WHATNOT

Amusing. I’ve always been a bit queasy about personal branding, even as someone who brands companies and products by day. Or perhaps because of that. To me, brand is about a cause, a tribe, a culture. It is a communal experience. It is so much bigger than anyone person. The Onion drives that point home with this amusing piece.

From tiny writing desks to giant painting studios, the only thing all of these creative studios have in common is that they inspired their successful inhabitants to create greatness.

(via Buzzfeed)

A smart take on how brand and story accelerate and amplify the success of tech start-ups, and will become an increased focus in the Silicon Valley.

Alex Mayyasi on the Priceonomics blog:

…Moleskine is not selling a notebook, it’s selling customers on the identity of being the type of person who uses a moleskine - someone whose cultured globetrotting is reminiscent of Hemingway.

(via parislemon)

And neither is President Obama, for that matter.

Many get confused when calling the cutoffs for generations because they look at birth rates, a lagging indicator of the fundamental shift in values and attitudes that signal the emergence of a new cohort. Generational experts who understand this define Generation X as being those born between 1961 and 1981. (Hello Neil Howe!)

It is nice to see an article that reflects a good understanding of Generation X, which is too often overlooked in lieu of the larger Boomer and Millennial cohorts. Understanding Generation X is especially important now since they are taking on positions of power and influence as Boomers move into retirement.

(via Salon)

Questions can provide a reality check on whether or not a business is staying true to what it stands for and aims to achieve.

(via Fast Company’s Co.DESIGN)