Concept and Execution

Matt Gemmell tweeted this lovely concept of the Macintosh Nueu from Curved Labs.  It’s a stunning piece of design work that immediately sets off a twinge of nostalgia.  Familiar in both 1984 and 2015, the design resonates.

I loved the design of the original all-in-one Macs.  I keep a Mac Plus and a Classic II on the bookshelf in my office.  Maybe it’s just because I used them in my childhood, but they evoke a sense of wonder that more modern technology struggles to match.

With few exceptions though, I dislike concepts.  They give me a sour feeling in my gut.  As someone who’s often tasked with turning bright ideas into reality, I’m deeply uncomfortable with presenting a cool idea in such a factual way.  Concepts make for great art, but they’re terribly misleading when it comes to portraying what we should actually do.

Executing on an idea brings forward all the sharp corners and rough edges.  We almost never know what the actual problems in a development cycle are going to be until we’ve finished the first pass at implementation.  Oh sure, you can spot some of the dangers from afar, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more lurking horrors that will require a course correction midstream.

If you can execute on the idea and it’s still a good idea, you’ve got a winner.