Weaving a Web

Much of the job market today seems to be a little more "who you know, not what you know." While credentials are clearly necessary and a valuable asset, the job market is so competitive that making a name for yourself plays a key role in gaining an edge over competition. Perhaps an extension of "branding yourself," a young designer must network to meet both future employers and mentors. Internships, design society events (ASID, IIDA, etc) and volunteer opportunities are some of the best ways to weave this web of support.

I recently attended the David Orr lecture on the subject of "Black Swan Events" and was shocked to discover that it was directly related to a project I'd been introduced to months previous at my internship with Quaintance-Weaver. Likewise, my involvement with Global Studio landed me at the reception of the Global Studio exhibit. I was introduced to Mike Hayworth, who's involvement in the furniture industry led him to appreciate our design-oriented humanitarian project.

The overlap of these events lends truth to the "small world" our global society has become. Everything we do beyond the borders and limits of out everyday life allows us to meet new people and explore new opportunities.

Keeping current

To stay in touch with current and developing trends in the design world, we worked to compile and compose research papers on topics of our choosing. From my work as Design Team Manager to the Quaintance-Weaver design team, I was drawn to use my experience in LEED Platinum Proximity Hotel and further explore the developing role of sustainability in hospitality design. Here is a snippet of my work:

The Emergence of Sustainable Materials, Construction and Operations in

Hospitality Environments

The UN defined sustainability at the 1987 Brundtland Commission as “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This definition was later expanded to include a balance in the dimensions of environmental protection, social development and economic growth, at the 1992 Conference on Environment and Development. With the rapid emergence and heavy influence of sustainability in design, it is key that we recognize the burden that industry places on the environment, and our responsibility to apply the weight of this influence to our consideration of sustainability, in practice. As one of the largest trades in the world, the Hospitality industry stands as the largest consumer of energy and water, and a leading threat to the environment. True to its nature, the hospitality industry operates to meet the “needs of the present”- the guests. As such, it is vital that this industry gain leverage on the frontier of sustainable design through standardized systems of sustainable practice. This must begin with their principal machines of operation, the buildings, and extend through the veins of hospitality functions.

...The saturation of sustainability into present society and culture generates a need for consideration of major players in the today’s industry. The hospitality industry places a heavy stain on the environment, as one the world’s most prominent consumers of energy electricity, and materials. With buildings producing the most pollution of anything else on the planet, and this pollution so directly affecting its users, it is vital that we consider ways of implementing sustainable design into Hotels. These “green” buildings will not only offer enhanced living and working environments, but will provide influence for the hospitality industry across the world, promoting sustainability as a basic building block in future design. Materials, both in production and implementation, are ideal contenders for “green” substitutions, as new options are constantly filtering into the “green” market.” Sustainable construction methods are continually changing and developing to reduce costs and ensure efficiency in green construction. Although sustainable solutions come with a cost, green technology is becoming more affordable every year. Such a cohesive cultural trend enables “green buildings” to be far more marketable. They boast far more efficient consumption of energy and water, and therefore maintain minimal operating costs, contributing to a short-term pay off to otherwise costly alternatives. Hospitality offers a tangible means of connecting sustainability to individuals across the globe, promoting sustainable design for all through consideration at the industry’s source.

Hot 'lanta!

To put our skills to the test, our class ventured to the biggest city in the southeast, Atlanta, GA. Thanks to the phenomenal help of our current and former advisory board members, we were able to explore such firms as Herman Miller, Gensler, and TVS (to name just a few). It was incredible to see that the work we've been doing was comparable to the work generated for actual clients of these firms. We fully understood the projects we were introduced to, and it was clear that we can and will enter the job market on a competitive level. This experience allowed a clear idea of what to include in our portfolios, and we received some great advice to help us stand out to the firms we aspire to work for.

The business of design

Design, by nature is a field vested in creativity. We work against the grain, break rules, and manipulate the "known" or familiar. This is perhaps best described by our department's logo, "ask forgiveness, not permission," but makes it difficult to consider how and where rules work into this business. To learn about the inner workings of these business affairs, we developed mock design firms, even dividing our groups into partners and staff. I worked with my group to devise the business plan. This was particularly challenging, considering the rigid, rule based nature of such a document, but with some precedent work it became more clear where the line must lie between business and design. We accuountd for pretend backgrounds of each team member, as well as the history of our firm. I enjoyed exploring the possible specifications to tailor to certain markets. In our case, Helix design caters to large, global investors and maintains relations with big business on an international scale. This sort of clientele was incredibly exciting, but terribly difficult to budget for. We are accustomed to small local projects with rather low budgets. To consider finances for a multimillion dollar skyscraper carried us into vastly unfamiliar territory.

Set apart from the rest

With such competition awaiting us in the job market, it's vital that we find ways of "packaging" our skills to best market ourselves to future employers. We worked to create our physical portfolios, but also generated a finalized resume and cover letter, "leave behinds" and a CD of our work. It was interesting to think of this as a "branding" for myself. My linked in profile and up and coming website are other ways I hope to network with the professional world. It's amazing what a long way networking can take you- I look forward to exploring my new connections.

Define: Me

One of the most challenging parts of generating my portfolio was deciding which projects best represented my skills. Its hard to eliminate work you were so heavily invested in, but I came to realize that my selection of work was my opportunity to define myself. Beyond the font, text, and graphics (also very important, but difficult choices), I aimed to choose work that represented my primary interests in humanitarian design, graphics, and design documentation.

Drumroll please...

Four years of sleepless nights and studio sunrises can make our work seem rather never ending. Computer bugs, last minute pinups, sleepy model mistakes- its all part of the studio experience that shapes us into the creative and innovative designers we are. I can honestly say that there is nothing more rewarding than seeing four years of hard work neatly presented in a polished, designed portfolio. Valuable as it is, a portfolio finally reflects a designers abilities. Down to its very construction and presentation, a portfolio can define a designer.