surprise the designer

One of my favorite parts of my current job is taking photographs, and at the brewery there are no shortage of subjects. For every new beer that comes to market, we take context photos (aka 'beer on bar') and studio photos for our website and advertising needs. If you've come to a Harpoon festival ( Harpoon Fest is right around the corner), there's a good chance I've asked to take your photo. We organize photo shoots for promotional campaigns, create content to support programming like Harpoon Helps, and, sometimes, are asked to take headshots for events and/or news articles. Photographing people can be a challenge, but it's also hugely rewarding. A well-done headshot of a colleague helps show them—and the company—in the best light possible. I like to position people very close to a large window so they are lit by natural light and the background can more or less fade away. At the brewery, a pint and the taps imply the company connection. Keeping the su...

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...