Andrew shares the inspiration and process behind creating the first copywriting portfolio not just made for the phone, but also “designed for the throne.” We hope you kings and queens enjoy this conversation.
Read MoreMANAGER PROFILE: ANNA CHARITY, HEADSPACE
MANAGER PROFILE:
ANNA CHARITY, HEADSPACE
Headspace, founded in 2010, is a digital platform that provides guided mediation sessions and preaches the importance of health and mindfulness. Another way they put it: a gym membership for your mind. For the many of us who struggle to maintain a balance between work and life, Headspace offers a useful tool, and an opportunity to recenter. We spoke to Headspace's Head of Design, the aptly named Anna Charity, to find out what it's like to work for a company whose main goal is "to improve the health and happiness of the world."
We asked Anna what Headspace looks for in the creatives they hire: "They say you’re only as good as your next piece of work. But what about the work you’ve done that you’re not necessarily proud of? And how has that led you to making better decisions? We don’t see enough failure in portfolios. But it’s that contrast that makes someone’s body of work rich. It’s the cracks that add weight, worth, value and personality to a portfolio."
In keeping with the balance that Headspace promotes, we made sure to also find out what Anna focuses on in her free time: "Music in its many forms. Listening to it, seeing it live. I’d say most of my drive comes from music and has ultimately shaped my passions, interests, [and] beliefs."
Tell us a bit about your background and career journey.
I always fancied myself as a musician but being adept at the oboe was nowhere near cool enough for me! Thankfully I had another outlet, which was art. After a year in college in the depths of the Welsh valleys, I ventured down to Brighton (UK) to do a degree in illustration. I think I became quite disillusioned with the idea of being an illustrator. And the fact was, I couldn’t envisage getting a steady wage packet from it! But whilst I was at university I became interested in other areas, such as animation and design. I loved the process of thinking in narratives and seeing illustration being brought to life. I also loved the problem solving aspect of design and after graduating I enrolled in a traineeship in interactive media to learn the ways of the web. So I ventured down to London and started working at a digital production company called specialmoves, getting my teeth sunk into web design and animation – when Flash was all the rage! Since then I went on to freelance for various agencies and production companies such as B-Reel and The Mill. A year ago I moved stateside to LA where I now work for Headspace.
How did you end up at Headspace?
I was introduced to Rich Pierson and Andy Puddicombe (the co-founders of Headspace) by someone I freelanced with at B-Reel in London. Back then Headspace existed mainly as an events company but wanted to reach a larger audience, so I was initially brought on to design the first version of the app and to develop their already existing brand. Following that, I took a sabbatical and embarked on a 9 month trip around South America, returning to Headspace full-time. That was three years ago and I’ve since been involved in a re-brand and the launch of V2, which is the current version of the app.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Being part of a project whose main mission is to improve the health and happiness of the world and to be entrusted with developing a brand that literally makes a huge impact on peoples' lives is pretty awesome. I’m super lucky to be working with a brilliant team of talented and inspiring people. And it’s not very often you work on a brand where you’re given creative free reign and the support to realize ideas, no matter how off the wall.
What’s your creative outlet?
Music in its many forms. Listening to it, seeing it live. I’d say most of my drive comes from music and has ultimately shaped my passions, interests, beliefs etc. But apart from creating 46-hour playlists, my outlets lie in the usual arenas of most creatives - traveling and exploring different cultures, reading of books, art, history, architecture, conversation, curiosity – the list could go on! I recently visited New Orleans and was hugely inspired: the history, the music, the food, and the architecture. It’s such a rich, soulful and rhythmic place where music informs everything. The thought of working there remotely has crossed my mind, but I fear I would melt in the intense heat and humidity!
Describe Headspace in 3 words.
Innovative, playful, curious.
What qualities are most important in a prospective freelancer?
Inquisitiveness, charm, passion, ambition and of course talent. We have values as a company, but what are the individual’s values? How can their insights and opinions inform and enhance the brand? Whilst at the same time having a sensitive approach and understanding the needs of a brand?
Which social networks do you prefer for stalking people, creative or otherwise?
I don’t tend to do a whole lot of stalking besides checking out a portfolio. It’s the work I’m mostly interested in. Though if they have an Instagram account I’ll usually take a peek at that. And if they have a Spotify account, all the better – I love nosing through peoples playlists!
What are you looking for in a portfolio that's unique to Headspace?
Contrast. Unfinished stuff. As a creative I think it’s always hard to see anything as finished. How could they have taken a project further, what would they have done otherwise? An understanding of typography is essential, because that’s the foundation of good design. Self-initiated projects, what makes you tick outside the day job? They say you’re only as good as your next piece of work. But what about the work you’ve done that you’re not necessarily proud of? And how has that led you to making better decisions? We don’t see enough failure in portfolios. But it’s that contrast that makes someone’s body of work rich. It’s the cracks that add weight, worth, value and personality to a portfolio. How can a portfolio offer a less filtered/overly edited, more honest view? I think all these values exemplify what Headspace is about – honesty, playfulness and curiosity.
What's your favorite thing on the internet this week?
How much time do you spend on each portfolio? And how long before you make a gut reaction on the portfolio?
It can range from a couple of seconds to a couple of minutes. I normally get a gut reaction within the first few seconds but will explore enough until I feel that this is the right person for the job or not.
What do you judge first?
Music taste. Joking - typography.
What kind of talent makes you warm inside?
The kind of person who doesn’t know how good they are. Especially in this day of constant self-promotion where we are all trying to amplify our worth. That charm and humbleness makes me warm inside. And a sense of humour. It’s surprisingly hard to find people who can laugh at themselves. If you’ve got a kickass portfolio but you take yourself too seriously, well life is too short for that.
Portfolio trends you wish would go out of style? What drives you nuts?
It drives me nuts when people talk about themselves in the third person, it’s pretentious and unapproachable. Don’t do it.
Best piece of advice you can give about portfolios, personal websites, and resumes?
Mix it up. Be bold, colourful, and shout about your personal work. Coming from the UK where people seem to be alot more self-deprecating about their work to the US where it’s the norm to big yourself up (no matter how good/bad your portfolio is) has been an interesting thing for me. I’ve received many cover emails where people have sounded like they work in sales. ‘Forsake all other designers!’ Only to discover that I’ve seen better layout skills from a 3 year old kid with chronic diarrhea. So yeah, it’s about recognizing your talent but being honest and humble about it.
Anything we didn’t ask that you’d like to add?
Get your inspiration from looking at other things besides other people's work. It’s unhealthy and a recipe for self-comparison. Try and steer away from looking at design all together. How can a tin of baked beans inspire you to create something unique? Don’t overlook the ordinary. And never underestimate the power of music.
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
MANAGER PROFILE: CROSSBEAT
MANAGER PROFILE: CROSSBEAT
David Justus and Becky Wang are the epitome of left and right brainers. As Droga5 alums where they served as the Executive Director of Technology and Head of Data Strategy, respectively, they've since joined forces to create Crossbeat, a creative marketing consultancy and digital product firm. Their professional repertoire has quite a range, working with everyone from Sundance to startups, the Dalai Lama to Pepsi.
The duo were kind enough to open up about themselves, the beginnings of Crossbeat and its ideals, and the qualities they look for in prospective hires. When asked to give a piece of advice to creatives, David has a simple request: "Please no Times Roman. Damned serif fonts."
Duly noted.
Hey David and Becky! Tell us a bit about yourself and your background. And the question we always ask our creatives: do your parents understand what you do for a living?
David: My Background is in Nerdery . Actually its in Computer Science, Mathematics and Cognitive Science, but nerdery sounds cooler. I've worked in the advertising space for the past 8 years, most recently as the co-founder of Crossbeat New York. Before that I was at Droga5 as the head of interactive technology and before that, at R/GA as a technical director on Verizon Telecom. Basically bringing cool tech and user experiences to advertising - crazy, I know.
I think my parents know what I do - as much as one could ever expect.
Becky: I started on the media side of the business. I created information and news products for traders and investors, first as a product manager and then as the head of product and engineering. We spoke directly to the clients to understand their experience and what problem we were trying to help them solve. What I found though, was what we were selling wasn't what we were advertising, so I decided I wanted to focus on marketing and the expression of how products work and can make a customer's life better. It was also a really tumultuous time for the financial tech industry. One day I walked into the Department of Defense with my Blackberry in my pocket. Usually, you’re asked to check your phone at the front locker (to keep people from taking pictures) and when I walked out, my handset was fried. I was told that there was an electromagnetic signal in the building that could block certain cell frequencies and from time to time it could impact the phone itself. Not sure how true that was but it had me worrying about subjecting my body to an environment that had to be so protective and realized, maybe this isn't the best place for me to be. I decided then to go do what I wanted.
So I went to make movies instead. I spent a few years in Hollywood in the film industry (as an assistant and then creative exec for Laura Ziskin Productions at Sony/Columbia Pictures), and almost always found myself on the “idea” and “marketing” side of the business. I ended up in social media and finally advertising, going from a global Saatchi role in their Digital Group to a “change agent” position at Droga5 as the Head of Data Strategy to co-founding Crossbeat New York.
My parents think I am Emory from the movie Crazy People (that really dates my parents, doesn’t it?). They don’t know if I’m insane or a genius they don’t recognize. I always say, ‘I’d be ok with Emory’s life because he gets the girl in the end.”
Tell us about your decision to leave Droga5 to start your own company.
David: It was a hard decision, but inevitably the right one. Droga5 was a great place, and I built a team there that is amazing and is still kicking ass to this day. That being said, I wanted to try something new. I believe the market is changing and the old agency model is being disrupted; I want to try and be a disrupter and more importantly just work on stuff I cared about. Becky came along with the idea to do something (the idea was basically "let's do something"), and since Becky is amazing and f-off smart, it seemed logical to give it a spin. Fast forward a year and here we are.
What’s your creative outlet? What drives you?
David: I have a lot of creative outlets. Code, music, strange doodles - I think everything is creative in some way, and that is what moves me - everything from a beautifully crafted line of code to a crossbeat in jazz song to a chalk drawing on the sidewalk. I like things that are unique, stand out and make you pay attention, and that is very much what we founded Crossbeat NY on: creating those things that stand out.
Becky: I am driven by my curiosity. I once asked a shaman what the meaning of life was, and he said, “To enjoy life and help other people along the way.” It took me a long time to figure out what both statements meant and working in art, copy, advertising, design, film, stories, interaction (i.e. whatever it is that we do), it is using the many types of media channels and protocols and interfaces to explore both the question and the response. My curiosity drives me through life to ask and answer questions.
My creative outlet is conversation and copy. I’ve also been known to dance on a bike and parkour (when I was stronger and faster.) I think we need physical creative outlets too.
If you had a different job than what you do now, what might it be?
David: A janitor that teaches complex philosophy as a night class at a university - yeah that would be baller. A wise janitor, like Scruffy.
Becky: I get to be many things now - journalist, editor, writer, publisher, lawyer, linguist, philosopher, artist, producer, filmmaker. I would have been a doctor but then I would be sleep deprived and that works for no one.
What scene from a movie makes you laugh just thinking about it?
David: That list is long. Lets just say the entire movie Spaceballs and move on with our lives.
Becky: Wanderlust - when Paul Rudd talks to himself in the mirror. Best piece of improv I’ve seen in a long long time.
What's your favorite thing on the internet this week?
David: I dont know if favorite is the right word - but definitely the thing I am most perplexed by - and that's what the internet is for - perplexing things.
Becky: This is my favorite thing on the internet this week. Morrissey and Robert Smith WERE my punk heroes.
If you were stranded on a desert island, with your computer, what 3 websites would you take with you?
David: Just one: the Wayback Machine. That way I’d actually have slightly outdated versions of the entire internet - and lets be honest, I am on a desert island - real time news isn't that important.
Becky: Amazon Prime Air so anything can be delivered and some how-to site like “ehow” and ask how to make friends with volleyballs. I could probably entertain myself for hours on something like Match.com - creating profiles with people to help focus me
Describe Crossbeat in 3 words.
David: Cool, Creatives, Creating
Becky: Blacksheep, badass, builders
What qualities are most important in a prospective hire?
David: Culture fit. Rock stars are great but teams are better.
Becky: The ability to look at themselves and the world clearly and with a spirit of discovery.
What is it about the culture of Crossbeat that makes it an ideal place to work?
David: We care about people and ideas, and don't really care about titles or roles. Basically equal opportunity creators. Also everything we do is user driven - we never do something because “we need an integrated pitch”. We do it because it makes sense for the user and I think people like that. No one likes putting square pegs into round holes.
Becky: We’re honest with each other about our strengths and weaknesses, our genius and incompetence. I’d say that we’re in the business of growth.
What are some projects you’ve worked on, are working on, and want to work on?
David: I’ve worked on a metric crap ton of stuff, double so when I was at Droga5. (Moto 360 launch, Prudential, Chobani.) Currently working on a project for Tone It Up and the Dalai Lama and just released a side project to support breast cancer awareness. I want to work on stuff that is interesting and matters, brands like NASA. Yep. Space ships.
Becky: We’ve worked on everything from cars and CPG to TV shows. Not much we haven’t covered. We're working on: A Force For Good (Dalai Lama), stealth start-ups we love, Sundance and Participant Media, Pepsi. And we want to work on: Communications (and Products) for Tesla, Motorcycle brands, Code.org, Humanitarian Projects, Virtual Reality
When you're reviewing a prospective hire, how much time do you spend on each portfolio? What do you judge first?
David: About five minutes, depending on what I am looking for. I have a hidden background in design so I tend to look at visual aesthetic first - composition, colors, interactions - things like that. For developers I look at code quality, ingenuity, etc. We are looking for curiosity. People who challenge form or explore new ideas but have the basics. We want people that try and push things and are a bit restless.
Becky: 15-20 min. The gut feel generally takes one minute. I judge based on what I feel, what I intuit, what I think someone is trying to say about themselves and the world in their portfolio. We're looking for a point of view.
Which social network do you prefer for stalking people, creative or otherwise?
David: Facebook. I'm OG like that.
Becky: Behance, LinkedIn. I Google them - how’s that for OG?
What 's the best advice can you give to our creatives about how they can best present themselves?
David: Please no Times Roman. Damned serif fonts.
Becky: Don’t be apologetic or oversell. Be polite and kind though - yes, even your fonts can be courteous.
Anything we didn't ask that you'd like to add?
David: Creativity is not a skill. Its a mindset - everyone has the capacity for it (from producers, to janitors to visual designs to copywriters, strategists and coders), just don't give up.
Becky: Be in it for the long-game. I don’t mean advertising, I mean making things that matter.
HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF: TOBIAS VAN SCHNEIDER
HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF:
TOBIAS VAN SCHNEIDER
The man, the beard, the legend. Though he'd prefer not to discuss it, the facial hair precedes him. WNW Member #1830 Tobias Van Schneider, product design lead at Spotify and king of side projects, makes us believe there may actually be more than 24 hours in a day. He's recently launched Semplice, the first fully responsive case study portfolio system based on Wordpress. In other words: a simple tool - not a template - to create a unique portfolio, no code needed.
Tobias is just as passionate about empowering creatives as he is about design. With his network les Avignons and now Semplice, Tobias is acutely aware of the importance of our relationships and how we present ourselves as ways to obtain the opportunities we want. He says, "Based on the data we have seen, the About page on a portfolio is always the most visited page. Thats because people are interested in people. Show your face, show who you are and how I can get in touch with you. While the work itself is important, the person behind is even more."
Hi! Tell us about yourself: who is Tobias Van Schneider?
Hi! I’m Tobias, I’m a Designer & Maker who does many different things. Mostly I’m a Product Design Lead at Spotify and Co-Founder of Semplice, Authentic Weather & les Avignons as well as Design Partner & Advisor at memomi. I’m currently loving way too many things, but mostly good food & longboarding. It’s winter, so right now it’s more about eating.
Tell us about your decision to drop out of school at 15. Did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up?
I really didn’t like school, I always hated it (and I say that rarely) and I could not wait to be done with it. I more or less decided to drop out because there was just no other way to continue with it. Right after school I started an apprenticeship as a computer scientist & software engineer - I did it more because I was forced to do something, I had to pay my rent. I had no specific plan but I knew that I loved building something out of nothing.
I did this for a few years which ultimately led me into writing software and then I fell in love with design. It was more of a self-taught process and what it all had in common was that I just love building things.
Standard WNW question: do your parents understand what you do?
Yes, absolutely - At least to a certain degree when it comes to actual output of my work.
Side projects: How do you know what to say yes to? Say no to?
I have many ideas, often too many. As I always like to say, ideas are cheap. Everyone has them, but ultimately it comes down to executing on them. For me it’s mostly intuition and feedback from others that will eventually tell me if I should pursue something or not. The more crazy the idea, the better. The more resistance I will get from people around me, the more likely the idea will stick with me.
I read that you don't keep to-do lists, notes, or rely on your calendar. How the hell do you keep yourself organized? What's the best piece of advice on productivity that you can give us? You clearly know how to get things done.
I do wish I would get more done, and I wouldn’t say I’m very organized at all. I started using my calendar a bit more, but mostly just to keep track of meetings to make sure I don’t disappoint those around me. My number one piece of advice is to do things immediately, act fast and always stay in motion. I know people who are incredible organized with lots of process involved, but their actual output is very low. The more process you have involved, the more time you spend managing the process rather than actually getting things done.
These things of course change when working with a larger team, but we all know how easy it is to fall into the trap of just managing a process, rather than getting things done.
Generating press: is creating great work all you need to do to get covered? Any other tips on cultivating a personal brand?
Yes, I strongly believe in this, at least to a certain degree. Great work will stand on it’s own and it will stand the test of time. However, there are many examples of great work that never gets seen. Depending on your personal goal it’s very important as a designer to not only do great work, but also make sure that it gets seen or used. It’s important to keep a healthy balance - Too much self-promotion will lead to nothing if the work itself isn’t strong enough. If you do self-promotion, make sure you have an opinion, stand for something and create value for those around you.
Being a connector + passing others forward: what's your philosophy on this and why is it important?
This is fairly simple for me. I believe that everything I pass forward will eventually come back to me. I’m not only creating value for those around me, but also try to practice a “fear free” mindset for myself. I’m not afraid that someone is taking something away from me.
Give us some background on Semplice: what is it + how did it start? What was your intention in creating it and what are your goals?
Semplice is a portfolio tool for designers. The core of the idea started about 4-5 years ago when I created pretty extensive case studies for my portfolio. At that time only myself & Fantasy Interactive (an agency I actually ended up working with) created those heavy case studies for their projects which slowly became a trend within the creative industry.
I always loved the idea of presenting a project I worked on in my portfolio within a fully branded environment. If I worked for a project for Red Bull for example, I wanted the viewer to fully dive into the project rather than just looking at a couple JPGs. Creating case studies is a ton of work and it’s essentially building a custom website for each of your projects within your portfolio framework. In order to streamline it, a friend of mine (Semplice Co-Founder Michael Schmidt) and I created the first version of Semplice. I loved this system, it helped me get the work I wanted and position myself in a very competitive industry. This was the moment Semplice was born.
What did building it teach you?
We worked with many designers and close designer friends during the process of building Semplice. There are two sides to building a portfolio that we planned to focus on:
1. For Designers
Designers seek tools that give them freedom to express themselves and flexibility to show their process, their work and help them position themselves in the best way possible.
2. For the viewer
Reviewing portfolios as a company/agency sucks. Designers lack of showcasing their process, and those designers who’re not in the field of digital design lack of building a portfolio that is easy to navigate. So how can we build a system that helps designers build unique portfolios, but streamline the process and help them focus on the UX too? Browsing a portfolio should be a joy - The work can be amazing, but if the presentation fails no one will take a look at it.
What were some of your biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge is to create an extremely powerful system but at the same time keep it as easy to use as possible. We did not want to build another “fill in the blanks” template. At the same time we tried solving the problems from both sides, building a great tool for designers, but also trying to steer them in the right direction to build a great portfolio that others LOVE to look at. There should be a win/win situation happening on both sides.
Anything surprise you?
Yes, designers are incredibly lazy. Everyone wants the best, but not many want to put in the work. I like to count myself to those as well, at least sometimes. Our vision is to help you go the extra mile, because we know the extra mile is required if you want to stand out. And we love to go that extra mile with you.
Why did you decide to white label it?
This was a big decision for us. We as designers love to own things, we take a lot of pride in building our own solutions, or make something to appear fully custom. There is a certain pride in doing so which we aim to protect by giving our users the choice to white label Semplice.
What are some tips for creating an awesome portfolio?
Your portfolio is not the work you did, but the work you will be doing in the future.
This simply translates to “Chose the work you display wisely”. If your goal is to get more branding projects, don’t show any web design work on your portfolio, even if that’s the best you have.
Show yourself. Based on the data we have seen, the About page on a portfolio is always the most visited page. Thats because people are interested in people. Show your face, show who you are and how I can get in touch with you. While the work itself is important, the person behind is even more.
Favorite Semplice examples?
There are so many great ones but our favorites are featured on a regular basis in our hand picked showcase. Semplice designers who are also WNW members include: Pawel Nolbert, Verena Michelitsch, Quintin Lodge, and Hendrick Rolandez.
