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You made it to the bottom, so I’ll leave you with six values I’ve adopted over the last 15 years. Some of them I picked up during my time at IDEO.


Practice optimism.
Be pragmatic, but start from a place of optimism. Pursue interesting ideas, even if they seem hard to realize at first.

Make others successful.
Give credit where it’s due, celebrate the work of others. It’ll come back to you. Promise.
Show, don’t tell.
Show your ideas, don’t just talk about them. Help others see what you see. There’s enough talking in the design world.

Give back.
Teach and mentor those behind you. One day they’ll be better than you, help them get there.
Design won’t save the world.
But if we collaborate with others and act responsibly we have a decent shot at making a difference.

Life ≠ work.
Family, loved ones, and health will always be more important than work. Design is a job, don’t let it get in the way of life.