I explore this question in my short, partly visual emails, crafted through my lens as a pitch designer in deep-tech. Join me for insights on effective communication, marketing, design, psychology, and the philosophy of value.
The master watchmaker
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18th century Switzerland: A customer comes into a master watchmaker's shop asking to clean a watch he had bought.
As the watchmaker takes the fabulous watch apart, the customer notices an engraving on the back side of one of the balance wheels
"Why did you put something there that no one will ever see?" the costumer asks.
The watchmaker turns around and says, "God can see it."
How did that last line make you feel? What do you think about the quality of the watchmaker's work? The value of his creation? For me, the takeaway isn't about good mechanics or faith - it's about the master's choice of words. His reply wasn't 'fact based' or even 'rational' yet it packed the strongest punch. Here's the thing 'Communication' is not the same thing as 'explanation'. It's about cutting through the complexity, in whatever way that does it best - even if it means that logic has to take the back seat. * The story was told by designer Richard Seymour in his 2011 TED talk 'How beauty feels' - well worth the watch. |
What makes people see value in a thing?
I explore this question in my short, partly visual emails, crafted through my lens as a pitch designer in deep-tech. Join me for insights on effective communication, marketing, design, psychology, and the philosophy of value.
A question arrived by LinkedIn, that you might find useful (edited for brevity): Hi Sagi, I’m still an undergrad, but I am already facing a challenge with fundraising for our solar race car initiative. Could you share your most important insight from designing tech investment pitches? Here's the response:Hi Harry, This is a big question but here's a thought to nudge you in the right direction: Think of pitching as answering one core question that investors have. You might assume that question...
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