Still here

It’s been a few months now since I shut down Unqueue. The ending was intense, like most fast-paced beginnings, but all things considered, it wasn’t bad. Reflecting on what ended up being about three years of the most intense work of my life, it’s clear that those years were also the most transformative, and they pointed to the kind of work I wanted to pursue.

I’m a designer. I’ve been working in graphic design, and later typeface design, for a total of about 15 years. It’s gone really well so far, and I doubt I’ll ever truly retire, but over the past few years, I’ve become something else. In an interesting twist, I’ve found myself doing what I always wanted to do as a child: making things. And really, that’s what my work comes down to—making things, hopefully useful ones.

It’s no exaggeration to say that I started Public Good Studio to cover Unqueue’s expenses. The Studio—whose creation was probably a sign that it was time to pivot—took on a life of its own. PGS still takes on product development clients, but now the focus is different: we’re more selective about who we work with, because we can afford to be. At the same time, I’ve had to put serious thought into leading a sustainable team that I built myself, at a company whose vision I’m fully responsible for. It’s a lot of responsibility for someone who says they don't like it. And, I still don’t like it, but it’s been something really defining for me.

On the topic of things I don’t like: there’s a good bit of cleanup that I’m responsible for in Unqueue’s wake, but it’s getting cleaned up. Things they don’t tell you about shutting down a startup include: software audits (terrifying, and tedious), tax compliance (terrifying), online accounts review, email account audits, password handovers, second password handovers…don’t start that company unless you really want to. Think about it, really. Getting rich is easy: there’s things to be bought low and sold high. 

The new approach is much more deliberate. I’ve gotten really good at cutting unnecessary expenses, and every month, we reduce our core costs and move toward a target budget that we’ll eventually hit. I’ve hired my best friend—the most organised, no-nonsense person I know—as my assistant, and now things actually get done on time. The thing I enjoy most about working in a team was working with my friends, and it’s been great to have that dynamic back. Founders need friends; sometimes, you’ll be lucky to work with them. They don’t tell you that on the #grindset inspirational quote posts.

This extra space to think has also given me the chance to revisit my type design work. After hitting a bit of a philosophical wall, Eben and I finally struck gold on some of the last key steps for our typeface Mahl. I’m really excited to start working on the display italics next quarter. I’ve also got something new for Google Fonts coming soon, which is long overdue but should be fun. I’ve been learning Ge’ez, at first just out of curiosity, but now I’m convinced Jaro should go Pan-African for real.

For as hard as it’s been, it’s been fun. PGS is probably going to be focused on agriculture in the developing world for the foreseeable future (because…I want to?), and we’re building software for 3 Caribbean countries and pushing hard for West Africa. Hopefully the money’s good enough to keep it running for long enough, but if not, we’d have already done some really meaningful work around market transparency and financial inclusion in the region, and our first publications should be ready at the end of the year. 

I’m thinking less about my career in terms of software and companies these days, and more about what I get done. I’ve always been like that, which means that I’m going to keep sending infrequent updates, but mostly because I’m still working it out as I go along. What can I say? Building things is hard, even when it’s fun.