Design Eminence: de-coded
You may be asking yourself, what is design eminence and why is it important? Eminence is about expressing and sharing your design expertise both internally and externally. Everyone has something to offer — and there are many ways you can add value, means to pursue your passion, opportunities to express your expertise, and create, enhance, even advance your personal brand.
Challenges and Opportunities
As with any new venture, the prospect with unfamiliar territory can be pretty overwhelming. But don’t worry — surmounting those perceived hurdles is not as tough as you think. One of the biggest challenges people often face when it comes to eminence is just getting started and knowing where to begin. Hopefully some of the tips we offer in this article give you exactly the steps you need to begin charting your journey.
What works for one person isn’t going to work for the next person. Eminence shouldn’t be hard — if it feels hard and unnatural, you’re not going to be good at it. Ask yourself introspective questions, and try things to find out what feels authentically good to you. — Haidy Francis, Security Design Executive
Getting started in your eminence journey
One of the most important ways to get started is through the process of self-inquiry. Take some time, grab a pen and notebook, and ask yourself, what do I want to be known for? What are my passions? IBMer Haidy Francis, Security Design Executive, recently discussed the importance of self inquiry when designing your personal eminence journey.
Eminence is a personal journey [for] discovering your voice, persona,and sharing that with the world. For each of us it looks different because we all have found ways in which we want to engage the community around us…. The more authentic you are about who you are and your passion and then having the courage to share it in a variety of ways — helping, talking, teaching, listening, etc., is really up to the individual. [Have] the courage to find your voice and whatever medium feels authentic [to] share it. [Have] the courage to be a wild duck! If I had to give one [piece of] tactical advice — my question…“what do you want people to know you for?” When your name comes up, what do you want the first words they think of to be?”
— Haidy Francis, Security Design Executive
Another approach is getting feedback from others. Jenny and I recommend asking those who work or collaborate with you what they think you are good at or what they think your strengths are. This approach can help you validate your assumptions or help you discover new information about yourself — both of which are great ways to building your eminence.
Another way to get started is connecting with someone whose eminence skill you admire. Get to know their journey and what they did to help them stand out. Learn from them and ideate how to grow your eminence.
Once that process of discovery has happened, take some time to learn about all of the eminence opportunities available to you and pick one or two that resonate with your interests and fits in your schedule.
Types of eminence opportunities
So now that you have put some thought into how you want to show up, now how do you show out? There are several types of eminence opportunities available to you.
Learning and Growth Opportunities
An often overlooked eminence opportunity is listening and learning. What does that mean? It is important as you develop your design skills and grow your career, that you are taking advantage of opportunities for personal growth, gain experience, and develop your personal insight. Take the time to read and listen to others in the industry and academia and then build on that work. This will increase the quality of your design work as you will be better informed, be able to apply what you have learned, and then build on that learning in your own writings and talks. There are a number of ways you can expand your knowledge base and expertise through listening and learning:
- Read, read, and read some more: IBM Design Medium, online industry journals, and industry websites (such as AIGA) are great starting points for learning about industry trends, insights, new developments, and more. An online search will uncover a wealth of resources from industry and academia.
- Take a class: There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of online classes to choose from, or take a class in your local community. An online search will bring up many to choose from.
- Attend a conference: there are many (virtual and live) conferences in 2022 — a great way to learn, network, and grow your expertise.
- Shadow a colleague: as you grow and expand your network, look for opportunities to shadow someone and learn.
- Listen to podcasts: there are many great design podcasts out there — a search for design podcasts will turn up a ton of options! Two great podcasts to start with: Life Habits Mentoring, hosted by IBM Design’s Karel Vredenburg is a popular podcast that grew out of the mentoring he did with IBMers. There are more than 100 episodes, some 50 hours of recordings, and more than 1,000 pieces of advice. Racial Equity in Design’s podcast, It’s About Time, is an insightful exploration into Black designer experiences across the design industry.
- Join (or even start!) a book club!
Take every choice you make in stride, and use it as a learning opportunity.
— Oen Hammonds, Design Principal, IBM HR, IBMer Experience
Eminence Opportunities
There is no shortage opportunities to demonstrate eminence across the design community. The goal is to find something, like internally, that resonates with you, your interest, design career goals, and above all — passion.
- Write a Medium article
- Social media: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok (remain alert and aware of your company’s guidelines)
- Presentations at local schools
- Teach a class at your alma mater
- Conference presentations
- Designer award submissions
- Volunteer as a portfolio reviewer
- Chair a panel discussion
- Mentor junior designers
- Host a design crit for your team
- Share your passion projects with colleagues
Your eminence starts with having a point of view. If you’re in a meeting and have an opinion, that’s the time to speak up. Your eminence starts right then and there, and can turn into other things, like a LinkedIn post that turns into a Medium blog that creates an opportunity for you to give a talk. That kernel of you having an opinion can turn into so much — and it starts with you just speaking up.
— Oen Hammonds, Design Principal, IBM HR, IBMer Experience
A Few Final Words…
Now it’s time to dive in and get started! A quick recap on where to begin:
- Self inquiry. Think about what you want to be known for. Make a list of your interests, passions, and what you are good at. Do you love to present? Or do you want your designs to speak for themselves and considering entering in a design awards competition? Or are you a social media maven, and want to share your expertise via one of the social media channels?
- Do not overlook the opportunity to read, listen, and learn. Take time to learn about what is happening in the industry so you can apply it to your knowledge base.
- Start small. You don’t need to build Rome in a day. Pick one or two things you are interested in, learn about it, and try it out. Take your time to find out if it is something that feels authentic and energizing.
- Don’t get discouraged. Challenges will happen, but remember: everything is a prototype. Reach out to your eminence ambassadors or your colleagues for support!
Meet the authors
Renee Albert, Design Culture Programs and Social Media Lead at IBM. Seasoned communications, design, and project management professional specializing in advancing the design practice.
Jenny Hsiao Sanchez, Design Lead @IBM with strong Visual Design background. Enterprise Design Thinking Coach. Lifelong coffee and Japanese ramen lover.
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The above article is personal and does not necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies, or opinions.
