Nothing fixes itself. It only gets built.
This isn’t a list of wins. It’s how I work, and why. I spend my time on the part everyone skips: whatever happens after the good idea.
I used to think the hard part was the idea.
It isn’t. Ideas are cheap, and most people you meet have a decent one. What’s rare is the scaffolding that lets an idea survive contact with a calendar, a budget, and six other people’s opinions.
Two decades of building things from the wireframe up beats the romance out of you. You watch clever strategies hit real calendars and fall apart. That’s when you learn what actually matters.
You’ve watched this happen. A room agrees on something, everybody leaves, and nothing changes. That gap is the work.
Which is why I stopped calling it strategy. Strategy is what you present. Infrastructure is what’s still standing when nobody is presenting.
A book is just a thing you finish building.
In 2014 I wrote a book called Explore: Journey from Fear to Happiness. It’s about mastering fear and using it to live life fully, and writing it started a journey I’m still on. I wrote it for the introverts and the sheltered, the ones trying to find their way out of their fears. It’s still on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
What a lovable brand gets right.
01
Identity
What you stand for, said plainly enough that your team can repeat it.
02
Operational Empathy
What it’s like to work with you, and for you, on an ordinary Tuesday.
03
Craft
The care in the details people touch, from the first email to the finished thing.
04
Resonance
Whether people actually feel it, come back, and bring someone with them.
Three people I’ve worked with, in their words rather than mine.
David is an amazing thought partner and leader! He is attentive, innovative and super supportive with any project he's a part of. Working with him pushes you to think and produce more effectively and efficiently. Will continue to work with David on future projects.
David Yarde is full of knowledge and a natural educator. He was a guest speaker in my dual enrollment HTML & CSS Course and was really able to relate to my high school students. He provides real world experience and application for them to learn from. I confidently send potential clients to him and have enjoyed the ever evolving array of talents and skills he brings to projects he works on.
David is a deep thinker about branding philosophy. He is up to date with the latest in the industry and has a strong grasp of concepts and execution. He helped us on a project related to UX and styling and was a strong team player. I wish him all the best on his future endeavors!
What I’m doing at the moment.
Writing, mostly. There’s Explore, from 2014, and another book in progress. Brand strategy and design happen through Sevenality. Speaking and teaching I do on my own.
Read the writing
If any of this was useful, tell me.
And if you have something real to build, that’s a better opening than most.
Get in touch