Weekly Roundup: 9 Jan 2015

Happy New Year from Mattyford.com!

The world keeps moving faster and faster. It’s increasingly hard to filter out the most important 'signals from the noise' with the time we have available. Below is a summary of the most interesting and relevant topics that have passed through my signal filter over the past few weeks.

Take a look, and don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter.


Predictions, predictions, predictions! It's that time of year, so pretty much everyone under the sun has thoughts on what 2015 will bring us. I'll touch on the one's I have found most useful. 

Firstly, I really like what Huge have produced - instead of making predictions why not go out and make things? The future is now. 


Can you believe it's been 10 years since Contagious Magazine first launched (I know I can't). You can download their tenth anniversary edition for free on their site. A fantastic roundup of the last decade, and a view to 'the first light of dawn' on the horizon in 2015.


Forbes have a nice comprehensive list of 11 Marketing Trends for 2015. I especially like no. 2 - CMO's will need to become Chief Simplification Officers. Dust off your editing skills, and keep applying first principles.


What has web design got in store for 2015? The Next Web take a crack at predicting what design and UX aesthetics will hold sway. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!


The 99u really do create some of the best inspirational content for creative types and budding entrepreneurs. Check out their list of the most popular articles from 2014 to supercharge your new year.


The National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest winners are in. Very interesting to see the Grand Prize Winner and People Winner going to a photograph of tech addiction.  


Finally, if you want to understand the Zeitgeist of 2014, check out the Google Trends 'Year in Search' experience. Looking at the site, Google yet again prove they are the kings of storytelling.


Speaking about Google, they have updated their Customer Journey to Online Purchase Tool. This is a fantastic resource to see the influence of different channels along the purchase funnel in a variety of industries and locations.


Sony Hacks. North Korean Cyber War. Lizard Squad DDoS Attacks. The world went a little crazy in December, but one of the most interesting outcomes was the first same day VOD release by a major studio. Could this be a content delivery turning point?


Marketing Tech. Tell me that infographic doesn't look a bit frothy. It's enough to make you go cross-eyed. A visualization of the current landscape. 


New Year's Resolution. Practice more creative consistency. It's time to start shipping more frequently. Let's pull up that anchor.


I wrote an article on the Five Whys, a deceptively simple technique to get to the root cause of problems or insights. Check it out if you haven't already read it.


Some fun stuff to finish. The end of the Serial Podcast left a gaping hole in my heart, but luckily fafu filled it with this mashup of the theme song with the Notorious B.I.G. Bedroom producers keep getting better and better. 


If your either in peak summer or very much missing it like I am, check out this retro found footage experience from Poolside.FM. So much nostalgia, and some very chill beats.