Each week, we share the top five articles that caught our attention. Here are your must-reads, published here and abroad, for the week of August 29th 2016.
“Franchising” the Harry Potter brand
J.K. Rowling published the last book in the Harry Potter series in 2007. In 2016, three major announcements have been made about this ongoing epic saga: the release of a new movie, a new book and a new play, both with and without Harry. Like its Marvel and DC counterparts, Harry Potter is more than just one character. It’s a universe able to generate an infinite number of new works and branded merch. How to keep stretching out the possibilities without losing fans? Welcome to the complexities of “franchising” literary works.
→ Read it on Le Monde (French only) Pocket
Life before the Internet
What does it mean to be the last generation to remember life before the Internet? How can we continue to appreciate solitude in a crowded, social media world? Canadian journalist Michael Harris has written a book, The End of Absence, to look at how technology is impacting our perpetually connected lives.
→ Read it on Quartz Pocket
U.S. democracy has a UX problem
In just a few months, U.S. citizens will be voting for a new President, as well as a new line-up of representatives. Our neighbours to the south have a complex electoral system and the ballots (different for each state) are not easing matters. In this article, Dana Chisnell, Co-Director of Center for Civic Design and a researcher who’s passionate about elections and UX, writes about the prickly user experience issues surrounding the voting process. What’s that saying about “keep it simple…”?
→ Read it on Journal of Usability Studies Pocket
Depicting texting on TV
It’s near impossible to set a TV series in 2016 without having at least one scene in which characters are communicating by text message. How can these sequences be depicted on the small screen in an interesting way?
→ Read it on The Verge Pocket
Fragility of iPhone screens
What is your wish-list for the new iPhone? Thinner? Bigger screen? More memory? What about a shatterproof screen? Considering that 15% of iPhone users are working with a cracked screen, journalist Mark Wilson asks why Apple engineers haven’t jumped on that problem yet.
→ Read it on Fast Company Pocket
Diversity = Creativity = Profitability
#Sponsored
In Quebec, women represent 60% of advertising agency employees, but occupy less than 20% of top posts. Stéphanie A-Lebon writes an editorial piece on the advantages of greater parity in our agencies.
→ Read it on our blog Pocket
In your earbuds: Glossy
Laurie DeJong, CEO of LDJ Productions—the event management company behind New York’s Fashion Week—sits down with journalist Shareen Pathak to discuss how social media is impacting fashion, as well as the challenges of organizing such a massive event.
→ Listen to it on Glossy
Our favourite thing
Mark it on your calendars, kids! Edward Snowden will be giving a vidéoconférence at McGill University on November 2. And the best part… it’s FREE.
