My new sentiment of the week: Horizontal is the new Vertical.
What on earth does that mean?
First, an observation about the future state of digital. As computers and television converge…and HD/widescreen becomes the new standard…and the iPhone teaches us to shift the screen from vertical to horizontal to get a better picture…I'm seeing a new convention arise. The old vertical, scroll-down, above and below the fold model feels dated. The future is pageless and vertical.
Even if you're not operating in a digital world, think of the possibilities in all things horizonal. Try shifting your frame of reference in all things designed. Try finding a more expansive, horizontal model for branding. Think of horizontal as a way to shift perspective.
Second, I was lucky to hear Thomas Friedman speak this week about our flat world. His remarks elucidated and expanded on his wonderful book. Friedman reiterated the themes he's written about - how we've moved from a vertical (command and control) world to a horizontal (open source) world. And he went on to say that "horizontal is the mother of all inflection points". Horizontal is changing the way we work, communicate, live, perceive the world, eat, operate…its changing everything.
Which leads us back to Horizontal is the new Vertical. Strange, but true.
So it's time to think about your horizontality. How horizontal is your business? How horizontal is brand? And how horizontal are you? Are you ready for our horizonal times?
