Let’s face it: once you’re April Greiman, Edward Tufte or anyone else on the AIGA list of medalists, you can kick back in a (well-appointed, loft-like) cave dug into the side of a mountain and hungry acolytes will hunt you down. Until then, it’s up to you to draw eyeballs, and I don’t mean the kind Daniel Johnston is...
Kitchen designers figured this out a long time ago: the better the flow, the more productive output. The famed kitchen work triangle—that connection between sink/stove/fridge—makes it easier for the cook to maneuver without wasted motion. If you haven’t already, start applying that principle to your own workspace. Don’t worry about the “right” way; you’re looking for your best way to...
One of my favorite communicators, Heidi Miller (aka, The Podcasting Princess) once shared a great tip for getting the most out of a book: instead of trying to get everything the author is saying, see if you can take away one thing from the experience. At first, it seems nuts: I’m gonna read a whole book to learn one little...
One thing that can take you from overwhelmed newbie wandering in the forest to seasoned design traveler is learning to automate (and eventually, delegate) as many tasks as you can. The less you’re bogged down in detail, the more time you’ll have for the big thinking that precedes big earning. You’re probably well on your way to speeding things up...
A certain amount of communicating with clients, vendors, and associates has to be handled fresh each time it happens. But a surprising amount can be repurposed and tweaked a bit to apply more exactly to the situation at hand. Those pesky inquiries you get again and again (or will get—trust me) are great to have a boilerplate ready for. If...
You can be a great communicator without being a great designer, but you will never be a great designer unless you are a great communicator. Or you might, but no one will ever hear of you, much like the famed tree falling in the forest with no audience. Obviously, you’re not going to become a virtuoso overnight, but there are...
