I’m a longtime fan of that most powerful of icons, the smiley face. I use one every now and then to give an emoticon nod to a smart idea. There’s something so direct about that little face. It expresses not only approval for a job well done or a brilliant idea, but personal appreciation as well. I think of the smiley as part of the doodle family; a doodle that decided to settle down and get a real job. To me great doodles track a direct line from the subconscious, where ideas and creativity come from, right onto a page, a margin or a paper napkin. I caught up with Edward de Bono last week at our World Changing Ideas evaluation. He often presents his ideas as a continuous doodle on long strips of paper that are then projected onto the wall. It becomes like a stream of consciousness, and as his audience, we feel privileged to see it happen in front of our eyes.
