Chapter 3 introduces natural information architecture as the study of patterns and principles that organize mind, body, and environment; and explores patterns in nature — objects, gradients, waves, spirals — that organisms must categorize for survival. The spiral is a symbol of growth. A snail shell grows by adding calcium at its opening. As the edge rotates around aKeep reading

Chapter 2 of Natural Information Architecture is available (online for free) and is my most substantive contribution to information architecture since the polar bear book. Speaking of which, I’m excited to join Samantha Bailey Fast and Lou Rosenfeld next week to share an oral history of information architecture with The Sensemakers Club. Back to writing,Keep reading

I am writing a book on natural information architecture and mental models — and sharing the story as it unfolds. The preface and first chapter are good places to start. Last year, I wrote an article on the idea for the book and began sharing my sources of inspiration (e.g., mental models, surfaces and essences,Keep reading

In A World Appears (2026), Michael Pollan explores consciousness from scientific, philosophical, literary, personal, psychedelic, and spiritual perspectives. Science, organized around objective third-person measurement, was ill-equipped to explain a phenomenon that was inherently subjective, qualitative, and internal. Materialism is the metaphysical belief that everything, including our mental states, can be explained in terms of matter.Keep reading

Information Architecture (or the “polar bear book”) explains how to organize, structure, and label information across digital channels so users can find and understand it. Information architecture is the structural design of shared information environments. (24) The relationship between words and meaning is tricky at best. (24) The abstract idea of chess is more “real”Keep reading