45 episodes
The Variable Design Podcast Russ Cluff
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- Arts
The Variable Design Podcast is an innovator's guide to all things related to product design, industrial design and manufacturing. It's a collection of interviews with industry experts who share their uncensored advice in order to help the next generation of designers and entrepreneurs take their ideas from conception to fruition. Episodes cover aspects of industrial design, graphic design, marketing, engineering, and manufacturing to give listeners key insights on how to successfully develop and sell a product in today's marketplace.
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Top 10 questions of young designers ANSWERED with Jon Bennett
This is the first of many episodes where we dive into addressing the top 10 questions young industrial designers face. What skills are most important for a successful career in industrial design?Students are keen to understand which technical skills (such as sketching, CAD software proficiency, and model-making) and soft skills (like communication, teamwork, and creative thinking) are crucial in the industry.How do I build a strong portfolio?Guidance on what constitutes a compelling port...
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Stand Out!- How to be more memorable and more valuable to companies as a designer.
There's a sea of industrial designers out there, how can you stand out? Everyone is trying to stand out... but how can you actually do it?Skill StackingWe talk about the ins and outs of skill stacking with the help of Sushant Vohra. You can read his LinkedIn post on the topic here.We also address the question "should I show it all?" when it comes to your portfolio. Are you interested in a fix the 'folio program? Be sure to reach out to us at info@thevariable.design to let us know y...
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YOU - the problem and the solution. Breaking out of a rut as an industrial designer
I used to enjoy my job, and now it's terrible. I aspire to be a great industrial designer, but I feel like I'm pigeon holed in my current role. I'm not growing as a creative. I feel stuck but I don't know how to get out of my rut. Sound familiar? Well.... there's good and bad news. Bad news is, you're the problem. Good news- you're also the solution. That's right, when it comes to getting where you want to go in your creative career, there's only one person behind the wheel YOU...
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Banger actually a bust? How to handle times when you're not proud of your design work.
You won't always be able to give something 100%... heck sometimes 50% is all you've got. What do you do when you want to hit a home run, but you feel like you've struck out? In this episode we breakdown strategies for handling these kinds of situations with professionalism and share a few takeaways that will help you make those lemons into lemonade. LINKS:Follow The Variable on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVariableDesignSupport The Variablewww.patreon.com/thevariabledesignW...
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You don't know what you don't know- with Jack Marple
In this episode we jump on a call with Jack Marple, the Associate Director of Industrial Design at Enlisted in Salt Lake City Utah to discuss design education and the top things that keep young (and old) designers from having job-winning presentation in their portfolios. We discuss eye-opening realizations we've had as educators and best practices on how to not only be able to identify good design, but apply it to your work. LINKS:Follow The Variable on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@...
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Design traps we fall for and how to navigate feedback with professionalism.
In this episode of The Variable Design Podcast we dive in and discuss Sushant Vohra's LinkedIn post: If you are a design student in 2023 don't fall for these 12 traps ↘1) Being first in your class and thinking that design life is gonna be easy.2) Copy pasting ChatGPT responses to comment on a post just for 'networking' sake.3) Having those slider scales for each software in your CV (seriously drop it).4) Writing a wall of text in a cold email to a potential employer.5) Only having college/aca...