Episode 24: Developing Soft Skills

Welcome back! In this episode, Kristen and Lauren are joined by Trevor Minton, Chief Experience Officer at Openfield in Cincinnati. Join us as we discuss the ways we've seen the design industry narrow and focus on specialities, using design as a mindset and solving problems outside of your job, and the importance of being flexible and accepting new technologies in an ever-evolving landscape of design tools. We cover how to be a problem solver instead of a problem finder and important moments in the growth of a young designer's career. Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

In this episode, Mark, Dan, and Kristen field questions from the wonderful Graphic Design students of Indiana State University! The Q&A covers a multitude of subjects from imposter syndrome, the differences between art and creative directors, should you go to graduate school as a visual artist if you never intend to teach, and lots more!Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

To celebrate the end of Season 3, Mark, Kristen, Dan, and Lauren visit the Okay Team! Lounge, where they have drinks and discuss everything BUT graphic design. Subjects include the upcoming Season 4 of the podcast, some movie reviews, a little bit of reality TV, and gaming. There is a lot of laughter and geeky content with this episode, but they'll back in Season 4 with more design news, guests, and possibly an episode with a class of college graphic design students asking questions on career guidance!So sit back, relax, have a nice drink, and welcome to The Okay Team! Lounge. Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

In this episode, the Team chats with Haley Moore, VP of Design, about her career path from designer to manager and how she came to terms with embracing her natural ability to lead projects and being comfortable managing a team of very skilled designers. She discusses taking leaps in her career in order to not lean away from her natural skillsets, even if they are hard to recognize, and being ok with the concept of not being the best at something. Haley also discusses the traits and qualities she looks for when hiring a new designer, including how to share a bit of yourself with your interviewers. Kristen discusses Bigfoot (again), and Haley unwinds with snacks on the floor to deal with burnout.Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

In this episode, The Team discuss costly mistakes they've made in their careers, how they addressed them, and how to you should address your own $10K mistakes when you make them (and you will).Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

In this episode The Team speaks with Highmark Health UX (User Experience) Researcher Autumn Gilbert!Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

Listen in as The Team discusses career pivots and offers insight for each step of the process. We cover advice for researching your intended field, seeking out opportunities to develop new and necessary skills, building up a refreshed portfolio and online presence, and ways to find a new network within the niche of design you hope to enter. Finally, we address many of the biggest concerns of pivoting and solutions for how to handle them as they arise! Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

We're excited to have professional Photographer Todd Kuhns on this episode, where he talks about the state of photography as an industry, advice for young photographers and designers, and how design could learn from the last 20 years of how photography has evolved.  Todd's work may be found at his website and YouTube channel:Studio12online.comTodd Kuhns on YouTubeHost, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

In this episode, Kristen, Dan, and Lauren discuss the importance and impact of soft skills in your design role and job hunting. The Team covers what soft skills are, how you can talk about them in interviews, and how you build on them throughout your career.Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks

EPISODE 23: Storytelling Your WorkOn this episode, the Team discusses tips and tactics for presenting your creative work and ideas in a storytelling narrative. We present ideas for ways to mesh verbal and visual cues to guide you and the audience through your work and how to present ideas in the most professional and goal-oriented manner. We give ideas for how to streamline your narrative, show off your creative process, set up your website, and, sometimes most difficult of all, how to verbally wrap up the story of each piece. Finally, we talk about how these storytelling skills will continue with you in your career, often being utilized to sell ideas to clients and non-designers.Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark CelaHost, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen PericleousHost, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan LawsonHost, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks