Business of design experience

Blog your response to this question: if you were teaching this course next year, what one thing would you add and what one thing would you subtract? Please explain why you would do these things.

I would not take anything out of the course, but I would look to revamp the indegogo project.

Given that CCA students come from all different walks of life, including different financial backgrounds and limitations, I felt it was a bit unfair for our grades to be affected by the number of donations made.

At some points, the competition felt more like a popularity contest than a legitimate competition for the best idea. Many students simply contacted their friends and family members to make donations. Obviously, the student’s friends and family members were not objective donors, as they would basis their donation on their relationship rather than which idea was best. This, in turn, hindered student from foreign countries and student with less privileged backgrounds. For example, I had several friends that could not access the site or were technically unable to make the online payment as their credit card was not accepted despite having sufficient funds available. Moreover, many people outside of the United States simply do not have credit cards and as such could not make donations.

Even though my group did very well in the competion, I still believe the overall system may need to be re-assessed.

Thank you very much for the great experience and I hope you have a great summer.

I would like to work somewhere that:

What your ideal company culture would be like by describing what an average day on the job would for like you. What would it look like, feel like, be like?

In a recent interview, Michael Jordan was asked the following question –

“You have won 6 NBA titles, 10 Scoring titles, 5 MVP Awards, 9 All Defence Awards, 14 All Star Games and 2 Olympic Gold Medals, in one word how would you describe your career?”

Without hesitation, he replied “FUN.”

As set out in the RSA Animate video, research has shown that enjoying what you do is a better motivator than money rewards. So, obviously, my ideal job would need to be enjoyable. Ideally, my company would allow its employees to be involved in the client and project selection process. Clients and projects would be selected based on factors the employees deem to be relevant, rather than allowing money to be sole driving factor.

The Company would not have standard hours and there would definitely be no requirement to clock-in or clock-out. Job titles would not be standard titles such as manager and junior designer; rather they would be creative such as “guy who likes to nag” and “girl with fresh ideas.”

If you work on a project, you get credit for your work on the project and are involved in all discussion relating to the project regardless of your role.

Hiring, Firing and promotions would be a team decisions. No one man or women would have such powers.

With all the above in place, I cannot image how work would not be, as Michael Jordan put it, “FUN.”

Also as set out in the RSA Animate video, the Company would pay its employees well as to not have to deal with financial stresses.

The work environment would be extremely divers as this will help the exchange of ideas.

With all the above in place, I cannot image how work would not be, as Michael Jordan put it, “FUN.”

If I was a Goldman Sachs employee

Blog on what you would do if you were an employee of Goldman Sachs who didn’t have the option of quitting - what would you say to your clients, friends and family who read Greg Smith’s letter?

I find this questions extremely difficult to answer. Obviously, I would first need to determine whether or not I agreed with Greg Smith’s letter. I am firm believer that every story has two sides. If I disagreed with Smith’s position, I would tell my friends, family and clients the truth and give them the full story.  

If I agreed with Smith’s positions, I would try to make a difference and consider the negative points in his letter and Improve them in my work. I am not sure how much I can implement this idea, but I would try my best to gain my clients trust by giving them the best advice and making them see why the advice it for their advantage not the the companies. But overall I find it very hard to work in a company that share different values than mine. In some cases depending on the company size or position in a company one can make a change but I believe it will be very difficult to make a change in a company like Goldman Sachs. Therefore, I would resign from Goldman Sachs. In the past, I turn down a very promising  job offer from a well known advertising agency in spite of being a recent graduate based on the fact that I would be working on an account for one of the largest cigarette companies. It was an extremely difficult decision to make as I had no other job offer at the time and, moreover, it was during the peak of the financial crisis. Morally, I could not promote a product that I vigorously oppose. I personally would not stay with a company that had different values.

Engaging Social Networks

Blog on which social network you currently find most engaging and why?

Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Behance and Instagram are all social networking platforms that I find equally engaging. I find it difficult to pick the most engaging out of these networks because each one provides a different approach to social networking.

Engagement has two sides to it. One is the interface that connects people and the other one is the interface that the user engages with. I believe both of these sides are equality important in making a network engaging. For example Pinterest is the most engaging social networking platform for sharing images of what we find interesting, allowing the users to create boards and categorize their interests. It also has a very simple user interface for pinning images to the boards. Therefore, Facebook is not going to be as successful as Pinterest.

However, when it comes to connecting with friends and keeping them updated about what they are doing and how they feel, Facebook is the best Social Network available today. The same idea applies to LinkedIn. It is a perfect social networking platform for connecting professionals. I would not add anyone I don't know into my circle of friends on Facebook unless I personally know them, but on LinkedIn I feel comfortable accepting anyone within the industry, because they don't have access to any of my personal information.

Billabong

Blog on a brand you admire (not just the product or service). Explain what elements of the brand “speak” to you and what they say

One of the many brands that I like is Billabong. Billabong is an Australian clothing company that sells dresses, surfing shorts, swim suites, pants and many more. Regardless of what the product is, all look fun, playful, funky and designed. Also, it feels like their cloths are designed for the beach or a hot summer day. It is very clear that they are targeting young audience but it really lively and fun adults can pull their cloths off too.

The look and feel of their brand comes through in the design of their logo and expands to the design of their cloths, shops, websites and the events they sponsor.

I have always been a big fan of their brand not only because they make really nice cloths but also because I think by wearing their design I can make a statement. I have a passion for design and I enjoy wearing something that I consider designed.

Midpoint Grade

Blog on what you think your midpoint grade should be in this class. Be specific about what you’ve done or not done to earn that grade.

Since this a direct message to both Christopher and Maria, I would like to thank you for the amazing semester. As expected, business of design is unquestionably an essential course for any graduate design Student. It is obvious that you have both dedicated a lot of energy to the class. Thank you.

I, like most other student, believe I deserve an A at this point of the semester. I have turned in all my blogs on time and have exerted an enormous amount of time and effort on each one. I have actively participated in the team project.  I may not have asked questions for the sake of asking questions but I did ask questions when I thought it was appropriate and necessary.

School in the Cloud

After watching Sugata Mitra’s ted talk, I was surprised to learn how little our education system had evolved.

It is sad to see that we use the same old teaching system as those used during the British Empire even though studies have clearly shown this method to be outdated.

The system of educational currently in place reduces curiosity and punishes creativity. Mr. Mitra’s theory of a “School in the Cloud” would undoubtedly promote curiosity and reward creativity. However, I do not believe the “School in the cloud” approach is without its flaws. For example, the “School in the Cloud” approach requires an active and dedicated student body. Absent such, kids may be left behind.

In my opinion, the “School in the Cloud” approach is a great way to spread education in hard to reach and impoverished areas but may not be the global solution to improving our “obsolete” education system.

Architecture for Humanity Questions:

Blog on 1-2 questions you would like to ask the folks running Architecture for Humanity.

I want to take a few seconds and thank Architecture for Humanity for their hard work. I have two questions that I would like to ask them.

Question 1:
Through Cameron Sinclair’s presentation on Ted Talk I realized that the Architecture for Humanity projects are international and without any boundaries. I was very touched to know that Rebuilding Bam in Iran was one of their projects. Currently, with all the sanctions and political restrictions on Iran would  Architecture for Humanity still be able to execute a similar project? In other words, how much political and international barriers restrict their work? What are the barriers that Architecture for Humanity has to overcome if they want to run a project in countries like Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq where people are forced out of their homes because of war and/or occupation and ultimately  live in refugee camps?

Question 2:
I always thought the power of image is much stronger than any other source of communication. I want to become a designer because I want to make a difference and  help raise awareness. I believe regardless of where you live the information you receive through social media or other outlets is manipulated in one way or another. When I was living in Iran there was a constant contradiction between the information we were given by the government and what was really happening in the country and worldwide. After living in the United States for about 7 months, I have realized that the social media is as controlled here as anywhere else in the world. I hope by telling people the truth, we can stop war and hatred against one another and move towards peace. My goal is also to use the power of design to spread knowledge to help humanity. I guess my question is, based on your experience, where do I begin?

Ice Cream Pitch

“Pitch”

While working in branding, I had to pitch ideas and design options to client on a regular basis. I was amazed to learn that during these pitches I would actually utilizing Abela’s guidelines without even knowing it. I was further amazed that I actually utilized Abela’s guidelines on a daily basis for ordinary non-work related decisions. For example, I once try to convince my cousin to come with me to have Bi Rite ice cream. He was not a big fan of Bi Rite ice cream as it was a local ice cream brand. He preferred the more name brands he usually buys. In addition, we would need to drive 15 to 20 minutes to Bi Rite ice cream; so, I had to be really persuasive.

When I think about that day in detail I believe I used Abela’s guidelines to win that pitch. I started by telling him about the Bi Rite ice cream shop that I have been to with my friends from school, which was my over all story. Then I continued with asking him if he has ever tried strawberry and vinegar ice cream or salted caramel ice-cream. That is when I grabbed his attention “situation 1.” By telling him how it tastes and how this was the first time that I had liked an ice cream flavor other than chocolate, “resolution 1”. 

Then, I went on to tell him about the area Bi Rite ice cream was located, i.e. the mission district, “situation 2”. By telling him about the area, people, the little shops were another resolution. I bought a few things from that area which I used as an example. 

In addition, I used Dolores Park as another situation. I am not sure if it was my pitch that grabbed his attention that he agreed to check the place out or he felt sorry for me trying so hard to convince him. Either way, I ended up having the salted caramel ice cream that night.

CCA Journey Map

My CCA journey map consists of four steps: motivation, research, decision and barriers.

First Step - Motivation: obtaining the willpower to take a risk.
It is very easy to put your goals on hold when you are in the “comfort zone.” In my situation I had a good (not great) job and I was doing work I liked (not loved). Financially, I was comfortable, I had a great work/life balance and I enjoyed the people I worked with. It was very difficult to, for a lack of better words, give it all up. I need to talk myself into believing that the risk of quitting my job, giving up my source of money, living on a student’s budget was worth the reward.

Second Step - Research: obtaining the information to make an educated risk.
After passing through the motivational steps, it was time to find the right school.
The Big Questions now need to be answered - where?

At the time, I lived in Dubai and could not find a reputable and interesting master’s program so I knew the first part of the answer was outside of Dubai. I then turn to the one friend who advise I can for the most part trust - Google. I searched out the best graduate design schools in the world. CCA was one of the top reputable ranking lists.  Coincidentally, I was visiting my aunt who lives in California and decided to pay the school a visit.

Third Step - Decision - Taking the risk.
At the end of my trip to California, I was sure of 2 things:

1. I would be proud to attend and graduate from CCA; and
2. I wanted to stay close enough to my aunt that I can visit anytime I felt homesick and far enough that I would have my privacy.

It didn’t take long after that for me to decided that I wanted to attend CCA.

Four Step - Barriers - Overcoming obstacles.
Now I need to overcome the obstacles that came with my decision to attend CCA.

First Obstacle - I needed to get admitted.  I spent countless hour preparing my application and re-reading my essays. A few months after sending in my application, I received an acceptance letter and overcame the first obstacle.

Second Obstacle - Paying for CCA. I am currently in the process of overcoming this obstacle and will update you all once I figured out the magic answer. For now, I still trying to find a way to get money from Iran to the US.

The trend that changed my behavior or beliefs.

 

6: Social Networks Fuel the participatory Economy:

The use of social media has changed dramatically in the past 5 years.

In its inceptions, social media was simply a way for people to interact and a convenient way to stay connected to friends and family. However, in the past 5 years social media has become for many a significant, if not primary, news source. I include myself in this group.

Like many, I was always skeptical of news coming out of mainstream news outlets. This was especially so growing up in Iran as the Iranian Government owned the main news outlets. Nevertheless, I relied on these sources to stay informed.

In 2009, during the Iranian presidential election, I began to notice a spark contract in what was being reported on the news versus what I was hearing from friends and family on the ground. Slowly, I began relying more on Facebook, YouTube and twitter to stay informed than on the mainstream news outlets.

By the end of the presidential election, I had completely given up on mainstream news outlets and began to rely solely on the information obtained from social media. I now, like many, prefer to read people’s comments on a specific topic on Facebook or twitter than listen to two pundits arguing on TV.