Question: What is the best thing you’ve done that has helped you develop professionally?
Get over myself. Empower others to do the best work of their lives, and radically collaborate.
Ingrid Baron, Head of Industrial Design, Ideo
The best thing I’ve done is to learn to focus on people. If you can ask the right “people questions”, you are halfway to answering the design questions.
Richard Eisermann, Strategic Director, Prospect Design
It’s a bit like the film Karate Kid, when he’s made to wax cars and paint fences and stuff. You’re not sure what it has to do with what you’re trying to be good at, but then, boom… you get it. Being inspired is a wonderful thing. I make the younger designers go to see as much stuff as possible. It’s really important to find inspiration away from your profession. That way you create something new and different and don’t just follow the latest trend.
Stuart Watson, Creative Director, Venture Three
The best learning comes from unexpected sources. While living in Japan, I attended a Zen meditation retreat. The living aesthetic of the monks was bare, but rich in ritual. It has informed my own approach to design and delivery of complex projects.
Ursula Morrish, Project Director, FITCHlive
In 2008, I attended a day workshop organised by D&AD, and run by Michael Johnson. The workshop was called The Truth About Branding – and Michael’s approach was to lay bare the stories and processes behind the way he works. Michael was generous with his wisdom and I often revisit his practical pearls throughout my continuous professional development.
Andy West, Partner, Mulitadaptor
I faced my fears. Early in my career a client asked me to help front pitches – a scary thought. In my very first job, in-house, I’d been to presentations as ‘chief portfolio carrier’, but decided I needed more than one company’s take on how it was done. A DBA course taught me, quite apart from presentation skills, three lessons: first, don’t confuse lack of confidence with lack of ability; second, a course can help you realise you know more than you think you do; third, experiences outside your core competence (and comfort zone) help you grow.
Deborah Richardson, Creative Director, Objectives Communications
I’d been running a business for six years and had hit a wall. I enrolled with the DBA on a one day presentation and negotiation skills course. I was sceptical but it completely changed the way I do business and it has even had an impact on my personal life.
John Corcoran, Director, Wire Design
The best thing I did was to leave the country. I spent several years in my twenties working, trying to work, or travelling in Australia, Japan, North and South America. When I got back I had a much broader take on life in general, and design in particular. Having a global perspective from my late twenties onwards has really helped, especially now that we have genuinely global clients.
Michael Johnson, Creative Director, Johnson Banks
I sometimes wonder whether being relatively naive about how other designers work has helped me most in developing a working method that is right for me.
Gitta Gschwendtner, Designer, TNA Design Studio
To me it was getting into the bones of the benefits of design and how it impacts on the environment, traceability, adaptability and social change. The best thing I’ve done is get my hands dirty working print presses and seeing how recycled materials are created by going to recycling facilities to watch the process: good old hands-on practical relationships and interactions. Very time consuming, but knowledge is everything and it is what shaped Leap.
Matt Hocking, Creative Director, Leap
Probably the best thing that has not only helped me develop, but kept me in business, is to treat clients and the people we work with in the way I would like to be treated myself. (I think the advice came from Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird.)
Brian Webb, Founder, Webb & Webb Design
The best thing was to work in a team where I was the only designer. It wasn’t easy but I learned so much about other people’s perspectives, learned to communicate my ideas more simply, and saw much more clearly what I could uniquely contribute as a designer.
Mat Hunter, Chief Design Officer, Design Council
For me, the first thing about personal development is being open to learning and trying new things out. When starting Thinkpublic, I worked with a life coach and that really helped me to think differently and conquer some of the invisible barriers to starting a business. Now I’m being mentored by John Bartle (Co-Founder of BBH) to help me take Thinkpublic to the next level. John is really helpful, as he brings real-life experience and advice.
Deborah Szebeko, Director, Thinkpublic