Mar 22, 2020
Nice to meet you.
Welcome to the place we can simply call — laboratory.
I am a British | Czech Designer currently living in London, United Kingdom.
The laboratory — is a dedicated space where I’ll be sharing the stories, event’s, interests, challenges, opportunities and projects that are related to the topic Design at Scale (#DaS in short).
Why is Design at Scale the current novelty? Where do I get all the information? Why am I allowed to talk and write about this topic?
The whole purpose behind the laboratory will be explained in the following articles, but first, let’s find out — how did I get here.
Titans from the past
I grew up in Zlin — the little town found in the heart of Europe, influenced by the titans like Tomas Bata (business integration and scale), Ladislav Sutnar (design systems), Karel Zeman (animation and motion), Milan Kundera (writing and screening), Jan Tsichold (typography and principles of design) and Max Wertheimer (gestalt philosophy).
I very soon ended up experiencing design at scale (#DaS) at one of the Bata’s complexes. How efficiency and organisation are not just “nice to have” but essential to all design interaction that leads to a seamless end to end product development. Inherited principles of design process optimisation and real implementation within Bata’s factories showed me very early how good things become great by involving the leading designers, architects and engineers of the era. How transparency makes such a difference in the outcome for the end-consumer when equally strengthening the bonds between peers.
(More details: Entrepreneur extraordinary Biography Tomas Bata)
Courage is half of the success
— Tomas Bata
The form that follows the function
I thought; having a Masters Degree in Industrial Design Engineering combined with a diploma in Graphics Design and Visual Communication will have an impact on my career — and in some respect it did. Later in the profession, I have re-discovered that it was a genuine interest in “the form that follows the function” (Jan Michl — 1995) that brought me closer to Gestalt and uncountable impact on peoples behaviours towards art and design.
Make people happy
Throughout the last 20 years as a “digital product” designer; I was fortunate enough to work and move with work across EMEA and APAC. Experience different cultures, approaches, processes, team dynamics that lead to ”ego-systems” rather than joint “eco-systems”, silos and tension working environments. Having the one mission in mind — how can I translate these rather funny and sometimes damaging team dynamics into engaged working eco-systems and empower redistributed ownership and tribe leadership.
If you met me while designing, I’ve probably told you that “I make people happy” — whether this is true or not, I believe with the right approach (or mindset) you can make someone happy to work with you and be part of something bigger. Grow alongside your peers and teams without losing yourself or having to check your ego.
Connecting design
While still in London, I’m focusing on bringing awareness into design teams by building bridges between business and development, utilising a combination of design thinking, dual-track agile and redistributed ownership as a method to unite these two together.
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/givetm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/givetm_
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Disclaimer:
Statements on this blog reflect the author’s personal opinions. They do not represent the views or policies of the author’s employer, past or present, or any other organisation with which the author is affiliated. They are also not to be viewed as general techniques or principles for a specific implementation, but rather for the purpose of general knowledge in the area of Design at Scale / Design Operations. The reader is strongly encouraged to do her/his research or comment for more specific details referring to the general advice.
