Design and branding expert Bryan Martin on fear, inspiration and the importance of being scrappy
Every year designers and developers gather in Greenville for an event called Grok. It’s a three-day conference sans the how-to sessions from industry leaders. A focus on relationships, conversation and inspiration creates a valuable and refreshing experience for young guns and veterans alike.
This year people were especially inspired by Bryan Martin. As the lead designer at Rice Bowls, he is responsible for anything and everything that visually represents the nonprofit. His most recent project is designing a fun, hunger-fighting video game for kids whose revenue will be used to feed real, malnourished children in other countries. His talk focused on the main lesson he has learned over the course of his career: You don’t have to be super to do work that matters and lasts.
1. Dive in and start with what you know.
The fear of attempting something completely new can be paralyzing. “If you’re scared, it might be a clue that you’re on to something. I was really scared at the beginning of the project, but I discovered that the way to overcome fear is to start with what you know. I’d never built a video game, which was daunting, but I knew I could draw, and that’s exactly where I started.”
2. Show, tell and listen.
“When I create things, I get self-conscious about other people seeing them, especially if they’re not complete in my mind. I’ve learned, though, that the best feedback you can get is showing a sketch or prototype to someone and listening to what they say. A lot of the time they point out great things you didn’t see, and that type of encouragement motivates you to keep pushing forward. “
3. Go ahead and make a mess.
“I used to surgically remove what I thought were bad drawings out of my sketchbook because I didn’t want them to reflect my work. That type of mindset doesn’t acknowledge that the process of making things is messy, though. I’ve learned to embrace the unrefined beginnings of an idea, and have found that keeping early drawings allows me to return to them to find nuggets of inspiration.”
4. Problems are inevitable and temporary.
“Turning my designs into a playable game presented problem after problem – we just couldn’t seem to get the prototype right. After dozens of versions, though, it started to come to life. I’ve learned that no matter what you’re working on, problems will show up. The good news is that they won’t last. The trick is to keep trying as you get closer to the light at the end of the tunnel.”
5. Surround yourself with great people.
“Sometimes people look at the work of a great designer and marvel at their talent level. In most cases there are a lot of other great people that have made significant contributions along the way. I’ve found that I rarely produce my best work as a lone wolf, and I’ve learned to seek out the people who will make my work better.”
6. Celebrate and savor checkpoints.
“Our fast-paced society is often focused on what’s next, not what’s happening. I think that mindset creeps into our work. We become obsessed with what we have to do next and don’t take any time to celebrate victories along the way. Lately I’ve been recording every good thing that happens as we work on this project, big and small. It’s been incredibly encouraging to pause and reflect on the good things that are happening.”
7. Take a chance to be scrappy.
“A lot of the time we want the best possible conditions to be in place before we start something, but that’s rarely the case in the real world. My encouragement to people is to go for things even if everything isn’t in place. For scrappy people, right now is always the best time to try.”
Eric Dodds is the co-founder of The Iron Yard, a startup accelerator which brings together entrepreneurs, investors, developers, artists, teachers and collaborative spaces.
