The Design of Design Links

How Not to Apply for a Design Job by John Freeborn

A nice high-level introduction for some, reminder for others, of some basic behaviors and strategies when applying for a design job. There are definitely some balancing acts involved, such as when Freeborn describes some overly aggressive job seekers; this needs to be balanced against the coaching I’ve seen young designers receive to promote the crap out of themselves, to the point of walking up to strangers with an “I was obviously the best in my bootcamp” statement (this really happened).

The Warning Label that Should Come with Venture Capital by Founder Collective

Punting for now the question of whether venture capital is a beneficial model for anyone other than a few investors (hint: like most casino models, probably not), if you’re a designer at a startup or other company that’s seeking or relying on venture capital, this is a good start on how to keep your eyes open and ask questions. Remember, as a designer, asking questions is fundamental to your job.

The Journal of Future Studies

Pretty much what it says on the tin. Even if a topic isn’t your obsession, there’s a lot of walking through of very competent thinking and issues that’ll help you conceive of how your work might affect the world – for good or for ill. Recently, Bill Buxton made the point that design in tech is unique – to its detriment – in not learning what was done in the past. Architects learn the history of construction and buildings, doctors learn how we learned “don’t tug on that” during surgery”, but digital designers are given 12 weeks and never look back into what mistakes have been made, what lessons have been learned.