1. The geeks have inherited the earth (and Madison Square Garden).

Dungeons & Dragons, once the realm of basement-dwelling nerds, is going mainstream. The tabletop roleplaying game has leveled up from a fringe hobby to a stadium-filling spectacle, with shows like Critical Role and Dimension 20 selling out just as fast as a Taylor Swift concert. When Dimension 20 announced a show at Madison Square Garden, tickets soared to $2,000 a pop. Apparently, inflation has hit the Forgotten Realms too.

The lesson here for brands is to not underestimate the power of niche interests. D&D's journey from niche hobby to mainstream entertainment demonstrates the power of cultivating passionate communities. By engaging with a core audience, you can create superfans who will evangelize your product and attract a wider following. The key is authenticity—D&D didn't change its essence to appeal to the masses; instead, it invited the masses into its world. So, maybe it's time to roll the dice on that quirky brand idea you've been sitting on.

2. Just redo it.

Bobby Hundreds, co-founder of the streetwear powerhouse The Hundreds, has dropped an interesting think piece about Nike's current state as a brand and company. Founded in 2003, The Hundreds has been a cornerstone of streetwear culture for two decades, making Bobby's insights on Nike's current predicament particularly poignant.

Nike has been taking a lot of L’s lately: 7% dip in quarterly revenue, a stock nosedive that wiped out $28 billion in market value, and layoffs hitting 1,600 employees. Plus, they're catching flak for relying on the same old designs (I mean, how many colorways of Dunks do we really need?). But Bobby points out that Nike's been here before. In the 90's, they were getting a lot of attention for their sweatshop labor practices, and their image (and sales) took a significant hit. They bounced back then by doubling down on innovation and storytelling.

Now, Bobby's suggesting Nike might need to channel their inner Jordan and take all this criticism "personally." He's pointing to their latest campaign, "Winning isn't for Everyone," as a sign they're ready to trade in the kumbaya for some good old-fashioned competitive spirit.

3. The online museum of cassette tape design.

If you've ever spent hours crafting the perfect mixtape, prepare for nostalgia overload. German artist neck has been curating a visual archive of cassette designs. These little plastic rectangles weren't just about blasting your favorite tunes, though. They were also secret weapons of cultural revolution. Underground punk and rock tapes were snuck behind the Iron Curtain, giving young Eastern Europeans a taste of Western rebellion.

The tapedeck project celebrates this legacy with a searchable visual database of nearly a thousand cassettes, showcasing the distinctive double reels and recognizable shapes that are a microcosm of '70s and '80s graphic design.

So, whether you're a design geek, a music nerd, or just someone who misses the satisfying click of popping a tape into your Walkman, neck's project is your ticket to a high-fidelity trip down memory lane. Just don't expect any instructions on how to fix a tangled tape with a pencil – some skills are best left in the past.