Product strategist helping brands like Urban Outfitters, Miu Miu, Loewe & Acne Studios shape what’s next. I read culture, spot shifts, and turn them into future products, stories & experiences. Ask me anything on trends, branding, or product vision 👀

Victoria Diaz

Hello babe!

The concept of being a designer is changing bids. A designer is a polycretive, a thought starter, a provocative challenger, a decision maker, a visionary whether that means building new educational systems or your own personal brand.

The concept of collabs brought more opportunities than ever before but also more strength is required from designers to adjust to the dynamism of being a public persona before being a designer. Self branding is today almost as important as your design skills. In terms of polycreativity I often use Joe Fresh Goods example- the guy designs from calendars to sweatshirts, from mugs to sneakers. Jumping from one collab after the other challenging himself and the status quo of being a designer is a . His about text is topnotch 👇🏽

Here a few ideas to spice up your freelancing career:

Think community: whenever designers search for collabs they often think of brands or studios but little approach communities. Digital or physical kinship are a great platforms of interaction for designers. Think of digital micro-communities where you can be seen or interact with other polycreatives while sharing tips, platforms, ideas and collective projects. One digital designer's kinship I discovered lately is 👉🏽Friends With Benefits👈🏽. FWB is a new kind of social network for designers and subcultures, like an ecosystem of symbiotic relationships, a decentralized creative studio, and a never-ending group chat. Most of all, it’s an evolving experiment. Check them out and see if it works for you at some level.

Share, make your ideas visible: ideas are in the air but you monetize your ideas when you share them. D2C (or direct-to-consumer) is an interesting way to monetize your ideas (or even dreams) instead of profiting from production. An example? 👉🏽 Andrew Doxtater 👈🏽 is an industrial designer who created a chair (among other stuff), but his genius is that you can get his designs for free. How? you can buy the chair from him or you can download the needed plans, template and a tutorial with step-by-step instructions from his site and build the chair by your self of you have the materials. Andrew has a "donation" button where users leave donations (it is free will). So, basically this democratization of design is providing him with financial stability without the headache of mass or niche production. In a way D-2C is one the greatest marketing strategies for freelance designers because while everybody is talking about you, your work and strategy, you get paid but you don't need to produce anything. 

Think digital: New forms of commerce will be at mass by 2025, with ethical quick commerce, gaming commerce and Web3 commerce emerging bring a huge opportunity for designers to explore digital clothing, character design, game narratives, digital cities or designing experiences. You can be a designer of the no-material things we own. Design for some reason is still very much attached to the material idea, but we also own "things" that aren't material so explore the digital, services and experiences also require skilled designers.

I hope these ideas somehow resonate with your journey in design. Please resend more questions if you need in depth answers 🐸

Love,

Victoria 

  

is changing bids. A designer is a polycretive, a thought starter, a provocative challenger, a decision maker, a visionary whether that means building new educational systems or your own personal brand.

 brought more opportunities than ever before but also more strength is required from designers to adjust to the dynamism of being a 

 before being a designer. Self branding is today almost as important as your design skills. In terms of polycreativity I often use Joe Fresh Goods example- the guy designs from calendars to sweatshirts, from mugs to sneakers. Jumping from one collab after the other challenging himself and the 

Here a few ideas to spice up your freelancing career:

 whenever designers search for collabs they often think of brands or studios but little approach communities. Digital or physical kinship are a great platforms of interaction for designers. Think of digital micro-communities where you can be seen or interact with other polycreatives while sharing tips, platforms, ideas and collective projects. One digital designer's kinship I discovered lately is 👉🏽

👈🏽. FWB is a new kind of social network for designers and subcultures, like an ecosystem of symbiotic relationships, a decentralized creative studio, and a never-ending group chat. Most of all, it’s an evolving experiment. Check them out and see if it works for you at some level.

 ideas are in the air but you monetize your ideas when you share them. D2C (or direct-to-consumer) is an interesting way to monetize your ideas (or even dreams) instead of profiting from production. An example? 👉🏽 

 👈🏽 is an industrial designer who created a chair (among other stuff), but his genius is that you can get his designs for free. How? you can buy the chair from him or you can download the needed plans, template and a tutorial with step-by-step instructions from his site and build the chair by your self of you have the materials. Andrew has a "donation" button where users leave donations (it is free will). So, basically this democratization of design is providing him with financial stability without the headache of mass or niche production. In a way D-2C is one the greatest marketing strategies for freelance designers because while everybody is talking about you, your work and strategy, you get paid but you don't need to produce anything. 

 New forms of commerce will be at mass by 2025, with ethical quick commerce, gaming commerce and Web3 commerce emerging bring a huge opportunity for designers to explore digital clothing, character design, game narratives, digital cities or designing experiences. You can be a designer of the no-material things we own. Design for some reason is still very much attached to the material idea, but we also own "things" that aren't material so explore the digital, services and experiences also require skilled designers.

I hope these ideas somehow resonate with your journey in design. Please resend more questions if you need in depth answers 🐸

Taking into account that design is such a hands on, live creation. 

If yes, what are the best platforms, ways or maybe agents to scout for jobs while living in Europe? 

Sorry, not trend based question, interested in your opinion on our industries direction 🥹🙏🏻

Victoria Diaz

A Designer Finding Herself In The Freelance World

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Victoria Diaz