An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth Matt 13 May 2005

8 comments Latest by Darrel

Props to anyone who can combine the ideas of John Cage, Marshall McLuhan, Frank Gehry, Leonard Cohen, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dr. Seuss the way Bruce Mau does in An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth. Some highlights: Allow yourself the fun of failure every day. Begin anywhere. Produce a high ratio of ideas to applications. Allow failure and migration to be part of your practice. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Creativity is not device-dependent. Try using old-tech equipment made obsolete by an economic cycle but still rich with potential. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.

8 comments so far (Jump to latest)

Anonymous Coward 13 May 05

Props… give me a break

Tom Dolan 13 May 05

About every six months someone [re]discover’s Mau’s manifesto and gives it props, and the post is inevitably followed by a commenter linking to Dean Allen’s Gruber-esque savaging. I’m impressed that the lag time has been eliminated and the chore was taken care of in comment #1 here. Nice work.

S. 13 May 05

I tried to read it but it was too painfully funny. You’re still in your early 20’s aren’t you? Real life hasn’t really kicked in yet. :)

Humid Haney 13 May 05

I referenced Bruce Mau’s Manifesto the other day when explaining to someone the link I was sending them. It was the link to the 37signals Manifesto. I refered to it as “Bruce Mau for the Web.”

And I don’t pan these manifestos. They all have value. At least for me.

Platte 13 May 05

Wow, people must be affected by the rain. OK, it isn’t the most amazing post this year, but have some mercy!

OK, I admit I posted it to del.icio.us. I like John Cage, after all.

Thanks for the “bullshit” link, anyway, Dean.

Darrel 16 May 05

I think Mau’s manifesto is mainly targetted AT visual designers. Namely those stuck in agencies that pretty much ignore all the conepts he goes over (use design speak when speaking to designers…). In terms of it being a manifesto for your customers to understand, I think that’s where Dean’s notes come in handy.

And in terms of business, the bullshit link is perhaps the most important. ;o)