A Visit with a Digital Architect

“The overriding principles were of simplicity and speed, oft-expressed in the maxim ”the story is the star.’ Anything that would distract from that, either in terms of the attention a member of editorial staff would be able to give it, or the attention a user would give it, was pretty ruthlessly discarded. The other thing that worked well was being able to say ‘oh sh*t’ and call attention to when we were off-target without fear of censure. Often in a big important project, the momentum and pressure can make people stay quiet, even if they think bad decisions are being made.” Matt Jones gives an interview to Rusty Foster

—A Visit with a Digital ArchitectOnline Journalism Review)

If a designer is a barefoot, goatee-wearing cyber-visionary, and a corporate engineer is a cubicle-dwelling, tie-wearing number-cruncher, then an information architect is a guy who wears both a suit jacket and a pony tail, or maybe a tie and an earring.