10 DUMBO Tech/Design/Media Blogs To Read Right Now

An in-depth look at that alluring potential-unicorn, Snapchat. A timely look at effective tools for digital dissent. A love letter to paper calendars. DUMBO is home to a myriad of fascinating companies and thinkers--we're always tapping our neighborhood for insights and ideas. Whatever your interest, chances are someone in DUMBO is writing about it! Here are ten DUMBO-based blogs covering tech, media, art, and education to get you started.

Vice

Vice technology news

What we're reading: Snapchat Has a Growth Problem
“According to Snap's SEC filing, the company has succeeded at attracting a lot of young users who spend a lot of time on the app. That's not news, but the documents also reveal Snapchat's biggest problem: Its user growth is slowing dramatically.” Read the full story here.

Small Planet

Small Planet makes iOS and Android applications for exceptional clients. Their blog shares updates on Small Planet projects, products,and the general tech arena in which they operate.

What we're reading: Will Adobe XD be a Viable Alternative in 2017?
“XD is super easy to use right out of the gate, especially if you’re familiar with other Adobe products. The XD feature set is still quite limited—for instance the November 2016 release introduced layers and symbols—but it is safe to assume we’ll see heavy support from Adobe. Expect to see collaborative editing in real time, plus versioning with thumbnails." Read the full story here.

Red Antler

Red Antler builds brands for companies that are changing how the world. Red Antler's blog shares updates on the incredible organizations they represent.

What we're reading: Staying In Good Taste With Zagat
“We created a new brand identity for Zagat with an updated positioning, visual system, and messaging to ensure that Zagat stands out as an authoritative, trusted voice in a very crowded space. We also collaborated with the Zagat team to design the new app and innovative window signage that bring Zagat’s bold new voice to life.” Read the full story here.

Magenta

Magenta is a blog for people who think about the relationship between people, technology, and design like it's their job. It is curated by the editorial team at Huge.

What we're reading: The Most Inspiring and Effective Digital Tools of Dissent
“The aftermath of the presidential election has inspired tech-savvy creatives and coders across the country — as well as some Silicon Valley power players — to put their talents toward new products for online engagement. This burgeoning civic tech movement has made it simpler than ever to go online to reach your representatives, engage in upcoming elections, and donate to your preferred causes." Read the full story here.

Huge

Huge is a full service digital agency who transforms brands and builds businesses. Their blog offers reports, perspectives, and sources relevant to brand development, digital marketing, and developing technologies.

What we're reading: Marketing to Generation Z
“Gen Z’s desires and motivations are very different from ours. True digital natives, they’ve been using technology their entire lives. They use up to five different screens compared to our three, and they parse information incredibly quickly, taking a mere eight seconds to determine whether something is worth their attention. They also have different attitudes about privacy. That’s not to say they don’t value it or have no concept of what it means—in fact, in some cases, they are more vigilant than millennials about digital privacy issues.” Read the full story here.

Flocabulary

News, updates, and educational tech tips straight from Flocabulary HQ. Offers 800+ educational videos with a hip hop twist, a free 60 day trial, as well as specialized and timely lesson plans.

What we're reading: Celebrate Black History Month With Flocabulary
“Each February, we observe Black History Month to remember important people and events in black history. To help you teach students about these influential moments and figures, we’ve compiled relevant Flocabulary units and lesson plans in one place—including our elementary lesson plans on Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King Jr. And to ensure these stories are widely available, our units on famous people and events in black history are free through the end of February. Explore them now.” Read the full story here.

Etsy

Etsy's blog features shops, DIY trends, and inspirational artists

What we're reading: Obsessing Over Glass
“In the millennia before illuminated screens filled our vision at every turn (and every hour), the kaleidoscopic colors of a stained-glass cathedral window were about as absorbing and awe-inspiring a thing as one could imagine. These days, there’s something captivating about subtlety and restraint — and contemporary glass artists are following the lead of minimalist fashion designers, jewelry makers and furniture builders, bringing new energy to this traditional form.” Read the full story here.

Carrot Creative

Creative, technology, and distribution under one roof. Carrot is the full-service digital agency within VICE, and its blog offers updates and downloads for Carrot projects, industry insight, and opinion pieces.

What we're reading: Harry Zankel Designs Time
“Carrot Creative is filled with colorful characters. Cultured Carrots is a series that shares the outside passions that inspire the very best work for our clients. This month, Creative Director Harun Zankel talks about his interest in designing old school time-tracking devices: Calendars.” Read the full story here.

Big Spaceship

Big Spaceship is a creative digital agency. Their blog specializes in social media trends and web content strategy for brand development and marketing.

What we're reading: How To Embrace the Intimacy of Snapchat
“While Snapchat has its share of challenges for marketers, it offers something unique in the world of mostly-broadcast, feed-centric social media — intimacy at scale. Every time a user opens a snap, she has no idea who else – if anyone – is seeing it. It’s a tiny, personal gift, even when broadcast to a huge audience. And brands can use it to bring people closer to their culture, events and personalities. It’s the perfect behind-the-scenes platform because it’s built to deliver unfiltered, intimate content.” Read the full story here.

Big Duck

Brand building and communication blog for non-profits

What we're reading: Finding your nonprofit’s voice in the Trump era
“The fact is that the voices and actions of nonprofits are needed now more than ever, and it’s critical that organizations across all issues and areas seriously consider what role they can play in navigating through these uncertain political times." Read the full story here.

Amplify

Easy to consume opinion articles, insight, tips and curated material to enhance educational impact and offers education strategy, to educate both educator and parent alike.

What we're reading: Top 5 summer science projects for kids
“If summer doldrums are starting to set in for kids in your life, we’ve found some terrific summer learning activities from our Amplify Science curriculum partners, Lawrence Hall of Science. These activities will help keep kids learning and exploring science while schools are not in session." Read the full story here.