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The Broadest Degree

Eight years ago I decided to study industrial design. It was a drawn-out decision that started with a dazzling sit-down with one Robert Probst, was tempered by lots of engineering school applications, and finalized with a small leap of faith. School was challenging, fun, and deliberately very broad. We designed chairs and power tools and reading lights because the design process is always the same anyway. ...right?


Getting a design education teaches you a lot of things: how to be creative in a business setting, how to communicate effectively, how to draw pretty darn well. But what has stuck with me the most is versatility. In school, you're expected to be the design researcher, product designer, packaging engineer, model maker, copywriter, and photographer (among other things.) And while some people will tell you that you're only ever one thing in the 'real world,' I would tell you quite the opposite.


Since graduating from school, I've assisted a design researcher, written for various blogs, designed products, packaging, events, and presentations, developed interfaces, created (and edited) videos, answered customer service emails, proofread instruction sheets, chosen colors, and now... shot photography.

Last week I had the honor and privilege to work with my friends Amy and Andrea (and Stefan too!) to photograph a line of toys for their website. It was a great experience assembling the set, laying out the shot, and snapping until things were just right. Can't wait to share some of the results with you here.

(Photo credits go to Stefan Becker. They show me & Andrea prepping the set for a shot.)

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