JmotaDesign

Class blog for "Entrepreneurial Product Development" at the University of Illinois at Chicago

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What I’m Walking Away With...

    What a journey! I have never taken away so much from a single class. What makes this even more incredible is that all of this knowledge will serve me well as I develop into a professional.

    It’s scary thinking about what life will be like after school. Sure there is excitement but there is much more curiosity. This class has brought me comfort, opening many new doors for me that I wasn’t even aware of.

    Even on the first day, which I believed to be the day where you attain a syllabus from your professor and go on your way. I learned so much.

    I hope that I can count on my fellow classmates to be there in the future as much as they can count on me. I would be glad to have any sort of role in any of their development. From this I have also taken a community of friends that can help me grown and become better at what I do.

If I could only take away one thing from each of our guest speakers it would be this:

1.Shawn Smith of Resketch: A great product can emerge from setting limitations for yourself.

2.Rachel Gant and Andrew Deming of Yield Design Co.: People will reconsider stopping by if they keep seeing you around.

3.Peter Muller of Misen: . Generating an audience before you launch will create momentum.

4.Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat: Staying small allows you to make what you want.

5.Tanner Woodford director of the Chicago Design Museum: The more we do this, the more we learn.

6.John Kestner of Super Mechanical: You don’t really learn anything from success.

7.Charles Adler: Surround yourself with individuals you can learn from.

8.Taylor Levy and Che-Wei Wang of CW&T: Being honest always come through.

9.Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail: When creating a product consider the experience you want the user to have.

10.Stephanie Pereira of Kickstarter: Starting off your community is composed of friends and family, figure out how to get the attention of others.

11.Ted Burdett of Strand Design: The best way to find your backers is through face to face interactions.

12.Max Temkin of Cards Against Humanity: Creating what you love leads to a loyal audience because the values both groups share are equal. 

13.Pavan Bapu of Gramovox: You must tame your ego, and know what you are bad at so that you can allow yourself to become better.

14.Victor Sadd of the Experience Institute: Pave your own path to the place you want to be. 

15.Bradley Price of Autodromo: You must always provide for your customers what you are most recognized for.

16.Joey Roth: When you have an idea you must take this vision and make choices based on it, you know what your product needs to be.

17.Robert Segal of Unison Home: You must think of your brand as a whole and not composed of individual components.

18.Andrew Neyer of Stuff: Know who is around you, and what they are capable of doing.

19.Bryce Roberts of OATV and Indie.vc: Not every project has to lead to a company. Sometimes a project can just be a project.

20.Kip Kotzen of Neo-Utility:  If you ever plan on turning yourself into a brand you need to be able to think beyond your first product. 

     I would like to thank Craighton Berman for being an incredible professor. I have been talking to all of the juniors, and hopefully I have sent many your way! Thank you to everyone who was a part of this!

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“My Hobby Became My Job”- Kip Kotzen

    Two weeks before the end of this wonderful journey we once again had the opportunity to see what happens on the other side of the pond. We had the pleasure of skying with Kip Kotzen of Neo-Utility who talked to us in regards to the sales side of design. Kip is a retailer, he focuses on bringing well designed products from outside of the U.S. into the U.S.. Although he started out as a retailer, he finds himself slowly becoming a manufacturer.

    He mentioned to us about his journeys and travels around the world, mentioning that the best way to meet people is to go where they are. You need to travel to where the people who share your same interests are. You need to go to shows and exhibits. But, if it’s not within your budget you at least need to keep updated with what is happening. Read all about the places you wished you were going to. The reason a lot of these events happen is to show what is new and how an industry is moving forwards, what are people doing and what are they not doing.

    Kip also spoke to the importance of being able to look ahead. If you ever plan on turning yourself into a brand you need to be able to think beyond your first product. The most important thing for a brand to do is develop a language and become associated with something. He thinks that it is important to start direct, create a website and get your name out there.

    Kip was an amazing final guest to our class. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kip Kotzen for taking the time from his busy schedule to Skype in! All of this information and new knowledge will help me grow and be prepared for what ever comes my way!

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Bryce Roberts of OATV and Indie.vc

    After coming back from spring break we took some class time to reflect on our Kickstarters and speak to the class about where we have been, where we are and where we are going. The following week we had a little change of pace, instead of having a designer as a guest speaker we were allowed to see what happens behind the curtains. We had Bryce Roberts of OATV and Indie.vc Skype in an talk to us about venture capitalism.

    For those of you who might not know what that is, it is financially investing in newly emerging companies. Allowing companies and ideas to hit the floors with the wheels rolling!

    Bryce spoke to us about some of his requirements to personally invest in a company. What is important to him is how successful the company has been before his arrival; How well they can plan ahead, he wants to know exactly what his money is going towards; But the most important thing for Bryce is how passionate the people are, can they convince him to be behind their idea as much as they are.

    From him I took what I believe to be an incredible portion of advice. He believes that not everything is meant to be a company. And this hit home, sometimes what brings a business down is the amount of inventory they have. Why can’t an object just be treated for the purpose of selling. Does everything have to keep growing larger into a company?

I would like to take tis time to thank Bryce for taking the time from his busy schedule to Skype in with us and share his knowledge and experience. Who knowns, in the future we might be seeking you out again to coach us and believe in us!

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“You Can’t Save Money While You’re in Debt”-Andrew Neyer

    The week before our spring break we had a guest come in all the way from Cincinnati, Ohio! Andrew Neyer from Stuff. Stuff is a brand created by Andrew, they specialize in creating objects they personally would like to have striving to combine minimalisms with wit.

    Andrew told us about how his brand was born. Stuff arose from the ambition to create objects he felt he could make better and would ultimately save him from spending too much money on. Today he strives to make objects which might seem like beautiful art pieces, but are fully functional objects.

    He also talked to us about the experiences he’s had such as licensing your design. Some of the benefits that he mentioned were that you can get name exposure from this since well known brands have larger audiences. Also, if it ever is too expensive for you to get the product out to the public, you can license your idea until you attain the funds to do so on your own. But he says that you must be careful with this and make every component necessary as to where it can’t be replicated in any other way without it looking entirely differently.

     One of the reasons he moved to Cincinnati was to bring design to an audience who doesn’t see it everywhere. Andrew mentioned to us that it is important to know who is around you in terms of manufacturing and to more importantly know what they are capable of doing.

    I would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Neyer from taking the time out of his busy schedule to come sit in with our class. Seeing how successful he is, turning a passion into a career gives us all hope.

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Robert Segal’s Unison Home

    Two weeks before going on our final undergraduate spring break, we had the pleasure of taking a little off campus trip up to Unison Home where we met with Robert Segal. Robert is the founder of Unison Home, which is a retailer specializing in making designed goods more accessible to people who appreciate good design.

    It was really nice being able to see one of our guests in their element, where they actually conduct some of their business from. Having a chance to see their products and collectively see their entire brand and to get a sense for their branding language was very insightful. Robert talk to us about his origins and what it was like to bring so much design under one roof to make it consistent.

    He talked to us about how having a brick and mortar location helps you stay true to your brand and to also be able to see everything as  a whole and not individual components. He also enjoyed making designed goods available to a market who might not be aware of design for design and not design for ease of manufacturing.

    I would like to take this opportunity to thank Robert Segal for taking time out of his busy schedule and allowing us to visit him in his brick and mortar location! Before going to UIC to earn a bachelors in industrial design, I did not consider design accessible. Design to me was what I would see in magazines and online. I really appreciate Robert, who makes design tangible and accessible for a broader audience who might not otherwise have the opportunity to recognize design as something attainable.

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“Having a Name Allows You to Stay Focused and Stay True to Your Design Philosophy”-Joey Roth

     Last week during class we had Joey Roth skype in from his new space in California. It’s great having this class where we are able to see all the different possibilities that we can very realistically go into. Before this class everything seemed somewhat unattainable, but now everything seems very possible. Joey is currently working on his Steel Speaker. He found opportunity when realizing that there are tons of great looking speakers, but none that are really enhancing audio engineering. He mentioned that never in the past would he have imagined himself in this space, but that it is all very exciting.

     He took the time to share with us some tips as he explores all of these new spaces. Joey mentioned that when you have an idea in your head, every day it becomes more representative of what it is suppose to look like. You must take this vision and make choices based on it, you know what your product needs to be. You might not know how to get there all at once, but you recognize decisions that alter what you’re picturing.

     Joey also shared some insights when it came to manufacturing and post production. Currently Joey is trying to find a way to reduce stock inventory. He mentioned that if you manufacture overseas it makes more sense to purchase in large quantities, but then that also increases shipping. The reason he is looking to reduce stock is because when you have inventory, so much of your funds go towards storage and possibly fulfillment that at times this keeps you from being able to advance on any new projects. He also mentioned that currently there is a rise in the number of independent designers reaching out to manufacturing facilities, which increases the chance of willingness of manufacturers to work with them as they become more accustomed to this.

     Joey Roth shared with us great insights around becoming an independent designer, allowing us all to see that the door isn’t as far as we thought. I would like to thank him for sharing with us and taking time from his busy schedule. I wish you luck and success in your new space!

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“You Have This Gift That You Can Do All of These Things”-Bradley Price

     Last week during class we had the pleasure of skyping with Bradley Price from Autodromo! Autodromo is Bradley’s company and focuses on the blend between current product design and vintage car design. His line currently consists of watches, watch straps, gloves and sunglasses. Autodromo is a lifestyle brand.

     It was incredible to hear from Bradley because this brand evolved from his passion surrounding vintage cars. When he was young he would put together model cars with his father. This is what he loved about his first product, much like models, watches are all about the small details. 

     He also shared some of his tips when dealing with overseas manufacturing. He believes that you should never send any files over the internet, that the files should only be given to the people you trust. Once they have your file they have your future in their hands. He also gave us some tips around customer service, once you put out a project you need to make sure that your customer is happy from the time before purchase to the remainder time of that product’s life. You must also always provide for your customers what you are most recognized for!

     I would like to thank Bradley Price for taking the time from his busy schedule to chat with us! It’s always incredible to hear from someone who is doing exactly what they want to be doing!

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“Those Who Design Their Education, Design Their Future”-Victor Saad

   A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to head to downtown Chicago to meet Victor Saad at the Experience Institute. He was very happy to have us, for we were his first larger group in his new facility! 

     Victor took the time to tell us a little about where the idea for his Kickstarter: the  Leap Kit arose from. Back in 2011, he thought of what it would be like to design his own education. His goal was to source 12 different professional experiences within the course of 12 months. What he wanted to do was rebrand experience as a credible form of learning. What the Leap Kit is, is a self motivation tool to help you do the same thing he did. Pave your own path to the place you want to be. 

     Today the Experience institute is starting to transition over into an actual facility, a school where experience has developed into a credible way of learning. Victor took us through the journey of an idea spreading beyond yourself, and eventually turning into a dream. 

     You never know where your actions today will take you tomorrow. All we can do is be optimistic. I would like to take this chance to thank Victor Saad for taking the time to share his story and his time with us!

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Kickstarter in a Classroom Setting

    Now being past the initial launch period I can look back and say that the only reason my project is as far developed as it is, is due to the amount of support that I’ve received from my fellow classmates and professor. Like I mention in my Kickstarter campaign, my class got Meem to where it is and the backers will help me take it to where it needs to go.

    During class we would have critique days and unlike many of the critiques within our other design courses, this one was silent. We would critique each other speed date style, taking increments of ten minutes before switching campaigns quietly, to ourselves. Having a silent critique was great for two primary reasons, you were able to interact with the page how you wanted, and you could voice your opinions without judgement. During this time we were to consider all variables that might lead from clicking a project because it seems interesting to becoming a backer.

    The foremost important thing to look for was clarity, “If I were to click on this link would I know what it was about". We had individual meetings and critiques when it came to the design of our products, but once we started placing things into the Kickstarter platform it became more about how easily we presented our idea.

    Personally, my approach was to look for improvement. I was not concerned with whether my feedback was nothing but constructive criticism, because I believe interpretation is all about the way you say it. I chose my words carefully and tried to encourage change where I thought there might be room for it. I was on a mission, I was going to be honest with my fellow class because I wanted them to succeed. A compliment might feel good, and I did give them compliments where deserved, but criticism is what helps you grow.

    I would utilize the entire ten minutes to go over each of their projects, because I would hope they were doing the same for me. I started each project from the top and read everything all the way down to the bottom. Each time I would have a thought I would scroll upwards and write it out before I would forget. I also thought this would be a great idea because this would more than likely be the way a potential backer would interact with their project page.

    After collecting feedback from everyone who was gracious enough to leave it, we compiled lists of everything people critiqued. At this point it was our turn to have time for personal reflection. The truth was that this was our project, not theirs, just because someone says something doesn’t mean you will change it, you change it when you realize the same exact thing they did. Things I believed should stay the same did, and things that I noticed being critiqued often were considered.

    The support from the classroom setting we were all lucky to be placed into was incredible. I hope that when the time comes, and we are all getting ready to launch our next big ideas through Kickstarter, we will once again look to each other for guidance. Most of these people I have known for the past couple of years, but having a common journey and goal, brought us that much more closer to one another.

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“We Believe Too Much in This to Allow It to Fail”- Pavan Bapu

One week after hitting the launch on our Kickstarter campaigns we had the pleasure of traveling as a classroom downtown to Gramovox. There we met with the team behind the floating record player and the bluetooth gramophone.

Pavan Bapu took the time to talk to us about Gramovox's experience on Kickstarter. From the design philosophy all the way to the manufacturing. Pavan told us about how what they do is take vintage design and bring it forward. They emphasize that objects must still be functional even when they aren’t being used. After launching their first product, they felt that people returned for their second one due to their design language. Gramovox firmly believes that people buy with their eyes, a product must work great but to get their attention your object must be beautiful.

From Kickstarter you should have a pulse of of all these different fields. Sometimes you are launching a product on your own. You are the designer, the marketer, the engineer, you might not be an expert within those fields but you will always walk away with a taste of what it’s like. Pavan believes that the one thing that has lead to Gramovox’s success is having a logical team. You need to have someone who knows when to pull the breaks, or recognizes a great opportunity when they see it.

He also told us of the right mentality to have and the mentality we want from people we are considering to take along the journey. You must tame your ego, and know what you are bad at so that you can allow yourself to become better. When it comes to manufacturing, they are not just someone you hire, they are your partners, without them production stops. You want someone who doesn’t just say they can make it, but tells you how to improve on it and make it simpler. You need someone who is just as passionate about seeing you succeed as you are.

Design hints that humanity is complex and logical, we have a great responsibility. We represent how far humanity has come. I would like to take this time to thank Gramovox for allowing us to stop by their studio. They were incredible and had much to teach!

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Kickstarter Campaign: First Week!

     One week in and 300% funded! So far my Kickstarter experience has been wonderful. For many of us this is our first public project, I am no exception. This is our introduction to the world. It’s an odd feeling knowing that people have seen what you have made and put so much work into. So far my viewer statistics are a little shy of 3,000. Some of these people have attached this design to a face and this is what they might remember me for.

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     Four days in, 125% funded! Meem is a ring with a cut out of the place that means the most to you. Through the cut out you are able to see the skin of the wearer and is significant that a part of the place is always with them and a part of themselves will always be at that place. Meem was also just recently labeled and selected to join their “Projects We Love” section. Check out the campaign here!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581308933/meem-keeping-whats-most-important-within-reach/description

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“This Is the Future of America”- Max Temkin

     This week we finally all eagerly were able to hit the launch button to our class Kickstarters! After being prompt to do so we all looked at each other and experienced a beautiful moment, the moment where you realize that you as a name and person will extend beyond to people you have ever come into contact with. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives, 3 long years, 3 long incredible years, 3 long incredibly satisfying years. Our first project for the world.

     After doing some social media promotion we also took a trip down to Cards Against Humanity to meet with Max Temkin, one of the original eight designers for CAH.

     Max told us about his life as a designer. CAH was his first product, developed by him and his friends during their college years. Cards was a Kickstarter! Raising about 15 thousand dollars! It was exciting to be able to talk to someone who went exactly what we went through and tell us about their experience. He told us that he loved Kickstarter because it allowed the creator to do what they really wanted and believed in. This in turn leads to a loyal audience because the values of both groups share are equal. 

     He also mentioned the opportunities that come from finding your audience, the kind of impact they can have in your future. Before the physical product the game was downloadable. It wasn’t until the Cards fans spoke out about how much they wanted the game to be produced. This lead Max and his friends to launch the Kickstarter. Today this game has allowed them to have their own building!

    It’s amazing how one idea can shape your entire future. This is what I love about my major. Be default, the role of a designer is to create what the world has yet to experience. We are the one’s who will shape the future.

I would like to thank Max for very graciously taking the time to talk to us and show us around the studio! It was a great experience.

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“You’re Offering a Whole More Value Than the Product.”- Ted Burdett

     Last week we had a guest professor fill in, as we walked into class we were greeted by Ted Burdett from Strand Design. In addition to filling for Craighton, he would also be our weekly guest speaker. Ted was a great choice, in addition to being part of the UIC faculty, an industrial designer he also just recently launched a very successful Kickstarter campaign for the Fourneau Oven. 

     He mentioned how we should always be aware and open to opportunities. Then He said how one way to grow would be to go to trade shows, where people go to seek our creators like yourself. Also, how when you start you start to notice risk and reward. In trade shows it becomes obvious that you get equal return to what you invest. If you put $1,000 into yourself that’s what you receive. It becomes obvious that in order to get more money you have to invest more. This leads to looking for different ways to grow yourself.

    This exploration of finding different ways to make money is what lead to the Forneau. Once prototypes were completed and his campaign was soon to launching he sought a trade show as a way of promotion. He would use people who he knew were there to find what he was displaying, this way he would have people ready to back his campaign the moment he launched it.  Ted believes that the best way to find your backers is through face to face interactions.

     Ted taught us a great deal about creating excitement and hype around your campaign, even before launching. Getting your product to peoples ears and hoping it makes it out of their mouths. I would like to thank Ted Burdett for taking the time to step in for our professor last week. It’s always incredibly refreshing to get an additional perspective from someone who has done what we are getting ready to do.

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“You’ll Be Ready to Launch When You’re Ready for What Comes. The Journey.”- Stephanie Pereira

     For our first week back from winter break we had the pleasure of skyping with Stephanie Pereira from Kickstarter. With our fast approach to launching, it was great to have some insight from behind the scenes.

    When Kickstarter first launched they launched with one goal, they set out to make it easier for people to get their ideas out to the public. They continue to do thus by focusing on easing the challenge of getting funded. To this day, this ideology continues to drive their ambition. For this very reason, Stephanie was a natural fit for Kickstarter as she set her eyes on helping artist create.

     She was able to share some of the things she’s noticed happen on Kickstarter. She told us how there are usually only two kinds of objects that live on the platform, the gadget and the designed object. The gadget aim to ease life while the designed objects are more of a conversation between design and designer. 

     She also gave us some insight into who our audience will be. She has been noticing that our backers are either composed of our own communities such as friends and family or those who are continuously active on Kickstarter and love to back projects. In order to reach anyone else we would need to figure out how to get their attention. She shared with us how one way was to insert our images into Google images to find people who shared products similar to ours and to reach out to them. These would be the people who might be interested in what you are doing without too much convincing.

      I would like to thank Stephanie Pereira for taking the time out of her busy schedule to chat with us! It was great to hear from behind the scenes of Kickstarter. Especially as we approach our launch date, February 4th 2016!

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Can’t Wait to Launch!

     I think I’m done with the log design. I’m debating whether I should add a name explanation!

     I’ve also created a class calendar of everything we’ve done in class so far, just in case I would like to add it when this gets incorporated into a portfolio.

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“It Might Have Been Illegal... but There Was Pizza...” - Sharon Burdett

     Last week we were able to end our weekly class by taking a trip to SAIC in downtown Chicago to sit in on Charles Adler’s talk about the results of his ‘Center For Lost Arts’ Kickstarter campaign.

     Charles is interested in this world of bringing people who know how to make things together under a temporary roof. He provided the instruments and he studied their journey as they created. Mostly interested in what happened when disciplines crossed.

     This was also an opportunity for Adler to surround himself with individuals he could learn from. While you’re in school you have this structure of people who are mainly interested in the exact same thing you are, you are able to feed each other and grow together. When you leave school and walk into the real world this changes quickly. If you didn’t make those relationships to last, you need to reestablish a network of individuals that will help you grow. One way is when you find a job, but often you sign NDA’s and your whole world is enclosed within legal limits. The only way to find people that love what you do is to seek them out.

     This entrepreneurial class that I get to be a part of does this for me. It increases the chances that we will use one another as we venture away from school. Usually in design courses you are left for yourself, you dive deep into the water that is your topic and search for something to help you float back to the surface. This class gives us a similar experience, sure you might be exploring something different but we are all plugging it into the same system. We all need financial models, reward structures, strong stories etc. I hope these relationships will forever help me grow not only as a designer, but an individual.