(2020-02-20) How Creatives Win Friends Influence People And Break The Internet

Brianne Kimmel: How creatives win friends, influence people and break the internet. In addition to the traditional technical hacker culture, I’m excited to see a new class of hackers that use both art and science to create iconic experiences inside tech companies and online: designers.

The rise of design-driven companies

Apple and Airbnb

Airbnb, Everlane, Webflow, Zendesk

On a recent private tour of Airbnb, Brian Chesky shared some early lessons with Worklife portfolio companies including the importance of having a design leader report to the CEO.

Design is a core competency, not an afterthought

Founding members of Airbnb, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and infused design-thinking into every part of the company

They’re founding their own companies and joining startups in their earliest days. In doing so, they’re pulling influence from engineers in steering product and diverting clout from marketers in defining brand.

The side projects that win friends, influence people and break the internet

Side projects are an opportunity to showcase inventiveness because they avoid the trap of creativity under the gun.

Designers and creatives embrace side project culture too.

Side projects are better together. Having a group of peers to bounce ideas off of can help with everything from accountability to finding collaborative partners. Designers and creatives are creating their own Homebrew-eque collectives to share what they’re working on. Exclusive online memberships like Jacuzzi Club include creatives from companies like Airbnb, TikTok, and Poolside FM with discussions about creative projects or job opportunities.

In 12 months, teamLab’s Tokyo Museum has become the world’s most popular single-artist destination, surpassing the Van Gogh Museum.

This is just the beginning of design hacking in the public sphere. We’ll see more public art space and new uses for retail, such as Sandbox VR, where interactive experiences will replace physical stores that have moved online or been replaced by modern brands.