The analogue movement

There’s a movement going on lately, of people coming back to physical, analogue, or even one-purpose digital tools.

Vinyls are back. Film photography is back. iPods are back. Gameboys (and Playdates) are back in a new style. Paper is back — I have seen many designers sketching ideas out on paper before they turn it into digital mockups.

There are many elements to it, for sure. One of them is the nostalgia that you get from old designs in vinyl covers, the grainy images of a 35mm photograph, or the +10yo interfaces from iPods and Gameboys.

Another factor is definitely the physical aspect. You can touch it.

It might not seem like a big deal, but it is. Touching is one of our senses. And the more senses you can feel, the better it is to connect with an object. That’s very hard, or near impossible to achieve with digital products, like apps, or even digital music.

You can touch your vinyls, CDs, cassete tapes, film.

But I think the biggest reason why we’re seeing a sudden surge in these analogue means is because they allow us to slow down.

Aaron Draplin says that listening to vinyls help him slow down, and appreciate the process of putting on a record. And sometimes you can even use it as a “timer” to get a feel of how much you’ve been working/on the flow.