who comes to mind would undoubtedly be Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective. Read on about the designerly superpower of noticing and observing.

18 signs you're a highly observant person

Do you find that you notice almost everything? This may seem normal to you, but it can actually be a sign that you’re more observant than most other people. Here are 18 signs to tell if that’s the case.

CURIOSITY

Want to Be Successful? Take Ray Dalio's Advice: Be Dumb -- Not Smart

"I'm a dumb [expletive] who doesn't know much relative to what I need to know" -- Ray Dalio

A self-made billionaire, the owner of the largest hedge fund in the world, calling himself dumb; It's not about being stupid or foolish. It's about being humble. Being hungry. Being a winner.

And that's why Ray Dalio is one of the most competitive learners in the world. He reads more than most people. He talks to the world's best experts.

VISUAL

Ranked: The Top 100 Brands by Value in 2023

Brand value can be a critical part of any company’s intangible assets.

This graphic shows the world’s 100 most valuable brands in 2023 based on an annual ranking from Brand Finance, illustrating the role brand equity plays in a company’s market position.

The best 20th century logos, as picked by the pros

Picking the best logos of the 20th Century is challenging. CreativeBloq enlisted help from across the industry, polled an expert panel of designers, creatives and other experts to pick out the logos that best define this iconic period. The results they received were a fascinating mix, from some of the most iconic brands on the planet, to amazing designs they had never seen before.

UX

Meet Microsoft Office’s new default font: Aptos

Microsoft is replacing its Calibri default font with Aptos, a new sans-serif typeface that’s inspired by mid-20th-century Swiss typography. Previously known as Bierstadt, Aptos has been part of Microsoft’s hunt for its new default font over the past couple of years. The software giant commissioned five new custom fonts for Office in 2021, and the Aptos font was picked as the default after years of feedback.

TOPICAL

Thousands of authors demand payment from AI companies for use of copyrighted works

Thousands of published authors are requesting payment from tech companies for the use of their copyrighted works in training artificial intelligence tools, marking the latest intellectual property critique to target AI development.

The list of more than 8,000 authors includes some of the world’s most celebrated writers, including Margaret Atwood, Dan Brown, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Franzen, James Patterson, Jodi Picoult and Philip Pullman, among others.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

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