Category: Crafting a Career

A constant puzzle, and a game whose participants build the rules as it goes.

Give a token of your appreciation

A little card or gift is a delightful aberration when the vast majority of communication is digital, and the bulk of mail is, well, bulk.

Lend a helping hand

Your job is just one way to build and use your skills — have you thought about how those same skills could be useful for volunteering?

Keep in tune and carry on

I’ve taken college and company-sponsored speaking classes, and while those have been helpful, the most effective techniques for me were the ones I learned from a singing class.

Games designers (should) play

Beyond the skill, strategy, and chance, games shape your thinking. These are a few games I’ve come across that pose challenges that correlate, in some small measure, to the types of problem-solving I do every day.

Hand off that baton

Design is a relay race where the work you do now can affect your product after you have moved on. How are you planning on handing off that baton to the next designer?

Finding your voice

One of the misconceptions I see frequently is the idea that you must have a complete sense of who you are and what you do before you “present” yourself by participating. In fact, exercising your voice is one of the best ways to discover how you want to represent yourself.

The proper use of beautiful imagery

No matter how well-arranged your interface is or how simple your flows are, the imagery you use in your designs will have a disproportionately large influence on how it will be received. Beautiful imagery, when done right, can be a powerful force for progress.

You’ll never be ready (and that’s okay)

The opportunities to be successful don’t necessarily come when you’re ready for them. Though going down a particular path will not necessarily lead you to your dream job, don’t discount where you’re at now – you may be more ready than you think you are.

Reasons to march forth

I can’t stand seeing designers hit walls. The nature of designing is creating a reality from the kernel of an idea…but a vision isn’t enough. This is my attempt to explain the techniques that I have seen work.