Analog vs Digital Tools

Written February 24, 2022

“When it comes to the free flow of ideas, the pen remains mighter than both the keyboard and touchscreen” — David Sax in The Revenge of Analog

Analog Tools remain a key part of my creative process. Early on in my ideation, when the idea is still unclear and rough, Analog tools afford me a freer form of expression. Later as things become more clear, I switch to Digital Tools for higher fidelity, refinement, storage, and communication.

If I don’t have a general direction of where I want to go with an idea/design, then I don’t have any business in a high fidelity digital tool (Ex: Figma, Code).

This reminds me of a story from The Revenge of Analog where Antonio Marazza spoke about a design firm adopting Photoshop and their designs suffered until they forced their designers to ideate in Moleskine notebooks for the first week of a project before they were allowed to use Photoshop.

This also goes well with Curtis McHale’s thought: “… if a note or quote isn’t worth writing by hand it’s not worth keeping”

• How can we blur the line between digital and analog input? Analog is currently faster, but that’s largely due to failure in technology and building digital experiences.
  • The eInk Digital Tablets space is blurring the lines between analog and digital that create for interesting hybrid workflows.

• Analog Tools

• Digital Workflow

• Thinking Devices

• Hybrid Tools

• The Dash Plus System

• The struggle to depict something gives you time to think into it.

• Notebooks are not easily searchable

• Handwritten notes are a form of short-term memory

• Digital tools are good when working with structure

• Use analog tools when working with abstract ideas