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20 Tips for Designers to Beat the Recession

Posted: 03 Mar 2009 05:02 AM PST

It is all around us, talk of Doom, gloom, job cuts, job losses and recession etc. This is not what a young designer, fresh out of school, wants to hear. It is also not what an employed designer wants to hear. However it is not the end of the road, and as long as the Earth keeps turning, there will be a tomorrow. Personally, I like to believe a recession is a time of great opportunity for everyone. Particularly for forward looking designers who have the right skills and are well placed to take advantage of a recovering economy.

But first let me share a little about myself. I first got out of design school; it was at the height of the Asian Economic Crisis in 1997. There were hardly any industrial design jobs available. I was retrenched from my first furniture design job after 3 months, and it took me another 4 months before I found a design related job. It was not easy. However I remained focused throughout and kept learning every step of the way. If you are interested, I compiles some of my leanings in this post on my blog, but I think it is the right time to expand and update these tips as, today’s economic situation is not only about getting a job, it is also about keeping it.

1) Be Flexible
In a time of recession, you need to be flexible. Not only should you do your best to chase down any design related job you can find, you should also be ready to be the one to do the “dirty” work. The tough jobs that no one else wants to do. In this time of crisis, employers look for people who are willing to do what it takes to deliver.

2) Can you sell Ice to an Eskimo?
The ability to sell yourself in interviews and all documents related to you is vital in winning in today’s job market. It is not only about getting your information out to people; it is about positioning yourself in the best possible light. Leverage on your achievements and strengths, but in a Design world filled with egos, soft sell goes a lot further than hard sell.

3) Know Thyself
Before you can sell yourself you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. Time for some navel gazing and be very self-critical. Play up your strengths and look to improve your weaknesses.

4) Where You want to go Today?
Have a strong vision of where you want to go or what you want to achieve as a designer. It’s important to employers as it shows vision, passion and ambition. A strong personal vision also helps you make the right decisions when you need to deliberate on job opportunities.

5) Continue to Improve
You can always look to do a task better or improve a skill. Striving to do things better, is an important mindset to have.

6) Lifelong Learning
Not only look to improve, but aim to learn new things. One new thing a week is a good start. Industrial Design is a huge profession with many facets of which you only learn the basics in school. Once you are out of school, take it upon yourself to lean more by being proactive.

7) Take Risks
A young designer, fresh out of school CAN and should take risks in their career. Of course you need to be prudent if you have to put food on the table. However it is not the time to pick the “safe” job, but the time to pick the job that gives you the best exposure.

8 ) Personal Branding
No, it is not the personal logo or monogram that makes most people cringe. It is about an image you want to present, a public “face” that represent the principles you stand for. A well written blog is a very powerful tool for Personal Branding.

9) Passion
I have to say that employers HATE designers with little or no passion for their work. Nobody can be more excited about your design work or career but you. Passion is also about doing what it takes to get things done. Employers like that. This should also be demonstrated when you talk about your portfolio.

10) Build Relationship and Communication Skills
When I got out of school, it was in the time when 3D CAD started becoming big and every employer wanted a 3D designer. Unfortunately my hand rendered portfolio could never compete, but it did not matter, my eagerness to learn 3D CAD, and my ability to communicate that design was innate and not reliant on a 3D tool was what won the day.

11) Be Serious with Your Job
Young designers are just that, young. They focus on a quality life more than quality work. Some just don’t take their work seriously. Good Design is serious business, this means quality work delivered on time and on budget.

12) Work Like a Slave
To get good in design fast, you need to clock the hours to acquire the skills. Work hard, when you are young, but also work smart. In interviews, show that you are willing to put in what it takes to get things done. Quality projects with short lead times are worth its weight in gold in portfolios.

13) Always Shine with Good Work
Always, I say ALWAYS focus on good quality work. When in doubt, awesome designs will always make anyone’s day.

14) HOMEWORK!
Be diligent, before you go for an interview, do your homework. No employer likes people who know nothing about the company or the work they do.

15) Network
Online AND offline. Enough said, don’t you think?

16) Polish your Portfolio, Again and Again
Portfolios are a historical document of you and your work. Make sure it is updated and presented in the best possible light. When I first started out, I updated or re-designed my portfolio every 3 to 6 months. Your Portfolio should become a living document that reflects your goals and vision. If you went back to a company for a repeat interview they would have new things to see and a good idea how you are developing as a designer.

17) Get Real Projects Fast
Student work is great to start your portfolio out with; however do aim to phase it out of your portfolio as quickly as you can with real design work. Real world projects give you the creditability you need. If you are stuck in a job that has very little design work worthy of your portfolio, try to get some extra freelance or temporary work to shore up your portfolio.

18) Deck out your CV with Results not Skills
In your CV you would probably have indicated that you are a “team player”, or “great at creating 3D models” etc. Well, so can millions of other designers. Make sure instead that in every past or present job listing in your CV you describe your contribution to the bottom line. So instead you should write that you “worked in global team that spanned 5 countries” or “you were responsible for the 3D database generation for this award winning product.”

19) Widen your Interests
The most effective designers can draw inspiration from their have very varied interests, that are often no design related. Share some of that during an interview or with your colleagues, it makes you a much more interesting person.

20) Be a Problem Solver
Last but not least, nobody likes a “Whiner”, and I can vouch that most employers don’t. You supposed to be a creative, so be creative and figure how to make the best of your limited budget or your reduction in man power. In a recession there is no shortage of work, just the resources to do it.

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Well, there we go! I hope these 20 tips will get you up and going as a designer, or perhaps even solidify your position as one. Please do not hesitate to leave a comment or additional questions you may have or need feedback for.

Brian is a multidisciplinary strategic industrial designer that goes under the pseudonym of The Design Translator. He muses about strategic industrial design at his personal blog Design Sojourn. He laments the lack of good soya mochas and Italian Pizzas with Rocket and shredded Parma ham in Asia.

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Boomerang That’s Got An Identity Crisis

Posted: 03 Mar 2009 05:11 AM PST

Mid-life crisis, financial crisis, relationship crisis…ah! there are too many crises in this world! Add to this list a Boomerang that thinks it's a camera: IDENTITY CRISIS!

Don't mistake Glare for your run-of–the–mill summer time toy, it's a proper gadget with a functional, eject-able camera. You know the drill of a boomerang don't ya. Fly it out in the open and let it swish back to you.

Glare too follows this drill but the difference lies in the gadgetry. It's equipped with a timer that triggers the cam into capture mode while flying mid-air. So essentially you can capture between really awkward shots of your buckteeth to motion blurs at night.

Glutton for punishment? Hook the thing up to your comp via USB (charges the lithium battery this ways) and download all those funny/ embarrassing pics and share it with the world.

Spec-wise, to make the Glare fly higher, you need to bend the wings upwards and to skim it lower, do the opposite. Also, the holes on the edges make it take a wider radius.

If I lay my hands on one, I'll use it at night when the shimmy LED lights on the wings come on and give it a UFO look.

Designer: Christopher A. Gregory

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Recycle Kitchen Waste For The Sake Of Your Plants

Posted: 03 Mar 2009 02:15 AM PST

It took me my son's science project on recycling to realize that we can really do something constructive out of the waste we generate from our kitchen. Before you turn up your noses and crank about the "Rotting Veggie Odors + Recycling", let me explain the pros of the Terraviva Domestic Composter. This is a device that sits neatly on your counter top, as stylish as any other appliance that you own. It simply makes a mish-mash of all the veggie waste into something palatable for the plants.

Organic stuff like your peels and leftovers added to the composter decomposes with the help of aerobic microorganisms. These organisms just speed up the degradation process via electromechanical processes and make sure there is no stink. You will need to hook it up to a power source for around 20 minutes a day, and once its tanked up, it just keeps doing its thing. It has the capacity to process 12 liters or 7 kgs of waste at a time.
Those with kitchen gardens are really going to like this thing.

Designer: Ravel Casela

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Beepers are BACK

Posted: 03 Mar 2009 12:08 AM PST

On your wrist. In a moment I’ll get to the main function of this bracelet - but first: when you get an email, you get a notification of it on the bottom of the display. That’s it. Just like a beeper.

Also, the main function of this bracelet is to be a watch that appears to be a simple bangle, where in fact, when you run your finger through the hole, the time is displayed. Wowie!

I wonder if you, the watchmaking community, takes this as a super big major insult to your craft? Is part of designing a wristwatch making it appealing to the eye? Is there a need for an alternative?

“Technology is cyclical!” -Dennis Duffy

Designers: Andy Kurovets

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Pro Skiers Will Really Like This

Posted: 03 Mar 2009 12:05 AM PST

Of all the winter sports skiing is one that I really like to watch but dread to try out. Call it the fear of falling or making a fool of myself, but I'd hate to be that pile on the snow that everyone is laughing at. Pros on the other hand need everything to make their tryst with the slopes as exhilarating as possible. Charlie Pyott has designed a mean pair of skis that is specifically meant for racers. The Twin Parabolic Ski, as it is called, is exciting enough to warrant production.

Charlie has explained his idea with a lot of passion and flair:

"The ski concept was purpose built for racing. Skis and snowboards share a lot of properties with boat hull design; in that longer and thinner proportions give more speed on hard-pack snow. The number of edges also helps maintain downhill speed in a turn. This can be seen when comparing standard skis vs a snowboard when turning at high speeds. The snowboard only has a single edge to turn on and therefore has fewer grips on the hill in a turn then a skier who can use two edges. This means that a snowboarder will have to check their speed to stay on a racecourse before a skier. The concept ski takes both of these ideas a step further, giving two longer and thinner surfaces under each foot and four turning edges. Offset bearings mean that all ski surfaces stay parallel under each foot."

Designer: Charlie Pyott

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With One Hand He Lifted, His House Designed

Posted: 03 Mar 2009 12:00 AM PST

Clouds from the sky he used, and colors from the atmosphere. He would with two hands attach them to eachother, and with maybe the help of a string or two, to the ceiling hold them. The kids would find them fort-like, and the mother of juice-stains find them easy to clean, as this is a detachable grid of replaceable fabric pieces; tiles, if you will.

Kvadrat “Clouds” would he call them. And neat they would be. One is invariably reminded of any number of gallery installation artists when one sees these clouds in action. They’re made in 2 different Kvadrat fabrics, produced in 7 color combinations. Attached to one-another by special rubber bands.

What I mention above about cleaning is this: as a person who is prone to spilling things that stain easily, I try to ask the hard-hitting questions about how I’m going to get this thing in the washing machine. Since this is a tile system, it’ll be easy: detach one, replace it, and put the stained tile in the washer.

I find this decoration system to be quite attractive.

Designers: Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec in collaboration with Kvadrat Textiles