I’ve been reading Mike Monterio’s Design is a Job, The Necessary Second Edition.

It’s the book I wish I had had when I was in University, working with clients for the first time. It’s what I wish I had when I started looking for jobs. Today, it’s the book I do have for freelancing, contract work, and a good “vibe” for the state of the professional Design Industry.

“If you are interested in using design as a tool for good, building a more sustainable and equitable society, creating workplaces where everyone is treated with respect, and doing all of these things while still making a living, this book is for you.”1

It’s informative, funny, and honest.

It’s direct and unapologetic.

It has voice.

Opinion.

Entering independent design practice

Today, I updated my LinkedIn to record that I have a freelance job building a design system, supporting the start-up’s transition into the next phase of product development.

Yesterday, I met with a Master’s program Director for my design school. Publicly recording the freelance work finally felt I was re-entering professional design practice again.

The job search has taken it’s toll; it’s good to acknowledge & name that feeling.

Design is a collaborative job

The crux of Monteiro’s book is that we have to work together with other people as designers. There are many roles & people involved throughout the process of taking the initial decision— we want to improve this, we think…—into something better.

This is where the whole “define your process” comes in.

I don’t truly have a grasp on my exact way of working as a designer. Even as a manager, leader, facilitator, speaker, each moment & action in those roles were context-specific and loose in process.

I am keeping note of how I’m working with this client now:

• what’s working for me?

• when has a stage been passed?

• how do I collaborate best?

Solve together, execute apart

That’s the quote I messaged myself to write about today, because it resonates.

It’s also predominately how I work.

In four words he’s captured the essence of my case-studies while calming my qualms of work as an individual contributor versus leader—and what case-studies could look like.

Today’s been a good day.