Designing A Year

Yesterday, I gave a presentation on Designing A Year with the AIGA Hampton Roads chapter at Old Dominion University. Thanks for having me, I had a blast. A description of the talk below:

Here it is on SlideShare, and here’s a version with speaker notes (sorry SlideShare Keynote speaker notes functionality is down).

You design every day on projects for other people. You apply rigor and creativity, use form and strategy. But what if you focused these abilities to achieve goals of your own? What if you took on 2013 as your own design experiment?

Making a year is the ultimate design project, and now is the time to start. Holidays are a time to reflect. The New Year is a new beginning. A fresh start creates a space for action. Intentional action. It’s what we do for clients isn’t it? Step 1: Define and discover. Step 2: Design.

What do you want to accomplish next year as a designer? In this talk I’ll share some ideas and strategies you can use to tackle the project of designing 12 months. What will spark monthly action? What are the necessary catalysts — ideas, people, information — to reach your outcomes?

Along the way I’ll share how swimming, biking, and running 140.6 miles at one time is a catalyst for planning. How peace of mind is a catalyst for new ideas. And ultimately, how you can be a catalyst for understanding, for collaboration, and for social good.