Less

How much meaning can we pack into one single sentence, you and I? I’ve been trying to master it these past few years. Give it a go with me. 

Let’s start with:

The most effective communicators can say volumes while actually doing very little.

There’s truth to that, but the sentence is verbose. Let’s keep trying:

Truly excellent communicators seem to say more by doing a lot less.

Great creative communicators use negative space to make a statement.

Great creative communicators show restraint.

And let’s give it one last effort:

Creative restraint speaks volumes.

Aha! That last one has got it. Concise and intriguing—it suggests at more. We’ve packed that whole idea in there. Pour a little context on it and it blossoms into a thousand stories about when a creative team pared everything back to one simple flourish that said it all.

We have, you and I, compacted that entire idea into a principle; a rule to work by. Now, it fits in your pocket and is available all times. We have 24 such principles at Fenwick. This year, each newsletter issue has explained one of them—we got through 11. 

And, some news: We’re stopping here. This is the last issue of this newsletter, Longview, for now. I’m shifting my attention to a new project. Below, a recap of the year so far.

This year’s 11 stories

1. Share the Lore: Implores everyone we work with to overshare all that juicy context that’s in their head. Because, how else would we know?

2. Strong Defaults: Encourages us to only submit work when it’s good enough to be final, and to offer “review windows,” where we keep moving whether or not the client replies.

3. No Creative by Committee: Because too many cooks spoil the potage. We’re gracious listeners, but unerringly decisive. 

4. Participatory Narrative: You can’t write meaningfully without attempting to do the work yourself. Drive out there, buy a pass, try it firsthand. That reality will ring loud and clear as a bell.

5. Describe the Dream: Creatives don’t need instructions—they need a well-defined problem statement. We work best when you tell us what you hope happens, and we take it from there.

6. Endgame: Consider how the project will end right at the start. Do not begin before considering the promotion plan and maintenance costs.

7. Artisan Uprising: In the age of homogeny, your art is what separates you. Cultivate it.

8. Longview: We love to take the long view and ensure things blossom even after we’re gone.

9. Creative Restraint: Less is a complete statement.

10. Writing x Design: Involve your designer, web person, everyone, up front, to invite their genius and also spot flaws early.

10. Truth Seekers: Name your authors, cite your sources, flash the expensive signals that you are human and that your work is quality. Otherwise, you fan the bonfire of public distrust.

Every principle has a paired picture and icon. Here is Creative Restraint. 

What's next? 

My next project is me. I've been at this work ten years grinding at an unsustainable pace. Too many weekends, my mind has been on work. I'm deeply conscious how much life I've let pass by; how my love of the outdoors has withered into just a story I tell. 

I guess I feel that Longview has run its course, and I'd like to thank you because it has been a real privilege. I'll be taking this break to get reinspired—to rewild my work with art and ideas. 

We have a principle for it.

Worth reading

We should be in a Renaissance. Why are we not? On algorithms and stagnation. 

Breakthroughs are due to persistence, not magic. The Atlantic. 

What is the meaning of all this? Humans of New York doing what it does best.

A story about a writing retreat with a woodburning stove and keenly written characters.

How Gen X Can Make Money in This Economy. A Wendi Aarons classic. More.

Doordash’s motion design kit.

The Shape of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut. A classic. Good reminder, Laura Kunkel. 

Fin. A nice website. Intercom has always had strong design. 

Stunning visuals. So strong, the trailer needs no narration or dialogue.