Inspiring Idols
Ever since you were a small child, there was probably someone you looked up to right? Whether it was a parent, your favorite book character, or even a certain teeny bopper front man of a very catchy boy band, you idolized these people and hoped to one day grow up to be just like them. Once you actually did grow up, a few of your idols may have changed, but the concept has always remained the same. No matter where you are in life, there are people who continue to inspire and motivate you.
The team of #designersatPOK who are participating in the 100 Days of UI Challenge are all relatively young and new to the work force. For this reason, we all have MANY idols we look up to both inside and outside of the design community to learn from, emulate, and be inspired by. Each member of the team has a very different idol, and yet the common trait I’ve seen is that these idols are people who hustle hard to get work done, just as this team likes to do as well!
Ann Novelli on Jessica Hische
Why is Jessica your idol?
Have you seen the cool shit she does or read her twitter? Also she grew up in PA, so obviously she’s awesome!Do you have a favorite quote or piece of work by your idol?
So many! We’ll go with the most famous quote that gives me hope for finding my calling: “The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”Who are some other idols of yours?
Not really design related, but I’m a huge fan of Tina Fey… not just for her hilarity, but also for her wisdom and badassery. The rest of my idols are people I’ve worked with who are just awe-inspiring on a daily basis, but haven’t reached great fame for it… yet.Any fun facts about Jessica?
She’s holding HUDSON WHISKEY!!! Unfortunately, I can’t have that in the office. (for those who don’t know Ann personally, she is a BIG whiskey fan and also a resident of the Hudson Valley. Seems like she needs to be BFFs with Jessica if you ask me…)
Kevin Bruckner on Drew Maloney
Why is Drew your idol?
There are many reasons why I look up to Drew. He’s creative, fearless, and always incredibly positive.Any fun back story about your idol you’d like to share?
Drew was filming this downhill skate video for his Capstone project and I wanted in because I knew it would be big. Now, I was okay at skating, but I hadn’t ever experienced massive hills like the ones Drew and his buddies bombed. Still, that wasn’t going to keep me from an opportunity to earn Drew’s respect and possibly end up in one of his gnarly edits. So naturally, I volunteered as a skater. Fast forward, and we’re on one of the last–and potentially biggest–hills of the day. For me, it’s fight or flight all the way down. Somehow, I managed to make it to the bottom in one piece, but before I could stop a small rock catapulted me off of my board into a superman-like pose and landed me some nasty road rash. Nothing had ever burned so good. I didn’t make the edit, but it didn’t matter; the day was epic.What is your favorite thing about your idol?
I really admire Drew’s hustle. He’s a guy who doesn’t do things half-assed. BAYMENCO definitely isn’t his full-time gig, but he treats it as if it were. Just the other day, Drew told me that he’s working on a Long Island surf film debuting in 2017 that’s going to send shock waves throughout the surf community. He’s just a rad dude.Who are some other idols of yours?
Brett Conti is another person that I look up to. I don’t know Brett personally, but he, Drew, and I are all from the same hometown. And thanks to social media, I’ve been able to watch Brett build Fortune New York from a dorm room creative urge to a brand that is proudly included in over 40 stores throughout 8 different countries. Mind you, he accomplished this within his first two years in the biz. But that’s not what I find most impressive about Brett. Throughout all of his success, he hasn’t forgotten his original motivation: to give back to the community that has given him so much. In Fortune’s first official year, ten percent of their annual proceeds went to Toys for Tots, a program which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. And over one week in February, Fortune raised $2,000 to help the homeless in NYC’s brutal 2015 winter. It’s actions like those which are most impressive to me. So please, do the world a favor and check out his gear. You’ll thank me later.
Yasmine El Garhi on Steve Jobs
Why is Steve your idol?
I have always loved Steve Jobs because he understands people, enjoys building for them, and making a difference for the entire population. Not only does he hold this fiery passion for people but he delivers innovation and fearlessly. He always balances design and engineering perfectly. As designers we see the endless opportunities for design work and why companies are in need of more designers.Something else that struck me about him was his care for every itty bitty little detail, even if it wasn’t visible! It was during my read of Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelley when they write:
“After Steve was forced out of Apple and was planning the startup that would become NeXT Computer, he stopped by David’s office one day to talk about his vision for the new machine. Always seeking Zen simplicity, Steve asked David, “What’s the simplest three-dimensional shape in the world?” David was sure that it was a sphere. But that didn’t matter, because the answer Steve was looking for was a cube. And so began our project of helping Steve with the engineering design of his cube-shaped NeXT computer.
During that intense project, Steve often called David at home in the middle of the night (in the era before e-mail and texting) to insist that we make some change. What kind of pressing issue couldn’t wait until morning? One night, the call was about whether the plating on some screw on the inside of the cast magnesium cube should be cadmium or nickel. David’s response was something like “Jeez, Steve, it’s on the inside of the box.” But Steve still cared — and we of course changed it. We don’t know if any NeXT customer ever cracked open the machine and saw those perfectly plated fasteners, but Steve left no such details to chance.”
If you could ask your idol one thing, what would it be?
If I could ask Steve Jobs one thing it would be, “How do I use my passion and creativity to break barriers and solve imaginable problems in the world today?”Who are some other idols of yours?
Jony Ive, I look up to him as a creative director. The way he revamped iOS, removed skeumorpism, increased accessibility, etc.Tom Kelley and David Kelley, I fell in love with these brothers after reading Creative Confidence. They are creative pioneers and front line design thinking advocates. The work they have done with the Stanford d school and IDEO is inspiring for young designers like myself.
Theresa Hans on Aaron Draplin
Why is Aaron your idol?
Aaron Draplin is pretty well known because he does a lot of design talks and knows how to relate to the crowd. I was still fresh and young when I first saw Draplin speak and it had a big impact on me; Not just because I can appreciate a solid beard when I see one, but because he spoke about being somebody who really just wants to work hard and do awesome things. Not only does he tell a great story, but his work is something I admire as well. As somebody who has always been a sports fanatic, I totally relate to the dream of just moving out west to embrace a passion of snowboarding. His story, to me, is one of confidence, bravery, and no-nonsense that I hope will one day also be the highlights of my own story.What is your favorite thing about your idol?
Aaron Draplin is one hard working dude. I find inspiration in his work ethic and the fact that he can be doing so much, but still remains true to who he is. As a young designer working in a corporate setting, it can be easy to get bogged down with your 9–5 grind and fall into a routine. However, I am still just that, a young designer, and want to continue growing my skills, network, and projects. That wont happen if I don’t work hard. It also wont happen if I do not stay true to who I am. I have big dreams and in order to make those happen, I need to take a note from Draplin and work hard for what I want in life.Do you have a favorite quote about your idol?
“Work hard and love this sh*t.”Who are some other idols of yours?
Bethany Heck is also a favorite of mine. She turned her passion for baseball into a beautifully designed side project while still kicking butt in her full time positions. I want to keep my side hustle strong so that I still have a creative outlet for my passions, and she had been a great source of motivation for that.
Now that you know a little bit more about our team and our idols, think about who inspires you. Why!? Is it somebody who has the most amazing ideas? Someone whose work ethic is next level? Or is it someone that you wish was your best friend because you both have so much in common? Let us know!! Tweet about it and use the #designPOK100 tag to tell us all about it.
Just in case someone from our team can provide you with some inspiration or motivation, here’s where you can find them on the line:
Ann Novelli — https://twitter.com/annnovelli
Kevin Bruckner — https://twitter.com/ibm_kevin
Yasmine El Garhi — https://twitter.com/yasssssss_mine
Theresa Hans — https://twitter.com/theresalhans
To close out, we hope that all of our readers can go forth, be inspired, be inspiring, and do fantastic things.
Xoxo,
The #DesignersAtPOK
As always, our challenge submissions, inspirations, and views represent only our own, awesome views!
