Brigadoon Weekend = Global Street Smart Ideas
May 8, 2021
Out on the Edge
"I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge, you will see all kinds of things you can't see from the center." -- Kurt Vonnegut
For humans who love speed, racing down a ski hill with the ability to execute an accurate carve is one of life's most enjoyable activities. Ripping down a slope on the edges of your skis isn't just for show; you'll be able to go faster while staying in control.
Accurate edge-to-edge turning allows a skier to put their ski on the edges just enough that the skis will cut into the snow and not slide or drift when they start turning.
Few have ridden on the edge better than Lindsey Vonn. She is the greatest American skier — and it's not even close. Her world-class ability allows her to find paths down a hill that balance the pull of the fall line against the gates she has to clear at excessive speed.
Vonn's style requires riding on the ragged edge between speed and madness. Nathaniel Vinton, the author of a book about the US ski team's rise to dominance entitled "The Fall Line," writes: "Only the best racers have the strength and self-control to cut inside [the paths of other competitors] and go even straighter, even faster, and even closer to the fall line and all its promise of glory and destruction."
Glory and destruction. Out on the edge without going over.
Lewis Hamilton, the British Formula One driver for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, is a seven-time F1 World Champion and currently leads the standings. Hamilton is considered the best driver of his generation and widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the sport's history.
So how does a driver win seven world titles when all other drivers and teams operate under the same F1 regulations? The word "formula" in the F1 name refers to the rules all participants' cars must conform to. F1 cars are the fastest and most regulated road-course racing cars in the world. Appropriately operated, the vehicles ensure high cornering speeds by the generation of large amounts of aerodynamic downforce. Without this downforce, the cars would literally fly away. An F1 driver is looking for speed while ensuring enough traction to stay on the ground.
Hamilton is one of the most complete drivers on the global Grand Prix circuit. Hamilton can adapt to various car set-ups and changing track conditions like few others. Plus, he typically uses less fuel than his teammates, meaning less weight, thus increasing his ability to carry momentum through corners despite instability in the car.
Handling the corners at speed is essential for championships, so Lewis's natural edge is his sensitivity and managing aerodynamic downforce. His smooth touch means that he can operate his car closer to the edge of traction without losing control and pace throughout the corners. Few drivers can perform with so much deft and carry fast cornering speeds.
Championships and instability. Out on the edge without going over.
Being on the edge is not limited to athletic pursuits; operating on the edge is where great ideas percolate. Great ideas come from the edge of our thinking, our mind, and our experiences.
Kevin Roberts, former CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi and author of "Lovemarks - The Future Beyond Brands," writes: "When species change, it almost always occurs first at the fringes. Here the population is most sparse, and our orthodoxies of the center are weakest. Here you can flourish isolated from formula and rules, free from the corrosive belief that everything great has already been done."
One company not believing that everything great has occurred is IDEO. Per their website, this global design and consulting firm, founded in Palo Alto, California, creates a "positive impact through design." From designing the first manufacturable mouse for Apple to advancing the practice of human-centered design, IDEO is at the forefront of creating change through design.
IDEO creates change through design by a practice called "empathy on the edge." This human-centered approach seeks those who live on the edge. In their fieldwork, the company looks for diverse people and situations to promote empathy, which they internally refer to as "extremes."
These primarily ordinary people with extreme points of view—owing to their personality, circumstances, or culture—provide a broad range of experiences and well-developed perspectives that would be harder to identify if they looked at a random sample of individuals representing a range of the target demographics.
"The future is already here; it's just not evenly distributed," as science-fiction novelist William Gibson is said to have observed. To innovate, IDEO believes we need to understand the intriguing, exciting, and lesser-known fringes of society, where the future is already at play.
Why?
Because as Professor Mika Pantzar of the Consumer Society Research Center at the University of Helsinki suggests, the extremes prompt us to discover new meanings and interpretations for old things. These discoveries help us determine how best to incorporate the latest technologies and use practices into our work.
The power of the edge is undeniable.
Embracing the edge is about freedom, exciting people, and championships.
Out on the edge without going over. Find it.
-Marc
IDEO San Francisco is located along The Embarcadero at Pier 28 Annex
DEEP DIVE
Debbie Millman on the importance of courage: “What we need to be able to instill in people is the courage to do something knowing full well they might fail.”
IDEO
Kevin Roberts: Why modern brand strategy is about being a lovemark: Saatchi & Saatchi brand and marketing guru shares his views on the role of the CMO, digital disruption, and creativity in the face of data-driven marketing.
CMO
Marketing is dead, says Saatchi & Saatchi boss – long live lovemarks: Agency kingpin Kevin Roberts says the future is all about creating a movement of people behind your brand – or ‘lovemarks’, as he calls them.
Guardian
Empathy on the edge: Scaling and sustaining a human-centered approach in the evolving practice of design
IDEO
The life of David Kelley, according to his shelves: It's not everyday that you see the first ever example of something you love. So, when David Kelley invited us into his office and pulled an early prototype of the Apple Mouse off his shelf, I let out an audible gasp.
IDEO
A design expert makes space for tools and memories: When David Kelley, the founder of the global firm IDEO, downsized in Northern California, he still found room for the ultimate studio.
NYT
Consumers, producers, and practices: Understanding the invention and reinvention of Nordic walking
Journal of Consumer Culture
User involvement in radical innovation: Are consumers conservative?
National Consumer Research Centre
Domestication of everyday life technology: Dynamic views on the social histories of artifacts
The MIT Press - Design Issues
BRIGADOON WATCHES
Debbie Millman: Anything worthwhile takes time
How symbols and brands shape our humanity
Lovemarks: Kevin Roberts at TEDxNavigli
How to build your creative confidence
IDEO shopping cart: A deep dive methodology in practice
IDEO and a story of design
Mika Pantzar on consumer citizens in data economy
BRIGADOON READS
Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits - Debbie Millman + Rob Walker
How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer - Debbie Millman + Steven Heller
Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands - Kevin Roberts
Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All - Tom Kelley + David Kelley
The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm - Thomas Kelley
The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Beating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization - Tom Kelley + Jonathan Littman
BRIGADOON EVENTS
Communications Audit | How To Workshop
May 18, 2021
Brigadoon Monthly Call | The Poetry of Leadership
Fateme Banishoeib | heARTist + Founder @ ReNewBusiness
May 19, 2021
Media Trends + Tendencies | How To Workshop
May 25, 2021
Thought Leader Communications How To Workshop
June 8, 2021
Speak Globalization | How To Workshop
June 15, 2021
Brigadoon Monthly Call | Adventures with Fiat Pandas + Autogrills + Negronis
Matt Hranek | Founder + Editor @ Wm Brown Magazine
June 16, 2021
More details and passes - click here.
Thanks for supporting Brigadoon. See you next week.
-Marc
Curation + commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder + Chief Curator @ Brigadoon
Brigadoon is always powerpoint free and conversation-driven for better insights and connections.
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