designswarm

End of year review

Thanks to Prof. Dr. Molly Steenson for initiating this habit in 2005. What did you do in 2024 that you’d never done before? I prioritised holidays and therapy Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn’t make any. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes. Did anyone… Continue reading End of year review

It’s just emotion (or how to have difficult conversations)

I studied design in the early 2000s, a time of brutal design feedback culture. These days, I have at least two to three conversations every week with designers who need some advice on how to share often negative feelings at work. Sometimes it’s because of a personality clash, other times it’s ‘constructive feedback’ based on… Continue reading It’s just emotion (or how to have difficult conversations)

On looking for work (when you’re a designer)

I’ve been reviewing CVs for free for 6 months and supporting a variety of designers looking for work for years now. In a sector that was always (and continues to be) fragile, here’s some things to consider in a job search. Nobody reads, people skim. Giles taught me that in a lecture he gave my… Continue reading On looking for work (when you’re a designer)

Sunday Scraps #76

Wellcome collection’s new exhibition on work / a reciple for ripple bread / the history of the Musée d’Orsay / A Burst of Light by Audre Lorde was written while she was fighting cancer and where she pioneered the term ‘self-care’ / i’ve been enjoying the work of Vegyn / on Google Mail’s pioneering work… Continue reading Sunday Scraps #76

A year in

I joined TPXimpact a year ago this week which means I should probably look back and think about what I’ve learnt so far. Working with a hybrid team slows everything down because it slows down how you build trust. I made sure to visit all our various offices at least every few months to try… Continue reading A year in

The end of the useful idiot

This recent piece in Fast Company was bothering me. I’ve been in work for almost 20 years soon and I’ve heard people talk about the lack of business acumen in design since I was a student. I posit that something else is happening as ‘design thinking as a service’ enters its mid life crisis. Design… Continue reading The end of the useful idiot

Sunday Scraps #75

I know nothing about Deleuze and I’m not sure I know anymore after this but I learnt some things about cute / a book written by Oliver Sack’s partner about New York / public sector backlogs / a 2009 interview with umberto eco / increasing the accessibility of Powerpoint slides / Sono Electro 2024 Festival… Continue reading Sunday Scraps #75

The case for a Digital Design Council

People have a better idea of how films get made than how [digital] design gets done I was listening to Peter Merholz talk to Andy Polaine (thanks Mathew) who, 35 minutes in, talk about the institutionalisation of Design and it got me thinking: do we need a Digital Design Council? I did a stint at… Continue reading The case for a Digital Design Council

10 questions we should all be asking designers

I’ve been hiring people for almost 20 years. These are some questions I think we should ask more often: What grinds your gears in the design industry? Tell me about a time when you had to give difficult feedback someone Tell me about a time when you encountered an ethically murky situation. What did you… Continue reading 10 questions we should all be asking designers

What to expect (when you’re graduating)

So you’re graduating from a design course this summer? Well done you. Also, welcome to the madness. It’s been a quietly devastating recession and most of my very talented and employable friends are struggling to find work. All the non profits I work with have have suffered from months of funding rejections and unresponsive funders.… Continue reading What to expect (when you’re graduating)