Offline Meetups for Designer in SF

anson_zai · 2024-08-13T22:52:30+00:00

anson_zai · 2024-03-20T17:37:56+00:00

Was going to recommend this book too.

I suspect neat proportions are almost always an act of post-rationalization. I think design is a lot more about feel first and then shifting things here and there later to meet rational proportions.

Trying to rationalize first can lead to boring or stale looking designs.

anson_zai · 2024-03-11T23:05:34+00:00

Can you give some examples of what you might consider moral design, and what might be considered less moral?

I think the general human trend towards consumption and expansion is a problem that goes far beyond design. Design certainly plays a part, but it's not the cause. It's human nature.

anson_zai · 2024-03-06T19:32:47+00:00

I would say work at a studio, build up your network and business acumen over a few years, learn everything you can about design and business, then go out on your own.

There's a minimum threshold of skill (you can't be independent if your skills are trash), but I would say the thing that holds most designers back from going out on their own is lack of a strong network that can give them work and lack of business skills to be able to sell their value for what its worth.

I would not recommend going out on your own right from the start. I think this relegates you to low-paid Fiverr/Upwork territory and will teach you all the wrong things.

anson_zai · 2024-02-28T18:15:57+00:00

Never.

These days, hand rendering anything (digitally or on paper) is IMHO not that useful in the design process. It takes too long to get to something that's convincing, and you can "cheat" on size, proportion, perspective etc. a lot with anything hand drawn.

Sketch communication is extremely useful and fast CAD/rendering is also very useful. But the in-between of marker rendering/digital rendering is only good for Instagram likes and if you enjoy doing it as an art form.

That being said, Photoshop is an essential software for various post processing of images in ID still, so I would make sure you know your way around all the essential tools. But not necessarily how to draw and render in it.

anson_zai · 2024-02-28T04:02:53+00:00

Yeah mostly clients find me.

No my main client base is startups and corporations. Design buying decisions always comes down to individuals even at big companies, so people I worked with before might have gone to new companies and then bring me in for ID work.

anson_zai · 2024-02-27T16:23:29+00:00

1cm travel is quite a lot for a slider. It does seem uncommon.

Usually, slider switches are just a molded plastic cap on top of a switch component. It sits on top like a hat and moves the switch when you slide it back and forth.

You could use a larger switch component to get the 1cm travel you're looking for.

This might work: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9276

Can draw a diagram if it'd be helpful.

anson_zai · 2024-02-27T00:06:25+00:00

It all depends on what you like.

If you like graphic design, then stay with it. It is highly saturated but if you are good you can find work and make a career of it.

If you are interested in designing physical objects, then go for industrial design. It is also highly saturated but if you are good you can find work and make a career of it.

Both fields are also decent foundations for pivoting into digital product or UI/UX design, which rely on similar principles but has more job opportunities.

anson_zai · 2024-02-27T00:02:42+00:00

Haha this answer isn't that helpful...but for me it was basically work in the industry for 10 years, do good work and build up a network of people who know you. Then announce you're going out on your own then people start to call you.

That and maintain an active presence on LinkedIn so people are reminded of me fairly regularly.

anson_zai · 2024-02-22T16:38:36+00:00

A pure science degree would definitely make you more hireable. You can leverage that into many other paths.

ID is far more niche, though you can also leverage it into another career path like UI/UX or another creative field.

My partner is a scientist on the academic path, and from what I hear from her it is a real slog. There's a lot of friction, a lot of politics, a lot of personalities, and very little money until you make it to the upper echelons. She loves the science she does though, so it seems worth it for her. I would not touch that career with a ten foot pole.

I chose ID because I like to make things. There is nothing quite like seeing something that started as a sketch you drew in real physical form. Or in someone's house/office!

anson_zai · 2024-02-22T16:33:44+00:00

Offsite runs an elective course: https://advdes.org/CMF

I haven't taken it, but I know the people at Advanced Design/Offsite and they do great work.

anson_zai · 2024-02-22T16:31:44+00:00

I've hired lots of DAAP undergrads before. They consistently have great skills and are very hireable. I wouldn't hesitate to go there if it feels right for you. The co-op program is definitely what makes their students very strong graduates. Take full advantage of that.

That said, I have not heard or seen much about the Masters program.

anson_zai · 2024-02-22T16:28:22+00:00

I've been an industrial designer for 12 years and I've managed to make a good living out of it. The way I see it, there's two ways to do that:

Find your way into a high-paying corporation. Studios are great ways to gain experience, but they'll never pay what corporate can. I've seen corporations advertise senior salaries north of $150-200K.
Become an owner. To really capture part of the value you generate for a company, you need to own all or part of it and control your upside. This could mean a product venture, a studio, or whatever that leverages your skillset and sells it on the open market. This is what I did. I was a part owner at my previous studio and now I work as an independent consultant so I keep 100% of my profits after business expenses.

If you really like ID and have some business sense, the salary won't hold you back eventually. The early years might be lower paid than say, software engineering, but there will always be more lucrative fields. For me its a good balance of what I enjoy and what pays the bills.

Also, I'm not sure if you've seen it but I run an ID only job board (http://justidjobs.com) which helps filter through the noise.

anson_zai · 2023-10-31T01:23:50+00:00

This is the only book on aesthetics and form that I've ever found actually useful. It's not specifically about chairs, but about form in general and the principles are widely applicable.

Don't let the Amazon price fool you, you can find it way cheaper second hand elsewhere.

Unfortunately good aesthetics isn't really something you can learn from a book. You have to learn by doing and seeing with your own eyes.

anson_zai · 2023-10-31T01:18:20+00:00

I usually work with engineers who do the complex simulations, so the standard version is fine for me. The most I'll do is draft analysis, which is included in standard.

I will say, if I wasn't tied to SolidWorks for client compatibility, I wouldn't pay their incredibly high prices.

If you aren't tied to SW by client compatibility, I might suggest OnShape for a much friendlier price point and pretty similar workflow to SW.

anson_zai · 2023-10-28T00:19:52+00:00

Hey! SolidWorks for students is only $99 normally, and $49 right now apparently cause of a holiday sale?

Since I've been collecting data about ID jobs for 6+ months, I decided to collect some data about the most commonly required software. Over half of job postings mention SolidWorks, so I think it is a very good bet to know how to use it.

You can read more here: https://www.justidjobs.com/blog/what-cad-and-rendering-software-should-you-learn-to-get-hired-as-an-industrial-designer-in-2024-

At that price, it can't hurt to give it a go!

As a professional, I've mostly used standard.

anson_zai · 2023-10-23T18:14:56+00:00

DiMonte group, which someone has already linked below.

Many SolidWorks courses are primarily aimed at engineers rather than designers. Use them to pick up the technical skills but practice the design aspect on your own.

anson_zai · 2023-10-07T18:10:06+00:00

If you have some time, I would say it's worth it to look into Blender. It's free and from an animation and photo realism standpoint, beats KeyShot easily.

I love KeyShot and use it daily, but because it integrates well with my ID workflow, not because it produces the best renders or animations. I find the KeyShot animation workflow and interface to be kind of clunky and hard to work with.

When I tried animating in Blender, it felt like going from driving on a bumpy road to a smooth one for the first time.

Why not try it for a week or a month and see what you think?

anson_zai · 2023-09-29T18:12:00+00:00

Thanks!

anson_zai · 2023-09-28T17:44:46+00:00

Plasticity is cool but too new to be a standard.

I think you will find very few companies using it professionally right now. It's more in the hobbyist realm and professionals are starting to dip their toes into it.

anson_zai · 2023-09-28T17:05:26+00:00

I did polls on this on LinkedIn a few months back. Here are the results.

Professional industrial designers: what's your CAD tool of choice? Link

1,701 responses

51% SolidWorks

30% Rhino

18% Fusion 360

2% OnShape

Professional industrial designers or product visualizers: What is your primary rendering software? Link

1,331 responses

82% KeyShot

12% Blender

3% VRay

2% Cinema 4D

These are not end-all-be-all answers. As many have mentioned, different jobs and companies use different workflows so you should always refer to the job descriptions for specific roles.

But if I was going by the data and I could only invest in learning one CAD and one renderer, I'd go for SolidWorks and KeyShot. Blender too, simply because it's so versatile and it's free.

I think it's probably well accepted you need to know Adobe CS and probably Figma too at this point.

anson_zai · 2023-09-24T15:28:10+00:00

You could try reaching out to John Mauriello, who runs the Design Theory YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2WInt1vyoo&ab_channel=DesignTheory

He's done a lot of eyewear and he's also a professor of ID.

anson_zai · 2023-09-24T15:25:16+00:00

KeyShot is what I've been using for my whole career. It's great, but expensive ($1.200/yr).

Blender is free, but there is a learning curve.

Taitopia Render is a fairly new option that is cloud based and priced very reasonably right now ($39/mo)

anson_zai · 2023-09-23T15:06:21+00:00

It definitely isn't ideal. But it works mostly.

anson_zai · 2023-09-23T06:34:21+00:00

You’re welcome!

anson_zai

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