The intersection of passions is at the center of this talk with designer Greyson. She discusses her journey to learn skills enough to shift from graphic design to product design. After finding employment and working in that field in the bay area for a while she's now pushing herself again. Striking out on her own, she’s established a freelance collective full of designers with varied skill sets called Wild and Grey.
Greyson’s work in photography, and specifically portraiture, is a reflection of her passion for people-centered design. Considering her audience as individuals, rather than as generic users, enables Greyson to have deeper connection to the things she’s making. One of the keys to this is cognitive empathy, which relies on understanding, rather than absorbing, someone else’s experience.
Greyson discusses her journey and the importance, and challenges, of both finding and facilitating mentorship. Whether looking to gain a new skill, navigating freelance life, or feeling comfortable speaking at conferences, Greyson’s philosophy is: say yes, grab any opportunity you have to learn, and, ultimately, just make shit.

“Just make sh*t.”

On this episode we discuss :

Diversity on design teams
Designing for real life
Importance of mentorship
Human-centered design
Advantages and challenges of freelance work
Role of empathy and psychology in design
Responses to criticism and building relationships with clients

You can see more of Greyson’s work, and learn about her freelance collective at her website: www.greysonmacalpine.com
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