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Google's John Mueller answered a question about the nature of core updates: Are they rolled out in steps or all at once then refined? The post Google Answers Why Core Updates Can Roll Out In Stages appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

You’re a solopreneur, so you’re in charge of everything. You set your own hours, choose your clients, and decide how your business runs. Nobody needs to approve your decisions. The worst part of solopreneurship is also that you’re in charge. Every decision, every approval, every process runs through one person: you. And when you stall, so does everything else. The same control that makes solo work so appealing can also become the thing that holds your business back. If your business can’t function without your hands on every single detail, you’ll hold yourself back. At some point, you have to figure out how some aspects of your business can run without you. Where solopreneurs get stuck Bottlenecks don’t usually feel like bottlenecks. They feel like “just how things are.” You’re a solopreneur, so you’re supposed to do everything yourself . . . right? You’ve hit a bottleneck when you have no more time to give to your business. And as a result, you can’t grow or dedicate your energy to high-value work. A few scenarios are common in solo businesses. You have overly manual processes. You’re copying data between apps, setting up new projects from scratch, or holding your to-do list in your head. Mundane, menial tasks eat up hours of your time. You hold on to tasks you’ve outgrown. Solopreneurs often keep doing work they could hand off—bookkeeping, scheduling social posts, organizing documents—because they believe no one else will do it well enough. These tasks are necessary, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best use of your time. You are the decision bottleneck. When you’re the only person who can approve, review, or sign off on something, work stalls whenever you’re busy or indecisive. This gets especially expensive if you work with contractors, a social media manager, or a virtual assistant. If they can’t move forward without your input, their waiting time becomes a cost to your business. How to clear the way Once you’ve identified where things have slowed down, you can start to make changes. Here are some fixes to try. Automate the repetitive stuff. If a task follows the same steps every time, you might be able to automate it. I use automation tools to automate roughly 1,500 tasks per month in my business. Even at a conservative estimate of 10 seconds per task, that’s four to five hours of my time saved. When you automate tasks in the apps you use, you don’t get “stuck” when you have a heavy workload. Delegate with clear guardrails. If you bring on a project manager, assistant, or contractor, you need to take one of two approaches so you don’t become the bottleneck. You either need to give them really repetitive work that doesn’t require decision-making, or you need to empower the person to make decisions—and then get out of their way. Either way, you set up the work so the other person can move forward without waiting on you. Build in decision deadlines for yourself. Solopreneurs don’t have managers pushing them to decide. If you tend to sit on decisions (whether to acquire a new tool, make a pricing change, or take on a client), give yourself a deadline. Indecision can cost you opportunities, so force yourself to move forward one way or the other. Your solutions have to be practical For one week, pay attention to the tasks that require you specifically. If someone or something else (a tool or an automation) could handle it, that task is a candidate for removal from your plate. Sometimes removing bottlenecks comes with a hard cost. You have to pay for a tool or pay for someone to help you. The solution has to fit within your budget. But there’s another approach that’s free. Let stuff go. You can’t do everything. When you audit your week, figure out whether anything can be safely removed altogether. Not automated or passed off to another person. Just completely dropped. Sometimes the most effective fix for bottlenecks is realizing that a task wasn’t necessary in the first place. View the full article

What do you do if you want to eat fish, but you hate the idea of harming wild animals? Or if you’d like a nice lox and bagel, but you’re concerned about mercury and microplastics—or the broader climate risks of industrial fishing. What are your options? One San Francisco startup has an answer: Grab cells from a salmon, grow them in giant tanks in a lab-like setting filled with a warm bath of nutrients that mimic the inside of a real fish, and then coax them onto veggie-based scaffolds to form a piece of premium fish that’s never touched an ocean. That’s the vision driving Wildtype, a lab-grown fish company based in San Francisco’s trendy Dogpatch neighborhood. I stopped by, met Wildtype’s cofounder Dr. Aryé Elfenbein, and tried some of the company’s lab-grown salmon firsthand. The Fishery From the outside, Wildtype’s headquarters look like a nondescript industrial building. The only identifying mark is a stylized, W-shaped sign. Inside, though, it more closely resembles a high-end sushi restaurant. Elfenbein—a curly-haired, enthusiastic, practicing cardiologist with a deep passion for fish—greeted me warmly at the door and took me inside. I was immediately drawn to a multistory glass window at the center of the cavernous room. Behind it were gleaming stainless-steel tanks, resembling the kind of kit you might find at a microbrewery. That’s fitting, as Wildtype’s space used to host a beer-brewing operation. And the connection runs deeper. Elfenbein told me he dislikes the term “lab-grown fish” and prefers the term “cultivated.” I get it. The moniker “lab grown” evokes Frankenstein-esque visions of sparking lighting generators and people in biohazard suits wielding test tubes. Dr. Arye Elfenbein Elfenbein’s objection to the “lab grown” terms runs deeper, though. As a scientist, he’s been in plenty of labs. And he was quick to point out that Wildtype’s operation doesn’t require the kind of clean-room, negative-pressure, super-advanced environment you’d find in a true bioscience lab. It’s more akin, again, to a microbrewery, Elfenbein explained. Except instead of brewing beer, Wildtype is brewing fish. After visiting the tanks, Elfenbein led me over to a bespoke wooden sushi bar, beautifully decorated with cookbooks and ephemera from the sea. He then set about preparing me some fish to try out. A Single Fish Elfenbein explained that when the company first started making its cultivated fish, a pound of product might cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce. Although it doesn’t require a lab, the process is scientifically complex. It begins with cells taken from a real salmon—in fact, one specific baby salmon whose cells were extracted years ago. Elfenbein told me that they initially thought they’d need to harvest cells from lots of individual fish in order to get their process right. After some work in the early days, Elfenbein told me that Wildtype has “not needed to return to the animals.” For over seven years, the single sample from a single fish has been enough. The company had purchased lots of salmon, anticipating the need to harvest multiple cell lines. When that turned out to be unnecessary, they kept the extra fish as pets. Elfenbein told me that he knows, as a scientist, he isn’t supposed to get attached to his subjects. But in spending time with Wildtype’s fish, he started to recognize that different individuals had different preferences and ways of behaving. It hammered in the idea that even a salmon is a unique, individual animal, and that killing one for food means ending a life. After harvesting cells, Wildtype grows them in a special nutrient solution. The specific type of harvested cells can become fat cells, muscle tissue, connective tissue, and more. By altering the nutrient solution, the company can coax the cells to adopt each of these unique identities. With a variety of cell types ready to go, Wildtype uses a plant-based scaffolding to coax the cells to assemble themselves into a piece of actual fish. Interestingly, Elfenbein told me the cells seem pre-programmed to do this—give them the right scaffold, and they’ll handle much of the assembly process on their own. With more time to grow, the fish gets tastier. Elfenbein likened the process to aging a fine wine. The Path to Walmart The details of the various solutions and scaffolds used are the product of years of work at Wildtype. The end result is a piece of actual fish, made from real salmon cells, with the marbled fat, connective tissue, and flavor of conventional salmon. Elfenbein told me that in blind taste tests, people can’t tell the difference between their cultivated fish and the fish from the ocean. That makes Wildtype’s product markedly different from meat alternatives, which currently dominate the market for non-meat meat. Brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible use plant cells and fats, processing them to resemble meat. Wildtype’s cultivated fish, in contrast, is made from real fish cells. That makes it far closer to the real thing than a plant-based substitute. That proximity has already stirred up trouble in certain circles. As Elfenbein pulled out a fancy Japanese knife (he’s spent significant time in Japan) and started preparing the fish I was about to taste, he told me, “What I’m about to do right now could land me in jail in multiple states.” Indeed, several states have already preemptively banned cultivated or lab-grown meat or fish. This bewilders Elfenbein. His product is American-made, he told me, in contrast to most commercial fish, which is farmed abroad. And he’s not a rabid animal rights protestor—just a scientist who thinks he can do something in a better, more efficient, less harmful way. That should endear Wildtype to protectionist-minded types. But apparently, the specter of artificial meat is too much for some people to stomach. Elfenbein told me that, interestingly, his biggest supporters in multiple states are hardcore libertarians. “I’d never be caught dead eating this weird San Francisco stuff,” they apparently tell him. “But if a man wants to eat something, he should be allowed to eat it!” Thankfully, in San Francisco and multiple other states, Wildtype’s product (which has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration) is perfectly legal. It’s currently offered at several high-end fish restaurants and sushi bars in California and other Western states. In the early days, Elfenbein said, Wildtype focused on producing sashimi-grade raw salmon for these kinds of sushi bars. Now, though, they’ve pivoted to something different—smoked salmon. Why? Elfenbein told me that there’s something uniquely special about lox on a good bagel. And beyond that, Wildtype doesn’t want to only serve high-end spots. The company’s dream, Elfenbein told me, is to have their product sold at Walmart. That would make cultivated fish a mainstream product, and expand the company’s impact dramatically. Just as organic food made the jump from niche, hippie product to mass-market commodity, Elfenbein hopes cultivated fish will do the same—with the attendant benefits to animals and the environment. The Moment of Truth As we spoke, Elfenbein opened a package of entirely ordinary-looking smoked salmon, cut several slices, put it on top of crackers with some pickled onions and cream cheese, apologized for not having good-enough bagels to serve me, and then put down a lovely plate of dainty little morsels on the bar in front of me. I bit into one. It tasted like fish. My first impression was that it had a bit less of the connective tissue than conventional smoked salmon, giving it a bit less pull than the traditional stuff. As I ate more, though, I had a harder and harder time telling it apart from the smoked fish I eat every weekend. Wildtype smokes it in-house using a special wood blend, and the thin format of smoked salmon likely makes it easier to grow than a big hunk of sashimi. It was tasty. But most of all—save for my knowledge of how it was produced—it was unremarkable. It just tasted like a nice slice of lox. Nothing more and nothing less. That surprised me. I was expecting something goopy or incomplete—like when a vegan friend serves you a dish made with tofu and insists, incorrectly, that “this tastes just like the real thing!” I expected to have to squint a bit—visually and culinarily—to believe I was really eating salmon. Wildtype’s fish wasn’t like that at all. It just tasted like fish. Again, that’s exactly Wildtype’s goal. It’s ironic that it takes years of work from highly trained scientists and an industrial building full of equipment to duplicate a process that nature does entirely unassisted every day. But it’s a common story in San Francisco. Decades of research and training result in machines and processes that mimic biology—but with benefits. Indeed, I rode to Wildtype’s headquarters in an AI-powered Waymo that had been meticulously trained by armies of researchers to do something that humans do with their brains every day, only better. Beyond the taste of Wildtype’s cultivated fish, there is a laundry list of benefits to fish that don’t come from the ocean. It has far less environmental impact than wild-harvested or farmed fish, Elfenbein told me. I could literally look behind me while I ate and see exactly where my fish came from—and no diesel-exhaust-spewing trawler had to set out to sea to get it to me. Wildtype’s fish is also free from parasites, microplastics, mercury, and many of the other contaminants lurking in much of America’s commercial salmon. And of course, there’s the core benefit of not killing animals. Elfenbein told me that Wildtype exists in a strange gray area when it comes to animal rights. The product is not technically vegan, because it’s derived from animal cells. Yet many vegans choose to eat it, and many animal rights activists and organizations are quietly cheering on Wildtype’s work. Elfenbein told me that when lifelong vegans come to try Wildtype’s cultivated fish, he has to warn them: “If you’re eating fish for the first time ever, you’re probably not going to like it!” Salmon of any variety is an acquired taste. But more and more vegans are willing to acquire it via Wildtype’s products, Elfenbein said. Even a local middle school has stopped by to sample it. That got me curious as to the choice of product: Why grow fish in the first place? Elfenbein told me that, as a cardiologist who still practices in the ICU, he felt the world didn’t need more meat loaded with saturated fat or cholesterol. Fish is healthy, but most Americans don’t eat enough of it. It’s also pricier than ground beef or chicken, which makes the economics of running a cultivated fish company work better. Elfenbein shared that the cost of producing Wildtype’s cultivated fish has dropped dramatically. If the company’s processes were scaled up and run by appropriate staff members in an appropriate facility for mass production—not by highly trained, highly paid scientists in the heart of the West Coast’s most expensive city—the cost of their fish could match or even beat the conventionally harvested sort. That’s the goal at Wildtype: Deliver a product that competes on price and quality, but that is otherwise mass market enough that you might eat it without even realizing you’ve done so. There are still many hurdles to cross before Wildtype gets there. But in meeting Elfenbein and trying the product, I can see an everyday consumer topping their bagel with fish grown in a massive (non-lab) lab, adding a bit of nice cream cheese, and wolfing it down without batting an eye—or wondering if an animal was killed. View the full article

Captain steps back after his link to Chinese spy case triggers Royal Navy probeView the full article

There’s a pattern hiding in the biographies of the most brilliant minds: repeatable habits anyone can practice. It has nothing to do with being a genius. You don’t need talent or intelligence, though that helps. Benjamin Franklin taught himself to write by dismantling essays he admired, rewriting them from memory. And comparing his version to the original. Charles Darwin spent years obsessively collecting barnacles (spineless animals that look like small circular white rocks) before publishing anything about evolution. Richard Feynman rebuilt physics from first principles in notebooks he kept purely for himself. None of these men was following a specific rule. Nobody assigned them a reading list. They were doing something harder and rarer: They were directing their own learning. And in doing so, they accidentally revealed a set of habits almost every serious polymath shares. I’ve been trying to apply the wisdom of these thinkers, and I’m enjoying the process so far. It’s fascinating how many topics you can connect if you follow your curiosities. You don’t have to be a genius to adopt these habits. But you do have to be willing to learn differently. 1. They follow an obsession Most of us learn the way we were taught to learn in school. You sit down, read what you must, and move on with your life. Learning becomes a transaction. You put time in, you get information out . . . and probably do nothing with it. It feels productive, but it rarely changes your life. Polymaths take a different approach. They let themselves be consumed. Leonardo da Vinci studied human anatomy because he needed to understand how the body worked. His notebooks, thousands of pages of drawings, questions, and observations were the output of an obsession he couldn’t switch off. Obsession has a bad reputation. We associate it with imbalance, with losing yourself. But obsession, directed well, is just laser-focused curiosity. It won’t stay within conventional rules. It keeps asking why long after the reasonable person has moved on. The learning that sticks, compounds, and makes you genuinely good at something almost always begins with curiosity. Feynman described this with almost unsettling clarity. He called it keeping a “dozen favorite problems” running in the back of your mind at all times. When something new came across his desk — a paper, an idea, a random conversation — he’d immediately test it against his problems: “Does this help me crack any of these?” If yes, he’d go deeper. If not, he’d move on. It’s a deceptively simple system. You’re not waiting to be told what to learn or think. You’re maintaining a list of open questions and applying them to life’s problems. The practical implication is uncomfortable for most people. Polymaths are ruthless about feeding the flame when it appears. And are patient about waiting for the surprises and results. 2. Polymaths teach before they’re ready Every serious learner experiences this. You’ve absorbed enough to feel competent. You understand the concepts. But then, someone asks you to explain it. And you realize you understand far less than you thought. It’s a humbling experience. Some polymaths build teaching into their learning process as a diagnostic tool. If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it. Feynman turned this into a method now called the “Feynman technique,” an epistemic commitment to break complex ideas into simple terms. The idea is straightforward: Take a concept you’re learning, explain it on paper as if you’re teaching it to a 12-year-old, and notice every time you reach for a technical term. Now the jargon is covering a gap. Go back to the source material and fill it. Feynman was forcing his brain to rebuild the concept from scratch rather than just recognize it. Recognition and reconstruction are completely different cognitive tasks. You can recognize a good argument without being able to make one. Teaching forces reconstruction. Franklin did something similar with writing. He would read an excellent essay, put it away, and then try to recreate it from memory in his own words, with his own structure. Then he’d compare. Where did I fall short? Where did I complicate the original idea? He was teaching himself to think like a good writer by exposing the gaps between what he thought he understood and what he could produce. The habit from all of this is: Never let understanding sit in your head. Put it somewhere external. Write it out. Explain it to a friend. Record yourself. The discomfort of realizing you’ve only half-understood something is worth 10 hours of passive rereading. Most of us avoid exposing our gaps. It’s uncomfortable. We’d rather feel competent than confirm that we’re not. Polymaths have a different relationship with not knowing. They are comfortable, even excited, by the discovery of a gap. It means something interesting is ahead. Darwin called this being “a happy fool,” someone untroubled by how much they didn’t yet know. Because not knowing was the precondition of learning. You have to get comfortable being wrong before you’ve finished thinking. It’s a trainable habit. 3. They connect across fields, deliberately Specialization is the dominant model of modern knowledge work. Build expertise. Become the person who knows more about this particular thing than almost anyone else. Of course, there’s real value in this. We all need specialists in different domains. But polymaths have a different intuition. They believe the most interesting knowledge crosses borders. Charlie Munger, who was not a scientist or a philosopher but one of the most rigorous thinkers in American business, built his entire intellectual life around this idea. Munger called it a “latticework of mental models,” a deliberately constructed tool kit drawn from physics, psychology, biology, economics, history, and literature. His argument was that if you only have the models from your own field, you’ll force every problem through those models, whether they fit or not. But if you have models from many fields, you can recognize patterns that people trapped inside one discipline will simply miss. Munger saw this play out constantly in investing. Psychologists know about cognitive biases. The investor who understands this is one step ahead. This cross-pollination is deliberate among polymaths. Da Vinci read voraciously across mathematics, botany, geology, and music theory, explicitly believing that each field makes the other better. Gottfried Leibniz, who co-invented calculus, was simultaneously one of the most significant philosophers of his time. He studied theology, philosophy, law, and linguistics. His knowledge in one area gave him tools the specialists of another had not developed yet. For you, this means reading deliberately outside your field. What mental models can you take across domains? What does a scientist know about human motivation that a psychologist might miss? The habit is to treat every new domain as a potential source of tools you don’t have yet. Use the ideas as frameworks—ways of thinking that you can carry back into your main area of work and apply where no one expects them. This is uncomfortable in a different way from the previous habits. Teaching yourself exposes gaps. But cross-field reading exposes that the model you’ve been using might be incomplete, or wrong, or only true in limited circumstances. This realization tends to complicate things for specialists. Polymaths love complications. They enjoy the process of arriving at a settled understanding. Together, these three habits create a relationship with knowledge in a completely different way. Most of us approach learning as consumers. We take in what we’re given, in the order we’re given it, for the purposes we’ve been assigned. Polymaths approach learning as makers. They build a model of the world, a set of tools, an understanding they could actually use. The learning has direction. It has a purpose they define from the beginning. Self-directed learning is about being the author of your own intellectual life—deciding what questions matter, building the habits that take your understanding to a whole new level, and refusing to stay within the walls of a single room when the whole house is open. You already have the capacity. The question is whether you’ll take responsibility for the direction. View the full article

The disruptions from the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran spread quickly to commercial aircraft, shipping lanes, and the world’s energy supply. Those repercussions have already hit fuel costs, including for motorists, truckers, and fishermen, and are set to spread even more widely to packaging, household goods, appliances, medicines, and electronics. I study global supply chains and how they interconnect and depend on each other around the world. There are several ways in which U.S. consumers will begin to feel the pinch of the war. Some of those effects have to do with domestic commerce, and some are a result of the interwoven nature of global trade, where raw materials from one place are shipped somewhere that they are manufactured into specific items that are then transported to consumers. Rising costs in the U.S. Here are the main categories in which costs will begin to rise. Fuel shortages and freight surcharges: From March 2-16, 2026, the average nationwide price of U.S. regular gasoline rose from $3.01 to $3.96 per gallon, while diesel fuel rose from $3.89 to $5.37. Diesel prices matter to consumer costs because diesel engines power trucks, farm machines, construction equipment, fishing vessels, and many of the vehicles that carry domestic freight. When items become more expensive to harvest, build, and ship, diesel costs spread quickly into grocery, household, and building material prices. Chemicals, fertilizer, and packaging: QatarEnergy has said Iranian attacks on the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant at Ras Laffan and another plant in Mesaieed, both in Qatar, forced the company to stop producing LNG and associated products on March 2. Two days later, the company declared that it could not fulfill its contracts due to extreme external pressures that would require many years to recover from. The affected products included urea, polymers, and methanol, used to make fertilizer, plastics, detergents, packaging, and other consumer goods. Reduced production and closed transit routes are also affecting supplies of aluminum and helium produced in the Gulf countries. Factory slowdowns abroad: When shipping slows and energy costs rise, factories abroad face higher operating costs. As a result, they ration production, diverting energy supplies to producing a narrow range of high-value products that can absorb these costs. Diversions of shipment traffic and fewer transportation routes lead to delivery delays. Economic research shows that shipping-cost increases also raise import prices, producer costs, and consumer inflation. Air cargo and delivery delays: Early in the conflict, several countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, closed their airspace to all traffic. Later advisories warned of risks to planes over neighboring countries as well, except for limited corridors. Those closures affected 20% of global air cargo capacity, raising the risk of delays for higher-value cargo such as medicines, aircraft components, and electronics. Global disruptions About 80% of the oil and 90% of the LNG moving through the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is destined for Asian markets. With strait shipments stopped, consumer electronics and manufacturing hubs in China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea are drawing on their energy reserves and inventories. But those supplies will run out in a few months. Reduced manufacturing capacity can be expected to cause shortages and higher costs for textiles, chemicals, consumer goods, electronics, appliances, auto parts, and fertilizer-intensive industries. Europe is less directly dependent than Asia on Hormuz shipments, but it is still vulnerable to high LNG prices, increased shipping costs, and diesel fuel shortages. Europe has also already faced shortages of heating oil and other fuels as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The strait carried about 7% of Europe’s LNG inflows in 2025, and higher costs for energy, ship fuel, freight, and insurance can ripple through global trade. For the U.S., that matters because Europe supplies industrial equipment, precision components, medical technology, and specialty chemicals sold to businesses and directly to consumers. African economies are especially exposed to fuel and fertilizer shocks. Large volumes of fertilizer pass through Hormuz, and higher energy and fertilizer prices threaten crop yields and food systems across most of Africa. As a result, U.S. prices can rise for coffee and chocolate—much of which originates in Africa—as well as critical minerals for electric vehicles, energy storage, and high-tech equipment. Coming home to Americans This war is not a distant geopolitical shock for U.S. households. It reaches everyday life through fuel, freight, fertilizer, petrochemicals, and global supply chains via factories that produce consumer goods. Some mitigation is possible: 32 nations will be releasing more than 400 million barrels of oil to the global market over the next few months. There are pipelines and alternative ports in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that, if they remain undamaged and uninterrupted, can handle potentially 40% of the 20 billion barrels per day that were passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Combined with a temporary easing of sanctions on Russian oil, limited shipments to India and China through the Strait of Hormuz, and the March 23 announcement of a five-day pause on U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, it is possible to head off the worst-case scenario. But these measures cannot fully replace the strait’s normal oil and LNG shipment volume. And if oil production, refining, and shipment locations continue to be targeted, recovery can be expected to stretch into many months. The likely result is broader inflation, prolonged shortages, and longer waits for goods of all sorts, including food and packaging as well as electronics and appliances. Vidya Mani is an associate professor of business administration at the University of Virginia and Cornell University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

Meg O’Neill’s first message to staff pledges improved performance in difficult geopolitical environmentView the full article

When professionals hit their cognitive limit, most people assume the problem is lack of time or energy. But in reality, overwhelmed people are taking more action than ever. When overwhelm hits, they start doing even more: more lists, more reorganizing, more inbox management, more clicking between tabs. They are busy, visibly productive, heads down for hours, yet at the end of the day the most important work still hasn’t moved. The productivity mistake almost everyone makes when they’re overwhelmed comes down to taking the wrong action while feeling certain the whole time that they’re taking the right one. A 2025 managerial study found that digital fatigue and cognitive overload are strongly linked to reduced performance, especially when work demands exceed capacity. Research in cognitive psychology adds to that picture. When the brain is overloaded, it doesn’t reach for its best tools. It reaches for its most familiar ones, the ones that have historically felt like productivity even when they produce very little of it. At the same time, employers are increasingly seeing cognitive load management as a core managerial responsibility rather than an individual burden. Understanding the difference between organizing and progressing is one of the most important skills a professional can develop, and most people never make that distinction clearly enough to change their behavior because of it. The action that feels productive but isn’t When we’re overwhelmed, the brain reaches for something familiar, something that has, in the past, been associated with success. For most professionals, making lists and getting organized has always come right before getting things done, so under pressure that’s what we reach for. We make the list. We sort the inbox. We color-code the calendar, and it feels like progress because it always used to come right before progress. (Turns out, those two things are definitely not the same.) Stephanie Davis, a business consultant who helps companies identify what’s actually driving growth, calls this pattern “pigeon syndrome,” rooted in B.F. Skinner’s famous experiments: pigeons in cages where food dropped randomly, with no connection to their behavior, would repeat whatever they happened to be doing when the food appeared, obsessively, because the association felt real even though it wasn’t. “I see this in companies all the time,” Davis says. “We are plagued by the illusion of control.” The to-do list is the perfect professional example. Making the list feels like doing the work, which is a very convincing feeling that produces no actual output. “The to-do list was a ramp, not the destination,” Davis says. Organization is preparation for the work, and conflating the two is where the day disappears. Why the brain defaults to the ramp This pattern has more to do with neuroscience than it does with willpower (which means you’re not totally to blame if you’re feeling singled out). When cognitive load exceeds capacity, the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for judgment and strategic thinking, is taken over by our fast-thinking, emotionally-driven lizard brain designed for survival. Rather than asking “what is the highest-value action I can take right now?”, it asks “what have I done before that felt like it worked?” and then answers that question with great confidence, whether or not the answer applies to the current situation. The brain under stress also has a deep aversion to inaction. Research on decision-making shows that people will consistently choose a familiar action over a better one because doing nothing feels irresponsible, even when staying still would produce better results. Soccer goalies facing a penalty kick almost always dive left or right, despite data showing they’d stop more goals by staying in the center, because standing still feels passive in a way that moving never does. Most overwhelmed professionals are in exactly that mode: working extremely hard, diving in all directions, and rarely stopping to ask whether any of it is landing. Organization is a tool, not the work At Lifehack Method, we work with professionals around a framework we call the Massive Action Triangle. It’s three tools, used together, that create the conditions for action that moves you forward. The tools are your calendar, your to-do list, and your Life Map, a running list of leveraged priorities that bridges where you are to where you need to be. The critical word there is “conditions.” These tools exist to create radical clarity about what to do next, and then get out of the way so you can go do the thing. Organization should happen fast, as a launchpad, and the moment you’re spending more time organizing than absolutely necessary, you’ve crossed a line into ineffective motion without progress. The sequence matters enormously here. Michelle Hart, Senior Director at Salesforce and an executive coach, uses the analogy of a glass jar to make the point. “If you have a jar, you put the big rocks in first and the sand fills in around them — but if you fill it with sand first, you can’t get the big rocks in,” she says. The rocks represent your top priorities, and the sand represents everything else. This goes against natural instinct when we’re under pressure, because scooping sand is considerably easier than lifting rocks. But high performers resist that urge, and instead put their big rocks first. Not after the inbox is clean, not after the project tracker is updated, not after one more quick thing that somehow takes forty minutes. It’s a true skill to let the small fires burn, but it’s the skill that sets knowledge workers apart in the age of the infinite workday. When organizations manufacture the problem Cognitive overload isn’t only an individual challenge. Organizations generate more of it by accident, usually while congratulating themselves on how hard everyone is working. Wendy Woolfork, an executive advisor focused on leadership development and workplace culture, is frequently brought into organizations where people are exhausted, performing below their potential, and defaulting to busywork, not because they’re unmotivated but because the organization has made doing meaningful work tricky. Unclear expectations, meeting overload, last-minute escalations, poor change communication aren’t inconveniences. They are direct withdrawals from the cognitive capacity your people need to do real work, and the cumulative cost is staggering. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that worker fatigue costs employers $136.4 billion annually in health-related lost productivity, a figure the National Safety Council continues to cite today. To counteract this lost productivity, Woolfork stresses that leadership needs to be “in the business of shrinking friction.” Every unnecessary meeting, every unclear directive, every sand-filling task the organization drops into someone’s day creates distance between your team and the work that actually matters. Even technology like AI should be evaluated to make sure it’s producing outsized value for team members, since generating inputs without more bandwidth to process them accelerates overload rather than relieving it. What to do instead Getting out of this pattern requires a deliberate recalibration of what you’re actually doing and why. Before touching anything else, identify your rocks. These top priorities are not what’s loudest in your inbox, but the one or two things that actually move the needle. Write those down and do them first, purposefully pushing off other work that pulls on your attention. Treat your productivity tools as a launchpad, orient yourself quickly, and then do the work. When getting organized consistently takes more than 30 minutes before you start, preparation may have become avoidance. If overwhelm is severe, stepping away from your screen is more effective than it sounds. When the thinking brain is struggling, the solution is rarely to think harder in the same environment. A change of physical space, a walk, even switching from coffee to water, gives your nervous system a chance to settle and your prefrontal cortex a chance to come back online. It feels unproductive but it’s actually the opposite. For managers, protecting bandwidth before it’s gone is the job. Give teams genuine recovery time after high-demand sprints. Audit your meeting cadence with fresh eyes. Ask honestly whether the friction in your organization is making it easier or harder for people to reach the work that actually matters, and then do something about the answer. The question worth asking At the end of a full, busy, exhausting day, one question is worth sitting with: was I working on the right things, or did I let the busy work take over? Both involve action, and both feel productive, but only one of them represents progress. Organization is a good tool, to be sure, but it’s not the work itself. The goal was never a perfectly color-coded list. The goal was always progress, and the fastest path there starts with being ruthlessly clear about which actions actually lead to it and which ones just feel like they do. View the full article

The productivity numbers don’t lie. Or do they? Most companies have now rolled out AI tools enterprise-wide. Licenses have been purchased. Trainings have been scheduled. Slack channels have been flooded with prompts. And yet, when leadership asks about the ROI, the room goes quiet. This is not a new story. In 1987, economist Robert Solow looked at the data after years of massive corporate investment in personal computers and found something baffling: zero statistically significant improvement in productivity. Companies had bought the technology. They just had not changed how they worked. This became known as the productivity paradox, and it is playing out again right now with AI. Here is the uncomfortable truth: most organizations are not suffering from a technology problem. They are suffering from a thinking problem. They got the tool. They skipped the strategy. I’m an AI transformation strategist, keynote speaker, and author of How to Do More with Less Using AI. I saw how AI changed my own team at Alibaba in 2018 and now I’m seeing the same mistakes happen in the wider industry. Here are three signs your company is using AI wrong right now, and what to do instead. 1. You are measuring adoption, not outcomes I was keynoting at a large Fortune 500 company the other day, and I heard that the big exec at the company was using adoption numbers by the number of people that logged into the tool. Yikes! I couldn’t believe that we were still looking at that as a verifiable number when it comes to AI adoption. If your AI success metrics look like “percentage of employees who have logged in” or “number of prompts submitted per week,” you are measuring the wrong thing entirely. Activity is not progress. A team that runs two hundred AI prompts a day but still produces the same output as before has not adopted AI. It has dressed up the same process in a new costume. The organizations that are actually moving the needle are asking different questions: Has our decision-making speed improved? Have we eliminated work that used to create bottlenecks? Are we producing things that would have been impossible six months ago? If you cannot answer yes to at least one of those, your AI adoption is theater. The fix is straightforward, even if the work is not. Pick one workflow. Map what it looks like before AI. Map what it should look like after. Then close the gap. Do not measure how many people are using the tool. Measure whether the workflow is actually faster, better, or cheaper than it was before. 2. You are automating tasks without redesigning the role History has a useful warning here. When the electric motor was invented in the 1880s, factory owners made a predictable mistake: they ripped out the giant steam engine and replaced it with one giant electric motor. They kept the same drive shafts, the same belt systems, the same cramped multi-story layouts. The factory was not faster. It was just quieter. It was not until a new generation of managers realized they could put a small motor on each individual machine, and then completely redesign the factory floor around the actual workflow, that productivity finally exploded. That redesign took over thirty years. The technology alone was never enough. Most companies are making the exact same mistake with AI right now. A manager whose job was synthesizing weekly status updates and building PowerPoint decks now has AI that can do both in minutes. But no one told that manager what their new job is. So they spend the same time double-checking the AI’s work, tweaking a bullet point here and there, and calling it a productivity win. Real AI adoption requires role redesign. Not just task removal. When you introduce AI into a workflow, the first question should not be “what can AI do?” It should be “what should this person focus on now that AI handles the rest?” The answer to that question is where the actual value lives. For most knowledge workers, the answer involves more judgment, more creative problem-solving, and more direct ownership of outcomes. Those are not things AI can do for you. They are the things that become more valuable the more AI handles everything else. 3. You are outsourcing thinking before thinking This is the quietest and most dangerous sign of all. It happens when people stop forming their own view before going to AI. Instead of thinking through a problem, developing a hypothesis, and then using AI to pressure-test or expand on it, they open the chatbot first and adopt whatever comes back. This is not laziness. It is a natural response to time pressure. But the long-term cost is steep. Judgment atrophies. People lose the ability to form independent views quickly. And when the AI is wrong, no one catches it because no one was thinking hard enough to notice. I have watched this happen at large enterprises that were among the earliest adopters of generative AI. The first-year productivity gains were real. The second-year results were puzzling: output was up, but quality had flattened. When we dug in, the pattern was consistent. People had stopped arguing with each other, stopped stress-testing ideas, stopped pushing back. Because why bother when the AI already had an answer? The best AI practitioners share a common habit: they think before they prompt. They arrive at the AI with a point of view, use it to challenge and refine that view, and leave with something better than what either they or the AI could have produced alone. That is the collaboration model that works. Not AI as oracle. AI as sparring partner. The bottom line Solow’s paradox resolved eventually. Productivity did explode, but only after organizations stopped using computers to type old memos faster and started genuinely reinventing how they worked. The same resolution is available to companies today with AI. But it requires changing how you work, not just what tools you use. Asking uncomfortable questions about which roles still make sense. Redesigning workflows instead of layering AI on top of old ones. And keeping the human thinking sharp, even when the AI could do it for you. That is the only AI strategy that actually works. Everything else is just a more expensive version of the same old factory floor. View the full article

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker was upset that she wasn’t told to go home early after getting bad news I have a coworker who recently found out she’d likely have to put her dog to sleep. She was crying at work, understandably so, and it was quite upsetting to see. I went through something similar about three years ago and losing a pet is devastating. For the rest of the day after finding out, she was berating management for not offering her the opportunity to go home early. The thing is, it’s common knowledge at my job that if you need, or even just want, to go home early, management always says yes. All she had to do was ask but, but she thought they should have offered without her asking. She’s an adult (34 years old) and I think she should just ask for what she needs. She’s not a new employee, has asked to leave early several times before, and she has never been told no. That leads me to believe it was not a case of her thinking she’d be denied leaving early if she asked. Do you think management was wrong for not offering to send her home early? Not particularly. I mean, yes, if her manager knew what was going on or how upset she was, it would have been kind to say, “Would you rather go home early for the day?” But it’s not a huge deal that they didn’t offer it proactively. If she wanted to leave, she needed to say that herself. Is she often irrational? If not, I’d write this off to her just being in an upsetting moment; grief sometimes grabs on to unrelated things. 2. My coworker asked if I have a “side piece” Is it okay to ask a coworker if they have a “side piece”? Background: I’ve only been working at this company for a short time. I keep my personal life almost totally separate from work. The coworker who asked me this, Lesley, doesn’t know me well at all. We’ve worked together a few days total. I was told secondhand that Lesley has a romantic interest in me, and I let the wingman know the feelings weren’t mutual. We were working together one day when Lesley asked if I had a side piece. I was already annoyed and walked away without replying. Should I have said something? I’m just curious if this is okay, but I don’t want to ask HR and make it a big deal. On one hand, it seems too personal of a question for work, and a quick google makes it seem like “side piece” is kind of offensive and refers to cheating. On the other hand, maybe it’s not really more offensive than asking about a boyfriend or girlfriend (I’m not trying to be judgmental). No, that’s a rude and inappropriate question to ask someone in most circumstances — and particularly at work and particularly someone who you barely know. What the hell, Lesley?! 3. Should I let my boss know this mistake was my coworker’s, not mine? I work on a team of two. Technically three, but our manager leads another team as well and leaves most of the day-to-day work to me and my colleague. I am the newest member of the team and joined less than a year ago. My colleague has been on the team for close to five years and has a more established relationship with our manager. We are responsible for launching compliance courses to the company and we take turns creating and assigning the courses. The last course launched by my colleague was missing some of the people who should have been assigned to it. The stakeholder reached out to us when she noticed people missing on the course completion report. I happened to be the one to see the email first and did the research to find out what happened. After identifying and fixing the error, I replied-all to the email, which included my manager. My manager then responded directly to me asking what happened. I confirmed it was a mistake on our end, as opposed to a system glitch. I included a screenshot to show the error, but it also displayed the name of the person who created the course (not me). My manager thanked me for doing the research but also mentioned, very seriously, that we can’t allow these mistakes to happen in the future. I agreed. My colleague was not given the same reminder, as far as I’m aware. Coincidentally, she left the office later that same day to go on a week-long vacation. She did not see the email about the error before she left, so I can’t just wait for her to take ownership of the mistake. My manager does not seem to be aware that the error did not originate with me, although it should have been clear from the screenshot. I am a firm believer in letting my work speak for itself and not bringing anyone else down to elevate my own reputation. However, I’m afraid this could affect my performance review if I don’t set the record straight. Should I speak up or will doing so make me look like a tattletale? How big of a deal is the mistake? If it’s a big deal, then you can say something like, “I’m taking seriously what you said about what happened with the course assignment, and I’ll make sure Jane knows this happened when she’s back.” Otherwise, though, if it’s not a huge issue and is more the kind of thing that your boss is unlikely to be thinking about a week from now, just let it go (although you also could have said, “I’ll make sure Jane knows this happened when she’s back” in the moment; there’s just less need to go back and say it now). 4. Pregnancy when you’re remote and no one sees you I work for a matrixed multinational company that has a strong WFH culture and very limited travel budgets. In my core role, I manage a global team and work with other global teams who I almost never meet in person. I am also affiliated with a local office where I am active in a secondary role and see colleagues in person whenever I choose to go into the office. I work much more closely with the colleagues in my primary role than with the colleagues in my secondary role. I give birth in a couple months. I shared the news with my manager and direct reports at the three-month mark, but did not bring it up in most other work meetings unless someone directly asked me, “What’s new with you?” At this point, colleagues at the local office have put two plus two together because I have morphed into an anthropomorphic beachball, but virtual colleagues often remain unaware. How you would approach pregnancy awareness in offices when so many people work from home and have cross-functional projects that are intense but kept on relatively short timelines, with limited-to-no interaction on a personal level? My primary motivation in having others know is to check/set their expectations on my current and future project capacity and energy levels. I have now added an email signature that shares my parental leave dates (waited until one month out from the start date) but I am curious if there are any other suggestions. Just with a matter-of-fact email about your leave, sent to anyone who might be impacted from it. For example: “I want to let you know that I expect to be out from X to X on maternity leave. You can contact ___ in my absence.” That’s it! 5. How should my resume handle a year where I had nothing to do at work? For about a year, I was on an “experimental” team that sounded right up my alley when I transferred into it … but then we had no direction and almost no work to do, and spent most of the time “training” on skills that we never used (which have been useless to me in my current role). In the whole time I was on that team, we had, generously, maybe 2-4 weeks’ worth of work. And now I’m updating my resume for the first time in years, and I’m unsure what to do. Part of me wants to pretend I was still in my previous role that year, or in my current one, but I worry that adding in that extra year to either without anything to show for it would look bad, too. (I’m not worried about titles; mine was never changed from one role to the other.) So is that what I should do? Or should I leave it in my resume and just address it as it comes up in interviews? If your title didn’t change, that is a complete non-issue! You don’t need to specify that you were on a different team for that year; since your title remained the same, you can just not mention it. It’s just your title and the dates you held that title, followed by bulleted accomplishments from your time with that title. They don’t need to know that none of those accomplishments happened during a particular 12 months in that overall period. The post coworker was upset that she wasn’t told to go home early, colleague asked if I have a “side piece,” and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. 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Grasping fundamental graphic design principles is crucial for anyone looking to create effective visuals. These principles, such as alignment, contrast, and balance, guide how viewers perceive your design. By conquering these concepts, you can improve user experience and guarantee your message resonates clearly. As you explore the nuances of each principle, you’ll discover how they interconnect and boost your overall design strategy, leading to more impactful projects. What might these principles reveal about your own creative process? Key Takeaways Master core design principles like contrast, balance, emphasis, hierarchy, and repetition to enhance visual appeal and functionality. Utilize alignment and proximity to create a structured layout, improving readability and reinforcing visual connections among elements. Establish visual hierarchy by varying font sizes, weights, and colors to guide viewers and highlight important information effectively. Implement repetition of colors, fonts, and shapes to create coherence, strengthen brand recognition, and improve memory retention. Achieve balance through symmetrical or asymmetrical layouts, while using color and negative space to enhance viewer experience and prevent clutter. Understanding Design Principles Design principles serve as fundamental guidelines that shape visually appealing and functional designs, making them essential for both novice and seasoned designers. Comprehending these design principles helps you create effective visual communication by enhancing user experience and clarity. There are approximately a dozen core principles, including contrast, balance, emphasis, hierarchy, and repetition, which guide your decisions when combining various design elements. Mastery of these principles permits you to make intentional choices that improve the aesthetic quality of your work. Furthermore, applying concepts like color theory and white space can enhance your designs further. In the end, a strong grasp of design principles not only nurtures creativity but also helps identify areas for improvement, ensuring your designs resonate with your audience. The Importance of Alignment In graphic design, alignment plays a pivotal role in creating a structured and organized appearance that boosts visual appeal. Proper alignment improves readability by guiding the viewer’s eye in a predictable manner, which is particularly important in text-heavy designs. By aligning elements to a common edge or center, you establish visual connections that reinforce your overall message. Utilizing layout grids in design software like Figma can help you achieve precise alignment, ensuring all elements contribute to a cohesive look. Misalignment can make your design appear chaotic or unprofessional, so always check for proper alignment during the design process. Mastering alignment is crucial, as it aligns with the fundamental principles of design that improve clarity and effectiveness. Creating Visual Hierarchy Creating a clear visual hierarchy is vital for effectively guiding viewers through your design, as it helps them identify the most important information at a glance. You can achieve this by applying various visual design principles, such as font sizes, weights, and positioning. Element Type Example Techniques Font Size Use larger fonts for headings Weight Bold important messages Color Bright colors for key areas Positioning Place significant info at the top Alignment Maintain consistent spacing Utilizing these techniques, along with the squint test, guarantees that critical elements stand out, as consistent alignment improves organization. By emphasizing key messages, you guide the viewer’s eye through your design efficiently. Utilizing Contrast Effectively When you utilize contrast effectively in your designs, you highlight key elements and improve overall readability. Using high contrast, especially between text and background colors, guarantees that your important messages stand out. Furthermore, differentiating font styles and sizes can guide the viewer’s eye, making it easier to navigate your content. Importance of High Contrast High contrast plays a vital role in graphic design by creating distinct differences between elements, which helps key information stand out. By utilizing contrasting colors—like light text on a dark background—you improve visual interest and guide viewers’ attention. This practice aligns with basic design principles, ensuring that your content isn’t only readable but also accessible, particularly for individuals with visual impairments. Applying varying font sizes and weights further establishes a clear hierarchy within your design, directing viewers through the content effectively. Nevertheless, achieving a balance in contrast is important; whereas high contrast can be visually appealing, excessive contrast may lead to discomfort or confusion, finally detracting from the design’s effectiveness. Color Contrast Techniques Effective color contrast techniques are essential for guiding viewer attention and improving the overall visibility of design elements. To implement effective graphic design principles, utilize high color contrast by pairing bright colors with dark shades, which greatly enhances visibility. Complementary colors on the color wheel, like blue and orange, create striking contrasts that draw attention and evoke emotional responses. Furthermore, varying font weights and sizes can improve readability; bold headings against lighter text highlight important information effectively. When considering accessibility, maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text to accommodate viewers with visual impairments. Experimenting with light and dark shades of the same color can also introduce subtle contrast during the process of maintaining visual interest. Font Styles Differentiation How can you effectively differentiate font styles to improve your design? Utilizing contrast in font styles is vital for enhancing readability and guiding your viewer’s eye to key information. Here are some tips to implement this principle of design definition: Pair bold sans-serif headings with light serif body text for visual interest. Use playful script fonts alongside clean sans-serifs to convey dual emotions. Maintain a 3:1 contrast ratio between text and background for clarity. Consistently apply contrasting styles to reinforce brand identity. Guarantee differences are pronounced enough to avoid visual confusion. The Power of Repetition Repetition in graphic design serves as a potent tool for creating coherence and unity within a project. By reusing identical or similar elements like colors, fonts, and shapes, you strengthen brand recognition and improve memory retention. This aligns with the basic principles of visual design, ensuring that your key messages stand out effectively. Element Type Example Use Impact Color Brand color palette Creates consistency Font Header styles Improves readability Shape Iconography Reinforces identity Implementing repetition helps establish visual rhythm, guiding the viewer’s eye and emphasizing crucial information. Utilizing design systems like Figma can simplify maintaining this consistency across various projects. Organizing With Proximity When you organize graphic elements using proximity, you’re effectively grouping related items to create clear visual relationships. This technique boosts clarity and comprehension, allowing viewers to easily understand the information presented. Grouping Related Elements Proximity plays a crucial role in graphic design by placing related elements close together, which helps create visual relationships that boost both comprehension and organization. By grouping similar items, you can declutter your design, making it easier for viewers to navigate and understand the content without confusion. Effective use of proximity improves the user experience by guiding the viewer’s eye and emphasizing connections between different pieces of information. Common applications include lists, menus, and invitations. Consistent typefaces and spacing reinforce a cohesive look. Clustering elements signifies their relationship. Proximity improves overall clarity and navigation. It supports the fundamental design principles that boost communication. Utilizing this principle will raise your design’s effectiveness. Enhancing Clarity and Comprehension Effective organization of design elements is key to improving clarity and comprehension in graphic design. By using proximity, you can group related elements, making it easier for viewers to process information quickly. This design principle minimizes distances between connected items, nurturing visual relationships that clarify meaning. Whether in lists or menus, clustering similar items aids navigation and improves overall clarity. Element Type Proximity Grouping Benefit Headings Close to content Highlights relevance Related images Clustered together Strengthens connection Navigation links Grouped by function Streamlines user flow Call-to-action Adjacent elements Increases engagement Informative text Near visuals Improves understanding Utilizing these strategies improves your designs’ coherence and effectiveness. Visual Relationships and Organization Grouping related design elements together is essential for creating visual relationships that boost clarity and organization in graphic design. By applying the principles of design, you can improve comprehension and navigation within your work. Proximity helps declutter visual spaces, allowing viewers to quickly identify connections. Here are some key benefits of leveraging proximity: Enhances overall design clarity and coherence. Guides the viewer’s eye to important information. Establishes logical connections in lists and menus. Improves user experience through intuitive organization. Strengthens the design message for better information absorption. Achieving Balance in Design Achieving balance in design is crucial for creating a visually appealing and harmonious composition, as it helps distribute visual weight among various elements. You can achieve balance through symmetrical or asymmetrical arrangements. Symmetrical balance offers a mirrored, predictable layout, whereas asymmetrical balance creates dynamic tension with varied sizes and placements. This improves the viewer’s experience, guiding the eye and preventing overcrowding. Symmetrical Balance Asymmetrical Balance Grid Systems Mirrors elements Varied elements Structured flow Orderly appearance Dynamic composition Precise placement Predictability Visual interest Cohesion Utilizing these design principles can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your designs, making them more engaging and organized. The Role of Color in Design Color plays an essential role in design, influencing how viewers perceive and interact with visual elements. Comprehending color theory, which categorizes colors into groups, helps you create harmonious schemes. Here are some key aspects to remember: Different colors evoke specific emotions (e.g., blue = calm, red = excitement). Color greatly impacts brand perception; 85% of consumers make decisions based on color. Accessibility is crucial; guarantee sufficient contrast for readability, accommodating color vision deficiencies. Utilize a limited palette, typically three shades, for cohesiveness. Color choices should align with the 12 principles of design, enhancing overall effectiveness. Embracing Negative Space Though many designers focus on the elements that fill a space, embracing negative space is equally important for creating effective and appealing designs. Negative space, in addition known as white space, refers to the empty areas around and between design elements. It improves readability by providing breathing room, allowing viewers to focus on key content without distractions. This design principle can create shapes and guide the viewer’s eye, emphasizing important elements and messages. Moreover, effective use of negative space contributes to balance and harmony, preventing designs from feeling cluttered or overwhelming. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 12 Principles of Graphic Design? The 12 principles of graphic design include Contrast, Balance, Emphasis, Proportion, Hierarchy, Repetition, Rhythm, Unity, Movement, Simplicity, Color, and White Space. Each principle serves a specific purpose in enhancing visual communication. For instance, Contrast differentiates elements, whereas Balance guarantees visual weight is distributed. Hierarchy guides viewer attention, and Repetition reinforces brand identity. What Are the 7 Principles of Design in Graphic Design? The seven principles of design in graphic design are alignment, contrast, balance, hierarchy, repetition, proximity, and color. Alignment organizes elements for clarity, whereas contrast emphasizes important features. Balance distributes visual weight, and hierarchy guides viewers to the most critical information. Repetition improves unity through consistent elements, and proximity groups related items for better comprehension. Grasping these principles helps you create visually appealing and effective designs that communicate messages clearly and efficiently. What Are the 13 Basic Design Principles? The 13 basic design principles include alignment, contrast, balance, hierarchy, color, white space, proportion, repetition, rhythm, unity, movement, emphasis, and simplicity. Each principle plays a crucial role in creating effective designs. For instance, alignment organizes elements, whereas contrast highlights important information. Hierarchy guarantees viewers identify key messages easily. What Are the 8 Basic Principles of Graphic and Layout? The eight basic principles of graphic design and layout are alignment, contrast, balance, hierarchy, repetition, proximity, color, and white space. Alignment organizes elements for clarity, whereas contrast highlights key features. Balance provides stability, and hierarchy guides viewers to important information. Repetition guarantees consistency, proximity groups related items for clarity, color evokes emotions, and white space improves readability. Together, these principles create visually appealing and functional designs that effectively communicate messages. Conclusion Mastering fundamental graphic design principles improves your ability to create effective and engaging designs. By comprehending alignment, visual hierarchy, contrast, repetition, proximity, balance, color, and negative space, you can communicate your message clearly and cohesively. These principles not just enhance user experience but furthermore elevate your creative output, making your work resonate with your audience. As you apply these concepts, you’ll develop a stronger foundation in design that can lead to more impactful projects in the future. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Essential Graphic Design Principles You Need to Know" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Grasping fundamental graphic design principles is crucial for anyone looking to create effective visuals. These principles, such as alignment, contrast, and balance, guide how viewers perceive your design. By conquering these concepts, you can improve user experience and guarantee your message resonates clearly. As you explore the nuances of each principle, you’ll discover how they interconnect and boost your overall design strategy, leading to more impactful projects. What might these principles reveal about your own creative process? Key Takeaways Master core design principles like contrast, balance, emphasis, hierarchy, and repetition to enhance visual appeal and functionality. Utilize alignment and proximity to create a structured layout, improving readability and reinforcing visual connections among elements. Establish visual hierarchy by varying font sizes, weights, and colors to guide viewers and highlight important information effectively. Implement repetition of colors, fonts, and shapes to create coherence, strengthen brand recognition, and improve memory retention. Achieve balance through symmetrical or asymmetrical layouts, while using color and negative space to enhance viewer experience and prevent clutter. Understanding Design Principles Design principles serve as fundamental guidelines that shape visually appealing and functional designs, making them essential for both novice and seasoned designers. Comprehending these design principles helps you create effective visual communication by enhancing user experience and clarity. There are approximately a dozen core principles, including contrast, balance, emphasis, hierarchy, and repetition, which guide your decisions when combining various design elements. Mastery of these principles permits you to make intentional choices that improve the aesthetic quality of your work. Furthermore, applying concepts like color theory and white space can enhance your designs further. In the end, a strong grasp of design principles not only nurtures creativity but also helps identify areas for improvement, ensuring your designs resonate with your audience. The Importance of Alignment In graphic design, alignment plays a pivotal role in creating a structured and organized appearance that boosts visual appeal. Proper alignment improves readability by guiding the viewer’s eye in a predictable manner, which is particularly important in text-heavy designs. By aligning elements to a common edge or center, you establish visual connections that reinforce your overall message. Utilizing layout grids in design software like Figma can help you achieve precise alignment, ensuring all elements contribute to a cohesive look. Misalignment can make your design appear chaotic or unprofessional, so always check for proper alignment during the design process. Mastering alignment is crucial, as it aligns with the fundamental principles of design that improve clarity and effectiveness. Creating Visual Hierarchy Creating a clear visual hierarchy is vital for effectively guiding viewers through your design, as it helps them identify the most important information at a glance. You can achieve this by applying various visual design principles, such as font sizes, weights, and positioning. Element Type Example Techniques Font Size Use larger fonts for headings Weight Bold important messages Color Bright colors for key areas Positioning Place significant info at the top Alignment Maintain consistent spacing Utilizing these techniques, along with the squint test, guarantees that critical elements stand out, as consistent alignment improves organization. By emphasizing key messages, you guide the viewer’s eye through your design efficiently. Utilizing Contrast Effectively When you utilize contrast effectively in your designs, you highlight key elements and improve overall readability. Using high contrast, especially between text and background colors, guarantees that your important messages stand out. Furthermore, differentiating font styles and sizes can guide the viewer’s eye, making it easier to navigate your content. Importance of High Contrast High contrast plays a vital role in graphic design by creating distinct differences between elements, which helps key information stand out. By utilizing contrasting colors—like light text on a dark background—you improve visual interest and guide viewers’ attention. This practice aligns with basic design principles, ensuring that your content isn’t only readable but also accessible, particularly for individuals with visual impairments. Applying varying font sizes and weights further establishes a clear hierarchy within your design, directing viewers through the content effectively. Nevertheless, achieving a balance in contrast is important; whereas high contrast can be visually appealing, excessive contrast may lead to discomfort or confusion, finally detracting from the design’s effectiveness. Color Contrast Techniques Effective color contrast techniques are essential for guiding viewer attention and improving the overall visibility of design elements. To implement effective graphic design principles, utilize high color contrast by pairing bright colors with dark shades, which greatly enhances visibility. Complementary colors on the color wheel, like blue and orange, create striking contrasts that draw attention and evoke emotional responses. Furthermore, varying font weights and sizes can improve readability; bold headings against lighter text highlight important information effectively. When considering accessibility, maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text to accommodate viewers with visual impairments. Experimenting with light and dark shades of the same color can also introduce subtle contrast during the process of maintaining visual interest. Font Styles Differentiation How can you effectively differentiate font styles to improve your design? Utilizing contrast in font styles is vital for enhancing readability and guiding your viewer’s eye to key information. Here are some tips to implement this principle of design definition: Pair bold sans-serif headings with light serif body text for visual interest. Use playful script fonts alongside clean sans-serifs to convey dual emotions. Maintain a 3:1 contrast ratio between text and background for clarity. Consistently apply contrasting styles to reinforce brand identity. Guarantee differences are pronounced enough to avoid visual confusion. The Power of Repetition Repetition in graphic design serves as a potent tool for creating coherence and unity within a project. By reusing identical or similar elements like colors, fonts, and shapes, you strengthen brand recognition and improve memory retention. This aligns with the basic principles of visual design, ensuring that your key messages stand out effectively. Element Type Example Use Impact Color Brand color palette Creates consistency Font Header styles Improves readability Shape Iconography Reinforces identity Implementing repetition helps establish visual rhythm, guiding the viewer’s eye and emphasizing crucial information. Utilizing design systems like Figma can simplify maintaining this consistency across various projects. Organizing With Proximity When you organize graphic elements using proximity, you’re effectively grouping related items to create clear visual relationships. This technique boosts clarity and comprehension, allowing viewers to easily understand the information presented. Grouping Related Elements Proximity plays a crucial role in graphic design by placing related elements close together, which helps create visual relationships that boost both comprehension and organization. By grouping similar items, you can declutter your design, making it easier for viewers to navigate and understand the content without confusion. Effective use of proximity improves the user experience by guiding the viewer’s eye and emphasizing connections between different pieces of information. Common applications include lists, menus, and invitations. Consistent typefaces and spacing reinforce a cohesive look. Clustering elements signifies their relationship. Proximity improves overall clarity and navigation. It supports the fundamental design principles that boost communication. Utilizing this principle will raise your design’s effectiveness. Enhancing Clarity and Comprehension Effective organization of design elements is key to improving clarity and comprehension in graphic design. By using proximity, you can group related elements, making it easier for viewers to process information quickly. This design principle minimizes distances between connected items, nurturing visual relationships that clarify meaning. Whether in lists or menus, clustering similar items aids navigation and improves overall clarity. Element Type Proximity Grouping Benefit Headings Close to content Highlights relevance Related images Clustered together Strengthens connection Navigation links Grouped by function Streamlines user flow Call-to-action Adjacent elements Increases engagement Informative text Near visuals Improves understanding Utilizing these strategies improves your designs’ coherence and effectiveness. Visual Relationships and Organization Grouping related design elements together is essential for creating visual relationships that boost clarity and organization in graphic design. By applying the principles of design, you can improve comprehension and navigation within your work. Proximity helps declutter visual spaces, allowing viewers to quickly identify connections. Here are some key benefits of leveraging proximity: Enhances overall design clarity and coherence. Guides the viewer’s eye to important information. Establishes logical connections in lists and menus. Improves user experience through intuitive organization. Strengthens the design message for better information absorption. Achieving Balance in Design Achieving balance in design is crucial for creating a visually appealing and harmonious composition, as it helps distribute visual weight among various elements. You can achieve balance through symmetrical or asymmetrical arrangements. Symmetrical balance offers a mirrored, predictable layout, whereas asymmetrical balance creates dynamic tension with varied sizes and placements. This improves the viewer’s experience, guiding the eye and preventing overcrowding. Symmetrical Balance Asymmetrical Balance Grid Systems Mirrors elements Varied elements Structured flow Orderly appearance Dynamic composition Precise placement Predictability Visual interest Cohesion Utilizing these design principles can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your designs, making them more engaging and organized. The Role of Color in Design Color plays an essential role in design, influencing how viewers perceive and interact with visual elements. Comprehending color theory, which categorizes colors into groups, helps you create harmonious schemes. Here are some key aspects to remember: Different colors evoke specific emotions (e.g., blue = calm, red = excitement). Color greatly impacts brand perception; 85% of consumers make decisions based on color. Accessibility is crucial; guarantee sufficient contrast for readability, accommodating color vision deficiencies. Utilize a limited palette, typically three shades, for cohesiveness. Color choices should align with the 12 principles of design, enhancing overall effectiveness. Embracing Negative Space Though many designers focus on the elements that fill a space, embracing negative space is equally important for creating effective and appealing designs. Negative space, in addition known as white space, refers to the empty areas around and between design elements. It improves readability by providing breathing room, allowing viewers to focus on key content without distractions. This design principle can create shapes and guide the viewer’s eye, emphasizing important elements and messages. Moreover, effective use of negative space contributes to balance and harmony, preventing designs from feeling cluttered or overwhelming. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 12 Principles of Graphic Design? The 12 principles of graphic design include Contrast, Balance, Emphasis, Proportion, Hierarchy, Repetition, Rhythm, Unity, Movement, Simplicity, Color, and White Space. Each principle serves a specific purpose in enhancing visual communication. For instance, Contrast differentiates elements, whereas Balance guarantees visual weight is distributed. Hierarchy guides viewer attention, and Repetition reinforces brand identity. What Are the 7 Principles of Design in Graphic Design? The seven principles of design in graphic design are alignment, contrast, balance, hierarchy, repetition, proximity, and color. Alignment organizes elements for clarity, whereas contrast emphasizes important features. Balance distributes visual weight, and hierarchy guides viewers to the most critical information. Repetition improves unity through consistent elements, and proximity groups related items for better comprehension. Grasping these principles helps you create visually appealing and effective designs that communicate messages clearly and efficiently. What Are the 13 Basic Design Principles? The 13 basic design principles include alignment, contrast, balance, hierarchy, color, white space, proportion, repetition, rhythm, unity, movement, emphasis, and simplicity. Each principle plays a crucial role in creating effective designs. For instance, alignment organizes elements, whereas contrast highlights important information. Hierarchy guarantees viewers identify key messages easily. What Are the 8 Basic Principles of Graphic and Layout? The eight basic principles of graphic design and layout are alignment, contrast, balance, hierarchy, repetition, proximity, color, and white space. Alignment organizes elements for clarity, whereas contrast highlights key features. Balance provides stability, and hierarchy guides viewers to important information. Repetition guarantees consistency, proximity groups related items for clarity, color evokes emotions, and white space improves readability. Together, these principles create visually appealing and functional designs that effectively communicate messages. Conclusion Mastering fundamental graphic design principles improves your ability to create effective and engaging designs. By comprehending alignment, visual hierarchy, contrast, repetition, proximity, balance, color, and negative space, you can communicate your message clearly and cohesively. These principles not just enhance user experience but furthermore elevate your creative output, making your work resonate with your audience. As you apply these concepts, you’ll develop a stronger foundation in design that can lead to more impactful projects in the future. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Essential Graphic Design Principles You Need to Know" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

US president says he is prepared to withdraw from conflict ‘whether we have a deal or not’View the full article

A service desk agent needs to escalate a ticket from ServiceNow to Jira, but they don’t want to lose precious time copying and pasting data between tools. A consultant managing projects for clients in Trello needs cards to stay in sync with matching tasks in Asana. The solution? An integration. But too many integration solutions require significant technical resources to set up, maintain, and troubleshoot. That’s where no-code iPaaS solutions come in. What is a no-code iPaaS? With iPaaS standing for integration platform as a service, these tools allow users to build and deploy integrations using pre-built connectors and APIs (application programming interface). The “no-code” portion of that term means business users can set up these integrations without any programming knowledge. They typically rely on visual, drag-and-drop interfaces to simplify their integrations. Traditional integration solutions are either “low-code,” meaning they have some simple elements but still require some coding knowledge or give you the tools to build integrations from scratch. They’re more customizable, but they require at least some level of technical knowledge to use. The two extremes of the iPaaS spectrum (and their problems) No-code iPaaS platforms exist on a spectrum. One on end are platforms like Zapier, which are simple to set up, and offer simple automations. On the other end are tools like Tray.ai and Workato, which are more complex to set up but support deeper integrations. The simple end of the iPaaS spectrum Examples: Zapier, IFTTT This end of the iPaaS spectrum is best-suited to organizations that want to give broad access to integrations for business users. A Zapier automation is easy to set up and manage, and they can be chained to handle more complex workflows. These platforms support a wide range of integrations, meaning they’re broadly applicable to your tool stack at large. Problems to consider Simple automation: While tools like Zapier are easy to set up, their integrations aren’t particularly deep. A single automation only covers the creation of one type of work item or the updating of a single field. One-way: These tools typically only push data in one direction, making them best-suited to sequential workflows. Trying to make these tools move data back and forth involves chaining automations that can break over time. Scope creep: When integrations are so easy to build, teams might build a deluge of integrations that conflict with each other, break, or create potential security issues. The complex end of the iPaaS spectrum Examples: Workato, Tray.ai Some iPaaS platforms are more complex. They give users with at least some level of technical knowledge the ability to deploy fully customized integrations for a range of tools. These platforms typically support two-way syncing, allowing for the automation of more complex workflows. Problems to consider Not always truly no-code: While most iPaaS platforms offer at least some integrations in a no-code shell, many require at least some coding knowledge. Business users can technically deploy them effectively, but technical skills are required to get everything out of them. Wide range of functionality: Some of the more complex iPaaS platforms have a similar interface as a tool like Zapier. For many of these platforms, however, the work involved in setting up an integration can vary widely depending on the specific integration you use. Cost: More complex iPaaS tools tend to be on the expensive end, making them only available for organizations that have a significant budget to put towards software integrations. What to look for in a no-code iPaaS When looking for an iPaaS solution, IT teams should evaluate their options according to the following criteria: Can a business user set it up? Some organizations need an iPaaS tool that democratizes integration access, allowing users with little to no technical knowledge to set up their own integrations and troubleshoot them. Others need an integration solution that’s more technical so it’s the exclusive purview of the IT team. Can it sync data in both directions? Most iPaaS solutions only sync data in one direction, which can support some processes, but two-way sync can support more workflows. Two-way sync capability is usually preferable. Can it handle enterprise-grade complexity? Not every iPaaS solution can keep up with the needs of an enterprise organization. Even of those that do, many need developers or engineers for deployment and maintenance. What happens when something breaks? Does the platform you use require a developer to troubleshoot? Is maintenance so technical that the average user can’t fix their own integrations? Where Unito fits in Imagine escalating a support ticket to a software development platform and getting comments from developers right in that ticket, without leaving your support tool. Or, working as a consultant, you get questions and deadlines updated in your Asana projects in real-time as clients work in their Trello boards. That’s what Unito can help your teams achieve. Unito’s two-way sync platform builds two-way relationships between the work items in your tools, keeping them up to date automatically as you work. This is different from simple iPaaS tools that only push data in one direction. Unito’s platform can be deployed in days, if not minutes. Most users don’t have a technical background, and can both set up and troubleshoot integrations on their own. This distinguishes Unito from iPaaS platforms that require technical support to set up and troubleshoot. On the integration front, Unito supports over 60 tools, including Jira, Servicenow, Asana, Trello, Azure DevOps, Salesforce, and more. Want to see what Unito can do? Meet with a Unito product expert for a custom demo. Talk with sales FAQ: No-code iPaaS What’s the difference between a no-code iPaaS and Zapier? Zapier is a type of iPaaS solution, renowned for its simple automations and the breadth of integrations it offers. A single Zapier automation can usually create a single kind of work item or update a single type of field. Other no-code iPaaS solutions typically offer deeper integrations, with a single integration covering more fields and automating more tasks. Zapier can be enough for automating simple workflows, but most organizations look for more robust iPaaS solutions. Can business users manage a no-code iPaaS without IT involvement? This depends entirely on the no-code iPaaS solution you use. If you’re using Zapier for simple automations, you won’t need IT support to set these up or maintain them. But many iPaaS solutions have a steep learning curve, even when they’re no-code, and they need to be maintained over time, especially as your tool stack changes. Troubleshooting broken integrations can also be overly complex for business users, requiring IT involvement. Is Tray.io a no-code platform? Tray.io is a popular no-code iPaaS platform, but it has a steep learning curve. Integrations are robust but complex, meaning the average business user might struggle to build, customize, and maintain them. Compared to no-code iPaaS platforms like Zapier and Unito, Tray.io requires a significant investment to get working right. What’s the best no-code integration platform for enterprise teams? The best no-code integration platform for enterprise teams needs to meet the following criteria: Robust integrations, which can support even the most intricate workflows. Integration breadth, meaning the platform can support a wide range of tools. Enterprise-grade security, including security certifications and role-based access control. Scalability, meaning your integrations can handle a large volume of data. Prebuilt connectors and APIs, allowing IT teams and even business users to set up integrations without extensive development. Platforms that meet these characteristics include Unito, Tray.io, and Workato. How does a no-code iPaaS handle two-way sync between tools like Jira and ServiceNow? A no-code iPaaS that supports two-way sync builds two-way relationships between work items in Jira and records in ServiceNow, automatically creating new work items to match the ones you create manually as well as updating fields as you work. For example, if you use a two-way sync platform like Unito to pair Jira and ServiceNow, Unito would: Automatically create ServiceNow records to match new Jira work items. Automatically create Jira work items to match new ServiceNow records. Update ServiceNow fields as you work in Jira. Update Jira fields as you work in ServiceNow. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. There aren't a ton of smart glasses marked down for Amazon's Big Spring Sale—Ray-Ban Metas are full price, as are RayNeos, Rokids, and most other name-brand glasses—but there are still bargains to be found in the smart glasses department, including my all-time favorite pair of display style glasses. Display style smart glasses on sale for Amazon's Big Spring Sale XREAL One Pro AR Glasses with X1 Chip, Native 3 DoF, X-Prism Optics, 57°FOV 171" 120Hz FHD Display, Sound by Bose, XR Glasses for iPhone 16, Steam Deck, ROG, Mac, PC, Android & iOS M (IPD 57-66mm) $598.98 at Amazon $769.00 Save $170.02 Get Deal Get Deal $598.98 at Amazon $769.00 Save $170.02 Viture Luma Pro $399.00 at Amazon $499.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $399.00 at Amazon $499.00 Save $100.00 SEE -1 MORE This category of smart glasses acts as a virtual monitor. You plug them into a USB-C device and can use them as a second screen for gaming, streaming, or working. They are the best thing to have on an airplane, trust me. XReal One Pro: XReal's flagship smart glasses are the best display glasses I've used to date. The resolution, field-of-view, audio quality, and customization options make them second to none, as you can read in my full review. But they are not cheap. For the Amazon Big Spring Sale, though, they're $598.98, which is 22% off the regular price of $769.00. But that price is a little misleading—Amazon has only sold them for the "list" price for short periods of time, as you can see in this price chart below; the current price comes up more frequently than the supposed list price. But if you want the best display glasses on the market, you found them. Credit: CamelCamelCamel VITURE Luma Pro XR Glasses: I have not had a chance to test these Viture Luma Pro XR glasses yet, but they've earned four out of five stars from Amazon's reviewers and a 4-star review from PCMag. They offer a respectable 52° field-of-view, the equivalent of a 153" display, and you can use them to work with three virtual screens in augmented reality. They're on sale for $399, the lowest price Amazon has sold them for. Audio-first smart glasses on sale for Amazon's Big Spring Sale Carrera Smart Glasses with Alexa | Smart audio glasses | Sprinter black frames with polarized sunglass lenses | Square $149.99 at Amazon $389.99 Save $240.00 Get Deal Get Deal $149.99 at Amazon $389.99 Save $240.00 XO Simple is Beauty Smart Bluetooth Glasses,Built-in Mic & Speakers,Smart Wireless Headphone Sunglasses for Men and Women,Athletic/Outdoor UV Protection and Voice Control,Unisex(Black) $20.98 at Amazon $24.68 Save $3.70 Get Deal Get Deal $20.98 at Amazon $24.68 Save $3.70 SEE -1 MORE This variety of smart glasses don't display anything or take any pictures. They're just for audio, so they're akin to a Bluetooth speaker embedded within a pair of sunglasses. Carrera smart glasses with Alexa: The mark down is significant on these Carrera smart glasses. They're $149.99, down 62% from list. Carrera makes designer frames, and I can't find any dumb glasses on the company's website for less than $200, so if you like the look of these specs, you're getting a good deal. The "tech" part of these glasses is audio-only, so you can use them for listening to music or podcasts and taking calls, but you can also use them to talk to Alexa+, Amazon's assistant. That means you can control your smart home with them. Simple is Beauty smart Bluetooth glasses: These generic Bluetooth sunglasses are $20, but they let you connect to your phone to listen to music and make calls, plus they protect your eyes from the sun. I can't speak for this specific pair of generic audio glasses, but I I compared the sound quality of a pair like them to a bunch of more expensive smart glasses, and I found that the $20 sunglasses sounded fine—not great, mind you, but better than I expected. So if you want music while you're working out, and you don't want to spend much, these could be for you. Photo and AI smart glasses on sale for Amazon's Big Spring SaleThis is the category that Ray-Ban Meta glasses fall into: glasses that take photos and video, play audio, and have some kind of AI assistant. Sadly, Meta glasses are not on sale during the Big Spring Sale. That leaves us with... NILUTO AI Smart Glasses with Camera: There are a ton of generic "AI Smart Glasses" available for sale on Amazon that seem suspiciously similar. They all say they have 8MP cameras and "AI assistants" and the frames look identical. I can't say for sure, but they seem like the same product being sold by different companies at wildly different prices: Some have a list price of $279.99. Some are listed at $159. But the ones I linked to are $59.99, the lowest price I can find. At higher prices, these things aren't worth it—you might as well just get some Metas—but if you need a cheap camera in your glasses or a way to listen to music, a $60 pair of generic glasses might be just the thing. NILUTO Upgraded AI Smart Glasses with Camera 8MP HD1080P Video Glasses with Camera and Audio -Video Recording Glasses with Audio, Video Glasses, Real-Time Translation $59.99 at Amazon $69.99 Save $10.00 Get Deal Get Deal $59.99 at Amazon $69.99 Save $10.00 Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 128GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet (Gray) — $202.00 (List Price $249.99) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $329.00 (List Price $399.00) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Fire TV Stick 4K Max Streaming Player With Remote — $34.99 (List Price $59.99) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $243.00 (List Price $399.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

The The President Organization just revealed that its next construction project will be the Donald J. The President Presidential Library: a towering, gold-encrusted skyscraper, branded with The President’s name, that will sit just south of Miami’s Freedom Tower. Inside, it will contain a recreation of The President’s proposed White House ballroom. News of the development was shared via multiple March 30 social media posts from President The President himself and his son Eric The President, who serves as the executive vice president of The The President Organization, The President’s conglomerate of real estate developments, investments, and business ventures that’s been operated by his children since 2017. The The President Organization is spearheading the creation of The President’s Presidential Library in collaboration with the architecture firm Bermello Ajamil, which already commands a major design presence in downtown Miami. The President’s so-called “library” will be the 17th official Presidential Library. Whereas nearly all other Presidential Libraries have taken their design cues from traditional libraries or museums, renderings of The President’s Presidential Library show a building that looks strikingly familiar to The The President Organization’s existing portfolio of luxury residential properties. Digital images of the development show a massive skyscraper featuring golden escalators, a golden statue of The President, a giant presidential jet in the atrium, and a recreation of the White House ballroom. In a statement to Fast Company, Willy Bermello, a partner at Bermello Ajamil, implied that the library’s ballroom will match the scale of the 90,000-square-foot space planned at the White House. It’s a bombastic design that seems purpose-built to literally dwarf all other Presidential Libraries in both scale and scope—and it’s enshrining the bigger-is-better design philosophy that’s come to define The President’s second term in a gaudy show of glass and steel. The history of the Presidential Library The concept of a Presidential Library first emerged in 1939, when President Franklin Roosevelt donated his personal presidential papers to the federal government, as well as part of his Hyde Park estate, to establish an official record of his time in office for the public to visit. Since then, more than a dozen other presidents—including Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, and George W. Bush—have followed suit, establishing their own libraries to act as part-museum of their presidencies and part-archival collections of their own writings and relevant literature. Each library is overseen by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment on whether it officially approved The President’s upcoming library. Historically, the buildings housing these libraries have featured one or two stories with enough room for exhibition space, activities, and archival storage. Jimmy Carter’s library, for example, is a relatively unassuming building on 35 acres of gardens; Herbert Hoover’s library resembles a slightly oversized suburban home; and, more recently, Bill Clinton’s library is housed in a relatively avant-garde, but still recognizably museum-esque, glass building. Barack Obama’s library, which is still under construction, is slated to be larger than existing libraries at a height of 225 feet to accommodate the nonprofit Obama Foundation. Still, though, the Barack Obama Presidential Center will be nowhere near the proposed scale of the Donald J. The President Presidential Library, which, based on its renderings, appears to tower above the entirety of the surrounding Miami skyline. And while The President’s library seems to be embracing a few features that previous libraries have incorporated—like a life-sized recreation of his Oval Office—the highlights of the proposed skyscraper are several completely unprecedented design choices. A golden statue, a giant jet, and a ballroom Bermello Ajamil’s plans for the Donald J. The President Presidential Library are, in a word, ambitious. Per a statement from the firm, the library will be located on a three-acre site on the campus of Miami Dade College, sitting directly adjacent to two museums, the Miami Heat arena, and Port Miami. “This strategic downtown location basically guarantees that more visitors will visit this destination than any other in history—and its design will serve as a beacon to all cruise ships entering the Miami Harbor—‘Cruise Capital of the World,’” the statement reads. Images of the proposed development show a massive, glass skyscraper emblazoned with the word “The President” and topped with a large needle. It looks less like a library and more like The President’s towers in New York and Chicago, which include restaurants, residences, and office space. So far, it’s unclear exactly what all the space in The President’s library will be used for. When visitors approach the building, they’ll first notice a whole lot of gold. The President has shown his affinity for gold through the decor of his Oval Office, his custom phone, and multiple digital designs for his administration. In keeping with this penchant, his library will feature an entirely gold entryway and the golden signage, “Donald J. The President Presidential Library.” Looming above this entryway will be a large golden statue with its hand raised in the air. Willy Bermello, a partner at Bermello Ajamil, told Fast Company that the statue will be of The President himself. Once inside the library’s atrium, visitors will be greeted with a display of multiple presidential aircraft. One of these appears to be an official Air Force One plane. It’s possible that the specific plane in question is slated to be the $400 million super jet that the Qatari government offered to The President as a gift. The President has previously expressed plans to turn the super jet into an Air Force One plane, and also said that he planned to use his library to take possession of the jet. Bermello did not confirm whether the plane in the renderings is imagined to be the Qatari aircraft. The video introducing the library also shows recreations of the Oval Office and the Hall of Presidents. Perhaps the most outrageous element of the video, though, is a replica of the White House ballroom, connected to the library by a large pane of glass. When asked if the ballroom would be a to-scale reproduction, Bermello responded, “All replicas—ballroom, Hall of Presidents, and Oval Office—will be exact replicas,” adding, “The video is very accurate to what the public will see on opening day.” For reference, The President’s ballroom—which doesn’t even exist yet, considering it’s still in the mock-up phase of development—is set to be 90,000-square-feet with 40-foot-tall ceilings. It’s unclear exactly how Bermello Ajamil plans to fit it within their proposed library. In a statement to Fast Company, the firm wrote: “We are honored to have the distinct privilege and opportunity to design what will certainly be the most iconic and tallest US Presidential Library in the history of our country.” View the full article

First major setback for 90,000 sq ft white and gold project since East Wing was demolished in OctoberView the full article