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For most people, designers (fashion, industrial and, mainly, graphic) are artists concerned with how to make things look good. What most don’t understand, yet, is that design (and “design thinkingâ€) is only possible once there’s a problem to be solved. It may be a website in need of a better UI/UX, a juicer that spills less orange all over the kitchen or a new dress that adapts to one’s body shape beautifully.
Let’s take this Dieter Rams quote here:
“We designers, we don’t work in a vacuum. We need business people. We are not the fine artists we are often confused with. Today you find few companies that take design seriously, as I see it.â€
Most new companies prefer to hire freelancers to make their brand. I personally think people giving birth to a new venture should work closely, especially because so many questions crop up once things start taking shape (and you’re going to solve them). These shaping initial questions are the most important part of the whole design process, and they need to be answered constantly, consistently and carefully.
From a professional perspective, there’s also a lot for designers to learn from startups, specially about the business world itself.
Not all ideas (luckily!) turn into real businesses, the same way a lot of real businesses lack good ideas. Working with startups brings inspiration into one’s life: great growth potential plus a great future ahead if everything works out. If you’re just starting your career, willing to try something different or looking for new opportunities, jumping on the startup boat may be the best decision of your career. That’s not to say it won’t require hard work, it will; you probably won’t get much sleep and will start seeing your life revolve around the office. But it’s alright because you’ll also have the chance to see how your work affects every branch of the company, how it helps it get established in the market and perhaps you’ll have the chance to explain what design actually is and how it works.
Down the line you may even get contacted from others in need of consultation. After all, everyone loves a problem solver.
Original article published on the Printsome blog