A Time for Change

Welcome

Welcome to the first-ever edition of Notes by Chris B Co - a newsletter for designers and creatives looking to develop their craft, increase productivity, build business understanding and make the most of their creative abilities in their everyday lives.

Here is where I share design tips, valuable education resources, productivity insights, uses for design in your everyday life and guidance on how to get the most out of your design career. Every now and then, I’ll throw in some Chris B Co design life updates along the way.

What I wish I’d done 15 years ago

Documentation! Much, much more of it! And I’m not talking about the 2D drawing documentation that an Industrial Designer might be required to do for their product design. No, I’m talking about your process. Your wins, losses and everything in between. Your learning. Your goals. Your thoughts.

Imagine yourself, 15 years from now. Successful, secure and sympathetic to those about to follow in your footsteps. Think about all the projects you’ve completed, all the clients you’ve worked for, and the decisions you’ve made. Consider this: *99% of designers make little to no documentation of their processes and thoughts carrying them from project to project, job to job.

You can fix it now. You do not need a system of capture to start - that can come later (and I will show you how). Just start the process of documenting what will become one of your most valuable assets, and we’ll sort the rest later.

What to watch this week

If you have not seen any content from Ali Abdaal before, I am pleased to introduce you. In this video (18min34sec), Ali summarises the book So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport and highlights why turning what you love into a job may not be the best idea.

I found the summary helpful in thinking about my career and how I may effectively combine my complementary design abilities (and maybe become a design superhero).

Productivity tip of the week

For three years, I’ve been fortunate to drive into our home garage and park my car when I return from work. My keys are kept neatly tucked away thanks to the brilliant Orbitkey Key Organiser. That is one key organiser plus one large car key. And do you know what I finally realised? I haven’t used my house keys for three years!

So, I’ve consciously uncoupled them from my car key and packed them in our central home base storage. No more keys dangling on my legs while driving!
(but I still love their products!)

What are you carrying with you that no longer serves you?
Are there items at the bottom of your everyday bag that add unnecessary weight to your journey?
How about your purse or wallet?

Getting the most out of your design career

I’m leaving my current role at the end of this week. I’ve worked in a small team of three for over six years. My teammates have provided me invaluable knowledge, expertise and training. I bought them both a gift and wrote each a letter, thanking them.

It’s unlikely I’ll ever be able to repay the knowledge debt they’ve helped me pay down, but hopefully, the gifts will go some way to acknowledging what they’ve given me. On reflection, perhaps I should have expressed my gratitude earlier and more often.

Thanks for reading
Chris

*A little note about statistics