Offscreen is an independent magazine about people who use the internet and technology to be creative, solve problems, and build successful businesses. Captured in enduring print, it documents stories of creativity and passion that shape the digital age.
Futurist Amy Webb explains how to think meaningfully about the future; Web Standards grandmaster Eric A. Meyer lays out an approach for building a more compassionate web experience; British entrepreneur Pip Jamieson shares the challenges of launching a ‘LinkedIn for Creatives’ – twice; and freelance coach Paul Jarvis makes a case for designing work around life, not vice versa.
It’s in the fringe where people can come up with innovative ideas that aren’t shackled by research grants or other constraints which would cause them to edit themselves.
With the ever-evolving digital landscape, it’s becoming increasingly important for companies of all stripes to stay on top of technological changes and think about what lies beyond the horizon. The question of ‘what’s next’ is Amy Webb’s bread and butter. She runs a consulting business based on futurism – a holistic approach to considering what’s coming. In her work, Amy examines how to think about the future in a meaningful way, what technological shifts will shake up our society, and why we often miss signals of change in plain sight. Her penchant for data analysis also extends to her private life: Amy’s marriage is the result of an ‘algorithm for love’.
It takes actual effort to make the web inaccessible – and yet, as usual, we’ve gone ahead and done just that. We’ve built enormous, teetering edifices of glass and metal, and now bemoan the fact that our view is obstructed.
Since the ’90s, a small group of advocates has been fighting for a better web experience and advancing the status quo of HTML and CSS while holding browser makers accountable. Eric A. Meyer is one of them. As an early blogger, a consultant, speaker, conference organiser, and the author of countless books and articles, Eric is a well-recognised and highly-respected authority in Web Standards. After the tragic death of his daughter, he reflects on the lack of compassion and empathy in the way we design digital experiences. But Eric remains hopeful, and calls on designers and developers to infuse their work with strong values that will shape the behaviour of the next generation of users.
We’re squandering so much amazing talent because of unfair biases and the barriers they create.
As an MTV executive, Pip Jamieson struggled to find a more diverse pool of creative talent for her projects. Frustration grew into a ‘what if’ and eventually resulted in a bootstrapped startup – a ‘LinkedIn for creatives’. After proving successful in Australia, the British-born entrepreneur took her idea back to London and launched a second time under a new name. The Dots has quickly become a thriving networking tool for the creative industries, connecting freelancers and job seekers with companies of all shapes and sizes. Pip’s positivity and energy are unabating and infectious. From a houseboat moored somewhere on London’s canals, she’s ready to set The Dots on course for global expansion.
Anyone can call themselves an expert, a coach, or a ‘thought leader’, pad some bullshit credentials, and sell their course online. It’s a billion-dollar industry.
In a remote corner of an island off Canada’s west coast, Paul Jarvis tends to the vegetables in his newly-built greenhouse. After checking on his food supply, it’s time to head back to the ‘office’ to work on an upcoming email marketing class while giving his pet rats some exercise. Developer, designer, author, tutor, podcaster, blogger, marketeer – we could give him any or all of those titles. But above all, Paul is a fiercely independent creative who considers his two-decade long freelance career an ongoing quest for the ideal lifestyle. He shares his discoveries – including the occasional ‘angry rant’, as he puts it – through numerous books, online courses, and various other digital products, building a loyal audience inspired by his unconventional approach to life and to work.