“Soul is nothing more, probably, than the authentic vibration of the biosphere, registered and amplified within the human sensorium.”
- Mars Albert Stubblefield, Villa incognito
I’ve been thinking about design and soul and how they come together for a few years now.
Soul (to us and the work we do) has always mattered, but now I think we can all agree it matters more than ever. The push for humanity and authenticity is only increasing.
“When you think of soul, you should think of things that are authentic and things that are deep. Anything superficial is not soulful. Anything artificial, imitative, or overly refined is not soulful.”
When I think about our best work, it integrates soul. Finding the authentic thing about a brand can be easy or it can be hard. For instance:
Easy: An NGO that produces organic food through regenerative agriculture practices and then donates that food to soup kitchens.
Medium: A landscape design firm (Botanica) focused on detail, quality, and the creation of timeless, contemporary landscapes.
Hard: An organic growth agency that helps B2B software companies drive business growth through content.
Very Hard: A YC startup building AI associates that automate deal work for firms in the private capital markets.
How we find this soul and then express it is central to the work we do. In a sense, it is the lens for how we measure and predict success. We believe soulful design will help businesses and organizations succeed in their mission. Now more than ever.
Sound — How to make Memphis Soul Stew: a pound of fatback drums, a pinch of organ, a half-pint of horns, and a bunch of other stuff.
Thought — “Wood has a stronger connection to soul than does plastic, although, paradoxically, thanks to human interface, a funky wooden table or chair can sometimes exceed in soulfulness the soul that may be invoked by a living tree.” - Mars Albert Stubblefield, Villa incognito
Wisdom — “The quality of being wide-awake, of being a clear-sighted person who looks around and sees the whole situation, isn’t something I can take for granted in myself. It is something that needs to be achieved on a moment-to-moment basis.” - Shop Class as Soulcraft
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.