Other Options
There weren't many models. When I shifted my career toward the intersection of Do-Gooding and Design in the late 1990s, few precedents for the kind of enterprise I imagined existed. Henry Dreyfuss and Ray and Charles Eames, prominent 20th century designers who worked on a broad range of projects, although many focused on product styling and design, were initial inspirations. I envisioned creating a studio where different types of meaningful challenges were received and compelling, creative solutions output through a rigorous process involving research, analysis, ideation, and implementation. This model has failed but not without a good run. For many years, my Foresight colleagues and I worked on undertakings involving food, water, energy, climate change, and land conservation, among others. Such a broad-based and, in my mind at least, compelling studio runs counter to an increasingly specialty-seeking market. Addressing sustainability issues eschews the celebrity designer whose name, charisma, and high visibility output would attract clients. Social impact requires a more in-the-trenches and deeply collective approach. Collaborative chamber musicians, not solo rock stars. Having decades of diverse experiences doesn't make Foresight a shoo-in for any projects. Unlike many of my predominantly grant-funded peers, who are taking their own hits recently, Foresight has always had to track and respond to a more evolving market. My business partner and I are developing a renewed direction, more focused than before, that I’m enthused about. However, acknowledging and letting go of my dated mental model, and the kind of practitioner I imagined becoming, is a prerequisite. Iterate again, and again, and again, to not just survive but to excel. Innovate or die.
