Oct 12, 2020
In this episode, I'm talking to Dava Guthmiller, founder and
Chief Creative Officer at Noise 13, a brand
strategy and design agency based in San Francisco. She's also
cofounder of In/Visible Talks, and annual
conference that celebrates the art of design and creativity, and
In/Visible Project, which includes a collection of other events
that bring people together over the process, inspiration, and
challenges for design and creative professionals.
Throughout the conversation, we touched on diversity in the worlds
of design and branding. I asked Dava what it was like to start
Noise 13 as a young, female designer, and how In/Visible Talks is
giving a platform to a racially diverse and heavily female-leaning
group of speakers.
Next, we got into the weeds a bit on how Dava built the In/Visible
Talks brand. She told me where the name came from and how the
visual identity for year one involved a trip to the dollar
store.
We rounded out the conversation, as we often do on the podcast,
with book recommendations and advice for young professionals in the
branding and design industry. Dava recommended The Empathy Edge by Maria
Ross (see Maria's post on How
Brands Are Built) and Marty Neumeier's Brand Flip. And she had several
pieces of advice for young designers, including encouragement to
try many different internships and jobs until you find the best
fit: "Take internships. Find a mentor. Try it on. Try a small
company. Try in-house. Try something big. This is your life. This
is your job. Find the right project team fit for you, so that your
life is not miserable."
To learn more about Dava, visit Noise
13 or In/Visible Talks. The annual
conference will be on Jan 14, 2021, and early bird tickets are on
sale now.