the five stages of recession

I've been thinking about how the recession is sinking into the collective business psyche. It feels like we're all going through some form of the Kübler-Ross stages of grief (which I like using as a cartoon setup).

I've been struck by the resurgence of WWII-era propaganda, like the vintage "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster that suddenly appeared everywhere. I've recently spotted the two clever parodies to the right.

My favorite is "Get Excited & Make Things", created by Matt Jones.  I like this message because it doesn't dwell on the sky falling, which feels so counter-productive. Instead, it focuses on looking for opportunities, even in the midst of the storm. It implies opportunities made possible even because of the storm.

I met Matt at the DO Lectures last year when he gave a remarkable talk alongside Russell Davies.  He ended up donating this design to howies to put on a t-shirt to help fund next year's DO Lectures.  It became their fastest selling t-shirt ever and even spawned its own Flickr group.  Which essentially proves its own point.  The mindset of "Get Excited & Make Things" is contagious.