how to win at design: what they don't teach you in school

How to Win at Design

Q: What does winning at design mean !or you?

Happiness + Opportunities = Win

jason@hexanine.com 323 469-1809

=Pro!it!

Doing great work won’t make you happy

Who are you?

Mindset

Get out o! your own way

Your Comfort

Zone

Everything Awesome

Over-inspired

Design inspiration is so easily accessible now that it’s distracting at best, and intimidating at worst.

1%

Cra"

What is your cra"?

Designer

You

Marketer Social Media

Bookkeeper

Proofreader Project Manager

Salesperson Illustrator

Copywriter

Manager

Office Manager

Web Designer

Drawing/sketching Page layout Composition Typography Speaking my mind Hyperfocusing Writing

Color theory Management Iteration Marketing Multitasking Motion GFX Details

Strengths Weaknesses

Love to !ail

It's so freeing, it's beautiful in a way, to have a great failure, there's nowhere to go but up. —David Lynch

You have to get bad in order to get good. You have to try a lot of things and fail in order to make the next discovery. —Paula Scher

Love to !ail Take on projects be!ore you know how you’ll do them

Love to !ail Don’t wait !or inspiration

Take on projects be!ore you know how you’ll do them

Criticism

Take it

You are not your ideas.

You  Idea

You

You  Idea

You

You Idea

You Idea

You Idea

You  Idea

You

You  Idea

You

You  

You

Idea

Never fall in love with an idea. They’re whores. If the one you’re with isn’t doing the job, there’s always, always, always another. —Chip Kidd

Give it

Good Bad

Good

I love the mark on the le#. That orange isn’t working, but I really like the typeface.

I love the mark on the le#. That orange is horrible, but I really like the typeface.

Networking

Go to real live events

Go to real live events

Always be testing and impriving your value proposition

What Who Why

What do you do Who do you do it !or Why should anyone care 15 seconds

Go to real live events

Know who to talk to

Always be testing and impriving your value proposition

Groups o! two, how do you do?®™

Worldwide copyright 2014 Jason Adam. All Rights Reserved.

Chances are they came together, and probably wish they were mingling instead Even i! they didn’t, they’re probably tired o! talking to each other I! it goes south, you won’t !eel bad walking away

Make it easy Find a contact management system that will send automatic reminders to follow up

Subject: Closing The Loop Hi [FirstName]; I haven’t heard back !rom you on [project/opportunity] so I’m going to assume you’ve gone in a di#erent direction or your priorities have changed. Let me know i! we can be o! assistance in the !uture. Regards, [You]

Clients

Red Flag: The signal a potential client sends that reduces your con!idence in the relationship.

Confuses price with value Places price before goals Cost is a primary motivating factor Overly focused on deliverables Attempts to control the process Wants to gut the process to save money Will not share their budget Contract obsessed Seems generally skeptical Promises exposure for a reduced rate Uses potential future work as a lure Expects a#er-hours availability Seems indecisive, and hard to please Outwardly rude/disrespectful Flaked on meetings, phone calls, etc. Asked for spec work

Red Flags Highly visible/big brands Places goals before cost Desirable budgets Shared their budget with you They pay invoices on time Displays good communication skills Respects your creative process Respectful of your time General a$ability Looks to you as an expert Generally respectful Understands realistic timelines Available—won’t be difficult to reach Seems committed to the project(s) You’ll have acceptable creative control Seems like a fun project

Green Flags

“I don’t have a speci!ic budget.”

Expects a"er-hours availability

Shi"s conversation !rom money to cache

“This will get a ton o! eyeballs.” “It’ll make a great piece !or your port!olio.” “I! this takes o# there will be a lot more work.”

“I already know what I want.”

There’s rarely such a thing as a bad client

Fun

Keep it unpredictable

Bring !un into everything you do

If you achieve happiness or success, take a moment to map out how you got there. Don't take it for granted that you can find your way back. Thank those that helped. It'll make the moment that much more memorable. —Chris Do

How to Win at Design