[SIC] DAY TWO HUNDRED FIFTY SEVEN

Vol 2, No.107. Special Boxing Day Edition for Paid Subscribers. Now unlocked.

Hi all,

Happy Boxing Day. As promised, a special Thursday micro-digest for paid subscriber as a thanks for your support (and also to give my compilation / pattern recognition brain a couple days off). Ten stories from me with the added bonus of selected contributions from Celeste Blewitt (blogging in from ‘Scorching Melbourne’) and Piers Fawkes; my great appreciation to both of them. And again, to all of you. I wouldn’t do this without your support. Thanks.

Ben

[SIC] DAY TWO HUNDRED FIFTY SEVEN

• Kicking off with one from Piers: “Wallpaper folks don’t like the trend in box” [Misfires and Monstrosities: three vehicular design disasters that show taste is in retreat] From a multi-million dollar piece merchandise to a wretched Rolls-Royce, these are the low points of the year in transportation design / Wallpaper

• On the topic of bad(?!) design: Capitalism debuts 34-legged table that "democratises discomfort." Design collective Capitalism has unveiled The Uncomfortable table, which has 34 legs to ensure that all dinners have an awkward eating experience / Dezeen

• By contrast: In New York, celebrities all eat at the same restaurants because the management knows how to make them happy. Read how some places do it / NYT

• Apropos of VIP treatment?!: ‘Big man to big man’: how the luxury industry is preparing for Trump. US is biggest market for sector which exports vast majority of products from France and Italy / FT

• Related, from Celeste: 2024 Was The Year We Finally Became Disillusioned With Quiet Luxury. / Vogue UK

• Corollary to that: Video Games Can’t Afford to Look This Good. The gaming industry spent billions pursuing the idea that customers wanted realistic graphics. Did executives misread the market? / NYT

• Which brings us to: The Typography Maestro Getting Calls From Greta Gerwig and Robert Eggers. Teddy Blanks, the designer behind the memorable movie titles for films like “Nosferatu” and “Barbie,” has quietly become Hollywood’s go-to guy / NYT

• Related: The Darkest Movie of the Year. Even the camera seems to fear the grunting, shadowy demon in Nosferatu / The Atlantic

• While in contrast: Bob Dylan Broke Rules. A Complete Unknown Follows Them. The biopic turns its subject’s independence and idiosyncrasies into the stuff of bland summary. / The Atlantic

• Unbland, from Celeste: How Miu Miu Became The Coolest Brand In The World' “The joy of Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada really has created a gem of trends that feed into the everyday. Quiet luxury but make it Miu Miu!” / Dazed

• And: These Paintings Will Put A Spell On You. “Magic and woo woo, two favourite topics, then throw in art and you have yourself a moment to step out of the everyday and breathe in a story, a painting and an artist's ideal” / FT

• A thirdfrom Celeste: 'Sotheby's Layoff Saga' “The Sotheby's saga continues, even with a large influx of investment, the art world is wondering how Sotheby's can bounce back. Intriguing and such a great listen, perfect for the slower days in the next week” / The Powers That Be - Puck

• Corollary: The art of the algorithm—new magazine launches dedicated to Artificial Intelligence works / The Art Newspaper

• Speaking of automation, from Piers: “Challenges to drone delivery roll out…” [Florida Man in Trouble for Shooting Walmart Drone With 9mm Handgun] / Futurism

• More ‘real work:’ As Gen Z opts for blue-collar jobs, blue-collar content creation is on the rise / Tubefilter

• What the rise of the niche and nano-creator means for influencer marketing. As the creator economy swells, niche creators stand out capturing user attention and advertiser dollars / Digiday

• And finally, from Piers: “This is a good newsletter in the sports/tech sector if you're looking for new data feeds” [Vetted Sports] / Vetted

Love from my and mine to you and yours

[SIC] DAY TWO HUNDRED FIFTY SEVEN