One of the many fascinating, creative people I met at Alt this year, is named Tammy. She is from Iowa but currently lives in Australia working as a designer for a bank.
She and her firm use design to help the bank interact more effectively with their patrons. Some of the examples she shared with me blew my mind. Like instead of calling a department Mortgages, they renamed it Home Ownership. Although they are prepared to talk about amortization and loans, they are also prepared to advise about other things people think about when buying a home, such as what kinds of things will improve a property and what things don’t. I wish I could remember more details it was fascinating and so forward thinking.
She gave me her beautiful card which she had made at an SLC letterpress company on the Monday before Alt. I didn’t understand the reference. She told me it came from a poem by Walter Stevens and recited to me the fist two lines.
I’m not sure why but it resonated deeply with me and I’ve recited it over and over since that night.
It is one of those things that I will be mulling over for a long time.