The Friday Thing #808

Friday and the sun is beaming over Seattle.

The Friday Thing #808 has so much to cover that I hardly know where to start – but the over-riding theme is new beginnings, so I’ll start with Aptos. What is Aptos I hear you ask? Well, it’s the name of an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz, California. It’s also the name of the new, default Microsoft font. I’m a bit of a font nerd and so am excited to see this new digital collection of pixels on my screen. Si Daniels wrote a great piece yesterday on the Microsoft Design blog about the 15-year journey from Calibri to Aptos, accompanied by beautiful visuals.?

As I rode my bicycle around Mercer Island yesterday it occurred to me that the timing of the font change was serendipitous (for me). This time of year is the first few weeks of Microsoft’s new fiscal year and naturally a time of change. For me, it habitually means archiving work from the last year and creating a new slate within my digital landscape – new folders in Outlook, new tabs in OneNote and now an entire new font across my apps. I like the symmetry as it coincides with other changes for me – a newly created role at Microsoft, leading a new team with a charter that embraces all the things I love: technology, AI, storytelling, team building, culture and more. Lots of unknowns and room for creativity There is more about this on my LinkedIn profile if you’re interested and I’ll share more here as we go….but suffice it to say, I am energized.?

I am also grateful. For the chance to pause a bit and assess the landscape – metaphorically and literally. The next few weeks will give me chance to consider the journey ahead at work and then in August, literally go on a journey that will see me stop off in Santa Cruz. More serendipity. I will also get the chance to ride some rollercoasters in California and I am sure the same will be true metaphorically as I embark on the work? ??. As I do so, I will aim to embody the characteristics that Steve Matteson, the creator of Aptos, used to describe the font – professionalism, adaptability, subtle flourishes of expression, and more clarity.

Two final moments of serendipity. The first is that I am sending this to you on Bastille Day which falls on a Friday this year, so I will use that as an excuse to raise a glass of champagne to toast new beginnings. Second, today I am listening to Pacific State by 808 State. ?????

That’s all for this week. Cheers & happy Friday.

-Steve?