A rememberance of Nicolas Nova, whose bewilderingly untimely passing has left a hole in the fabric of the internet-era collaborators who knew him. Nicolas was a gentle man in an era in which human interaction became less than gentle. He was one of my first and most consistent internet-era collaborators. I remember quite clearly where I was standing when I first received an email message from him — it was at the first house I lived in in Venice Beach. I had an office room in the front of the house and a stand-up desk. It was early in the morning, probably winter as I remember there being a kind of twilight outside. In reflection, at that time, email was still a bit special and to get an email of substance from a stranger was like getting a letter in the mail from an IRL human.

"A Digital Tomorrow" is a design fiction video produced for Curious Rituals, a research project conducted in July-August 2012 by Nicolas Nova (The Near Future Laboratory / HEAD-Genève), Katherine Miyake, Nancy Kwon and Walton Chiu from the media design program.
This research project was about gestures, postures and digital rituals that typically emerged with the use of digital technologies (computers, mobile phones, sensors, robots, etc.): gestures such as recalibrating your smartphone doing an horizontal 8 sign with your hand, the swiping of wallet with RFID cards in public transports, etc.
The aim of the project was to envision the future of gestures and rituals based on:
1. A documentation of current digital gestures,
2. The making of design fiction films that speculate about their evolution “Curious Rituals” was produced as part of a research residency in the Media Design Program at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

I recently had the pleasure of joining Radha Mistry on the Future Feelings podcast to discuss Imagination, world-building and designing more habitable futures. We explored the tensions between creativity and structure, and shared inspiring examples of imagination in action. A great discussion with Radha that I hope you'll enjoy.

There are curious opportunities for using Design Fiction in branding and marketing contexts to help companies explore possible futures through speculative storytelling and prototype-driven narratives. Unlike traditional advertising, which focuses on present-day products, Design Fiction immerses audiences in “what if” scenarios that engage, challenge, and open up conversations. Brands leveraging this approach can disrupt industry norms, refine long-term strategies, and align with shifting consumer values. By embracing speculative storytelling, companies can reimagine their role in the world and position themselves as cultural pioneers.