It’s important to remember that computers store and display data.

That’s their purpose.

The way we view and interact with the data they store determines the purpose the computer has at that time.

Computers help us to do things by providing useful tools.

But computers should augment our lives, not be our lives.

Since working from home is now such a big part of many of our lives, it feels like computers are the thing.

It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot, and I’ve become very aware of the time we are interacting with with computers vs nature. Nature, art, experiences.

I interact with computers far, far more than nature.

And this isn’t an anti-tech piece, I love computers; always have been fascinated by tech, I’m a geek now and probably always will be.

But the nature of my career means the lines between work and life - online, offline, augmented - are blurred. And the approach many organisations take to prioritising pure growth means a lot of my time has been spent trying to blur those same lines for others.

Computers are tools.

Tools to help us organise. Tools to help us stay healthy. Tools to automate. Tools to help us remember. Tools to help us create. Tools to entertain.

But tools nonetheless.

Add in connection, and we amplify the augmentation that computers provide. They become utterly essential for functioning in a modern world. Tools to help connect, and vitally so.

I want to focus my work on tools that help us live more healthily and be more creative.

Products that help us live more healthily, help us make better decisions about our health, but ultimately augment in the most minimal way so that we can experience more nature. Nature, art, experiences, time alone, time with family - etc. Health being one example.

Too often we aim at creating apps that are as ‘sticky’ as possible. Addictive products that enhance reliance whilst removing learning. Apps that are ‘cool’ rather than genuinely useful. Websites that fail to focus on the information they provide and prioritise ad visibility.

There must be a world where monetisation can be achieved whilst still creating great tools. And I think that’s important to remember. And it’s important for the work we should do.

We should create such excellent tools that asking for money becomes an easy task.

Very Good is founded based on these technology principles:

1. Technology as valuable tools to live better lives, not consume our lives

2. Incredible design should bring people back to technology, not addictive features

3. Technology should be inclusive, we create for all platforms, demographics and regions - not just wealthy western iPhone users

4. No technology is ever ‘done’ - we encourage learning, ideas and improvements from all who are working on or with our products

5. Monetisation prioritises value, not ads or personal data - people should want to pay for our tools because they are great, rather than expecting to make money from ads in the long run

If these values align with your organisation, we’d love to work with you.

Marketing is effectively communicating how you can solve a problem.

Isn't it?

Businesses are increasingly marketing led. Competition is high and with more options to try to be seen & heard it’s more difficult than ever to get noticed and hold attention.

What I often see is marketing messaging moving away from being focused on solving a problem to being focused on what the business has to say about themselves.

The best marketing is a mixture of both.

But what are problems?

Some problems are real and immediate - if you get locked out your house you’ll want the best locksmith.

Some problems are real and personal - if you need to borrow money you’ll want the best bank.

Some problems are created by products too essential to ignore - smartphones being one.

Some problems are not problems at all unless you perceive them to be - luxury, designer or ‘must have’ brands often aren’t essential but many deem them to be so.

Some problems may seem utterly trivial or utterly essential depending on the situation.

Some problems are created by yourself, and are fun to solve - hobbies generally fall into this category.

It’s a very difficult subject and one that could warrant its own massive ethical debate, but it’s clear that for most marketing, organisations are trying to communicate how they can best solve customers problems.

But too often we end up in a situation where we are marketing something that no one really needs.

And this is not what we want to work on.

Very Good is founded based on these marketing principles:

1. All marketing should provide something of value to people or businesses

2. Great brands are built on great products, and our marketing should consider the product we are selling too

3. The two previous points rely on long term thinking, which we always champion

4. Creativity should be instilled in all we do - even the ‘boring’ stuff - creativity fuels unique approaches

5. Ultimately we don’t create unnecessary problems with our marketing

If these values align with your organisation, we’d love to work with you.