A Return to the Physical?
Zines, Broadsheets, and the Glory of the Real
Ness is about making and thinking about content—strategy, storytelling, and the creative life. It’s free for now. Someday, it will earn its keep.
Signs of Life
Are we seeing a return to the tangible? Maybe it’s a reaction to AI, maybe it’s just a pendulum swing, but one thing feels clear: the projects leaning into the physical and away from the digitally produced are hitting harder. Let’s take a look.
Last week, Apple revealed its new Apple TV mnemonic. It’s so polished—so classically Apple—that you’d assume it was created digitally. Turns out, that assumption is completely wrong.
AppleTV’s new intro was shot with full-on cameras, lights, and giant physical logos—and the behind-the-scenes clip took off. It landed with everyone because it felt real, a refreshing change from the usual over-produced (or underwhelming) big-brand logo refresh. Bravo, Apple.
This week also brought something I love even more: A Continuous Lean teamed up with David Coggins to publish a physical newspaper, distributed through menswear shops and retailers. It’s such a cool move. Add a great launch party, and suddenly you have something rare these days: real attention, created offline. A much-needed break from our phones.
See also: Imogene + Willie, who just released another zine-style project.
One of these landed in my mailbox this week, and for a second, I assumed a friend had mailed me their passion project. That only happens maybe once a year—a handmade, creative something showing up unannounced—and it’s always a delight. The Imogene + Willie zine hit the same way. The level of creativity is all the way up. I opened it and suddenly found myself reading poetry in my apartment, which is not a thing I normally do.
The poster, the zine, the whole package signaled care and craft. It made me like the brand even more. It’s easy for companies to monetize every inch of a project—to turn it into a catalog with prices and product descriptions. I’m glad they resisted that impulse. It’s better this way.
Realize it may not be aligned with your views but Field Ethos is a quarterly magazine for hunters and outdoors-people that is as well done as any publication I’ve read, and consistent with your theme here…. Seems this is a more universal trend. Hope it continues.