Matt Alagiah

For yesterday's @obsmagazine I went to visit the artist and sculptor @wilfridwoodsculptor at his home in Hackney, which is packed full of art – not just his own, but also pieces by friends, his parents and outsider artists he admires. Here are some of my fave shots by the brilliant @megankeagles and some of the best bits from Wilfrid himself. (You always end up having to leave some great quotes out of a profile like this, but after a couple of hours spent with someone as quotable as Wilfrid, I've got enough for another full article.) To read the piece in its entirety and see more of Megan's photos, head over to the link in my bio!

I’ve written a few stories for the WSJ’s @wsjoffduty section recently, including a couple of covers. One fun one looked at the very best workout gear for guys, based on interviews with marathon runners, former Olympians and one guy who has scaled Everest - twice. Another was about watches and how the new status watches for men aren’t the typical brands we can all name, but instead smaller indie brands that pack a lot of character and personality. Here are those covers and some of my favourite quotes and lines from those two cover stories. Head over to the WSJ to read the pieces in full. Thanks as ever to @jamie_waters for the commissions!

I first met Margaret Calvert back in 2019 when I was working at @itsnicethat and we published a look back at the legendary graphic designer's career and work. A few weeks ago, I got to return for the @obsmagazine and write a profile of Margaret through the lens of her beautiful and suitably sign-filled home (where she has lived for over half a century!). I loved this line of hers: “I’m not an interior design person, I don’t have indoor plants. I’m just about making the place fit like a comfy overcoat.” A philosophy to live by! You can find the full story via the link in my bio, along with more photos by the wonderful @megankeagles

A few weeks ago I went to Ghent (actually a little nondescript town 20 minutes outside of Ghent) to meet Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen, the Belgian designers behind one of my favourite studios: @mullervanseveren They showed me around their home and adjacent studio / showroom, with their dog Polly following in tow. Here's a little snippet of the story, but you can read the rest in the @obsmagazine and on the website (link in my bio). Photos by @mr_frank_photo

I’ve been writing a few pieces for the @obsmagazine recently but this commission was a particularly fun one. Last year, my partner and I went travelling for three months around Southeast Asia with our (then) 2-year-old daughter. I got the chance to reflect and write about it - the joy, the chaos, the unbelievably stressful train journeys. Here are a few choice snippets. Follow the link in my bio to read the whole piece. Also - obsessed with this illustration of the three of us, done beautifully by @yvetteearlillustration

Friday was my last day at It’s Nice That, after 6 wonderful years! Here’s a picture of me feeling very overwhelmed, holding my leaving present, which was organised by the incredible team @itsnicethat – an original drawing by the one and only @jean_jullien (there’s a close-up of the portrait at the end of the carousel too). Far, far too many highlights to actually list here, but a few things that stand out, if you’ll indulge me… Over the past 6 years I’ve compèred (I think) exactly 50 Nicer Tuesdays events, including quite a few from my living room during Covid – hence the terrible haircut in the third image.. We’ve also taken that same event across the pond to New York and found a similarly supportive and engaged audience there. During the past 6 years, It’s Nice That has launched a podcast, published series and features that have driven new conversations in the creative industries, and collaborated with some great brands on some super-creative partnerships – our animated series All in a Day’s Work with Mailchimp, which we worked on with @buck_design , really stands out. This job has also allowed me to go to some fascinating places and meet some fascinating people – sitting down with the legendary graphic designer Margaret Calvert in her kitchen was a particular highlight (that illustration was by @anjareponen ). All of this aside, my abiding memory will be of working alongside the wonderful people who make up the It’s Nice That team. They’re brilliant, fun and hugely creative people, and I’m going to massively miss working with them on a daily basis! As for me – I’m going to be taking some time off to travel with my partner and our 2-year-old (undoubtedly the biggest project of the past few years 😁), and then after that going freelance as a writer, editor and podcast/event host in the new year. Let me know if you want to have a chat about that or anything else – my proverbial door is always open!

A few pics from an amazing few days in Goa for Designyatra 2024. Inspiring talks, great conversations, and a quick sprint around Panjim searching for a thali to end with. The first pic is a drawing done by the great @suresheriyat of me during my talk. I absolutely love it! #designyatra24

Last week on @itsnicethat we published Wise Guides: an advice series for emerging creatives navigating the first years of their careers. The five articles housed some very sweet and helpful characters, illustrated by the great @everyones_favourite and across these pieces, we shared resources, tips and firsthand experiences to get you off on the right foot, covering: 1. What sort of designer should I be? by @jaheedhussain_ 2. How to stand out when you’re starting out, by @_creativelives 3. Creatives’ legal FAQ: lawyers answer the big questions creative always ask them 4. Finding creative community, outside of art school, by @ellistree 5. How to keep going: Navigating the ebb and flow of creativity and motivation, by @daniellepender The series was edited by @jennysbrewer and the identity and little Wise Guides mascots were commissioned by @africapombo – an awesome team effort! Hopefully it helps a few people as they kick off their creative careers!

"We can't help but unleash the beast," says Amelie Dinh, Head of Contextual Research for Bakken & Bæck, on a panel entitled ‘The Imaginations of AI’ at D&AD Festival 2024. Dinh discussed the persistent narrative of existential threat around machine learning, tracing its roots to Greek mythology, Frankenstein, and the term 'robot.' So, how can we then create a more nuanced, diverse, and accessible narrative about AI? The panel weighed in on this question and more, as they unpacked the risks of threatening AI narratives, and looked at how to address the risks of fear-driven stories stemming from AI's pervasive influence on our lives. Panellists: Amelie Dinh @amelie.dinh - Head of Contextual Research, @bakkenbaeck Matt Alagiah @malagiah - Editor-in-Chief, @itsnicethat Gaby Pearl - Staff Designer, @googledeepmind Michelle Higa Fox @higafox - Group Creative Director, @buck_design and Alexa Sirbu @alexa_sirbu - Co-Founder and Creative Director, @xk.studio There's more from 'Imaginations of AI' - head over to our YouTube to find out what the panel had to say. Link in bio 🔗 #dandad24 #ai #artificialintelligence #technology #creativeinsights #aitips #creativetips #aidesign #accessibility #accessibilitymatters #creativeexcellence

Designers and creatives of New York! 🗽 It's your last chance to pick up tickets to our Nicer Tuesdays event tonight at @SVATheatre . The lineup is a good'un as always. We’ll be joined by @1201.am , @poupayphoto , @karllikesotto and @mythology who will all be giving us a little insight into their creative practices. Head over to the link in my bio to read more about the line-up and to get your hands on the last few remaining tickets. See you there!

Why creative labour isn’t always seen as “real work” 🔧 Throughout history, artistic production has been seen as the opposite of productive work. Today, creatives are still feeling the aftereffects of this. In an article published over on @itsnicethat this week, anthropologist and illustrator @JulienPosture unpacks why this might be and offers some potential solutions. Head on over to that link in bio to give the feature a read! Fantastic illustrations by @shiwensvenwang

A week in Palermo and Taormina. Spot the toddler running laps round a courtyard 🏃🏽‍♀️