For the love of ugly logos

Offline Recess is a newsletter that invites you to pause from digital distractions and rediscover the joy of finding inspiration on your own terms, away from the algorithm.

A quick summary: It’s Sunday and today we’re exploring:

• Why I hope I’m creating ugly logos

• A short list of offline enjoyments

• My plan now that my bookmarking software is shutting down ☹️ 

I did not have anyone edit this so if you see a typo, be relieved that I’m a human and not a robot.

Intersections

things that are connecting during my recess

There’s a conversation that has trailed on for years in my circle of friendships and professional collaborators. I can’t remember when it started exactly but it was definitely after the 2010s when the rise of millennial branding had infiltrated our lives (“When the hummus label is giving ‘inkjet’ you know it’s good”). That link describes it pretty well. 

While recently spending time in southern California and Cincinnati, I found myself noticing things that could be deemed “ugly” by most designers¹ . Some, while old, still feel timeless. I felt oddly comforted by most of the ugliest signs I passed on foot or by car. There was a piece of me that felt proud of that business — they most likely weathered many economic storms and trends. 

The world is changing fast and most of the things we see every day are meant to disappear: paid ads, billboards, trash marketed as products, commercials, promotional emails, and the content everyone produces in order to feed the content algorithm. It reminded me of what happens when I shoot film photography. Every photo feels beautiful no matter what the subject matter. I think it’s because I know I only have so many chances to get it right. It’s a little more permanent. There’s a bit of scarcity. A lot of pressure to get it right the first time. Plus, the camera was most likely made really well. 

I’m going into the week with this slow and longterm thinking. I want to focus on making designs and contributing to things that will last. I want my company to make designs that, in 2075, might be considered a little ugly.

Offline Things

stuff I’ve been up to and discovering when I’m not on my phone

• Creating and adding custom names and photos for group chats

• Sending people packages and gifts

• Saw the movie Friendship and loved it (and thought about how many people will not enjoy it lol)

• Falling asleep during a facial 

• Soft serve ice cream  

• Spending a lot of money on good food experiences

• Watching the show Overcompensating on Prime

Nooooo, Pocket!

my second brain needs a second brain

I am so sad that Pocket is shutting down. I’ve been a Pocket (a bookmarking service) user for a long time. Most of my adult life is bookmarked within this service/app. I just exported all my data and imported to Raindrop.io (I am going to use it for a bit and see how I like it and how it syncs with my Kindle). Curious how Readwise’s Reader works, too! The thing I love(d) about Pocket is that it’s pretty visual and allows me to categorize AND I paid for a separate service to quickly tag articles which sends it to my Kindle. I have a whole process! It really acts as my second brain and no one really talks about when your second brain shuts down and you have to make a…second second brain.

¹ I actually don’t think anything can be truly objectively ugly. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” or something. As a designer and creative director I surely am biased. But something I dislike might be beloved by someone else.

P.S. You’ve enjoyed this newsletter over the years, you can help contribute to the cost of publishing. I don’t have any intention of putting up a paywall but you can Venmo me @alliepal or send a tip via Paypal (this account is under my maiden name Jocson because Paypal makes it nearly impossible to change your name). Thank you to all who tip me!