I just got back from a short visit with fuseproject, the San Francisco design consultancy headed by Yves Behar. They gave our group from SFSU IDSA a quick tour of the 29-person office, which is (as one would expect) nicely laid out and clearly geared towards collaborative work, favoring long, shared tables over individual desks and cubicles. Following the tour we spent about an hour speaking with senior designer Bart Haney, who provided us with an insightful look at the inner workings of this new yet high-profile design firm.

As someone who is in the middle of a career change and soon to be looking for a design job, I was particularly interested in what Haney said about the kinds of people who work at fuseproject. One thing that he said struck me in particular: since there is basically an ample supply of people with the basic design skillset (drawing, ideation, software, etc.), individuals distinguish themselves through aspects such as teamwork ability, presentation skills, and business acumen. I was personally glad to hear this since I see myself as having a marginal basic skill set, which of course I am still working hard to develop, but strong in the other areas he mentioned based on previous professional experience.

Davis also spoke about the design process at the studio. Project teams are composed based on interest and skill specialization, with a large group initially working on the conceptual stages of the project together, and then smaller groups breaking off to further develop specific concepts. Each designer is working on multiple projects at once (I think he said that they currently have about 25 active projects and 29 total employees), with project lifespans from 10 days to 14 months. Overall, I got a very positive vibe from the collaborative atmosphere of the studio, which reminded me of some of the better days at the old dot-com shop.

Perhaps the most important thing that I took away from the visit in a practical sense was Haney’s emphasis of the importance of the design process book as a companion to one’s portfolio. He mentioned “inches thick” process books that he would refer to during interviews in order to back up and expand upon specific questions or comments arising from a review of the more polished portfolio booklet. This made me realize that my process materials (sketches, notes, clippings, ideas) need to be 1) much greater in quantity, and 2) better organized. I’ll have to place a lot more focus on this as I work through the final creative work project for my master’s degree.