Dissertation

As I wrap up my Ph.D., I’m going to share thoughts about the process of writing a dissertation.

My anticlimactic software choice for writing my dissertation

I plan on blogging about my dissertation process, and I figured I’d start with something basic — my choice of writing tools. I wanted to use some less traditional tools when writing my dissertation. When I’m writing for myself, I write in Markdown, usually in an app like Ulysses. I considered something more robust like Scrivener. But neither Ulysses nor Scrivener works easily with Zotero, my chosen citation management program which already contains years of sources and notes on my topic.

Continue reading →

As I move into working on my dissertation, it feels strange to not have a “class” this semester. It’s been a long time since I wasn’t reviewing syllabi at the start of a semester…

2026: A Fresh Start

Each year, I set a theme for the year. Last year was incremental progress. I did write a lot during the year, and I released some new typefaces, but I wasn’t able to reach my health goals and organization is still something I want to continue to work on. For this year, I’m excited about a fresh start. I start an exciting new job (that’s really a completely different career). I’ve finished all of my Ph.

Continue reading →

An exciting and hectic 2026 ahead

I was thinking this morning about goals and themes for 2026, but as I thought through my plans, I realized that 2026 is going to be a big year for me and my family. New job. I have a new job, and it’s a massive shift from what I’ve done for the last thirty years. I’m excited, but I have a lot to learn. Thankfully, I have a supportive team and I’m still at the university that I love.

Continue reading →

I’m taking the day off from work to just be a Ph.D. student today. I’ve got a paper to work on, I’m attending a research symposium and I’ve scheduled a meeting with our grad school coordinator about my dissertation process and comps.

I really want to use Ulysses or Scrivener for my dissertation, but I’m hooked on Zotero’s citation management integration with Word. And the process of connecting Zotero with Scrivener seems… complicated.

My PhD research is on how people respond to logos. One factor for a successful rollout appears to be context. How will the logo be used? What’s the story behind the change? More context = better response. Neither Cracker Barrel nor MSNBC gave any real context. Here’s my published study on context.

Thanks Cracker Barrel and MSNBC! I needed some more recent logo backlashes for my dissertation.

Me: I really need to wrap up this paper on deprofessionization in the design industry so I can move on to working on my dissertation.

Also me: Digging FOUR papers out from past classes that I never did anything with and revisiting them.