Long Posts

Shifting focus

4/16/21 • 3 min read

This post was originally posted on April 17, 2021 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

With my thesis finished, it’s time to rebuild my schedule.

I defended my thesis last week. It was the last hurdle — other than some remaining paperwork — for my Master’s degree in Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina.

My thesis looked at how the visual context surrounding a logo can shape consumer reaction and I’m very happy with how it turned out. (Spoiler: Context matters.) At some point down the line, I’ll revise it and start submitting it to journals, but for now, I’m just thrilled to have completed this major milestone.

I officially graduate in a month and I’m actually going to participate in an in-person commencement. After that, it’s back to the classroom. I was accepted to the Ph.D. program in Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina and will be continuing my research and studies. I’ll start that new adventure after the summer.

I was surprised at how all-consuming the thesis process was. I’ve been working on the framework of this study for over a year. Finding and reading related research. Collecting data and doing analysis. Writing and rewriting my draft. Even when I wasn’t working on it, I was thinking about it.

My goal for this year was to be intentional about scheduling. For the first third of the year, that schedule has been dominated by being a student — writing my thesis and preparing for comps. Now that thesis is done, it’s time to reset my schedule and figure out how to reincorporate my health and creative projects into my daily routine. I’m going to try and find time to work Apple Fitness+ into my day and write blog posts more regularly. I’ve got typefaces to finish and a couple of ideas for shirts and stickers.

I believe that we are rounding the corner with the pandemic. I’ve returned to my office after working from home for over a year. I’ve received my second vaccination last week. Maybe soon, I’ll feel comfortable returning to coffee shops to work on projects, study and write.

My hope is that I can establish some good habits and structures that will continue after I start my Ph.D. program. I’ll be working on my doctorate part-time so it’s going to take a long while. I’m going to need a solid time-management foundation to handle everything.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, soon-to-be Ph.D. student, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. He wears a mask and got vaccinated — Team Moderna — to protect his community.

My theme for 2021

12/31/20 • 4 min read

This post was originally posted on January 1, 2021 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

The year after the year that lasted forever.

I don’t know if I’ve ever been so excited for a calendar year to end. We’ll never forget 2020 as long as we live, but I’ll be glad to have it in the rearview mirror. Now that January is here, it’s time to talk about plans for 2021.

Normally, I would have taken a day or two off of work in early December and headed to a coffee shop to plan my next year. I’ve taken these “retreats” for the last four years and I find they really help me focus on what I want to get done. This year, because of the pandemic, there was no all-day coffee shop retreat and I just planned from home. And while I missed the structure of my retreat days, my process was basically the same as the last few years. I take a stack of index cards and write everything I want to do — one topic per card. Then I look for patterns and sort by priorities. Normally a plan emerges from the stacks of cards and I find 3-4 goals to focus on for the next year.

Looking through my cards, there were three major contexts that were obvious:

• School. I’ll finish my Master’s degree in the Spring when I finish my thesis and comps. I’ve got a couple of academic papers I need to revise and submit for publication. And I need to decide if I’m going to proceed with the Ph.D. program.
• Health. I’m committing to being healthier and 2021 is the year I’m going be more active and focus on taking care of myself — from fitness to meditation.
• Creativity. I’ve got a bunch of creative projects I want to tackle. From big projects like typefaces and novels to small projects like stickers and short stories. I need to make sure I find time to be creative and have fun with some new projects.

But there was a single, overarching theme that became apparent as I flipped through my cards. A topic that connected all of the other themes together: I need to focus on building an intentional schedule.

For me, everything I want to do starts with structure. I need to carve time out for writing my thesis. Set aside time to read for fun. Find time to work out. Make sure I have time to do meal planning and grocery shopping. Cook dinner in instead of getting takeout. I simply do better when I have a structure to my day. And during coronavirus, but schedule and daily rhythm has been destroyed.

Building a consistent intentional schedule in 2021 will be a challenge. I’m working from home for the Spring semester. My kids are on a hybrid schedule meaning that they attend school online some days, and I take them to school on others. And their schedules can change from week-to-week depending on the pandemic. Pretty much every day is different. When summer arrives, I assume I’ll be heading back to work five-days-a-week so I will have to get adjusted to commuting again. I have to plan for my schedule will need to adapt to my changing life.

So for 2021, in order to focus on school, health and creativity, my goal is build an intentional schedule that carves out a daily, weekly and monthly structures for the year. I’ve got some ideas about how I want to tackle this structure, but I know it will change and evolve during the year. I’ll share what works (and what doesn’t) here on Sketchbook B over the year.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. And he wears a mask to protect his community.

Looking back at my goals for 2020

12/30/20 • 4 min read

This post was originally posted on December 31, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Surprisingly not a disaster.

It’s time to look back at how I did with my 2020 themes. In general, with the pandemic, the election craziness and everything else that’s happened this year, I feel like I need to give myself a pass. But honestly, I’ve done okay with my themes. And looking to 2021, I see some specific things I need to work on.

My four identity statements/themes for 2020 were:

• I am a graduate student.
• I am a healthy person.
• I am a typeface designer.
• I am a reader.

I had planned to finish my Master’s degree in 2020, but because of the pandemic, I decided to extend my program by a semester. My classwork is done and all I have to do is finish my thesis.

The pandemic completely sidetracked my efforts to be healthier. I was making good progress in March when everything shut down. And then the combination of stress and an inconsistent schedule pretty much obliterated any hope of being healthier in 2020.

I did actually make a significant progress with typeface designs. I massively overhauled one of my older typefaces to release SbB Powertrain. And I’ve completed three other typefaces that I will be releasing at some point soon. One unanticipated side effect of focusing on type design is that it caused me to also rework my website and rethink some marketing and distribution strategies.

I read a bunch this year for grad school, but not as much for fun. The library closed due to the pandemic, which limited my supply of books. But honestly, I found it really hard to settle into a book this year. I’m not sure if it was the pandemic or just stress, but at the end of the day, I just didn’t have the energy to read. And the stuff I did try and read, I just didn’t stick with.

I’m actually proud of my 2020. I made progress towards my degree and I released some typefaces. I read some, but not as much as I wanted to. But I failed completely at being healthier.

Looking forward at 2021, I recognize a couple of things I have to work on. I felt like the year started strong — even during the early days of the pandemic — but when September hit, the wheels fell off. I was working, taking a class and teaching a class all from the same desk in our bedroom. My wife was trying to figure out how to be a virtual kindergarten teacher and my kids were adapting to the new school year with a hybrid schedule. Any semblance of a schedule disappeared. The result was simply overwhelming. For 2021, I need to figure out how to maintain a schedule and structure to find time for the things I need to do.

Around the same time as we returned to school, the election coverage ramped up. I’m a news junkie, but I’d done a really good job of avoiding social media. That fell apart in October, when I started to pay more attention to Twitter and even look at Facebook on occasion. I thought for sure that things would calm down after Biden was elected, but the Trump chaos train continues. I’ve written on this blog about finding a balance with social media. As 2020 ends, it’s time for me to reevaluate that relationship.

I’ve never been happier to flip over to a new calendar year. I’ve been working on my planning process for 2021 since early December and will post about that tomorrow. But considering all that’s happened over the last year, I’m calling my 2020 a success.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. And he wears a mask to protect his community.

2020 Fav8

12/30/20 • 2 min read

This post was originally posted on December 31, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

My best shots from an historically bad year.

Each year, I post my eight favorite shots from the previous year. And even in a year as strange as 2020, I still have some great shots. I started the year studying in coffee shops and ended it working from home and wearing a mask everywhere I go.

1. Late evening studying in a Starbucks before the pandemic. I miss studying in coffee shops.
2. Norah’s last Chapin JV Lacrosse game before the season was shut down. They won 19-0.
3. Family selfie on a walk in the park behind our house. Back when we foolishly thought we’d be home for two or three weeks, max.
4. We ordered masks for the whole family from our friend Sally.
5. Met this little guy on walk.
6. Kayaking at Hilton Head.
7. The cats enjoyed having me work from home most of the year.
8. We voted in the most important election of my life.

I’ve written in the past about my Fav8 process and you can check out my Fav8’s from 2018 and 2019.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. And he wears a mask to protect his community.

Getting organized with Notion

7/20/20 • 8 min read

This post was originally posted on July 21, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

An “all-in-one workspace” with maximum flexibility

I’m a designer and a graduate student. I have a full-time job and family. One of my biggest challenges is keeping track of things — projects, tasks and ideas — as I bounce between all of my various roles.

Notion’s logo is a toy block… I just happened to have one at my desk.

I’ve used a variety of apps, but I always felt I was having to adapt my process to the way the software wanted me to work. Recently I discovered a service, Notion, that really works that way I want it to and it’s changed the way I organize myself as a writer, designer and a researcher.

Background

Years ago, I used Backpack, an app from 37 Signals (who changed their company name to just Basecamp). The app allowed you to collect information, links, to-do lists and research into pages in an intuitive, freeform way. I loved Backpack and was disappointed when they announced in 2012 they were discontinuing development of the product.*

Since I moved on from Backpack, I’ve tried lots of different apps and systems for tracking tasks, collecting research and organizing projects. Apps and services like Flow, Wunderlist, Todoist, Basecamp, Trello, Evernote and Apple Notes. (I’ve tried paper-based systems to keep track of tasks, too.) Many of the apps were powerful or full-featured, but none of them worked the way I wanted them to work.

Notion has been around since 2016, but I discovered the app recently when Scott McNulty (Random Trek, Vulcan Hello, The Incomparable) mentioned it on Twitter. Notion bills itself as an “all-in-one workspace,” able to handle tasks, notes and more. That’s a big claim, but after using it for a couple of months, I’m really impressed.

Using Notion

In Notion, you can design a structure that works for you. Pages consist of “blocks” which can contain a range of features — from simple items like text, images, bulleted lists and to-do lists to more complicated databases. You can arrange the blocks in any way you want. Just drag and drop them. Many aspects of the layouts can be customized, allowing the user to change text colors, header images and page layouts.

My 2020 theme page has my goals for the year.

Pages are arranged in the sidebar. You can group pages and link between them. The whole process is actually very similar to building pages in a drag-and-drop content management system like Squarespace. I’ve set up pages for my annual themes, my typeface projects, trip ideas, my thesis, things to purchase for my home office setup and more.

• Research. My primary function for Notion is research. Inspiration for projects. Articles that may be relevant for my thesis. Tutorials about a new technique for doing something in Glyphs. I can easily add a website link to a page and then write a note to myself about what it’s for. I have lots of ways to capture links like this, but Notion lets me easily capture links and organize them.
• Story ideas. Before Notion, my process for capturing story ideas for Sketchbook B involved starting a sheet in Ulysses, my writing app, with a couple of sentences about the topic. That worked okay, but I tended to lose track of ideas. Now, when I come up with a story idea, I add it to a database in Notion. I can set a target date, link to references, add tags. And when it’s done, I just check it off.
• Lightweight task management. I’ve often tried to use one task management app for all of my tasks. One central system for work, grad school, my blog, my type and family tasks. Recently I started using Microsoft To Do** for my office tasks, but wanted something else for tracking the other stuff. Notion fills that gap for me. I’m sure you could use Notion as part of a full GTD workflow, but that’s not how I’m using it. I’m just keeping simple to-do database and checking the items off as I complete them. It’s also nice to be able to attach a short to-do list to a PDF or a web link.
• Planning. I’m currently working on plans to rework and rerelease some of my type designs and I’m using Notion to organize my planning. I’ve captured marketing plans, website updates, rough timelines and a planning calendar. And I can pair those plans with their own set of task lists. It’s nice to have everything together in one place.
• Mobile. I access Notion from my Mac, iPad and iPhone. I expect this from all services now and only want to use services that I can access across all of my devices. The Notion apps on my mobile devices are pretty much just as powerful as the desktop access. The share sheets on iOS and iPadOS allow me to add links to any page or database.

My design and research projects now start in Notion. I’m still using Ulysses as my primary writing app and prefer its distraction-free writing environment. Zotero is the app I use to track the journal articles and references that will end up in my research papers. But all of my other note taking, research and personal task management is gathered in Notion.

I used Notion to plan the recent upgrade to a new Squarespace template.

Tips to getting started

Normally, I’m the type of person who skips all the onboarding steps and just starts using an app. I tried to do that with Notion, but I struggled to figure things out. I recommend watching the tutorial videos. They aren’t long and help you understand how to get the most out of Notion.

Once you have a good idea of how Notion works, start experimenting. See which features work for you. Notion offers a range of prebuilt templates, and exploring them helped me to understand how to build better pages.

Because Notion has so much flexibility, you can easily fall down the rabbit hole and spend too much time tweaking and adjusting your pages. My advice is to keep it simple at first, and work your way up to more complex layouts and databases.

Finally, don’t feel like you have to use everything. Notion has a ton of functionality that I’m not using including collaboration tools, third-party app integrations, guest users or even create public pages that anyone can visit.***

Pricing

Notion offers a free Personal plan that should work for most people. I just updated to the $4 a month Personal Pro that adds version history and unlimited guests. (Honestly, I could have stayed at the free level, but I wanted the version history AND I wanted to support a great product.)

If you are interested in using Notion with a design or project team, those plans start at $8 per user per month. I could see using Notion with not-for-profit boards, creative teams or with any team working remotely.

Improvements

Notion is updating their app regularly, adding features and improving the product. There are a couple of improvements I’d like to see. Their iOS apps are great, but sometimes, selecting and editing text can be challenging. I wish they had a web clipper for Safari on the Mac to make it as easy to add links on the Mac as it is on iOS.**** And I’d really like the option to archive old pages to get them off the sidebar without deleting them. But these are minor issues in an otherwise stellar app and I feel confident that the team is constantly working to improve them.

Final Thoughts

It’s amazing how quickly Notion has filled the spaces in my workflow. Because of Notion’s flexibility, I’m able to tailor it fit to my needs as a designer and as a grad student. It’s become my primary workspace for developing ideas, structuring research and organizing my life.

I’m happy with Notion and look forward to using it for years to come. If you need an app to help pull together the projects, tasks and ideas floating around in your head, give Notion a try.

* While Basecamp stopped developing Backpack, paying users can still access the app. Unfortunately, I gave up my subscription long ago.

** I used Wunderlist, which was purchased by Microsoft and turned into Microsoft To Do, which honestly, is a solid task manager, especially when it’s integrated with Outlook.

*** I’m thinking about using one of these public pages for ColaContent. And I could easily see using this product with a design team or for a research project.

**** Apple recently changed the rules for extensions in Safari. Hopefully, this will clear the way for a web clipper in Safari.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

It’s time to wear a mask

6/20/20 • 4 min read

This post was originally posted on June 21, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Wearing a mask is a simple way to prevent the spread of COVID-19

I’ve been working from home since March 13 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And since March, I’ve been wearing a mask every time I go to the store, or pick up food from a restaurant. Four months of mask wearing. Here in South Carolina, unfortunately, our COVID-19 infection rate is rising. Despite that alarming increase, people still aren’t wearing masks.

Admittedly, initial guidance on whether we need to wear masks was muddled and confusing, but over the last few months, the consensus among health experts is clear: Wearing a mask helps prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you are wearing masks when you go out, thank you. If not, here are a couple of tips for comfortably wearing a mask.

Masks for the whole family.

• Find a style that works for you. The first masks I wore were ones that I had in the garage for working in the yard. And yes, they were uncomfortable. I ordered reversible cloth masks for our whole family from our friend, Sally, and that’s been a much more comfortable solution for me. Find something that works for you. There are other face covering styles that may work better for your face, hairstyle or preference. We’ve purchased a few different styles of masks from Target. Finding something comfortable is the first step to wearing them regularly.
• Socially awkward. Accept that wearing a mask in public is awkward. You can’t communicate with facial expressions. You might feel a little silly, especially surrounded by people who aren’t wearing masks. It’s okay that it feels awkward, but it’s the right thing to do. I imagine that seatbelts once felt awkward. Now I don’t even back out of the driveway without my seatbelt on.
• Keep a couple of spare masks in your car. It’s easy to forget your mask when you leave the house. I keep a few one-time use masks in my car to use if I leave my mask at home. Having a backup means that you don’t have to worry when you run into a store.
• Only support businesses that require their staff to wear masks. When restaurants first started to close because of Coronavirus restrictions, I went out of my way to support local businesses. I didn’t want our favorite restaurants to close because of the pandemic and I felt like it was important to take care of our community. Now, I’m disappointed to see some of the restaurants I supported aren’t requiring their staff to wear masks. If I visit a restaurant or a store that isn’t taking my safety seriously, I’m going somewhere else. (To be honest, I’d rather store owners require everyone in the store to wear masks.)
• Why can’t things just go back to normal? I get it. We all want things to go back to normal. But COVID-19 is still a problem and things won’t be “normal” until we slow the spread of the disease.

The reality is that we’ll be wearing masks for the foreseeable future. When I return to the office in August, I’ll be wearing a mask. I’m taking a grad school class in the fall and I’ll be wearing a mask in class. In the midst of a pandemic, remember that wearing a mask is one way to protect the people we love and respect.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. And he wears a mask to protect his community.

A short review for a small pen

4/3/20 • 3 min read

This post was originally posted on April 4, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

The Lamy Pico is a fun, pocket-sized pen

For reference: The Lamy Pico with some random change and my AirPods.

I enjoy using quality pens, but I usually carry them in a case of some sort. That’s not always practical, though, so I picked up a Lamy Pico pocket pen a while ago. Now that I’ve had a chance to use it extensively, I wanted to review it.

I adore the clever design of the Lamy Pico. The pen is a small cylinder that fits easily in your pocket. When you need to use it, you click the end and it telescopes out to a full-sized pen. The aluminum is light and durable. The mechanism to extend the pen feels solid. The little Lamy logo on the side acts as a roll stop, so it doesn’t fall off the table. The pen at full length is a perfect size to write with comfortably.

Back before the Coronavirus forced us all to work from home, I kept the Pico in the front of my bag so I can grab it when I need to jot something down. Sometimes, I’d throw it in my pocket with a Field Notes notebook. But now that I’m home, I’ve got it at my desk in case I need to take some notes on a conference call.*

The Lamy Pico, extended to full length.

My Pico is a red aluminum version which doesn’t seem to be readily available anymore. Lamy offers the Pico in black, white, chrome and a range of other colors. The color lineup changes periodically and currently includes Imperial Blue, Laser Orange, Neon Pink and a new limited edition — and more expensive — Rose Gold.

The Pico uses a proprietary Lamy refill so you are stuck with either blue or black ink. Thankfully, Lamy offers the refill in three thicknesses: fine (0.5), medium (0.7) or broad (1.0). Mine came with the medium black cartridge and it’s nice for jotting notes down. I recently purchased the fine blue refill and prefer the thinner line.

The Lamy Pico is not an inexpensive pen. On Jet Pens and Pen Chalet, the Pico is right around $39. If you have only used disposable pens, that probably seems outrageous, but for the level of quality and engineering, I feel like it’s reasonable.

I’ve been using my Pico for almost two years and it’s great to write with. If you need a pocket pen and want a high quality writing utensil, the Pico is a great choice.

* Bonus: It’s also a great fidget toy during meetings.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Habits for my new home “office”

3/28/20 • 6 min read

This post was originally posted on March 29, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Defining boundaries for the new normal

Corner office. On/Off

Before we had our second child, we had a home office. Our smallest bedroom in the house had a desk, bookshelves and a big, comfy chair — with plenty of room for Liz and I to work on projects or just read. But when our second child was born, the home office was converted into a nursery. We tried to carve out space for me to have an office somewhere else in the house – in our bedroom, dining room, kitchen, living room… We moved the desk around, but I didn’t use it consistently and we needed the space for the family. When I went back to grad school, I carried my “office” in my Timbuk2 bag and set up wherever I needed, most often in a coffee shop.*

Two weeks ago, with the Coronavirus outbreak, I started to work from home and desperately needed an “office” somewhere in the house. (For me, working from home involves both the day job and grad school.) Our bedroom was the only option. It has a door so I can keep the kids out when I need to be on a conference call.** I set up a folding table in the corner, stole a chair from my son’s room that he didn’t use and scavenged an old lamp from our attic. I found a monitor that I used previously that I could plug into my laptop. A couple of cables and adapters from my bin of discarded tech and I was off and running.

Everything worked, but I quickly realized I needed to make a few changes. Over the next two weeks, my workspace evolved. The square folding table was sturdy, but it was too deep for the corner that it needed to fit into. I was able to order a small, simple desk from Target and pick it up from a local store. I found a taller lamp and a more comfortable chair that worked better with the new desk.*** I used a couple of my wife’s pottery pieces to hold pencils and other stuff and even put up an old shelf so I could display some of my knick-knacks and old toys.

Now I have an office again, even if it’s just a corner of my bedroom. I’m enjoying having one spot with all my stuff and it makes going to “work” easier. But I’m also concerned about the impact of working from home on my work-school-life balance. I’ve been reading a bunch about intentionality and mindfulness over the last couple of years and I’ve been trying to balance my job, my classwork and my family. Having a full technology set up a couple of feet from my bed isn’t ideal. Given the new situation — and assuming that I’ll be working from home for a little while — I’m trying to create some helpful boundaries and form some good habits:

• Lights out. When my desk lamp is on, I’m working. When it’s off, I’m not. It’s a simple little thing, but I feel like that literal flipping of a switch triggers a mental flipping of the switch.
• Tidy up. At the end of the work day, I take my coffee mug or glass downstairs and put it in the dishwasher. It’s just another attempt at habit formation that indicates the work day is over.
• Intentional spaces. For the last year or so, I’ve been trying to keep my iPhone and iPad out of our bedroom to build better sleep habits. (It was completely working by the way.) Now the challenge is a little different — I’m worried about being connected all the time. I’m intentionally trying to leave all my tech at my desk. This way, when I’m not working, the devices are upstairs and I’m able to be fully present with Liz and kiddos.
• Notifications are off. If I’m at my desk, I’m working and I will see the email or message. If I’m away from my desk, it can wait until I get back. Plus, no random beeps or buzzes in the middle of the night. (I’m still working on my computer’s tendency to wake up in the middle of the night for a few seconds at full brightness. Sigh.)

In addition to these, I’m also trying to reestablish some old habits that have been demolished over the past couple weeks with the Coronavirus pandemic:

• No devices within an hour of bedtime. I can’t help that my computer is parked in my bedroom, but I’m still concerned about a healthy night of sleep. When I’m getting ready to go to sleep, I try to avoid technology and focus instead on reading or sketching.
• Limit social media. I’d really worked hard to build some boundaries for social media. It’s been an ongoing theme for a couple of years, but with the pandemic, it’s gone out the window. I’m actively looking at Twitter and Instagram and even take a look at Facebook sometimes. I’m ignoring all of the iOS Screen Time limits I set up. Those limits were helpful and while I need to recalibrate my expectations given the fact that I’m home all the time, I need to set some new, reasonable limits and stick to them.

I imagine when all this is over and everyone gets back to work, I’ll keep my little corner office. My plan is to move on to a Ph.D after I finish my Masters degree and having a dedicated space for writing will be essential. But establishing some clear boundaries and developing helpful habits will be essential to making this work over the long term.

* I actually miss studying at the Starbucks near my house.

** The door, in reality, does little to stop the kids. And really, that’s fine. No one on the call minds when Ryan pops in to give me a quick hug.

*** When the kids were little, we redecorated several times in a mostly futile attempt to childproof. A few things ended up in the attic or garage that we liked and just couldn’t get rid of. The tall lamp wasn’t steady enough with toddlers around and found its way to the garage. The chair was an old teacher desk chair that someone was going to throw out. Solid wood, sturdy as hell and surprisingly comfortable. I always felt a little foolish for not getting rid of this stuff sooner, but now I’m glad I kept them.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Working ≠ Thinking

3/24/20 • 3 min read

This post was originally posted on March 25, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Adapting (poorly) to the new flow of things.

A little over a week ago, I made the conversion to working from home because of the Coronavirus outbreak.* Of course, it’s not just me working from home, the whole family is home, too. I have three kids — high school, middle school and elementary — and they are doing school from home, too.** My wife, Liz, is a teacher and she needs a workspace, too.

We’ve somewhat divided the house into zones. My son has the dining room for most of the morning and then it becomes arts-and-crafts central. My high schooler has set up at the small table in the kitchen. My middle schooler has carved out a place to work in the family room. Liz and I have rearranged furniture to fit two desks our bedroom. Our house isn’t particularly large, but we’ve made it work and developed somewhat of a routine.

I’m fortunate that Liz and I have jobs were we can switch to working remotely. I’ve been able to connect with my coworkers through Microsoft Teams and even presented a paper virtually for a conference from my home “office.” Liz is conducting morning meetings and sharing them with her kindergartners via Youtube.

I am working from home.

I’m doing my grad school classwork from home.

But…

I’m struggling to think. In particular, writing has been a challenge. I can do task related things. I’ve baked a red velvet cake and I made some bread, but projects that truly require thinking… I’m struggling.

I guess this isn’t really a surprise. Uninterrupted time is limited because everyone is home. I can’t slide out to the coffee shop if I need to get away. My schedule and my routines are off. My good habits are disintegrating. Let’s be honest, there’s a freaking global pandemic. It’s scary. I’m paying more attention to the news and social media than I normally do, and that’s not always helpful.

In time, I hope I can develop and form better habits for working from home. I know it’s only been a week and a half, but this is going to be the new normal for a little while. There are definitely aspects of working from home that I enjoy — like not having a commute — and I think that after a little while, as I settle into to new rhythms and routines, I’ll become more productive and creative. But right now, just thinking is a challenge.

* I’ll be direct. If you can stay home, stay home.

** My two oldest go to schools where they are assigned their own Chromebooks and use Google Classroom for everything. Their transition has been relatively seamless.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Presenting virtually

3/24/20 • 4 min read

This post was originally posted on March 25, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Reflections from presenting at a virtual conference

Last spring, I wrote a paper that looked at the impact of the Linotype on newspapers in rural South Carolina in the early 1900s. The Linotype brought the industrial revolution to the news industry and changed the newspaper industry radically over a couple of decades. I was proud of how the paper turned out and started to edit and revise, and prepare for the next step.

For those of you are aren’t familiar with the academic world, the next step is either presenting the paper at a conference or submitting it to a journal or publication. I submitted my paper in December to the AEJMC Southeast Colloquium and found out in February that it had been accepted. This year’s event was scheduled to be in Memphis and I was looking forward to checking out the city. I booked my flight and my hotel and started to research restaurants in Memphis.

Of course, plans changed.

Two weeks before the conference, the team at the University of Memphis announced that because of the spread of Coronavirus, they were going to conduct the conference online.

Last weekend, the Southeast Colloquium did indeed happen virtually, via Zoom. It’s really amazing how the team at Memphis was able to pivot from a physical gathering to a virtual one in just two weeks. I know that there were some bumps for some of the sessions, but the ones I attended all went perfectly.

I was happy with how my presentation turned out. I had 12 minutes and stayed under my allotted time. After I was done, I was thinking that it might be helpful to reflect on a few of the things that are different when presenting virtually.

• Practice in the app. The night before the conference, I tested out presenting with Zoom. I set up at my desk upstairs and presented to my wife and son downstairs. I was able to try sharing my screen and get the feel of what it was like to present in Zoom. The first time through didn’t go well. It took a couple of times through to get comfortable. Spend the time to become familiar with the presenting software.
• No audience feedback. I’m used to moving around when I present and trying to engage the audience, but when the audience mics are muted and their video is turned off, there is no audience feedback. It feels wrong. I couldn’t tell if the attendees were connecting with my presentation, or patiently waiting for it to end. My presentation was a little dry so I added a joke in the middle of the presentation and… no one laughed… or at least I couldn’t hear anyone laugh because everyone’s mic were muted.
• Close everything you don’t need. If you are like me, you typically have a dozen apps open on your computer and a bunch of windows. My recommendation is that you close everything except your presentation and Zoom. When you go to share your screen, all of your open windows get presented as an option to share and it’s really easy to get flustered. You don’t want to start your presentation feeling rattled, do you? Plus, it eliminates the possibility that your email app will chime loudly at the most awkward time.
• It was better than I thought. I was really nervous about this presentation — more nervous than I should have been — but I’ve never done a virtual presentation like this before. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it went. (I haven’t seen the recording and I may change my mind after I see it.) And people understand if things don’t go perfectly. We’re all learning together.

The next step for my paper involves revisions and probably another conference, AEJMC’s national convention in San Francisco in August. I’m hoping that everything is back to normal by then — I love San Fran — but if things are not back to normal, and if the conference is converted to an online event, I’ll be ready.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

My anxious logo

3/13/20 • 2 min read

This post was originally posted on March 14, 2020 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Uncertainly in the time of coronavirus

When I redrew my Sketchbook B fish logo a few months ago, I decided to draw him with a few different emotions by moving the eyes around and changing his expression. The nameless little fish has been a proxy of sorts for me and I thought it would be cute to switch out the logo on the site for how I was feeling. I even drew a few with hats and sunglasses for the summer.

Today, I decided to change the fish on Sketchbook B for the first time because of the coronavirus. The pandemic response is impacting everything in my life. My conference presentation in Memphis was moved online. My grad school classes next week are cancelled and going online only for a couple of weeks after that. For now, my wife and kids are still in school and my daughter’s lacrosse season continues, but all of that can change with an email.

Cancelling everything is completely the right call. Preventing the spread of the pandemic should be the priority for everyone, but everything has changed so quickly. Even for someone like me who has been following the coronavirus spread closely, things went from scary to terrifying so incredibly fast.

I opened the Affinity Designer file with all my fish variations and looked for the appropriate one for how I feel about the coronavirus pandemic. I fully intended to use one of my “disappointed” fish, but as I looked around the screen, at the top edge of the artboard was one of the last fish I drew: my “anxious” fish. I didn’t think I’d ever use him, but honestly, if I don’t use him now, I don’t know when I’d use him.

For now, I’ll go with the anxious fish. And as my emotions about things change, I’ll switch out the little guy. I look forward to the return of the happy fish and can’t wait to use the version with the Cubs hat for opening day.

My logo, for now.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Identifying Themes for 2020

12/30/19 • 3 min read

This post was originally posted on December 31, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Defining who I want to be…

Like last year, I’m going to set some loose themes for this year. They aren’t goals or resolutions, but they do give me a nice guidepost for what I want to accomplish during the upcoming year. For 2020, I only have four themes.

One note about my themes this year: I’m thinking about them more as statements of identity. During this past year, I readAtomic Habits by James Clear and one anecdote in particular has stuck with me. When people are trying to quit smoking, people who say “I’m not a smoker” are more successful than people who say “I’m trying to quit.” Defining who you are can help shape your habits and actions. So I’m framing my themes as statements of who I am instead of what I want to do.

• I’m a graduate student. I only have a handful of classes left and my thesis. Most of my time and energy will be focused on completing my Master’s degree and presenting at conferences. I’ll be doing a significant amount of reading and writing for classes and research this year. If all goes according to plan, I’ll graduate in December of 2020.
• I’m a healthy person. I need to start taking better care of myself. Yes, that means eating better and working out regularly, but being healthy does just mean physical health. I’ve read a lot in the past year about meditation and mindfulness and I feel like I’d benefit from carving time out of my schedule to focus on mental health as well.
• I’m a typeface designer. I love designing typefaces. Honestly, it’s my favorite thing to design and I don’t do it frequently enough. (This year, despite it being one of my themes, I only finished a single typeface.) I’ve got plans for a variable typeface and my plan is to finish it in 2020.
• I’m a reader. It wasn’t one of my themes for 2019, but I decided in the spring that I’d like to read more books. I used Goodreads to track my reading, rediscovered my local library and finished 24 books over the course of the year (not including all those journal articles and books I read for class). I’d like to keep it going…

And that’s it. I have other projects and topics I’ll work on, but these are the four big themes. Last year, I wrote a follow up at the midpoint of 2019. For this year, I’m going to try and write about my progress at least once a month.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Reading more

12/29/19 • 3 min read

This post was originally posted on December 30, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Adding some fiction to the mix

I tend to read mostly non-fiction*, but for 2019, I made a concerted effort to read more fiction and thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace. In all, I read 24 books during the year. According to Goodreads, that’s 8,410 pages.**

I picked up a couple of series this year, most recommended by panelists on The Incomparable. I enjoyed Rebecca Roanhorse’s The Sixth World series and Theodora Goss’ Athena Club trilogy. I read a bunch of Star Wars books in the lead up to The Mandalorian and Rise of Skywalker. I started the Imperial Radch series from Ann Leckie, with only the last book to go. Dan Moran’s Bayern Agenda was delightful and I’m looking forward to reading his next book this spring. On the non-fiction side, I enjoyed James Clear’s Atomic Habits and Dan Harris’ 10% Happier.

So how did I find the extra time to read more? As I started to change my relationship with social media, I also figured out that I needed to change how (and when) I used my phone. So most evenings, I avoided using my phone after dinner and read a book instead.

I also made sure I had a book to read at all times. I used Goodreads to track the books I wanted to read and then requested them from my local library. Richland Library has a online interface for requesting books. The book is typically ready for pick up in a couple of days although sometimes, it takes longer for popular books. It was much less expensive than buying them all new.

And finally, as I wrote about earlier this year, getting reading glasses might have contributed to reinforcing my reading habit.

For next year, I’m going to aim for 26 books — one every two weeks. It seems like a reasonable goal with all of the reading and writing I’ll have to do for graduate school this year. I looking forward to adding even more fiction to my reading mix.

* Even when I was a small child, I gravitated towards non-fiction books.

** That doesn’t count all the books and journal articles I read for work. Or articles I read online.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

The Rise of Skywalker

12/28/19 • 3 min read

This post was originally posted on December 29, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Complicated feelings…

Warning: Significant spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premiered last week. I caught a late show on opening night and then saw it again with the family a couple of days later. After the first viewing, I was conflicted. I enjoyed the movie, but honestly, I left a little disappointed. There was just so much to process and I wasn’t sure I was satisfied with all the twists and turns. Chris Trainor at the Free Times posted a great review that pretty much summarized my initial feelings.

When I saw it a few days later, I enjoyed it much more. I knew what to expect and just sat back and enjoyed the ride. A couple of random thoughts…

• Palpatine and Exegol. I have lots of questions about how Palpatine came back from the dead and where all those Sith disciples on Exegol came from.
• Rey. I don’t necessarily love that Rey is a Palpatine, but I understand why they made that choice. Even so, I never felt Rey was going to really turn to the dark side, so all of the attempted fake outs felt a little flat to me.
• Droids. They used C-3PO and D-0 well as comic relief. I especially loved when C-3PO declared Babu Frick “one of my oldest friends.”
• “That’s not a navy, sir. It’s just… people.” I thought the final battle was entertaining. So many ships. (Maybe too many ships, to be honest.) The shock of General Pryde when the Resistance reinforcements show up, and the concept that the only way to defeat tyranny is for ordinary people to stand up to evil.
• Leia. I think this movie would have been much stronger if Carrie Fisher were alive to deliver her lines instead of using repurposed footage from The Force Awakens. I think they did a good job piecing it together, but it would have been stronger. That said, I’d rather have this movie than one with a CGI Leia.
• Media blitz. I didn’t seek out spoilers, but I couldn’t avoid the crush of promotional clips, trailers and commercials. I think it was a mistake to show so much. If I hadn’t already seen the clip of the Millennium Falcon coming to the rescue with thousands of ships, the moment in the end when Poe is giving up would have had more impact. Instead, I was waiting for the scene from the trailers when the reinforcements show up.
• Where next? Will Rey start rebuilding the Jedi order? Will there be a new, New Republic or will the universe finally give up on the concept of a single galactic government? Have we finally seen the last of the Sith? I know this is the end of the Skywalker Saga, but they left more than a few direction for future movies and streaming shows.

In the end, I’m satisfied. I don’t plan to see it again in the theater, but will watch it again as soon as it comes out on Disney+. And we’re not done with Star Wars, we’re just ready to move on to other stories in the Star Wars universe.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

My 2019 Fav8

12/13/19 • 2 min read

This post was originally posted on December 14, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

This year flew by…

As 2019 comes to a close, here are my favorite shots from the last year:

1. My wife, Liz, and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. This is one of my favorite shots of Liz, even if it wasn’t taken on our anniversary.
2. I’m still enjoying grad school and travelled to Toronto to present my first paper at an academic conference.
3. We took a couple of hikes as a family up near Asheville. Next year, we need take more hikes.
4. Ryan started soccer this year. There are lots of shots of him in motion, but I love this one of him crouched in goal — with all the action at the other end of the field.
5. Liz and I went to a “paint and pour.” I don’t really paint and I wasn’t sure what it would be like, but I had a lot of fun.
6. The girls and I went to Starbucks. They can be so silly, especially when it’s just them. Loved this moment, but I can’t actually remember what they are laughing about.
7. Jill was entertaining her cousin Gracie at one of Norah’s lacrosse games in Greenville.
8. The kids in front of the Christmas tree. I’ll be honest — getting pictures of the family in front of the tree almost broke me — but at least some of the shots turned out great.

If you are the kind of person who loves taking and sharing pictures, I encourage you to find your best eight images instead of using an algorithm to generate the nine images other people liked best. I’ve written a separate post on how I built my Fav8.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Fav8 > Best9

12/13/19 • 4 min read

This post was originally posted on December 14, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Forget ‘Best Nine.’ Why Fav8 is the way to go.

At the end of every year, Instagram is flooded with “Best Nine” posts — an automatically generated composite of the nine images on your feed that received the most likes. But last year, I tried something different… Fav8. I picked the eight images that meant the most to me and put them together into a “Best Nine” style format. Here’s what my Fav8 from 2018 looked like:

A couple of other folks did Fav8’s, too, and it seemed to work well for them. This year, I want to encourage more people to spend some time and make their own Fav8s. There isn’t an app or a spammy ad covered website to make a Fav8. It’s completely DIY. Curating your own compilation takes a little more time, but it’s got some definite benefits:

• You can select the images that mean the most to you. I liked all of my Best Nine images from last year, but several of my favorite moments were left off. The system can’t tell which images mean the most to me, it can only tell how many likes each post got. The Fav8 approach lets you pick your favorite moments.
• Memory lane. To select your favorite eight shots from the last year, you have to go through all of your images. It’s hard to believe how many amazing moments I had forgotten across the year. Going through the last year of images can be an amazingly affirming experience.
• Pick the best shot from the sequence. I like to post multiple images in the same Instagram post, but the Best Nine generator automatically picks the first image in the sequence, which may not be the image you want to use.

So how do you make a Fav8?

It takes a little more time than clicking a button, but it’s pretty straightforward:

• Pick the images you love. You can look at your Instagram feed or your camera roll, but pick the images you love. Don’t pay attention to how many people liked the image… just how much it means to you. I used Instagram’s bookmark feature to save my favorites. If you are using your camera roll, just start a new album. (If your images are on Instagram, there are several ways to download the images, but it depends on several factors like your operating system and where the images are stored. Your best bet is to Google the best option for your specific situation. UPDATE: Micro.Blog user Smokey Ardisson mentioned that Shortcuts on iOS and MacOS has a Photo Grid action.)
• Narrow it down to the final eight. If you are like me, you liked more than 8 images last year. So think about which images tell the story of the last year? Which moments are most vivid? This might take a little bit of time, but it’s also one of the most fun parts.
• Organize the images into a grid. There are many ways to do this. I’m a designer and I used Photoshop. If you want to only use your iPhone, I’ve used Instagram’s free Layout app to make a simple grid of images. (There are many, many apps that can do this.) Of course, there will be one spot left over in a 3x3 grid. Feel free to add whatever you want… your name, social media username, the year, an inspirational quote. Whatever feels right. (UPDATE: Micro.Blog user John Johnston is thinking about adding a map. Love that idea, too.)
• Post your Fav8 wherever you like. This isn’t just an Instagram thing. Share it to your favorite social media site. Or write a blog post about your Fav8 and what each of the images mean to you. I’ve posted my Fav8 on my blog and will soon post it on Instagram and Twitter, too.
• Bonus! Create something tangible. Too many of our images never leave the phone. This year, I’m going to create a printed version of my 2019 Fav8, frame it and put it in my office.

If you have fun making your image compilation, spread the word. Let others know about Fav8 and encourage your friends and family to do the same. You can use the hashtag #2019Fav8. Or for Micro.Blog, maybe we can use the 8️⃣ emoji?

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Double click to pay

8/23/19 • 2 min read

This post was originally posted on August 24, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Apple Pay is exceptionally easy to use. Why aren’t more people using it?

Recently, I was in Canada and pretty much every single transaction was completed with Apple Pay.

I love using Apple Pay instead of having to pull my card out and insert it. So I take advantage of it every chance I get. I was excited when Target added Apple Pay earlier this year.

But since I’ve been back, I’ve noticed just how rare it is for people to pay with Apple Pay in the United States — especially with an Apple Watch. I had a cashier at a Walgreens comment that she’s never seen anyone pay with their watch. A lady behind me at Target the other day told me that she didn’t even know you could pay with a watch. And today, a “helpful” cashier at Staples warned me that paying with an Apple Watch “was the easiest way for people to steal your identity.” (I explained to him that he was completely wrong.)

Apple Pay (and its peers) are more secure, more convenient and faster. Considering that so many people have iPhones and Android phones, why aren’t more Americans taking the leap to contactless payments? And why are some vendors slow to install the hardware that makes contactless payments as common in the U.S. as they are in other countries?

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

20 years

8/20/19 • 2 min read

This post was originally posted on August 21, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Celebrating two decades (!) of marriage

Twenty years ago today was a typical summer Saturday in South Carolina — sun-drenched, oppressively hot and miserably humid. A perfect day to be at the beach or in the pool with a cool drink in your hand.

I was wearing a black tux.

Getting married in the middle of summer wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had, but marrying Liz was. Today, Liz and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Over the last two decades we’ve had our fair share of high and low points. We’ve welcomed three amazing kiddos into the world and we’ve mourned the loss of close family. We’ve struggled together through career changes and grad school. We’ve learned to be parents together. (Hell, we’ve learned to be adults together.) We’ve watched good movies and really cheesy made-for-TV Christmas movies.

Liz is an amazing partner. Smart, curious, patient, kind, talented, supportive. She’s my best friend and she’s even more amazing today than the day I met her.

The funniest thing about our August anniversary is how ridiculously inconvenient it is. Liz didn’t originally plan on being a teacher, so we didn’t think about the fact that our August anniversary would pretty much be the first day of school every year. It seems like every year — just like we did this morning — we celebrate our anniversary by taking the traditional first day of school pictures on the front steps before sunrise and then have dinner with the family to celebrate the new school year.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

How we celebrate our anniversary now…

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

The side benefit of wearing reading glasses

7/3/19 • 2 min read

This post was originally posted on July 4, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

Getting old has some positive effects

I’ve worn glasses since 7th grade and contacts since 10th grade. I wasn’t happy with my old optometrist — one of those big national chains. So when it came time to renew my contacts prescription, I changed to a new locally-owned optometry practice that opened near my house.

I told my new doctor about how much I was reading with graduate school and he asked if I had ever used reading glasses. I assured him that I didn’t have any issues with reading, but we might as well see if I needed them.

I now have reading glasses.

It’s a light prescription, but it makes a significant difference.

Since I’ve gotten the glasses, I’ve noticed another interesting difference: I’m reading more. At first, I thought that maybe it was because the glasses reduce my eye strain and make it easier to read comfortably. But I think it’s more than that. I recently read Atomic Habits by James Clear which is all about ways to develop positive habits. One of tips he gives you is to pay attention to the cues that lead you into certain actions. So if junk food is visible, but the fruit is hidden in the refrigerator crisper drawer, you’ll likely eat more junk food. But if you put the fruit in a bowl on the counter and hide the junk food, your eating habits will change.

For me, the glasses seem to be acting as a physical cue to focus on reading. With my glasses on, I’m less likely to switch modes and try to multitask. The end result is that once I start reading, I read longer.

Another fun side effect of getting old.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Grad School Recap, Spring 2019

6/21/19 • 3 min read

This post was originally posted on June 22, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

I haven’t written this much since my senior thesis.

I just wrapped up another semester of graduate school working part time towards a masters degree in mass communications. I intended to recap the semester right after classes were over, but I’ll be honest… the volume of reading, research and writing this semester (while working full time) completely exhausted me. A month-and-a-half later, I’m mostly recovered. It was a great semester and I’ve got a much better idea of where I’m heading with my thesis and plenty of ideas for future research.

This spring, I took two classes — one on the history of mass media and an introduction to content analysis.

For the mass media history class, I researched the introduction of the Linotype into weekly newspapers across South Carolina in the early 1900s. My project involved digging through newspaper archives and discovering fascinating stories about community papers at the turn of the century. I’m happy with the final paper and want to rework it a little bit before submitting it for conference consideration.

Content analysis is the process of systematically researching the patterns and content of documents and other communications materials. I performed a quantitative content analysis project looking at logo reviews on Brand New and how the content of the review affected reader reaction. The final paper was accepted by AEJMC’s Visual Communication division for presentation at the annual conference in Toronto this August. I’m really excited — and more than a little bit nervous — for my first academic conference presentation.

I enjoyed both classes, but the semester was exceptionally intense. I spent many evenings studying, reading and writing at the new Starbucks not too far from my house. I’m proud of both of my major papers and have many ideas of how to extend them into future research. A few other observations from the semester:

• Last fall, I realized that I needed software to track all the journal articles I was reading. I was surprised that most of the faculty members I talked to were using any kind of reference management software. I eventually settled on Zotero. Don’t let the brutalist interface fool you… The service is exceptionally powerful, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of what it can do. The free level had just enough cloud storage for this semester, but I’ll be upgrading to the paid tier for more storage next semester.
• I’m using Ulysses to write everything, but I may switch to using Scrivener for longer research papers. I’m also intrigued at the integration between Zotero and Google Docs, but I really don’t want to write everything in Google Docs.
• The solution to all problems in grad school is “read more.” I’ve read more in the last six months than I have in my life — mostly academic journal articles. And every time I had a question or a problem, the answer always started with “Have you read…?”

Next semester, I’m taking a single class — Literature of Mass Communication — and I’m teaching a class. I’m looking forward to another semester of research and what I assume will be a significant reading load.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.

Captive Social vs. Open Social

1/13/19 • 4 min read

Language matters.

This post was originally posted on January 13, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the language we use to talk about social media and content creation on the web. And as I’m writing about social media — especially microblogging and the indie web movement — I feel like we need a phrase to refer to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others that try to lock in users and leverage their private data to sell more ads, compared to the other newer services with revenue models that are less interested in ad sales or lock in.

I know that we already use “indie” and “indie web” as a way to differentiate between the two approaches, but I’m not sure that meaning is clear to a broader audience.

I’m going to go with “captive social” and “open social.”

Captive Social. Social media networks and services that make money through advertising, leveraging their user’s private data. Captive social networks benefit from gathering as much data on their users as possible and using that data to sell more relevant ads to users. To be profitable, that also means that they benefit from having users spend as much time as possible engaged with their platform. Examples of captive social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linked In, Snapchat.

I think my time in the insurance industry has partially inspired this terminology. Captive insurance agents are contractually obligated to only sell products from a single vendor. But I think the term is appropriate for the relationships we have with social media platforms. We are locked into each service silo with very little interoperability between competing platforms.

Open Social. Newer social media networks that are aren’t interested in trapping your data. They benefit from interoperability and the sharing of data between services. Their profitability isn’t based on leveraging personal user data, but on the value you derive from the service.

The inspiration for the terminology isn’t open source, it’s open web standards. I was a Mac user during the years of Internet Explorer dominance — when you sometimes couldn’t access a web site if you didn’t have the right browser. The open web standards push in the early 2000’s freed us from that nightmare and led to expanded browser choice. I hope that open social can have a similar effect on social media that open web standards had on the web.

Open social does have a distinct meaning from indie web. Indie web aims to separate itself from the corporate web, but open social is not necessarily limited to only small companies and decentralized platforms. A large corporation could build an open social platform, as long as they weren’t profiting from trapping your data and locking you into their service.¹ The difference isn’t the size of the provider, but instead, their goals, objectives and business models.

So here are a couple of examples of captive social and open social in context:

• I don’t know why you spend so much time on those captive social sites.

• I’m going to focus on open social platforms like Micro.Blog and limit the time I spend on captive social sites like Facebook and Twitter.

• Hopefully, open social platforms will have the same impact on the web that the open web standards movement did.

It’s a subtle change — a language shift that I think will help when we are having discussions with people who are concerned about privacy and the power of social media, but who aren’t comfortable hosting their sites or maintaining a server.

Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.