Work of Work
The other 60%
It struck me as odd that this little corner of the internet only showcases designs, when the reality is that the work we do as designers is so much more extensive than the final deliverable or even the design process. Working as a creative is an immense privilege but the truth is that most of my time is spent on ‘uncreative’ endeavors that all set up the dominoes to fall at the right time to allow us to execute on creative ideas. Some of my personal ‘uncreative’ endeavors include:
💬 Stakeholder and Written Communication
Clear communication is at the core of any successful project. I regularly engage with stakeholders to translate complex ideas into actionable plans, thoroughly investigate design requests, manage expectations, and articulate design decisions through detailed written communication that keeps everyone aligned and informed. My communication style has been called “firm but soft.” I’ll take that as a compliment.
⚡️Team Management and Design Leadership
Giving creative opinions is easy. Giving thoughtful design direction that prioritizes larger brand objectives over coolness or trends is an exercise in restraint and familiarity with the product and our stakeholders. Design leadership is a balancing act between meeting the needs of the brand, stakeholder, and designer, and advocating to all 3 for the use of good design.
One of the ways I like to do this is through providing resources to my designers that allow them to self advocate, while also providing resources to stakeholders that allow them to self serve. More specifically this includes guidelines and libraries, and helpful documents to share with stakeholders when the quality of feedback needs to be improved.
🛠️ Workplace Tools
I’m as fluent in workplace tools as I am in Figma and Adobe— Slack, Notion, Jira, the Google Suite etc.. These tools help streamline workflows (mostly 😶), facilitate collaboration, and provide a structure that enables creativity with just the right amount of chaos. I live in these tools as much as in design software and am always looking for ways to meet my team wherever they are.
🧭 Project Management
Behind most great creative output is a well-managed project. I bow down at the feet of Creative Ops, but I can also handle timelines, task prioritization and resource allocation, ensuring that projects not only meet their deadlines but do so with flair.
