Unpacking Design

In a world where everyone is looking to save time and money in all areas of their lives, there are online services providing food, clothing, entertainment, and more that are a click away. How does an online clothing company help people save time and money on the clothes that they buy? Learn more about how Stitch Fix works and the quality of their clothes in this episode.

As a designer, have you always felt confident in your ability to sketch and share your ideas with others? Mike and Tim both had a fear of sharing their sketches with other people because they felt as if their sketches weren’t on par with those of the average designers. Learn more about finding comfort in one’s ability to sketch, different levels of sketching, and the various tools that are available in this episode.

How does planning and getting into a consistent routine help with developing projects and freeing up time for other endeavors? How can we create more time in our days to develop our projects? Learn more about how Mike found consistency through setting up a new routine and how Tim is working to free up all his personal time to pursue a new project.

Whenever a firm is looking to hire a new designer, there’s always a buzzword that’s tossed around as a descriptor for a potential candidate – talent. What does it mean when someone is considered talented in the 21st century and how often is the word used today? Learn more about what is means to be talented and how society has shifted away from seeking talented individuals to a team based environment in this episode.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic spreading throughout the world, businesses are feeling its effects on the economy. The stock market is beginning to show signs of an incoming recession with drastic drops. What impact does a potential recession have on the design professions and how can we stay employed? Learn more about the effects of a potential recession on the design professions in this episode.

One of the most difficult things for creative professionals is to find consistency in their lives and careers. What are some ways that we can develop positive routines that allow us to develop great projects? Learn more about how Mike and Tim found consistency to be the key in developing all of their current projects in this episode.

Everyone who loves to read will often spend lots of money purchasing physical and digital books including audio versions. What if there were a way to borrow audiobooks free of charge? Learn more about what Libby is, how it works, and the various digital resources that it provides in this episode of Unpacking Design.

As technology continues to evolve and new earbuds are released, the connectivity between people and their devices is instantaneous. This is especially true with the high quality earbuds coming out of Apple such as the Airpods and the Powerbeats Pro. What is it like having one of these earbuds and how does it influence our day to day lives?

What’s next for Unpacking Design now that we’ve reached our 100th episode? Learn more about the journey of getting Unpacking Design to episode 100, staying consistent, and more in this episode.

How do you keep a team of designers motivated throughout an entire project? What are effective ways of giving all members of a design team ownership of a project? In this episode of Unpacking Design, Mike and Tim talk about how they manage their teams and what they find to be the most helpful and productive ways of working together.