What makes a good project?

D = Deadline, you must be working against a deadline.

E = Expertise – you should expertise in the field where the client work is.

S = Strategy – your stakeholders don’t just care about deliverables, they care about the strategy that helps them meet their goals.

I = Investment – you must position yourself and be seen as an investment.

G = Growth – you should be thinking about how you can help the company or project achieve growth.

N = No – saying “no” more than saying “yes” will help you find better, more profitable projects. You can’t solve everyone’s problems and you shouldn’t.

Management philosophy.

I like to get involved in projects at an early stage and help strategically define the foundation. I have found that to build true design evangelism in a company, you need to work on a cycle of sprint and share. Designers I have led with have gone on to start their own companies and work for culture-defining design orgs at Google and Apple.

I believe in the creative process and the flow-state. The flow-state is the place where we all excel–where time seems to stand still. For a designer, this is the moment where they are the most confidence and unwavering about taking on new challenges. I urge every creative I work with to explore how to activate and replicate this state on-demand while also recognizing the time for re-charging.

I aim to lead and inspire by creating a shared vision or ideal that everyone shoots for together versus delegating on high. The empowers people to not only focus on building a ship but (paraphrased from Antoine de Saint-Exupery) seek what is beyond in the “vast and endless sea.”

I see to unlock human creativity by arming people with useful and actionable information to help fill in the gaps between where there are and where they want to do. This is done by managing expectations to ensure that I and am not dictating their direction, but rather putting fuel in the tank and air in the tires for the journey that they “want” to embark on.

This process involves encouraging people to set concrete goals that are documented–reminding them that they will never physically reach the horizon. The storms that they experience on the journey are the lessons and the learning that will give meaning and purpose to their life and ever fabled career.

Personality matters. Too much of the same personality on a team means everyone speaks the same language but that the final product lacks diversity. Different archetypes can challenge, support, and complement the team dynamic by offering new perspectives and provide skills where others may lack.

Oh and wrap this up and put a bow on it, asking for feedback without providing context, is not asking for feedback at all.

The process.

Every creative sprint starts with a creative brief. It outlines to the team member involved our goals, background on the company, the positioning, competition, insights, key dates and stakeholders involved.

There are familiar steps such as researching your business and competitors, sketching and developing ideas, digitizing, presenting, refining. But no two clients are the same, so nothing’s set in stone. What’s most important is my curiosity for your business, and genuine happiness when I can help you create the success you’re aiming for.

Design investment.

I am a full-stack designer and songwriter who specializes in brand and product design, helping companies in consumer, conservation and enterprise technology position, launch and scale new brands and products with meaning and purpose. That means helping your find your voice, distill your story, and create exponential impact using design.

Two important things to know: I do not have a title, and I do not have a set rate. I am different, unique. I lead with passion and drive with innovation. I am a catalyst.

Project rates typically start around or above $25,000 USD.

Whether you are looking to put together the perfect pitch deck, partner on a product design, or need some advice before stroking a fat check to the B team at the agency you’re about to hire–contact me. My door is always open.