Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category

Over the holiday vacation I happened to see the movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” While I thought that the movie was mediocre, it did raise an interesting point; does change only really happen when there is no hope for return? One of my core beliefs as a designer is to challenge clients and help them evolve as an organization, however if the message of this movie is true it may be pointless. If you have been following this blog for any amount of time now you know that I feel strongly about encouraging change, however even I acknowledge there is only so much you can do to help a client.

I have been toying around with the idea of this blog article for some time now, however it was not until I began reading the book Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company. Let me just start out by saying what an amazing book this is, Mr. Brunner, Emery & Hall have absolutely nailed it with this book and I am half tempted to mail a copy to every new client I get as a sort of orientation guide. But what the book really does a fantastic job of explaining, and the reason for this article, is how design must be adopted at every level of an organization in order for it to work for a product.

Once again, thank you to all the wonderful people who contributed to the first ever Creative Advent series. For those of you who may have missed some of the entries or are visiting for the first time, I have created a roundup of all the submissions and their authors. In 24 days we have covered what is easily a combined lifetime of experience within the creative services industry.

Happy holidays to everyone, and have a happy New Year!

I’ve had countless design discussions with employers, contractors, and clients, but one in particular remains firmly lodged in my mind to this day.

Some time in 2002 I had just come off designing what, at the time, I felt was my best work to date. It was beautiful, inventive, it had personality, and it fit the brand perfectly. No one would find fault with it, I had nailed the brief. Score one for team Dave.

Get Your Name Out There

The best piece of advice I could give at the point in my career is to get your name out there. Start a blog, talk to people on twitter, leave comments on other blogs just so that you circulate around the community. Most importantly be social! I’ve met 4 great business partners all through online interaction. I never would have had that chance to do so if I didn’t start blogging. I still sit in an office at a very unhappy job, but these new endeavors that I am taking on full steam ahead will give me the strength i need to get out and go beyond my thoughts and dreams. One piece of advice - If your thinking about starting a company - do it. If your starting to come up with ideas but your not sure - do it anyway.

When I moved to Portland, Oregon in 1980 to begin my design career I thought I was pretty hot stuff. However, in economic times much like today, there were no jobs to be had. In fact, the week I arrived, several ad agencies and design firms closed their doors. Companies all over the city were laying off designers. That’s when I decided to become a “sponge” and soak up as much information, or knowledge, as possible from others in the professions of advertising and design. Instead of asking if firms had available jobs, I basically begged people to talk with me about their jobs and career history through informational interview appointments.

I’ve received a lot of great advice during my short spell as a designer — some in person, some from books.

The following passage is an exceprt from the book It’s Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be, by Paul Arden. It has served me extremely well, and I recommend heeding every word.

The biggest piece of advice that I would give comes in a ‘package’ based from the little things that I have learned over my short career as a designer. These would be perfect for someone just starting out… Don’t undervalue your work. Always keep learning & don’t be a static learner… do this by reading books, magazines, blogs and by practicing. Collect & Share things. Teach others. Never give up. Keep practicing. Again, keep practicing.

The best advice I’ve ever received came from a resource room teacher in middle school. I don’t remember his name. Faced with a number of challenges, I found myself working hard. Harder than any other student. The teacher said to me, “You just keep plugging away. Don’t let up, just keep plugging away and you’ll get there”.

Starting my design firm right out of school meant that I didn’t get to learn the ropes from anyone older or wiser. Except my dad. While not a designer, he is a serial-preneur. He helped me figure out how to wear all of the hats at the beginning when that was my only option, and then how to delegate away as much as possible when that became a possibility. I’d say the most valuable piece of advice ever, was, “Do what you love and are good at, and hire terrific people to do all the other stuff.”