So, I’m back to work. I should be sad, but actually it’s been good to put some trousers on in the morning and have a purpose again. In 2 months I’ve learned so much, quite possibly due to it being the first time in a long time that my boss is a Creative Director – something I didn’t expect in a corporate environment. Even churn jobs are now a challenge and me and my fellow designer in our Scrum actually feel like we are changing the way design is appreciated around the business. More credit to him though, his whiteboard skills are sick – so i’ve bought two for my bedroom office and have started watching a lot of Rolf Harris tapes to play catchup.

The good thing about corporate work is the work/life balance is always great, but often lacks inspiration and creativity. So far this new gig has had both so while the going is good I’m wanting an outlet for my motivation. Recently i’ve been looking to get involved with a Startup to use as a wall to throw some paint at, and take it from finding out who wants to use it, why they want to use it, and making them feel good about using it.

Web Designer’s are now known as User Experience designers, which basically means whoever is hiring want’s a Web Designer who doesn’t just jump straight into Photoshop when he’s given a brief. They want him to get inside the User’s skin, pre-lotioned, and be all empathic when making design decisions. This makes a lot of sense having seen it work in user testing scenarios, and actually makes the Photoshop/colouring in part even easier and more fun, giving more time for interaction and awesomeness. Hello Empathy Map, Pains & Gains, and a lot of brain flexing (it hurts).

Now I have a Startup. An Excellent idea which i’m fully invested in (or hope to be, it’s not mine!) and has some serious legs. I want to own the design of the product and take the project through from start to finish. Between reading books and quizzing some of the Awesome people at my current job i’ve started to map out some sort of scope, and it’s huge. As Daunting as it is just seeing how to even start has helped, but I know this is only the beginning. Already my bedroom wall is looking like something Russell Crowe would do – and with whiteboards and pin boards going up it’s only going to get more insane, I can’t wait!