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    Jury Interview jamie wolfond’s 4 tips for aspiring designers

    Jamie Wolfond is one of the jury members in the upcoming Muuto Design Contest. A great champion of new perspectives in the field of design, we asked Jamie Wolfond to share four pieces of advice for designers on the cusp of their careers:

    1. Create your own brief

     

    “Reach out to people. You do not have to be approached by someone to pitch a project. Try to create your own brief, solve it, and send the resulting idea to a brand or manufacturer you would like to work with. It is a way of establishing a relationship, and if you get a no today, at least you are introduced—you are in the conversation.

     

    You may be trying to get a design into production but it’s incredibly important that you don’t forget yourself. "Making objects rather than renderings really helps – having this physical thing that is yours, no matter who does or doesn't produce it.” 

    2. Take a hands-on approach 

     

    “I would definitely say avoid relying solely on renderings to get your idea across. You rob yourself of the tacit learning you could have in the design process. When building a model or prototype, something happens when you are in contact with actual proportions and materials. You understand what makes sense and what doesn’t. Naturally, you form a more tangible relationship with the object as a result. A physical object also makes it easier for another person to relate to and understand, as you lift it up into your hands and show them.” 

    3. Find that glorious moment 


    “Take the harder route because it is interesting. Design is not a linear process, and sometimes it is very tempting to rush something to the end. You might be robbing yourself of a lot of discoveries that happen through the process of experimenting, failing, and recalibrating. These moments that happen along the way not only impact the object you're working on but inevitably trickle into future projects. It sounds corny, but the one project that all your work invariably contributes to is you.  
     
    It’s a great feeling to have something in production (and it's necessary, this is a job after all) but it's not as great as the moment you solve a problem. Lately I’ve found myself making puzzles that are harder and harder to solve. It keeps me engaged, and happy.”  

    4. Do the emotional work 


    “I have been thinking a lot about how it would be nice to bring the emotional part of this job more into focus. Maybe that would make it easier for some people to take on this very nebulous profession. Creating things is a really emotional process.  
     
    Design is not so different from therapy, and you have to be willing to challenge the parts of yourself that you are the most attached to. The question is always: What am I assuming that I might be wrong about? What is the one thing I am not willing to question about this design? Why? 
     
    To balance out this feeling of questioning everything, you have to be curious about your audience, your collaborators, and the people (yes, people, more than technology, materials and equipment) making the things. And to do that, you have to be curious about yourself. Without that, you are moving away from the human aspect of design. You have to be able to listen and have the will to change your mind.” 

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