The Variable Design Podcast

In this episode of The Variable Design Podcast we dive in and discuss Sushant Vohra's LinkedIn post:
If you are a design student in 2023 don't fall for these 12 traps ↘
1) Being first in your class and thinking that design life is gonna be easy.
2) Copy pasting ChatGPT responses to comment on a post just for 'networking' sake.
3) Having those slider scales for each software in your CV (seriously drop it).
4) Writing a wall of text in a cold email to a potential employer.
5) Only having college/academic projects in your portfolio.
6) Having no internships because you want to work on your thesis, or because you didn't get your dream studio.
7) Not putting yourself out there for the fear of being judged.
8) Strong arming your peers who might eventually be in a far better place than you.
9) Only looking at design in your own country. (Yes, even if you are in a western country)
10) Not having a website or a landing page as a student.
11) Not having opinions or curiosity around things because you don't have domain authority.
12) Blaming your professors (feedback) for how a project turned out
Not only should we avoid these pitfalls, but we have to be able to be a good person and work well with team members... even if they give us feedback we don't really like.
How can you leverage interpersonal skills to come out on top? We discuss this and more with Andre Cotan.
LINKS:
Support The Variable
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WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast
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Questions we cover in this episode
1- Industrial Designers do human factors testing and ethnographic research to drive all their decisions.

• When is it appropriate to let intuition trump validation? Is validation always necessary?
• We always hear about how prospective employers are looking for “good decision making skills” in student portfolios. What the heck does that even mean and how the heck do we show that we’re good at making decisions in our design work? Is that just subjective or can we establish some ground rules?

2- Industrial Designers are expected to perform life cycle analysis on products under development.

• How do we balance sustainability and time constraints for production? Especially consumer electronics product dev, it’s like a flash in the fire. So LSA is usually glazed over, especially with smaller startups that aren’t held to the same scrutiny as big corporations.

3- A design grounded in research findings is the best solution that should always be pursued.

• In the long run, is it more helpful for one’s career growth to make a habit of presenting very solid, research based (or very intuitively grounded) solutions or do we think that being a designer that regularly pushes the envelope by presenting ideas waaay out in left field that you’ll see quicker gains in notoriety and skill?

4- Industrial Designers regularly are carving foam in the shop to create mockups.

5- Industrial Designers who sketch well are better at communicating ideas.

6- Working at a design consultancy right after graduation is the best way to polish a wide variety of skills.

7- Working for a name brand company developing their own products means you’ll design only one thing and your creative diversity is limited.

8- The best way to move up the career ladder is to spend a good amount of time in one place to specialize. TS- Unfortunately no. Most designers will find that the only way to move up is to get out. My experience has been that in spades.

9- You studied ID, but will likely spend most of your time creating graphics for presentations and marketing collateral to promote products.

About Tony Shoemaker:

Tony has been in various roles, across the country, in the ID industry for over 25 years. He came to Milwaukee Tool after 10 years with Sears, working for over 8 years in the Kenmore Brand unit, and 1 1⁄2 years in the Craftsman team. Prior to Sears, Tony worked in consultancies such as Bally Design in Pittsburgh, and Ignition in Dallas. His experience includes medical design, toys, communications equipment, consumer electronics, housewares, packaging, graphic design, retail, and exhibit design.

Once described by a mentor as a “thoroughbred” designer, Tony has always sought to absorb as much information from the world as he can. He seeks odd knowledge and the synergy between its crossings to create those “ah-ha!” moments key to the design process. Just as comfortable in a pile of parts and shop dust as at his desk sketching fervently, Tony is a self-described “mad designer,” a hybrid of a Mythbuster and a Concept Artist. His real energy comes out when recognizing the human link to a concept’s genesis. He strives for those moments that are genuinely transformative to his work.

LINKS:
Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign
WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

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About Brett Lovelady:
Brett Lovelady is the founder of ASTRO Studios in San Francisco / Silicon Valley / CA. ASTRO
is a team of innovation experts & designers of consumer brands and products that inspire
markets and strive to improve the human experience.
Brett founded ASTRO Studios in 1994 to blend the value of design with technology and cultural insights producing a wide range of iconic, brands and products for clients like: Nike, HP, Western Digital, Logitech, P&G, Shinola, Xbox, Vive and many more worldwide. Brett is recognized as one of America’s top design leaders, advocating for design and directing some of the world’s most culturally relevant programs, while helping clients generate billions in new
revenue worldwide.
ASTRO and Brett have worked on hundreds of products and brands, from Fortune 100 clients to start-ups, receiving a range of industry recognitions including Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Design, two BusinessWeek Design of the Decade awards and 9 nominations for Cooper Hewitt National Design Award. Brett has also co-created and launched his own brands, most notably ASTRO Gaming** now part of Logitech’s family of brands. Recently ASTRO joined forces with London based PA Consulting a world leader in innovation & commercialization.
**ASTRO expanded beyond design when in 2007 when they spun-off ASTRO Gaming
Inc., (AG) into an industry leading, hi-performance e-Sports company. In 2011 the venture-
backed AG achieved #13 on the INC. 500 fastest-growing companies list and was acquired by
pre-IPO, Skullcandy Inc. Then in 2017, AG was sold Logitech expanding rapidly in pursuit of
global gaming domination.

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What does it really take to boostrap your own business? How do you build a client list and take your dream from zero to hero? Alex Schreer gives us a clear picture of the realities of entrepreneurship. He talks about his failures, his successes, and how design thinking has played a key role in him building a successful business and mastering his craft.
About Alex:
With a background in product design and a lifelong explorer of creative mediums, Alex is a true solution seeker. Whether bringing physical or ideological based solutions to every project he is a part of, he uses his blending of design background with visual storytelling through a variety of mediums to create impactful and emotive forms of art. A former creative resident of the global creative agency 72andSunny’s Los Angeles office, he has crafted compelling commercial content and experiences for internationally recognized brands such as Starbucks and Adidas. A Founder and Creative Director at Reelbros Media he has helped build his own brand to work with the likes of Ford, Lexus, Yeti, The Tonight Show, Arizona State University, Peterbilt, Arizona Coyotes, and More. Recognized for his focus on content with social currency, he understands the responsibility and power held by creative individuals in the modern economy and the stories we tell. He remains passionately curious while documenting his own story through the business of art for commerce.
Links:
www.reelbrosmedia.com
Instagram : @reelbros.media @Schreerluck

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What does it take to create a game and launch it from the ground up? How do you prepare concepts to pitch to major retailers like Target and Wal Mart? Tim Walsh shares his uncensored advice on how to successfully navigate the challenges of creating games and toys in the play industry.
About Tim Walsh
TIM WALSH is a professional speaker, author, game designer and filmmaker. As a play advocate, Tim is out to prove play is a means through which we find our passion,pique curiosity, encourage problem-solving, spark creativity and promote intrinsic motivation. A 30-year veteran of the toy industry, Tim’s designs and codesigns of games have sold over 7 million copies in 13 countries and include the games TriBond, Blurt, Mad Gab, Feed Fuzzy, Bull’s Eye and many others.

Tim’s latest game, MEGA MOUTH: The Game of Reading Lips from Big G Creative is now for sale exclusively in Target stores nationally.

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