Digital Roam

VizThink starts tomorrow!

The first official conference of "visual thinkers" from around the world begins tomorrow right here in SF. Held this Sunday through Tuesday at the The Westin San Francisco Market Street, VizThink08 is the brainchild of VizThink CEO Tom Crawford and Xplane's Dave Gray.

The lineup of presenters is literally the 'who's-who' of visually-oriented communicators, from Nigel Holmes to Scott McCloud, from Karl Gude to Nancy Duarte. With 350 attendees coming from around the world and sponsors from Microsoft to Wacom, it promises be an eye-opening conference.

I'm happy to say that my own name also appears on that otherwise stellar list of presenters. Yes, at 11:00 on Monday, Jan. 28, I'll be leading my "Back of the Napkin" workshop, helping participants learn to solve problems with pictures.

Which problems? How about these:

Which pictures? Simple ones -- you know, back-of-the-napkin ones. Like this:

More details on VizThink here (blog) and here (wiki). More details on my workshop here. Hope to see you there.

Meryl Rules!!!! (And why it pays to back up bookmarks)

Meryl K. Evans is my new hero.

She has just posted the best list of visual-thinking resources EVER. Look here to see the most comprehensive list anywhere of visual thinking, information visualization, data representation, diagramming, and pictorial storytelling ideas.

The reason I'm personally so enthused about Maryl's list is because a month ago my hard-drive crashed. That tiny little "doubleclickclick" of death said tap-tap-hello.

Not to worry though, because I learned long ago (the hard way) to back up everything religiously. Except it had never occurred to me that I'd need to back up my bookmarks. (I know, DOH.)

Point being, I lost three years worth of web scouring and collecting. And along comes Meryl's list -- which above all IS BETTER THAN MINE! Whoopee! They're all back, and then some!

Anyway, thanks Meryl.

And yes, I now believe in del.icio.us.

Nine (more) months: How a Book is Born

I just received a copy of "In the Books", the first annual review of the "Most Notable Business Books" from the unstoppable team over at 800-CEO-READ. It is a beautiful, large format catalog of books, reviews, and ideas.

The best business book of 2007? That's easy: "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. I say 'easy' because I couldn't agree more.

What also makes "In the Books" fun for me is that on the back page 800-CEO-READ included one of my drawings. The sketch describes how a business book gets made, from author's first draft through store sales.

View this photo
"Book Gestation, Month by Month" is a drawing I made with the guidance of my editor at Portfolio, Branda Maholtz. Branda mentioned how she was always explaining the basics of the publishing process to new authors, so we decided to visually map it all out.

If you're thinking about writing a book, take a look: the picture helps explain what's going on in all those secret meetings you're NOT invited to. :-)

Copies of "In the Books" are available here from 800-CEO-READ.

MIX-ing it up

If you're attending the upcoming Microsoft MIX extravaganza in Vegas, please join me for 75 minutes of solving problems with pictures. On Wednesday, March 5 I'll be headlining the UX track with a lesson on how anyone can solve any problem (design related or not) using simple pictures.

P.S. This will also be the first chance to get a copy of my book THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN: SOLVING PROBLEMS AND SELLING IDEAS WITH PICTURES.

Napkins all a-twitter: Part II

Nate was nice enough to point me towards his original Twitter napkin.

View this photo

I dunno, could be just me, but I prefer it to the gussied up version posted previously.

Napkins all a-twitter

I've noticed a marked increase in the use of the "back of the napkin" phrase of late. (Of course I *should*, given that I've been saying it myself ten times a day for two years. It's probably just my huge distaste for 'the law of attraction' hogwash coming around to bite me in the rear.)

Anyway, now even A-list blogger Nate Ritter is using a napkin sketch to illustrate how Twitter is helping to save the world.

View this photo

So take that, doubting Andy -- I told you "back of the napkin" means something. At least in the US, anyway...

Last call

My weekly scour for all things "back of the napkin" coughed up this thoughtful form letter printed on equally appropriate material. Talk about handy for a ride home after one too many brainstorms at the pub.

I can't find any info on the brilliant creator, but the lifesaving device can be purchased from a UK gift and gag shop.

Cabbies probably love it too. Especially when it says "look for my cash in my thong." Really.

Can I have that College Ruled?

There's been a flurry of submissions from friends on this one, but I wanted to wait until the subject of the activity was available for purchase -- which it now is.

A clever cast of characters at Euro RSCG* have created the ultimate "back of the napkin"  napkin. The Napkin Notebook is a bound collection of blank... well, napkins -- all ready to be sketched on and kept organized.

What a nice, simple idea. And as I said before, now available at the MOMA store.

Fool me twice, can't be fooled again

In my weekly scour of the web for all things "back of the napkin", I came across an amazing article. It turns out that way back in 1999 (yes, that would be "Web 1.0" for anyone who remembers the world before social networking), Chief Executive Magazine published a fantastic story on the exhibit at the American Corporate Hall of Fame in Toledo, Ohio showcasing the 1,215 most important cocktail napkins of all time.

"How could I have missed this for eight years?" I said to myself. "This is truly the motherload -- exactly what I've been looking for in order to spice up my workshops and keynotes! Imagine being able to show not just six or seven breakthrough business napkins, but HUNDREDS!!"

I immediately searched for online references to the American Corporate Hall of Fame in Toledo... but found nothing.

Then I searched for Len Cavuto, chairman of the Great Lakes Cocktail Napkins Manufacturers Association, who was quoted in the article with the best napkin comment of all time:

"The cocktail napkin industry is proud of the role it has played in shaping the industrial landscape of America. By making available a tasteful literary appurtenance to the entrepreneurial community, we feel that we have contributed in no small measure to making the American dream come true. Remember that the next time you sop up a spilled Bud with our napkins. Yes, our products are absorbent. But they are so much more."

Alas, I couldn't find any links to either Len or the Great Lakes Cocktail Napkins Manufacturers Association.

"Hmm," I thought to myself, "It looks like I really missed the boat on this one. Where *was* I back in 1999, and *what* was I thinking?"

Then I read the byline. Joe Queenan. That would be the Joe Queenan of the "Red Lobster, White Trash and the Blue Lagoon," fame, a self-proclaimed "full time son of a bitch" who has "never deviated from [his] chosen career as a sneering churl." I had to admit it: my love for breakthrough napkins aside, I'd been had.

Too bad. I was really looking forward to seeing that "Buy Two, Get One Free" circular whose reverse side carries the business plan for General Motors. I wonder what Queenan would think about a book dedicated to drawing business napkins...