“Get your team to conduct fast, fearless, experiments — more often” says Steven Bartlett, entrepreneur and Dragon. I’m told Steven Bartlett’s company has a Head of Experiments whose job is to create a test-and-learn culture across everything they do.
Experimentation is at the heart of what I do. Type Tasting began after spending much of my graphic design career asking “but why?” The research I was interested in didn’t exist so I started creating experiments myself.
I told the audience at the GroupM conference in Düsseldorf the story of my chocolate experiment that failed (and why this was the best outcome). I chatted with Skip Steward about our shared enthusiasm for the outlier answers and unexpected experiment ‘fails’ on his Connecting the Dots podcast this week. How these lead to the most interesting stories and insights that push us to question our assumptions.
(My episode of Connecting the Dots will be live in a few weeks).
» The 2 min talk taster «
What happened at GroupM’s NextM event in Düsseldorf?
Here’s a quick 2-minute edit of the talk I gave at GroupM’s recent NextM conference in Düsseldorf. I took a huge bag of sour jellybeans for a live multisensory tasting experiment. We placed carefully wrapped pairs of jellybeans on each chair before the event.
“Your presentation was great and very inspiring. Kudos. Highly recommended for other event organisers.” Sven Wollner, Managing Partner/Director of Next bei GroupM
EXPERIMENT-FILLED EVENT
Get experimental with Sarah Hyndman
This is a new material tryout session for the new book I’m writing. Like comedians do, except my jokes aren’t as funny.
The Mildmay Club, Sunday 9th June, 11am
What happens to your brain on words? ‘Why Fonts Matter’ author and Type Tasting founder Sarah Hyndman is writing a new book.
Join Sarah for an experiment-filled session as she researches for it. She’ll be asking weird questions like:
• Do letter shapes alter what you taste?
• Can language transfer a real smell into your brain?
• Does word-style influence your choice?
Come along and measure your typosensory perception — discover whether you’re a typographic supertaster.
Book your ticket here (free, advance booking essential)
CREATE AN EXPERIMENTATION CULTURE
» Booking for business «
Experimental discovery session
Would you like me to bring along a case full of props and run curiosity-provoking experiments with your team? This is a popular booking with three activity sessions happening over the next fortnight.
Typosensory Activity Lab
Experimental discovery sessionsEngage your team’s curiosity with a hands-on series of games and experiments. These are designed to encourage engagement, challenge assumptions and provoke conversations.
» Ideas «
What ideas have caught your attention recently?
I presented three things I’m finding interesting at the wonderful LDN Futures Friends. The format is three slides with three signals in three minutes. It’s a great format and gathers such an interesting and engaged community. We leave with “a full heart and mind — every time” in the words of co-host Amy Daroukakis. And it starts conversations that continue long after the event.
Signal 1. Techni-sensory — Transformational sensorial
My first idea is called ‘Techni-sensory’. The title plays on movies transitioning from black and white to technicolour. (I’d love to have experienced the emotional impact of watching a movie in colour for the very first time).
It’s widely known that the more senses involved in an experience, the more immersive and memorable it is. Science and our personal experiences bear this out.
We’re seeing an increase in sensory elements being incorporated to create transformational experiences. This is the concept behind crossmodalism — that something you experience with one of your senses has an impact on your other senses. This is the world I’ve been playing and working in for over a decade.
Your perception is malleable. It’s influenced by your senses and what you know because you’ve experienced it before. Understanding this means we can create mood-nudging experiences by adding congruent sensory stimuli.
The examples shown in my slides are:
1. My multisensory chocolate tastings (I also do these with jellybeans, wine, beer etc.).
2. Google’s Making Sense of Colour installation at Milan Design Week 2024.
3. The recent Neuroaesthetics — Design for the Mind report by Kinda Studios and Design Hotels.
4. Scented Prometheus by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Scent cannons were fired into the audience to transform their experience of the music with smell. What did it smell like?
The other two signals I shared were:
• Typo-narrator. Tracking the zeitgeist. How type styles document cultural change and narrate social attitudes past, present and future.
• Whet your anemoia. How could tomorrow’s weird be packaged to feel like today’s familiar? From anemoia and Proust to somaforming.
I’ll write more about these in the future.
» Inspiring people doing interesting things «
I met Sarah Corbett when we both spoke at the same TEDx event a decade ago. She’s the creator of Gentle Protest and founder of the Craftivist Collective. Her new book the Craftivist Collective Handbook is out, published by Unbound (I’m delighted to have contributed to it). Check out the book or her book tour if you’re interested in the collective power of gentle protest.
» Enlightening coffee conversations with interesting people «
The ever-insightful Steph Clarke said in her Creative Mornings talk “Look for the people doing interesting things (hang out in those spaces)”. I would add “and go for coffee with them”. The best sparks come from connecting with humans.
My most recent coffee conversations: Coffee with anthropologist and food artist Caroline Hobkinson was a discovery of shared enthusiasm for crossmodalism, archetypes and creating immersive events. Semiotician Amelia Boothman and I talked futures and swapped geeky observations about psychology and neuroaesthetics over a post-event coffee. And innovation strategist Kuan Chi Hau blew my mind with insights into the society-shifting potential of fandoms.
Who would you have an enlightening coffee with?
» Call for event organisers «
Are you an event organiser looking for a speaker, experience or event? Here’s my showreel.
I fund my research and book writing through speaking and running curiosity-provoking events for businesses. You can help.
Hire me. Or introduce me.
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Big fan of your work and book! I spoke at the London 333 back in Feb and I wish I would have known you were there (I think!) as I would have loved to meet you. But happy to be following along here ☺️