Why Every 18-Year-Old Benefits By Learning To Design

Design for all. The Rise of the DEO. Every company and organization wants to hire people who understand design. In fact, the most successful companies are proven to be the most design savvy such as Apple, Southwest, Starbucks, Target, Herman Miller, and Nike. Design-driven companies outperform the S&P by 228% over 10 years. These companies understand design not only from an aesthetic point-of-view, but also understand system and program design that truly respects what their customers need and want. Design is why we pay $5 for a latte and spend hundreds of extra dollars to stay at a hotel where we don’t have to pay extra for wireless and that nifty bottle of Evian.

On a personal note, I value design experience so much that I recently sought out to find a dental office that understands the value of design. I found White Dental Studio. As it turns out, the dentist is not only one of the best, but he values design so much that he’s thought about hiding the cords on the floor that hook the dental chair to the electrical outlet. And, our son leaves the office every six months with a toothbrush, crayons, and stickers in a surprise grab bag that delights him beyond belief. You can bet, our whole family will be brand loyal patients for life.

The reality is, very few high schools are teaching the value of design in business. And, with every day that goes by, jobs are demanding this understanding. In April, Fast Company wrote about Why Good Design Is Finally A Bottom Line Investment. It’s worth a read for sure. One point that’s particularly interesting: “Designers are the ones best situated to figure out how a kit of parts can become something more — they’re the ones who can figure out the human interface for a vast chain. If they do their job right, the result — a working ecosystem — is a far better platform for innovation than an isolated product.”

Designers will lead the world through its next season of challenges. And in my experience, it’s extremely hard to find excellent designers who really understand people, know how to create an integrated strategy, and have aesthetic taste that’s worth talking about.

I recently asked a recruiter to describe what hiring managers are looking for these days. She shared, “I think the offices are looking for great talent with the right chops. That means knowing how to produce a fully integrated, original, interesting, smart, and usable idea. The majority of calls we get are for conceptual individuals…especially juniors because as they get more and more immersed in digital, it’s harder to find kids who have learned that way.”

I also asked David Hernandez, Managing Director at OgilvyOne, what he thought. He shared, “I’m finding that education rarely focuses on the tools, skills, and channels necessary to be a modern creator. The young talent that I admire most demonstrate the passion, ambition, and initiative to chart their own path.”

Designers are motivated. They are naturally curious. They make changes for the better without asking permission. These are the people who will do well as life-long learners, practitioners, and massive culture creators and change makers.

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Erin Huizenga is Founder and CEO of Till School, a design-based education for solving problems in the real world… right after high school. In 2014, Erin announced the launch of Till School during her Creative Mornings talk in Chicago. Prior to Till, Erin used a $3,000 gift to launch the nonprofit EPIC, which builds volunteer experiences that mobilize and inspire creative people to make their cities stronger communities. Since 2007, EPIC has provided $4M+ in pro-bono design services to 50+ nonprofit organizations in Chicago and Minneapolis by engaging 1000’s of the most talented creatives in volunteerism. In 2012, she opened the HOW National Design Conference by sharing the EPIC story. She’s Co-Founder of her studio, Borough & Block, which she runs with her husband and has worked at firms like gravitytank, IDEO, and VSA Partners. She’s Adjunct Design Faculty for the graduate program at the IIT Institute of Design and for two graduate programs, MMM and EDI, at Northwestern University.

Originally posted on September 8, 2015 at tillschool.com. Photography by Kelly Allison