“Yes, and…” integration in a digital world.

What? Isn’t that just a humorous commercial for a phone/internet service provider?
Century link. Yep.
AT&T. Yep. (the power of &)
Tina Fey. Yep.

What?
Tina Fey?
Yep.

As my partners and I considered how we do business in numerous conversations, I was reading BossyPants.  We realized in all we were doing, we were looking for “yes, and…” participants.

In consultants, in contractors, in material providers, in graphics, even in clients – when something challenging is encountered, we need “yes, and…” responses. We want team members who are there to contribute and add to, not stop or take away from progress or the development/ betterment of the design.

I refer to Fey’s BossyPants:

“When hiring, mix Harvard nerds with Chicago Improvisers and stir…” (you’ll have to read the book to get the full effect). But what results is rich, layered and much more than if limited to resources of only one – one style, one paradigm, one concept, one walled garden…much more indeed.

What we realized is the “yes, and…” attitude does not stop with the people we encounter and engage with during the design process – it also applies to hardware, software, integration, coordination, cooperation, versions, software structures, and overall “playing well with others” in this digital world. Examples of these situations will follow in future posts – but all are an opportunity of rich solution – YES, AND…

Who needs software that won’t provide any benefit to the other programs you use? What if you can’t print it, export it, share it – use it to further the design? Get rid of it.  It is limiting, prohibitive, and compromising your design process.

Software – any software has its limitations. Hardware – any hardware has its limitations. Knowing these limits and working within them and around them (with adjacent software and hardware) is where the magic is.

Yes, and:

Mac? Yes.
Windows? Yes.
What does this mean? Both.

Think about it: what are MAC’s know for doing well? Graphics, graphic design, art, publishing, and we have all heard “it just works”. How about Windows? Data processing, email, communications, detailed meticulous stuff it does well but doesn’t necessarily “present it well”(in difference to the MAC references earlier – has anyone seen classic PowerPoint presentations lately?)

What we have found, given that we have both digital worlds available now, is that we do both differently – our PPT presentations do not look like typical PPT presentations anymore. And sometimes they aren’t – they are in fact Keynotes instead…Word? Sure, Pages? Sure. Excel? Sure. Numbers? You bet…You get the idea. AND we now can share anything we produce with our clients in ANY format they need – sometimes in BOTH operating systems. Literally a win-win.
Both worlds strengths, both worlds weaknesses. Use them to their strengths.
Both means no limitations – when one waxes, the other wanes.

Both means knowing each world, each OS.

See the short video below as an example: This is my desktop with some narration to give an overview of what can be done. We will get into more detail soon (by the way I’ve been advised these posts shouldn’t be too long – so if it appears there is “more” there sure is – and it’s coming.)…Check it out:

A learning curve for sure, but one with multiple rewards. You know the latest Sierra? AND Windows 10? How about Windows 8.1? How about how they run together?

Together? Yes. Together: introducing Parallels, VM’s, say hello to my little virtual friend. Sort of.
We now are concerned with operating systems, software within those operating systems, and the software hosting virtual machines within that operating system. It’s a magical thing! Truly magical. With limitations – the limitations are a dark magic to be wary of.
Need to work in windows? Go for it.
Need to work in MAC? Go for it. – on the same machine! In your client’s office, in a presentation, on the road – wherever. Truly magical.
Need to update something – woe!
Hold it right there.
In the words of Zork, “You have moved into a dark place. It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.”…not really, but be very careful.

I’ll explain more in later posts.
Now go on, and have fun.
As we continue this adventure let me make one thing clear: I own no stock in Windows or Apple (wish I did sometimes). Rather, we have invested THEM into our process, our studio, our future.

I encourage you to look into the virtual machine in your office if you have not. Backup, move, restore, save, like any other file. Manage and update like any other computer. Use like any other computer. Provide software where Apple cannot (REVIT). Edit movies where Windows cannot (Final Cut Pro). Cut and paste from Apple into Windows and back again – magical.
Did I say earlier I love what I do?
It’s quite the adventure.
Tina Fey was right.
Yes, and.
Indeed.