Where did you go, Surface Texture?
Hardware moves more slowly than we want.
It’s been a few weeks since the last issue of Surface Texture, what gives!? 😧
Writing Surface Texture takes a lot of work to do right — thoughtful analyses of new product releases, what those products imply about how the world is shifting, and how they impact what we make in the future. As a free and weekly publication, Surface Texture often requires compromise on writing what feels right with writing what-can-be-reasonably-achieved by next Tuesday. The past few weeks off have given me an opportunity to think about where I want to take Surface Texture next, balancing long-term sustainability and high-quality content, while increasing reach.
The thing about newsletters is that they don’t have a very long shelf life — how many times have you gone back to a newsletter email and re-read it? For most people, never. There’s no intrinsic problem with how disposable newsletters are — product designers are used to having their work thrown away all the time, from napkin sketches to plastic bottles — the problem lies in using the medium to connect intangible, slow-moving trends to tangible, physical products. That’s totally possible, it just requires zooming out more than an episodic newsletter can afford, especially when examining all physical products launched in the previous week. The fact of the matter is, hardware moves slowly. Last week’s iPhone was designed last year. The freshness of a product is well-suited to the newsletter medium, what it means is not.
So… what does that mean for Surface Texture?
Surface Texture is a prototype and iterations are needed to become a final product. It’s form is fluid, and the focus of the newsletter may change over time, as well as the platform by which it’s distributed or medium in which it’s consumed.
A key part of talking about physical products on the internet is seeing pictures of them. That’s hard with a newsletter format, since newsletters have a limited file size — something I’m exploring and to look forward to 😉
Fewer in-depth analyses in favor of linking to existing content; moreover, saving that content for occasional long-form pieces that can be given the time and consideration needed to make them right.
Finally, giving more space to personality and opinion. I initially started Surface Texture as a means to spur myself into more frequent writing — to that end, it’s been massively successful — but it’s easy to hide behind the title Surface Texture and take a more editorial approach and tone, when it’s ok to let the person behind the curtain peek through from time to time 😅
Thank you all for your continued readership and patience while I design this newsletter in the open — Surface Texture will be back next week!
— Will @ Surface Texture