Marketing by Design – Design thinking that makes marketing work
I test the AI tools, design trends, and brand moves marketers are talking about, then tell you what holds up and what doesn’t. Written by the author of the bestselling The Visual Marketer, after 20+ years leading brand, creative, and digital experience marketing teams.
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AD83: Use Nostalgia to Create Something New
Published over 1 year ago • 4 min read
23 February 2025 | Issue #83
In this issue:
Create Something New with Old Parts
60 Fonts That Look Great in 2025
Best CRM for Graphic Designers
Adobe Celebrates 35 Years of Photoshop
The Visual Marketer: March 4th
Design Quote of the Week
Midjourney Prompt: a lego representation of a SNL sketch --ar 16:9
Use Nostalgia to Create Something New
According to my Bluesky feed, many people my age spent last weekend consuming SNL50 content. There was over six hours of new Saturday Night Live content to celebrate the groundbreaking show's golden anniversary.
Friday night had the SNL50 Homecoming Concert. Three hours of music, and musical sketches, that brought many of us back to our younger times. The first four acts (Jimmy Fallon's 'Soul Man', Miley Cyrus, Bad Bunny, and Eddie Vedder) crossed generations. It helped pull in the audience no matter their age.
They brought out classic SNL performers for a few musical sketches to bridge between the acts. These were also tinged with nostalgia. Whether you watched Nick the Lounge Singer (Bill Murray) or The Culps (Will Ferrell & Ana Gasteyer) in their heyday, this show brought you back to those simpler times.
Sunday's SNL50 anniversary show managed to add onto that sense of nostalgia and build something new. Whether it was Adam Sandler's "50 Years" song or watching a sketch with three of the all-time SNL greats (Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, and Keenan Thompson) mixed with a handful of current cast members, SNL managed to do something we should all strive to do: Create something new based on something that worked in the past.
The Scared Straight sketch is something that audiences have seen before. But this time it created comedy gold by adding amazing performers. The fact that the longest-serving SNL cast member (Keenan) broke is something to behold. He's been in the sketch multiple times, but even he couldn't believe what his predecessors, Murphy and Ferrell, were doing.
Nostalgia isn't something you can always rely on. If you use it too much, it becomes a little sad. But in limited usage, or used at the right time, it can be powerful. It's why anniversaries should be celebrated. It's a way to remind your audience why they appreciate you in the first place.
Take a few minutes today to reflect on some of your biggest wins. Do you know why that achievement was successful? If so, look at the calendar and find a time to revisit it.
If you don't have anything in mind, pay attention to the calendar. Do you have a big anniversary coming up? I can see that this newsletter will hit 100 issues later this year. Now is the time I need to start thinking about how I will mark that milestone. There's a good chance I'll look to the past for inspiration.
Create something new based on what worked before. I know it's hard for creative people not to create something new each time. But remember, you don't have to create something new every time. Updating something that worked in the past can produce something just as creative ... and with less time, money, and effort.
And don't forget to celebrate those big achievements!
NEWS AT THE INTERSECTION OF MARKETING, DESIGN, & AI
🌼 60s Fonts That Look Great in 2025
Speaking of nostalgia, Jack Nolan shares a list of 18 typefaces that are perfect if you're going for a '60s vibe, but still want to feel fresh.
Design Work Life breaks down the top CRM tools that help graphic designers manage clients, streamline workflows, and stay organized.
• Moxie: Designed specifically for creatives, Moxie offers visual project boards, built-in time tracking, client portals, and custom branding options, providing an intuitive interface for solo designers.
• HubSpot CRM: Ideal for growing design businesses, HubSpot provides robust contact management, extensive marketing tools, comprehensive analytics, and a rich ecosystem of integrations, with a generous free plan.
• HelloBonsai: Focusing on the business side of freelancing, HelloBonsai includes legally-vetted contract templates, automated invoicing, time tracking, and expense management, streamlining administrative tasks for designers.
• Trello: While not a traditional CRM, Trello’s visual Kanban-style organization, flexible board and card system, and collaboration features make it a popular choice for designers seeking a simple solution.
• My Take: I use Notion for all of my projects. I have a Kanban board that allows me to log projects and move them through the process.
📽️ Adobe Celebrates 35 Years of Photoshop With a New Video Series
Adobe marks Photoshop’s 35th anniversary with a special video series featuring industry experts reflecting on its impact and evolution.
• A Look Back at Innovation: The series, hosted by Adobe’s Russell Preston Brown, highlights key milestones like layers and nondestructive editing.
• From Darkroom to Digital: Photographer Joel Grimes shares how Photoshop transformed photography, allowing for detail retrieval beyond traditional darkroom techniques.
We're getting closer to the launch of my first book, The Visual Marketerfrom Tilt Publishing. Paperback and hardcover will be available exclusively on my site starting March 4th.
Design Quote of the Week
“The client may be king, but he’s not the art director.” – Von Glitschka
My AI disclaimer: I write the main stories by hand (with occasional assistance from Grammarly). I find the news stories and the writeup is by ChatGPT. I write the My Takes bullet. If AI generates the images, I include the prompt so you can see how I got to that image. Nothing in this newsletter, or anything I publish anywhere, reflects the views of my employer.
Marketing by Design – Design thinking that makes marketing work
Jim MacLeod
I test the AI tools, design trends, and brand moves marketers are talking about, then tell you what holds up and what doesn’t. Written by the author of the bestselling The Visual Marketer, after 20+ years leading brand, creative, and digital experience marketing teams.
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