Last week's post on "graphic designers are cooked human" blew up on LinkedIn and sparked a ton of sharp, funny, and very mixed perspectives. Clearly, it hit a nerve.
That post also led to Josh Hall from the Web Design Business Podcast inviting me back on the show to go unpack this properly. We talked about AI, strategy, and what creative pros actually need to do next. The episode should be out in a few weeks.
In the meantime, here are a few useful updates, resources, and creative rabbit holes worth having on your radar.
Last call for summit speakers
Applications and nominations for Brand Builders Summit 2026 close soon. If you’d like to apply, or nominate someone brilliant, this is the final reminder. Apply here by May 9th.
New books and resources worth checking out
A few people in the branding and creative world have been busy:
James Martin has a new book, No Bullsh*t Branding, now available for pre-order. I’ve been enjoying James's writing on Substack, so I’m looking forward to tucking into this one. It’s already a #1 Amazon bestseller and it's not even out yet. Go figure.
Bill Gardner from LogoLounge has released a new book, Iconic Branding, which should be arriving in my mail soon. Also currently a #1 Amazon bestseller. Apparently, multiple books can be #1 simultaneously?! Very generous of Amazon.
Matt Essam just released the The Creative Studio Roadmap, which I was lucky enough to receive in advance. It’s a practical guide to positioning and systems, with a foreword by Chris Do.
On the topic of logos, LogoArchive has been trending on Instagram and I'm all for it. The trend, initiated by Richard Baird, shows the human behind the work in a gridded, black and white format. Here's my entry.
And while we’re talking logos, Logo Package Express is still my #1 favourite logo design tool. It lets me export logo files around 10x faster, which is one of those small workflow wins that feels like witchcraft. They're currently running their 7th birthday sale, with 40% offand only 70 copies available at that price.
A few other creative rabbit holes
Melinda Livsey released a quiz called We Are Wild Ducks, which I found rather interesting. It helps identify the pattern behind your non-linear creative career. My results were Zig Zag Dominant / Horizon Seasonal, which sounds like a weather forecast, but was surprisingly accurate. The parable behind the name is worth reading.
Adobe also has a 50% off sale on right now for the US and Canadian markets, which could save you several hundred dollars on your subscription. It ends May 10.
Personal side quests
The Kickstarter page for my children’s book, Pinky, is mostly ready to go. The catch is that launching it properly will need my full attention if I want to give the project the best shot at getting funded.
And right now, a few other projects are taking priority. The blessings and curses of being a creative.
I've also finally found a few typographers to help bring JUST Serif to life, the companion typeface to our bestselling JUST Sans.
If you haven’t grabbed JUST Sans yet, you can get it free here as a subscriber.
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