1. Nerd Boyfriend It’s a surefire win for everyone. For those of you who don’t know it already: Nerd Boyfriend is a photoblog of famous male figures from throughout the most prestigious annals of history. It also shows that the regular guy can be regular in extraordinary ways.

2. Put this on Perhaps the most sensible blog on men’s fashion. It highlights classic styles from a variety of different brands at virtually all price points. My favorite things about it are, 1)The zen like philosophies of men’s fashion that seem to permeate every post, and 2)The complete respect for fashion history and process.

3. Die Workwear For many of us our work clothes make up a majority of what we wear. Why not look great at your job? Rediscover your own personal brand and carry that extra bit of stature that you deserve. The author does a great job of mixing it up with touching portraits of masters at their craft. Check out this recent post about legendary Italian master tailor Antonio Panico.

4. Permanent Style If you’re a designer, this is the fashion blog for you. Permanent style loves craft and process. They frequently do wonderful essays on the most prestigious and renowned craftsman making some of the best products in the world. Here is a great post on the Bespoke Shoes at George Cleverley of London.

The Above four are my top picks. But, wait! There is more if you are interested:

• Dress With Style A touching and often romanticized view of menswear and the garment industry.

• Sartorially Inclined “Observation and appreciation of the classic and understated”

• Bobby from Boston Not a fashion blog but please see for incredible inspiration.

• The Sartorialist A modern classic and addictive place to go for fashion. I love their profiles.

Passion

If you don’t care about your own product and customers, how can we be expected to?

Passion cannot be faked and it is something that we can detect at even its most subtle levels. Think about the last time you were in a store and the clerk approached you. Now, try and recall what your very first impression was. Did he or she make you feel like they cared about what they were selling? Maybe they did so by the faintest of excitement in their voice. Maybe they sounded just a little flat – uninterested – though they were really trying. we pick up on these nuances and they affect how we feel about each other. Passion needs to come through from everyone involved at any level.

Trust

As in any relationship, trust is requirement for achieving good things.

Have you ever been “micro-managed”? How about second-guessed? These stem from a lack of trust which erodes the potential of any partnership. When a client trusts us to do what we were hired to do we do a better job. This isn’t about blindly turning over the reins of your business to a bunch of yahoos with Macbooks – trust must be earned. Earning that trust is the responsibility of the agency and it can take time to build. When a client is willing to take the first step by giving us trust it evolves quickly and lasts.

Communication

The more the better.

Over-communicating is about the best mistake you can make as a service provider. This is doubly so when the client is at a disadvantage due to the complexity of the project. Take the time to educate the client on your process very early on. Make sure you’ve address all their questions and then stick to that process, deviating only when you’ve made the client aware of what’s going on and why.

The same goes for the client – great design does not happen in a vacuum. Keep your agency appraised of anything that may affect the project. Without this context, neither of us will be happy.

Vision and Focus

The ability to move between long-term vision and short-term focus.

Good clients, as well as designers, can see the broader-perspective of their business, but they also understand that, as Charles Eames said, “The details are not the details. They make the design.” In a strong client/agency relationship, both teams operate at both levels – fluidly moving back and forth as needed.

<br/> We are social creatures and we’re hard-wired to seek social interactions, so it makes sense that relationships between companies is one way we like to get things done. When these collaborations are positive ones, everyone wins.

1. Does the work interest us?
   I believe that passion makes for better products. This applies to both clients and agencies. If we are not really interested in doing the work, for whatever reason, we should probably leave it alone.
2. Does this project seem like something we would do?
   I firmly believe in Robert Heinlein’s quote, “Specialization is for insects.” We love to try out new things at our studio and that passion helps us to think broadly. But, sometimes you hear about a project and it just sounds off. If you catch yourself thinking, “what the heck would make them think we would be good for that project?” then leave it alone.
3. Does this project seem like something we would be valued for doing?
   Sometimes you think the project sounds great, but through conversation with the client it becomes clear they are just looking for window dressing, or some sort of tightly defined role, which doesn’t require your expertise. In that case, leave it alone.
4. Does the client appear to appreciate our unique process and way of thinking?
   Design studios are plentiful and each one will have its own perspective on what makes for a successful process. We are no exception and it’s easy to tell, very early in the conversation, whether or not we’ll be able to work together. If we are feeling tension there, we evaluate it. But if we can’t resolve it, we leave it alone.
5. Is there a sufficient budget to do the work right?
   Okay, let’s be real here. I’m going ask you “what’s your budget for the project?” and you, as the client, are going to response, “well, we’re not sure. We’re looking for feedback from the agencies we are talking to in order to get a better understanding about what might be required…” or some such thing. Maybe that’s the case. Maybe you’re hoping to get the best deal. This does, in fact, make it hard to evaluate if we should continue to talk, but a skilled account person can ask a few questions which help evaluate what ballpark the project might be in. There’s always going to be negotiation and fine-tuning, but if a client’s asking for the world and they want it for a dollar, leave it alone.
6. Would we gain any non-tangible benefits from this work (expertise, portfolio material, notoriety)?
   We’re a business and we have to make money to stay that way, but it’s not the only consideration. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes there’s a project that’s so tantalizing to our interests, or would be amazing to have in our portfolio, or even fills our primal need for recognition, that it make sense to take it on. Again, these are rare occasions and all things being equal, if a project doesn’t offer any benefit (tangible or not) leave it alone.
7. Is there sufficient time to do the work right?
   By the same token, time is always a factor and there have only been a small handful of occasions in my career where the client’s response to the question, “when do you need this by?” has been, “oh, no rush. Whenever you can get to it is fine.” And, to be fair, we’d rather have a deadline than not. Projects without a deadline have a tendency to linger and consume their budget without any real progress. But, again, if the client’s asking for the world and they want it done tomorrow, leave it alone.
8. Are we available to do the work or, if not, could we make changes so that we could be?
   We’re a small shop (eleven people strong at the time of this writing) and “resource constraints” as we like to call them in the business, are challenging. If everyone is booked up we have to be conscious about what we’re asking them to do. If a project is really appealing, we talk about bringing on more people to help out, but otherwise, if we’re too busy we leave it alone.
9. Would this product or service make the world a better place (in our opinion)?
   This one is a loaded question – I realize that “making the world a better place” is entirely subjective, but there are ideas out there that clearly seek to put wealth building over the greater-good and those ideas are better left alone.

These are not all required considerations and we certainly don’t insist they are all answered in the affirmative. They are merely guidelines that help us stay focused on doing work that fulfills us as a team of thinkers and allows us to keep the lights on.

We have been fortunate enough to welcome a few new faces to the studio over the last few weeks and couldn’t be happier about the energy and experience they bring. Luz Bratcher joins us from, most recently, Horn & Tusk, and packs a wealth of knowledge around both design and communities. Steve Rokitka joins us as a web designer and developer from Cornell University. Welcome aboard – we’re thrilled to have you both on board!

We are a small interactive design studio where you’ll be helping to create web experiences for some of the most innovative companies on the web today. You’ll be building prototypes, drafting wireframes, designing site interface, writing markup and CSS, whipping up JavaScript, and handling some awesome integration work. All in a fun, dynamic studio environment.

* This is an on-site position. Telecommuters need not apply.

Desired Attributes:

• You have a passion for the web and technology and you stay on top of web design trends and techniques
• You are a self-starter and able to work both in a team and independently
• Ability to find the most efficient and effective solutions to technology problems
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• A sense of humor

Requirements: The minimum set of skills/needs for this role

• Minimum 3 years of development skills creating websites and web applications
• Excellent eye for detail
• Experience with standards-based coding procedures
• A basic knowledge of MVC architecture

Software / Programming:

• Deep HTML5, CSS 3, JavaScript experience
• Familiarity with haml/sass, coffeescript and jquery
• Familiarity with API’s and web services
• Familiarity with GIT, server configurations and standard deployment procedures
• Standard office-related tools, browsers, etc

Strong Preference for Candidates with the following:

• Experience working with Google Analytics
• Experience working with Google Website Optimizer (or comparable A/B testing suite)
• Mobile Web Experience
• CMS experience with standard CMS systems and/or Blogging tools
• Experience working with start ups, VCs, engineers and product managers
• Experience developing for Social Media and Online Communities

Benefits include:

• Wicked awesome studio environment with public art gallery
• Retirement Plan with Employer Match
• Great Medical and Dental Benefits
• A healthy dose of vacation days
• Great Team
• Chance to work with some of the most innovative companies in the start-up space

Email Resumés and Portfolio links to studio@designcommission.com

* This is an on-site position. Telecommuters need not apply.

Desired Attributes:

• You have a passion for user experience design, interface design, and the web in general and you stay on top of web design trends and techniques
• You are a self-starter and able to work both in a team and independently
• Ability to conceptualize and create stunning visual design solutions
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• A sense of humor

Requirements: The minimum set of skills/needs for this role

• Minimum 3 years of UX and design skills creating web applications
• Excellent eye for design (color, typography, layout, etc.)
• Beyond compelling UX and design skills producing web applications, and web sites
• Strength in sketching, wireframes, and creating high fidelity prototypes
• Proficient with Photoshop, Fireworks, or similar image editing tools
• Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript

Software / Programming:

• Wireframing tools: Omnigraffle, Axure, or HTML
• Visual Design tools: Photoshop and/or Fireworks
• Standard office-related tools, browsers, etc

Strong Preference for Candidates with the following:

• Deep HTML5, CSS 3, JavaScript experience
• Experience working with start ups, VCs, engineers and product managers
• Familiarity with API’s and web services
• Mobile app interface and/or icon design experience
• Experience Social Media and Online Communities

Benefits include:

• Wicked awesome studio environment with public art gallery
• Retirement Plan with Employer Match
• Great Medical and Dental Benefits
• A healthy dose of vacation days
• Great Team
• Chance to work with some of the most innovative companies in the start-up space

Email Resumés and Portfolio links to studio@designcommission.com