The Variable Design Podcast

This is the first of many episodes where we dive into addressing the top 10 questions young industrial designers face. 

1. What skills are most important for a successful career in industrial design?
   • Students are keen to understand which technical skills (such as sketching, CAD software proficiency, and model-making) and soft skills (like communication, teamwork, and creative thinking) are crucial in the industry.
2. How do I build a strong portfolio?
   • Guidance on what constitutes a compelling portfolio, how to showcase different projects, and what employers look for in a portfolio are common concerns.
3. What are the typical career paths in industrial design?
   • Information on the various roles an industrial designer can pursue, such as product design, user experience design, automotive design, and furniture design, and the progression paths in these areas.
4. How can I gain real-world experience while still in school?
   • Advice on securing internships, freelance projects, or participating in design competitions to build practical experience and a professional network.
5. What is the job market like for industrial designers?
   • Questions about employment prospects, industry demand, and geographic hotspots for industrial design jobs are common.
6. How do industrial designers stay current with industry trends?
   • Strategies for keeping up with design trends, technological advancements, and materials innovations to remain relevant in the field.
7. What role does sustainability play in industrial design today?
   • Understanding how sustainability is influencing product design and what designers can do to create eco-friendly and sustainable products.
8. How can I develop my own style or design philosophy?
   • Guidance on how to cultivate a unique design voice that stands out while meeting the needs of clients and consumers.
9. What are the challenges of working with clients and managing projects?
   • Insights into client relations, project management, and navigating creative differences or budget constraints in professional settings.
10. How does industrial design intersect with other disciplines?
    • Curiosity about how industrial design collaborates with fields like engineering, marketing, and psychology to create holistic product experiences.

LINKS:

Follow The Variable on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVariableDesign

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

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DISCORD ►► https://discord.gg/vpypTgPEvY
TWITTER ►► https://twitter.com/thevariable_ID
FACEBOOK ►► https://www.facebook.com/thevariable.design/
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LINKEDIN ►► https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-variable-design

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There's a sea of industrial designers out there, how can you stand out? Everyone is trying to stand out... but how can you actually do it?

Skill Stacking

We talk about the ins  and outs of skill stacking with the help of Sushant Vohra. You can read his LinkedIn post on the topic here.

We also address the question "should I show it all?" when it comes to your portfolio. 

Are you interested in a fix the 'folio program? Be sure to reach out to us at [email protected] to let us know your thoughts! 


LINKS:

Follow The Variable on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVariableDesign

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

_____________________________________________
DISCORD ►► https://discord.gg/vpypTgPEvY
TWITTER ►► https://twitter.com/thevariable_ID
FACEBOOK ►► https://www.facebook.com/thevariable.design/
INSTAGRAM ►► https://www.instagram.com/thevariable.design/
LINKEDIN ►► https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-variable-design

Support the show

I used to enjoy my job, and now it's terrible. I aspire to be a great industrial designer, but I feel like I'm pigeon holed in my current role. I'm not growing as a creative. I feel stuck but I don't know how to get out of my rut. 

Sound familiar? 

Well.... there's good and bad news. Bad news is, you're the problem. Good news- you're also the solution. That's right, when it comes to getting where you want to go in your creative career, there's only one person behind the wheel YOU. 

In this episode we talk about specific steps we've taken to get out of a rut and see positive progress in our career development and share advice on what you can do to get the momentum you're looking for. 

LINKS:

Follow The Variable on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVariableDesign

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

_____________________________________________
DISCORD ►► https://discord.gg/vpypTgPEvY
TWITTER ►► https://twitter.com/thevariable_ID
FACEBOOK ►► https://www.facebook.com/thevariable.design/
INSTAGRAM ►► https://www.instagram.com/thevariable.design/
LINKEDIN ►► https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-variable-design

Support the show

You won't always be able to give something 100%... heck sometimes 50% is all you've got.  What do you do when you want to hit a home run, but you feel like you've struck out? In this episode we breakdown strategies for handling these kinds of situations with professionalism and share a few takeaways that will help you make those lemons into lemonade. 

LINKS:

Follow The Variable on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVariableDesign

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

_____________________________________________
DISCORD ►► https://discord.gg/vpypTgPEvY
TWITTER ►► https://twitter.com/thevariable_ID
FACEBOOK ►► https://www.facebook.com/thevariable.design/
INSTAGRAM ►► https://www.instagram.com/thevariable.design/
LINKEDIN ►► https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-variable-design

Support the show

In this episode we jump on a call with Jack Marple, the Associate Director of Industrial Design at Enlisted in Salt Lake City Utah to discuss design education and the top things that keep young (and old) designers from having job-winning presentation in their portfolios. We discuss eye-opening realizations we've had as educators and best practices on how to not only be able to identify good design, but apply it to your work. 

LINKS:

Follow The Variable on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVariableDesign

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

_____________________________________________
DISCORD ►► https://discord.gg/vpypTgPEvY
TWITTER ►► https://twitter.com/thevariable_ID
FACEBOOK ►► https://www.facebook.com/thevariable.design/
INSTAGRAM ►► https://www.instagram.com/thevariable.design/
LINKEDIN ►► https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-variable-design

Support the show

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In this episode of The Variable Design Podcast we dive in and discuss Sushant Vohra's LinkedIn post:

If you are a design student in 2023 don't fall for these 12 traps ↘

1) Being first in your class and thinking that design life is gonna be easy.

2) Copy pasting ChatGPT responses to comment on a post just for 'networking' sake.

3) Having those slider scales for each software in your CV (seriously drop it).

4) Writing a wall of text in a cold email to a potential employer.

5) Only having college/academic projects in your portfolio.

6) Having no internships because you want to work on your thesis, or because you didn't get your dream studio.

7) Not putting yourself out there for the fear of being judged.

8) Strong arming your peers who might eventually be in a far better place than you.

9) Only looking at design in your own country. (Yes, even if you are in a western country)

10) Not having a website or a landing page as a student.

11) Not having opinions or curiosity around things because you don't have domain authority.

12) Blaming your professors (feedback) for how a project turned out

Not only should we avoid these pitfalls, but we have to be able to be a good person and work well with team members... even if they give us feedback we don't really like. 

How can you leverage interpersonal skills to come out on top? We discuss this and more with Andre Cotan. 




LINKS:

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

_____________________________________________
DISCORD ►► https://discord.gg/vpypTgPEvY
TWITTER ►► https://twitter.com/thevariable_ID
FACEBOOK ►► https://www.facebook.com/thevariable.design/
INSTAGRAM ►► https://www.instagram.com/thevariable.design/
LINKEDIN ►► https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-variable-design

Support the show

Steve Cozzolino, an award winning and distinguished industrial designer with over 25 years of consulting experience, earned a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Notre Dame in 1993.  Early in his career, Steve collaborated with Eva Zeisel and was Design Director at Karim Rashid Inc. from 2002-2006.  In 2006, Steve launched Cozzolino studio LLC. Steve has received multiple "Red Dot" Design Awards, the industry's highest standard of excellence, has been featured in The New York Times and was honored by the City of New York with a 2011 "Excellence in Design" Award. He's repeatedly won "Good Design" Awards, Housewares Design Awards, ID Magazine's "Design Distinction", and has received numerous design patents.  Recently, Cozzolino studio has worked with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Grand Central Partnership, Rockefeller Center, New York Aquarium, and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.

LINKS:

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

Support the show

About Joey:

Prior to starting his own practice, Joey led design teams over the past 15 years while working for companies like Clarks, Continuum, Smart Design, Steelcase, and HP. His design work has been recognized with over 40 awards and featured in Design Milk, Dezeen, Fast Company, Interior Design, New York Times, TASCHEN and Wired. Joey graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a BFA in Industrial Design. 

Topics we cover in this episode:

1. Be open to new paths: In design school, from shoe obsessed to story obsessed.
2. Ugly design on purpose: In my first design job, I had to design ugly shoes for frumpy dads and learned early on that good design is not universal. 
3. Pivot and expand: How and why I transitioned to design consulting.
4. Go on adventures / don’t make decisions based on fear: 1 year Sabbatical in Costa rica in the middle of the great recession.
5. Go beyond things: Working at Smart Design really solidified my approach to storytelling and contextualizing tangible things.
6. Design at different scales: Growing pains from the transition between small scale to large scale objects (Ford and Steelcase)
7. Work in different cultures: Experience working at HP in Barcelona.
8. Invest in yourself (and your side projects): Touchy/Feely, Coat Check Chair etc.
9. Celebrate how far you’ve come

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

Support the show

Recognized as 1 of the 50 most notable designers over the last 50 years, Brian Roderman is the President and Co-Owner of IN2 Innovation, an experience innovation design agency that provides a global range of services from inspiration to integration. IN2 Innovation currently has offices located in Dallas, Austin, and Atlanta.

Brian has worked in the design consultancy business for over 30 years and is frequently a featured speaker on design and innovation at events and symposiums worldwide. He has extensive design experience in consumer electronics, consumer products, housewares, transportation, telecommunications, and business-to-business industries for clients such as TopGolf, Frigidaire, Interstate Batteries, Newell Brands, Marriott, and many others.

He is active with the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), having held six terms on the IDSA National Board of Directors. He was recently awarded a Fellowship within the society along with the top notable designer’s recognition honor.

Brian’s Power statements on Experience Design: 

• UX design is more than just digital design.
• The experience revolution has begun, and we are in for a 30 year run.
• A True User Experience occurs when human senses are engaged (the more the better) and emotional responses are transmitted.
•  A brand can intersect with the True User Experience through combined products and services in digital and physical means.
•  We have long tried to adapt to technology, now we are asking technology to adapt to us.
• Experience design brings the human back into the center of the focus.
•  We need designers who can create a balanced world of experiences.  We need holistic experience designers.

Join our weekly discussions on Clubhouse:
https://www.clubhouse.com/club/the-variable

Other (non-recorded) Clubhouse events hosted by Justin Adleff
https://www.clubhouse.com/club/objects-experiences?utm_source=clubhouse&utm_medium=share_club&utm_campaign=hAr6ifilAK2P84UTJTMbmw-27939

LINKS:

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

_____________________________________________
DISCORD ►► https://discord.gg/vpypTgPEvY
TWITTER ►► https://twitter.com/thevariable_ID
FACEBOOK ►► https://www.facebook.com/thevariable.design/
INSTAGRAM ►► https://www.instagram.com/thevariable.design/
LINKEDIN ►► https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-variable-design

Support the show

There are a number of ways that we as creatives can inadvertently keep ourselves away from progress. In this episode we talk about common ways we shoot ourselves in the foot as industrial designers, how to avoid them, and what to do to find balance and improve in our craft. 

This episode was a recorded clubhouse session that took place on May 12,2022

Join our weekly discussions on Clubhouse:
https://www.clubhouse.com/club/the-variable

Other (non-recorded) Clubhouse events hosted by Justin Adleff
https://www.clubhouse.com/club/objects-experiences?utm_source=clubhouse&utm_medium=share_club&utm_campaign=hAr6ifilAK2P84UTJTMbmw-27939

LINKS:

Support The Variable
www.patreon.com/thevariabledesign

WEBSITE: www.thevariable.design
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.thevariable.design/qna
NOMINATE STUDENTS FOR SPOTLIGHT: https://www.thevariable.design/spotlight
BLOG: https://www.thevariable.design/podcast

_____________________________________________
DISCORD ►► https://discord.gg/vpypTgPEvY
TWITTER ►► https://twitter.com/thevariable_ID
FACEBOOK ►► https://www.facebook.com/thevariable.design/
INSTAGRAM ►► https://www.instagram.com/thevariable.design/
LINKEDIN ►► https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-variable-design

Support the show