Airbag International

• C'est la Vie Austin?
• Yellow is the new normal.
• Holiday Office Hours, the Airbag Way.
• The new MacBook Pro, the one without the "Touchbar," is pretty great.
• A moment for us all to rally and answer the call to help someone who has helped us all.
• A peak behind the gigantic enterprise design kimono.
• Jeffrey Zeldman announces a new startup: 1999 2.0.
• Making sense of all the jibba jabba during user research.
• An unexpected, worldwide turn.
• Months ago Zeldman suggested that I forgo single word titles and practice better SEO. He's right. At first, the one word titles thing was fun, but over time, it became one more barrier to publishing. Textism, I did what I could.
• Hired.
• Handicapped.
• Maybe.
• Cupcake.

Jeffrey Zeldman announces a new startup: 1999 2.0.

True fact, I am the only person on the planet who has been a Happy Cog client, contractor, and captain. As many of you know I merged my business with Happy Cog in 2009 and ran one of three studios for five years. When I went out on my own and started Airbag in 2005, I worked on several projects for Happy Cog as a freelance contractor. And long before any of that nonsense, in 2003, I convinced Jeffrey Zeldman (at the time, the sole proprietor and employee of Happy Cog) to work with me on a redesign project for my employer at the time, The Crystal Cathedral Ministries.

Our project kick-off took place in Jeffrey's flat that sat atop Murray Hill. We sat in Jeffrey's living room which featured a gorgeous, white, thick, shag-like carpet. The room was surrounded by a fantastic collection of books, music, and movies (everything classic or destined to be). I took a spot on an amazing orange leather couch and did my best not to lose my shit because I was sitting in Zeldman's living room, and we were working together on a project.

So you can imagine what it was like for me to get to work with Jeffrey for the next eleven years. Though, to be honest, we didn't work together nearly enough. If I have one regret from my time with Happy Cog, it is that I wish we could have worked on more projects together as I have always enjoyed my time with Zeldman, especially when we commiserate as designers and writers.

This morning Jeffrey announced his next endeavor, Studio.Zeldman—now open for business! I presume this means he has said goodbye to Happy Cog, the studio he founded seventeen years ago. I don't think I'm wrong to say that Zeldman is one of a select few pioneers of the digital/interactive/web/device/whatevs industry that is now available for consultation. Anyone who operates a content-based property or business should have Zeldman on retainer.

Meanwhile, I need to convince someone to give me a project and a budget to hire Studio Zeldman and start the cycle over again.

Vive la Happy Cog! Vive la Airbag! Vive la Studio.Zeldman!