[Business of Design] Reflections and wrap-up

If you were teaching this course next year, what one thing would you add and what one thing would you subtract? Please explain why you would do these things.

I would take away the Indigogo campaign. It is great to know how to manage a fundraising campaign like this, but I'm not convinced that the experience was as beneficial enough to make it worth the time spent on it. The fundraising campaign doesn't take cultural differences into account (Indiegogo had trouble with international credit cards, for one) and it's not clear to me why all of our fundraising went to Architecture for Humanity. It may be a great organization, but it would be nice if we had some say in what we were raising money for rather than being told top-down who we were raising money for.

[business of design] Company Culture

Blog on what your ideal company culture would be like by describing what an average day on the job would for like you. What would it look like, feel like, be like?

I start off my day by entering the bright and well lit office. Two of my favorite things about this office are the open spaces and the huge windows which allow natural light to flood in. I share my brightly painted and decorated office with two other team members. Throughout the morning we work separately on our projects but are always available to discuss ideas and provide feedback. For lunch, I head over to the on-site cafe for the soup de jour and a grilled cheese. After lunch are project meetings, check-ins, and my bi-annual performance review. During my review I have the opportunity to discuss my goals within the company and my progress towards those goals. My supervisor and I also review my project specific struggles and success, leadership, and areas to improve.

I have been super efficient today, and there were no client emergencies, so I am headed home at 6.00 pm. I leave the office and walk to catch the commuter train; I'm feeling confident, valued, and proud of the work I do.

[business of design]

What would do if you were an employee of Goldman Sachs who didn’t have the option of quitting - what would you say to your clients, friends and family who read Greg Smith’s letter?

This weeks business of design class is about leadership; I think one of the key traits of being a leader is taking responsibility for mistakes and knowing when you need to make changes and pivot your approach.

So, I don't know how the situation above would actually play out, but from my own relatively naive perspective, I think I would start off by acknowledging mistakes. I would discuss openly and honestly where the company went wrong, but I would also talk about the company's strengths. I would try to focus on how to get things back to a healthy place

[Business of Design] Social Networks

Blog on which social network you currently find most engaging and why

Yelp, hands down.

I use Facebook, sure, but I wouldn't say I enjoy it. Most times I log into Facebook it's because someone has tagged me in a photo, or because I'm procrastinating on homework. I get sucked in and an hour later, when I log off, I feel guilty for spending that hour reading my Facebook feed when I should have been reading my homework.

[business of design] Brands

Blog on a brand you admire (not just the product or service). Explain what elements of the brand “speak” to you and what they say. 

I am loyal to two brands, Levi's and Patagonia. I am loyal to Levi's because I hate shopping for jeans and Levi's sizing is consistent so I never have to try them on. My loyalty stems out of convenience, but I don't know much about their history or their motivations as a company. Patagonia, on the other hand, has my loyalty because of how and why their company exists; their mission statement is to mission statement is to "build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."

[business of design] Midpoint

Blog on what you think your midpoint grade should be in this class. Be specific about what you’ve done or not done to earn that grade.

A difficult task for this week's business of design blog. Regardless of my midpoint grade, I know I would want to have me on my team!

My teamwork: I played a significant role in our start-up, Matchbox, earning the most funding on Pitch Day (woo hoo!). Our team is lucky in that we have team members with complementary skills and we all work well together. As project manager I have been responsible for keeping our team organized, motivated, and focused during our meetings; our level of preparation played a major role in our success on Pitch Day. I also believe I have been a solid resource for other teams. I have spent time listening to pitches, offering feedback, and talking through potential problem areas.

[business of design] Amanda Palmer: The Art of Asking

Don't make people pay for music, let them. In her TED talk, Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls focuses on using the internet to have a direct connection with her fans, both monetarily and socially. Her message of don't be afraid to ask for what you need resonates with me. In her talk she mentions that artists and musicians particularly have a difficult time asking for help, but I think it goes far beyond artists and musicians.

[Business of Design] Tension/Resoultion

Blog on an instance when you had to “pitch” something to someone, either in a personal or in a professional circumstance. What were you “pitching” and did you succeed or not? How could Abela’s guidelines have helped you?

I spent a lot of time pitching myself when I was working as a freelance graphic designer. It is not my favorite thing to do, but I think I started to get used to the process and so it became easier. Sometimes I was successful and sometimes not. In retrospect, it's difficult to say if there were specific reasons why I was or was not successful because to me I was just showing my work and the interviewer either liked it or didn't.

[Business of Design] Owning a business...or not.

Which you think you’d enjoy more: designing your own business or innovating within an existing business?

Hmmm....this is a tough question if there can only be one answer. For the three and a half years before coming to grad school I worked as a freelance designer and it was hard. Really hard. During my second year of freelancing it took me about 14 hours to do my taxes (the first year was easy because I hardly made any money), invoicing was a pain, health insurance companies are terrible, etc.

At this point in my life, when I finish grad school, I want to innovate within an existing business. I am looking forward to the perks of a benefits package and -- as Alexander Levit puts it -- the ability to turn off [my] BlackBerry without jeopardizing the company’s future.

However, that's not to say I want to work for The Man for the next 35 years. I think it's fair to assume at some point in the future I'll get sick of working for someone else and head off to do my own thing. Lately I have been thinking that it is OK to have multiple careers throughout a lifetime; I like this idea. I think it's exciting and allows yourself room to change. Plus, it allows me to focus on what I want to do now and spend less time worrying about whether I will be happy with my chosen course 15 or 20 years down the line.