Unpacking Design: Recent Episodes
Mike LaValley / Tim Ung
Unpacking Design is a podcast that shares the perspectives, thoughts, and ideas of two architects from New York on topics ranging from technology, lifestyle, career, health, and news.
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-12
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How can we be more aware of the actions we make to create the life we want?
Everyone is searching for the right path to take in their lives. We each strive for the future that we’ve imagined for ourselves.
Often the future we dream of doesn’t align with what we truly want. Other times our daily actions don’t focus us on our vision.
In this episode, Tim discusses how to reverse engineer the steps to build our desired future. He unpacks the ways we can think of our lives like a book and how those steps we take can help us discover the future we’ve always dreamed of.
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Episode Mini Lessons:
- No one knows where they'll end up, only where they've been and the moment they're in
- Discover your life through the actions you take
- Every book has several peaks and valleys.
Learn more about Tim’s lesson to his younger self--If your life were a book, your actions would be your pen--in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-11
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How can empathy be your life’s superpower?
One of the most difficult skills to apply in our interactions with other people is to accept them and their situations. This becomes even more complicated when we try to do so in a way that’s true to ourselves.
Oftentimes, people will either say what the person wants to hear or will bluntly say what they’re thinking. However, this can drastically change the dynamic of the conversation from a discussion to an argument.
In this episode, Mike discusses the importance of putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes and how that single act can unlock a variety of opportunities for connection in our lives.
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Episode Mini Lessons:
- Everyone has their own problems to deal with.
- The way you react to someone will make you a leader, a follower, or a roadblock.
- Not everyone cares about the same things you do.
- Be the ‘Helpful’ one in your life
Learn more about Mike’s lesson to his younger self--Make empathy your superpower--in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-10
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Why is it important to ask a deep-diving question rather than one that provokes a binary “yes” or “no” response?
In America, the education system has become a machine of tedium. Students learn to answer direct questions with binary responses, and in turn, ask questions that lead to the same outcome.
However, in our careers, it’s difficult to learn and grow at a faster pace when all we do is ask questions as though we’re asking for permission to do something.
In this episode, Tim unpacks the importance of asking better questions to become a more self-sufficient and confident creative.
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Episode Mini Lessons:
- Avoid the binary way of working that we've been taught throughout our lives
- Learn to ask insightful questions
- Become an independent designer
Learn more about Tim’s lesson to his younger self--Never ask for permission. Ask for guidance.--in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-9
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If we were the hero of our own story, how would that shape the decisions we make and the life that we live?
We get to choose the skills that we develop, the ways that we spend our time, and the journeys that we take.
By becoming the hero of our own story, we gain the power to choose what paths to take and how to manipulate them for maximum effect.
In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss how our experiences provide lessons that we can influence the course of our lives.
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Episode Mini Lessons:
- The Hero's Journey can be your own, but you need to understand what it is first.
- Experiences will provide us with paths, adventures, and choices across the course of our lives.
- An adventure implies an end, but a hero's journey transforms from one phase to another.
- Age will make you wiser and more reflective.
- "The person I chase. It's me, in 10 years."
Learn more about Mike’s lesson to his younger self—Become the hero of your own story—in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-8
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How do we ensure that our financial well-being is maintained and growing alongside our lives and career?
There’s one important part of life that many designers are never taught—financial well-being.
If you were to ask a colleague or a friend for financial advice, you might receive wildly different responses from person to person. But, even so, no one’s plan will be right one for you. We each need to research and develop what your own plan should be.
In this episode, Tim breaks down why it’s important to learn about personal finance and how to get started.
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Episode Mini Lessons:
- Figure out where you currently stand with your personal finances
- Determine your values and live within them
- Learn how to invest and start as soon as possible
- Practice negotiating
Learn more about Tim’s lesson to his younger self--have a financial plan--in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-7
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How do we identify burnout and avoid experiencing it ourselves?
One of the fears that many designers share is reaching a point in their career where they completely burn out.
But the fear isn’t burning out, it’s the time it takes to recover from it. Some designers take months or years. Others will switch careers completely.
In this episode, Mike discusses the importance of understanding what burnout in the battle against it, how to overcome burnout, and how to prevent it from happening again to you in the future.
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Episode Mini-Lessons:
- No one starts at burnout.
- Burnout is treatable and can be overcome, but it isn't easy.
- Burnout targets well-meaning, high-performing creatives.
- Put on your oxygen mask first. Take care of yourself first so you can adequately take care of others.
- Burnout can happen again.
Learn more about Mike’s lesson to his younger self, burnout is real, in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-6
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How much time should go into planning a project before working on it?
Most people fall on either side of the planning and executing spectrum. They either have trouble taking action or start their projects without a plan.
Everyone has a sweet spot somewhere between both. When you find yours, creating content and developing projects becomes streamlined.
In this episode, Tim discusses the importance of maximizing our effectiveness as designers by embracing better habits, better balance, in planning and doing.
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Episode Mini Lessons:
- Find balance between planning and doing
- Determine what you personally need to plan and what you can pursue with less planning
- Just try new things without overthinking them
- Know the difference between developing a system versus a plan
Learn more about Tim’s lesson to his younger self--Plan less and do more-- in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-5
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Why is it important to know who you are and lean into it?
From the moment we begin to form memories, to the moment we retire, there are several lives we will have lived.
In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss the idea that we don’t owe the world anything including the need to prove ourselves. When something doesn’t resonate with you, be willing to say no to those opportunities.
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Episode Mini-Lessons
- There is no one in the world quite like you.
- You are not your work.
- The experiences and qualities you offer the world make it a better place.
- You don't owe the world anything and that includes proving yourself.
- Letting go is not giving up.
Learn more about Mike’s lesson to his younger self--Lean into who you are and let go of who you aren’t--in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on instagram with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-4
Everyone talks about the need to be authentic, but how do you find what makes you… you?
These days there’s an abundant amount of information that some people are developing and others are repeating.
In this episode, Tim discusses the importance of educating yourself to improve the quality of the conversations you start. The cycle of practicing, learning, applying, teaching, and repeating is critical for discovering our own voice and sharing thoughtful points in discussions with other people.
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Episode Mini-Lessons:
- Read, research, and educate yourself
- Determine your position and base it on the research
- Teach based on experience combined with what you learn through research
- Always continue to research, learn, and teach
- Never take your voice for granted
Learn more about Tim’s lesson to his younger self, Find Your Voice, in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-3
Why is it more important to focus on practice over the end product?
In a world where we are bombarded by media depicting only success, it can be difficult to motivate ourselves to keep going when we fail.
When we show up consistently, we may encounter a healthy mix of success and failure. Along the way, it’s important to find meaning in the grind (not the achievements) to keep us moving forward.
In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss consistency and how they found their pace with all of their side hustles. Everyone starts with multiple interests. We eventually find what resonates with us the most through the process.
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Episode Mini-Lessons:
- We all start somewhere, so show up today and do your best. Then show up tomorrow Fail, fail, and fail some more. Learn from failure.
- Apply your lessons and move forward to the next thing. and do it all again.
- Find meaning in the grind, not the achievement
- Consistency long term will help you more than sprinting. Show up and find your pace.
- Find yourself through the practice of a singular focus.
Learn more about Mike’s lesson to his younger self, Practice Matters More than the Result, in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-2
How do we learn to speak clearly so we can communicate our ideas efficiently and effectively?
One of the things most people are afraid to do is public speaking. Imagine being in front of a group of people waiting for you to tell them something that they didn’t know. We’re afraid because we haven’t practiced speaking enough to develop the confidence necessary to thrive.
In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss the importance of practicing speaking with other people in different situations. They talk about the importance of clearly articulating ideas and learning to acknowledge when something great has been said rather than restating it in your own words.
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Episode Mini-Lessons:
- How to get rid of filler words
- Find comfort in silence
- Practice speaking with other people in various situations
- Clear communication is one of the toughest skills to learn, but it’s the most valuable
- Everyone has something to say
Learn more about Tim’s lesson to his younger self--Speaking with clarity--in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
To get a copy of the show transcript, visit: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/2-1
Why is it important for us to pace ourselves through our lives and careers?
There are so many projects creative professionals want to pursue in their careers and personal lives. Those who chase long-term endeavors often face an impasse. They begin to juggle too much at once or they lose the motivation to do what once empowered them.
Trying to do all the things at once will lead to mediocrity or burnout. Neither situation is where you want to be.
In this episode, Mike shares his story about burning out in his own career when he was juggling a full-time job and multiple side hustles. He shares the importance of focusing on one important thing at a time to improve your results and your enjoyment of the process.
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Episode Mini Lessons:
- Trying to do all the things at once will lead to mediocrity or burnout. Neither is where you want to be.
- Learn to Embrace the Stillness. Live in the moment instead of pressuring the future to happen in the 'perfect' way.
- Life is long. There will be enough time to taste many different things deliberately.
- Treat your life in seasons.
- Create goals, but be open to serendipity.
- Take care of yourself to do more profound, meaningful, and better things.
Learn more about Mike’s lesson to his younger self--Pace yourself--in this episode of Unpacking Design.
This season is all about a single theme -- "Life Lessons to My Younger Self"
Starting July 15, 2021, we'll be releasing a new masterclass episode every two weeks, twelve episodes in total. Each episode, we'll dive deep into a lesson that Mike and Tim would teach their younger selves--6 for each.
The intent is to provide a comprehensive look at topics that we believe can help emerging professionals and creatives avoid the missteps we took years ago.
We hope you'll join us for the adventure.
A big announcement for the show!
First, the show will be taking a break for a few weeks. Ugh. I know.
Second, the reason the show is going on hiatus is to fine tune the future vision we have for the podcast moving forward.
After 150+ Episodes and over 3 years, we believe that the show is due for a change.
You are the best audience we could ask for and we hope you’ll stick around for the next leg of the Unpacking Design journey.
Listen in to this episode where you can get more details from Mike about what the heck is going on with the podcast.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/154
What book has influenced the way that you think about your approach to your life and finding clarity to the things that you do?
Mike introduces a new topic that Unpacking Design will start focusing on in 2021 – books. Mike and Tim will bring several books to the table and talk about how they’ve inspired their life, career, and projects. The first book in this series will be Start with Why by Simon Sinek.
Starting off the discussion, Mike shares his personal experience of how the book, Start with Why, helped him get through his period of burnout. He gives a summary of Simon Sinek and his book to give context to the conversation. He describes a specific example that Sinek gives in his book and Ted Talk about Apple and how they don’t sell a product, they sell an idea.
Tim shares his thoughts on Sinek’s Ted Talk and his book by talking about the ways that the companies that were discussed in his writing has influenced the way that Tim thinks about his approach to business and life. Mike shares why he pursues all of the endeavors in his life and the impact he wants to have in the design community and the world.
The transition the discussion to the self-development movement that followed Sinek’s book where a lot of other books focus on similar ideas, but aren’t as articulate as Sinek’s. They talk about the way that the book was written, the examples that were used, and the logical explanation of each chapter of the book.
Learn more about Start with Why by Simon Sinek and how it can influence your approach to life, career, and projects in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/152
How much meaning does winning an award have to you? Why do you feel that way about awards?
Mike starts the episode off with a story about the types of awards that exist in different industries and shifts to his personal views on awards. They used to be something that Mike would apply for to win an award and in some cases it was to build his portfolio and in others, it was related to ego. However, Mike now sees less value in awards and doesn’t focus his time on applying personally for them. Instead, he now looks for opportunities to nominate his friends and colleagues to receive the awards.
Tim talks about the issue of awards in recent times where most awards are driven by applications and fees. In order to be entered, one has to pay hundreds of dollars and out of all the applicants, only one person can win the award. Tim shares his personal thoughts on awards that he would pursue, which would be awards that have a legacy, recognition of work, and meaning behind it.
Mike dives into the idea of legacy and how the people who receive long-standing annual awards that are based on a nomination process only, are awards that stand out against all others. One example is the Pritzker prize award that one architect receives every year for outstanding work and thoughtfulness beyond the trends of the time.
Tim transitions the discussion to talking about the idea of race and gender in the awards and recognition process. He dives into the issue of awards in the design professions where there has historically been a lack of diversity and how minorities have won the least amount of awards. Mike and Tim discuss this idea and talk about the need for more opportunities for everyone to be on an equal playing field to be nominated to receive an award.
Learn more about how Mike and Tim view awards and how meaningful they are in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/151
Have you ever thought about selling digital products online in a place like Etsy? What kinds of people and designers are on there and what are the differences in the types of products that they sell?
Tim starts this episode off by framing the discussion around the different levels of designers who are selling digital products in an online marketplace like Etsy. He talks about the general population who are amateurs and self taught as a designer because they got into it as a hobby and eventually turned it into a business. Then, there are young designers who have a lot of energy and some ignorance of the things that they haven’t yet experienced or learned yet.
Mike and Tim talk about the interesting idea that a majority of the general population who come up with digital products to sell typically make more sales than designers. Mike talks about the idea that the general population typically designs to solve immediate problems that they’ve encountered or see and are closer to their target audience. Designers are generally bad at business and not good at marketing themselves.
Tim shares his thoughts that most of the general population will generally discover a cool idea that they’re excited to create and start the process of making that product. Whereas, designers are typically facing their fears of putting their work out into the world and selling it to others. There’s a fear that there’ll be bad feedback or criticism when the product enters the market place.
Mike talks about his experience putting out a digital course for people to purchase and learn from. He planned ahead and didn’t feel like he was afraid of putting out the course and selling it because he put so much effort into creating the product and felt like an expert in the content that the course covered.
Tim transitions to talking about the 3rd level of designers who sell digital products, which are at an intermediate level and above. Most designers who have experience as designers have developed confidence in their abilities to produce great content. He talks about the differences in quality of products between the different levels of designers, the price points that they decide to sell their products, and the financial upsides for designers who sell digital products.
Mike talks about the focus of the different levels of designers who are selling digital products and how it drives the quality and the cost of their product. People who focus on the idea of making money from their products typically design lower quality products and look at selling the most products. Whereas, designers who have more experience in their craft will put more effort into creating their products, which results in better quality, but not always more sales.
Mike and Tim end the episode with advice for people who are interested in developing and selling digital products. Don’t miss out on what Mike and Tim had to say in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/141
How do we identify a toxic work environment and what are some examples of them? How do we get out of a toxic work environment and/or help someone else who might be in one?
Mike and Tim discuss what they think creates a toxic work environment and what often creates them. They talk about how middle management can often create toxic work places because they set impossible standards for people to attain. The same can be said about leaders of organizations where they aren’t natural born leaders nor trained as one and set rules and standards that undermine others. Later in the discussion, Mike shares another toxic work environment scenario where an individual isn’t growing anymore and is stagnating at a firm. This is one of the most common toxic work environment scenarios.
Mike and Tim discuss these ideas and Tim shares his thoughts on designers not achieving personal growth due to stagnation of role at a firm. He also shares his views on people put into leadership positions who often create a toxic work environment through unrealistic expectations that they set onto younger designers. Mike and Tim talk about the idea of the rite of passage at design firms being long work hours for little pay and for the older designers to be able to control the younger designers.
Learn more about how Mike and Tim identify toxic work environments and their thoughts on getting out of one in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/138
One of the things many designers have been trained to believe is to work through design problems on their own and to only share their completed work. So, why should a designer look for and/or create a peer design group where they could have conversations with others in a similar space about their successes and struggles?
Tim starts the discussion off by introducing a new group that he put together for YouTube content creators where they talk about the success and struggles that they’ve been experiencing with their channels. It’s an accountability group where everyone can learn from each other through recent experiences that they’ve encountered.
Mike and Tim get into a discussion where Tim shared an example of a topic that came up through the first group meeting that Tim hosted where he offered suggestions to specific members about their channels to help them get unstuck and to figure out a clear path for their content. He also talks about how he found people who were interested in joining the group through Facebook groups. Mike shares his perspective on finding the right type of people for a group that focuses on open constructive criticism.
Tim goes deeper into the ways that he found the right people to assemble for the peer design group and the important factors that he considered. He also shared his thoughts on not inviting people who would not be a good fit for the group and explains how he determines who wouldn’t work with the group.
Learn more about the benefits of starting a peer design group and how it could help you grow your career and brand in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/132
How do you stay consistent in all of your pursuits, especially the ones that are long term like building a brand or a business? What are some things that can help you stay focused and maintain consistency?
Mike talks about how he’s staying consistent with all of his projects that he’s working on like his weekly live streaming sessions. He works with a schedule so that he can maintain his consistency with all of his projects. Mike and Tim discuss the value of having a schedule for all of their endeavors because they begin to develop something akin to muscle memory. When they show up in their space, they’re able to jump in and just start working. They also maintain balance in their lives by allowing variations in their schedule and sharing it with their audience. Mike shares his schedule every week with his followers and Tim has a schedule of posting one video every week on his YouTube channel.
Mike and Tim talk about making sure that they are showing up and performing at the best of their abilities. Since their platforms are based on an audience, it’s important that they maintain their consistency because their audience start to inherently know that they’ll be releasing their content on those specific days.
They also discussed the idea of how consistency differs from person to person and content to content. Tim posts a video on YouTube and sends an email newsletter every Friday, which gives him time to develop the content during the week. Mike’s live streams every week requires him to log on at those specific times. Everyone’s content is different, but it’s important to understand how much you could personally develop at a comfortable rate so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Mike and Tim recommend starting with a focus on developing content that you’re most passionate about instead of setting quantifiable goals. Eventually, you’ll find the content that’s authentic to you.
Learn more about Mike and Tim’s perspective on consistency and how to maintain it with all of your projects in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to make sure you stay up to date on each new show!
Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/128
Should you go back to design school during the pandemic? What are the benefits of going back to school during this time?
During this time of the global pandemic and economic stress, Mike was asked a question during his livestream about whether it was a good time to return to design school or not. Tim believes that it’s a tough time to go back to design school right now where everything is happening online because there’s an energy that comes from being in the same space as other students working towards common goals that gets lost through online communication.
There’s also important socializing that happens between your peers and you when you’re in person that might be related to design or just anything in general. The socializing helps students develop a closer kinship and bond with each other that also leads to building a bigger network.
Mike and Tim believes that now is not the time to go back to school for architecture or similar design professions where the studio culture is important for personal growth and building networks of peers and professors. Instead, they recommend taking the year to either get a job in a design office and work remotely, design projects that you’re interested in learning more about, build your portfolio, or use the year for personal career related growth. If your profession requires having a degree to get licensed, then it might be worth continuing your education.
Learn more about what Mike and Tim think about going back to design school during this time of the global pandemic and economic distress in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
Please consider leaving an honest rating and review on iTunes and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. They help us get the show in front of more awesome listeners like you!
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/119
At some point in every designer’s career, they face a moment where they feel like there’s so much left to do for a project, but the deadline is quickly approaching. What often leads to these time crunch moments and how can we avoid them?
In this episode, Mike talks about his latest experiences deadline with time crunch for an architecture project he’s working on and the way that it consumes his time, energy, and mental capacity after the general work hours at the office. He shares his opinions on how these moments can be positive because it creates an energy around the group to achieve a goal in a set amount of time.
Tim shares his experiences working on projects and rushing to meet a deadline, but talks about the reasons why these situations came up. He mentions the fact that the members of a team, especially the ones who are managing them, are the reasons why these time crunches occur. Maybe it’s that the project was poorly planned on the scheduling side or perhaps team members didn’t uphold their responsibilities. Overall, having a team that work very well together can often resolve any issues that will help them avoid time crunches.
Learn more about the positive aspects of time crunches as well as common causes and how to avoid them in this episode.
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To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/104
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic spreading throughout the world, businesses are feeling its effects on the economy. The stock market is beginning to show signs of an incoming recession with drastic drops. What impact does a potential recession have on the design professions and how can we stay employed?
In this episode, Mike talks about how COVID-19 and its effects on the economy reminds him of the market and employment in 2009. He talks about the importance of determining one’s current financial and career situations and setting up a plan for continued employment by becoming indispensable. Tim talks about the shift to a remote workforce where everyone is now being urged to work from home to mitigate the spread of the virus. They also speculate on how designers can be innovative and use their skills to find and share their voice through self-motivated projects.
Learn more about the effects of a potential recession on the design professions in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/99
How do you keep a team of designers motivated throughout an entire project? What are effective ways of giving all members of a design team ownership of a project? In this episode of Unpacking Design, Mike and Tim talk about how they manage their teams and what they find to be the most helpful and productive ways of working together.
Tim talks about giving all team members the opportunity to attend meetings, whether it’s in person or through conference calling, and meeting all clients. This helps everyone feel personally connected with the people that they’re working with outside of the office and it also helps them develop a sense of ownership of the project. They feel connected with the design decisions that they make and they also start to understand the owner’s needs.
Mike talks about his management style and experiences with individuals who are not as motivated as others in the project. Mike and Tim speculate about the different methods to try that will hopefully make the less motivated people contribute more to the team and project.
Learn more about what it’s like to manage teams of young architects, effective methods, and issues that every manager faces in this episode of Unpacking Design.
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/92
Have you ever had trouble getting yourself to start a project that you really wanted to pursue? Or spending a lot of time on a project, but never finishing it? These are issues that many designers face for many reasons including lack of planning, time management, fear, doubts, and others.
In this episode, Mike shares a book that he recently purchased and read called Start Finishing by Charlie Gilkey where the author shares insights on time management, blocking out time based on personal preferences for productive hours of the day, and consistency among others. This book has been an inspiration for Mike to brainstorm his lifelong goals and begin pursuing them through the projects he works on today and in the near future.
Mike and Tim discuss the importance of planning ahead for every project and creating a schedule with a clear end date. They talk about the importance of having no more than a set number of projects to work on simultaneously, which includes personal endeavors like fitness routines and hobbies.
Learn more about Charlie Gilkey’s book, Start Finishing, and how it can help you develop a process for starting and completing projects in this episode of Unpacking Design!—
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/87
In order to get better at our pursuits in our lives, we need to know what our current strengths and weaknesses are so that we can embrace the things that work and change the ones that are holding us back. What does it look like when two close friends criticize each other and point out one another’s strengths and weaknesses? How can this help designers grow?
Mike starts this episode off by identifying his weakness of having too many ideas and not being able to distill it into simple and short explanations. Tim talks about his issue with wanting to control the outcome and appearance of his personal pursuits so much that he spends a lot of time learning other things like how to code instead of finding help.
They switch the discussion where Mike talks about his strength of staying level headed and neutral during stressful times as well as being organized and planning ahead. Tim talks about his strength of not being afraid to pursue his ideas and having a curious mind.
Learn more about Mike and Tim’s strengths and weaknesses as well as what they’re working on improving in this episode of Unpacking Design!—
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/75
Every year, there are more people entering college with an increase in the number of people pursuing design related fields. Every designer who is now in the profession has had retrospective moments where we all know there are things we would do differently if we had a chance to go back in time. What are some words of advice for students pursuing design in college?
In this episode, Mike and Tim reflect on the things that they wish they knew and focused on back in architecture school. From things that are simple in thought, but hard to practice like pacing yourself, they share personal experiences with their advice. They also talk about the impact of the evolution of technology on the newer generations of people entering college and how students could leverage apps like Scholly to find scholarship opportunities to pay for college. Tim shares his experience as an introvert who avoided socializing in his freshman and sophomore years to finally opening up and enjoying his time learning with his peers.
Check out the advice that Mike and Tim have for students pursuing design in college and let them know what advice you have by messaging them on social media!
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/72
All designers have ideas for speculative projects that they believe will influence the world in some way. From architectural proposals of new typologies that resolve a humane issue to graphic designs that will become the next iconic image of today’s world and the last bottle that is designed from cradle to cradle, designers always have innovative ideas in their minds. How can designers pursue these ideas and share them with the world?
In this episode, Mike asks Tim about his process of coming up with his speculative projects for his blog, Journey of an Architect. Tim shares the different ways that his projects have developed and the different ways that he finds inspiration for each one. Mike talks about his interest to start pursuing speculative projects of his own and sharing his process on his blog, Evolving Architect. They get into a larger discussion about how designing personal speculative projects can help a designer’s career.
Learn about the process of coming up with speculative design projects in this episode.
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/71
One of the habits of all designers is the pursuit of free work for family, friends, competitions, and so on. We all have the tendency to want to solve any design problem that comes our way with very little thought to the value of the propositions we deliver. The best example are design competitions where designers actually pay a fee to submit their design proposal in hopes of winning money and/or commission. When should designers be pursuing free work and when should they turn it down?
In this episode, Mike and Tim talk about what it means to pursue free work and how often they see it occur in the design professions. They get into a larger discussion about when they would consider pursuing free work through the value of other exchanges. This includes potential marketing opportunities where the design proposal is shown to a larger audience and credited to the designer. In reality, no design work should ever be free. There should always be an associated value from the other party who is receiving the design project.
Learn more about what it means to pursue free work as a designer and how you can leverage it to create opportunities for marketing and prospective clients.
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/63
There’s no question about the benefits of living a healthy life and its positive impacts on a designer’s ability to focus and be creative. From food to exercise and amount of sleep, Mike and Tim talk about their personal habits that have contributed to their success so far in their careers and personal endeavors.
In this episode, Mike and Tim start their conversation around the types of food in their diet that have contributed to their overall health and well-being. They move onto a discussion about the benefits they’ve found from adding exercise to their daily routines. From Mike’s weight lifting and general exercising at the gym to Tim’s daily running, both of them find exercise to be a crucial part of clearing their minds and staying focused. They end their talk on the topic of sleep.
Learn more about how Mike and Tim’s healthy habits have led to a happier and more fulfilling life as designers in this episode.
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/62
What happens from the time a designer gets up in the morning to the time they go to sleep on an average day?
In this episode, Mike and Tim share what a typical day in their lives as architects is like. From the moment that they get up in the morning to the time that they fall asleep at night, both of their lives are similar. Without getting into too much detail, the differences in their lives start after they leave their architecture firm in the evening. From going to the gym for a daily workout to going for a run, Mike and Tim’s lives after 5PM are focused on their personal endeavors.
Learn more about what a typical day in the lives of Mike and Tim is like in this episode.
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/59
When we think about the work being created at design firms, there’s often a dilemma of ownership that employees face. Who owns the work that’s being produced? The obvious answer is that the design firm owns everything being produced at the office. Can employees also claim ownership if they were an integral part to specific projects?
In this episode, Mike focuses the discussion around the idea of design ownership and whether employees who decide to move on and either start a practice of their own or seek employment elsewhere are able to claim any level of ownership. Mike and Tim argue that if a designer had a very minor role on a project, they shouldn’t be able to say that they were part of the project. However, anyone who had a critical role in the project should be able to share the work with mention to the firm and team.
Learn more about design ownership and how everyone who is part of a project and the unwritten rules to how it can be used in this episode.
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/51
When designers enter their profession and start working at a firm, there are some who find themselves with consistent upward movement to higher level roles and others who feel stuck in their position. Many designers who feel stuck are faced with two common options: Do you stay and keep trying to grow? Or leave and enter a different firm?
In this episode Mike and Tim share personal stories and strategies that they’ve taken to move to higher level positions within their firms. Mike suggests designers always focus on the next steps in their careers. Are there opportunities to get a professional license in one’s field? Or are there certifications that one can obtain? He also shares his perspective from entering the workforce during the recession in 2008/2009.
Tim talks about the passive personalities of a majority of designers and how this passiveness can lead to less career growth. He believes annual meetings with the managing partner to discuss growth within the firm and share one’s visions for the future opens opportunities for career growth. Being open and able to ask for more opportunities while showing that one is able to take on the additional responsibilities will help one gain consistent growth in one’s career.
Mike and Tim share a lot more information about how designers can grow within their careers in this episode!
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/47
What does it mean to stay focused in our lives and what does it look like? In the 21st century, we’re constantly being bombarded by information, tasks to complete, and simultaneously working between multiple projects. What if we distilled 10 of our highest priority projects down to only 1 and spent all of our time completing it? How does time and experience allow us to focus on multiple projects at the same time?
Mike and Tim talk about how designers are always coming up with new ideas for projects that they pursue and oftentimes, we’re blindsided by these potential projects. Mike talks about the importance of building habits and the discipline that help us stay focused on the projects that we’re working on. Although it might be hard, we need to be able to let ideas go so that we can focus on the one at hand.
Mike talks about how reinforcing positive habits and removing negative ones has helped build his focus on completing his projects. Mike shares a story about removing his gaming console from his home office to his living room and organizing his office to feel like a place conducive to working. Tim shares a story about realizing how much coffee and espresso he used to drink, the time he wasted standing in lines, and how he decided one day to stop drinking it altogether.
Their discussion ends on the idea of practicing and building our skills by focusing all our attention on one project. Eventually, we’ll be at a point where we build the habits that allow us to focus on two projects, then three, and so on. Those habits help us save time by repeating similar motions or resolving common design issues in less time. They use an analogy of a beginner cooking with multiple pots on a stove top versus a skilled chef preparing the same meals. One has enough experience to be able to juggle multiple pots on a stove as opposed to the other who doesn’t inherently know the various issues that will arise and require attention.
Learn more about how Mike and Tim have built positive habits to stay focused in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/46
As a predominantly service based profession, our businesses and livelihoods rely on designing for clients who in turn pay us. What makes a client one that is ideal for our design firm? What can we implement at our firm to improve our client base and dispel their assumptions about our design process?
For Mike, it’s all about finding a client who is able to make decisions, has the finances for their project, and has clear lines of communication. In Tim’s opinion, the ideal client allows him to have design freedom and doesn’t take on the role of being a designer. An ideal client is one who trusts the design decisions that we make for their project.
As Mike and Tim get into a deeper discussion about their ideal clients, they talk about the importance of having one decision maker; especially clients with larger teams and chains of command. They talk about how open and clear communication can benefit all projects where the decision makers relay final decisions directly with the design team’s leader to avoid misinterpretation.
After their long discussion about ideal clients, Mike and Tim talk about a dilemma that all designers eventually face with their clients which is a misunderstanding of what it takes to design a project. Whether it’s a client’s assumption of the time it takes a designer to design a project using today’s technology. They end on an idea that perhaps designers and firms should provide an informational page that’s simple and full of graphics showing their process of designing a project from client meeting to design and completion.
Learn more about Mike and Tim’s idea of an ideal client for designers and firms in this episode.
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/39
What does it mean to be authentic with the designs that we develop, products that we create, and lives on social media? How do we maintain ownership of the creative ideas that we share with the world? Today, more entrepreneurs are creating, marketing, and selling products online and oftentimes, larger corporations copy successful ones and sell it in their stores.
In this episode, Tim talks about an episode on a podcast called Clever where the hosts Amy and Jaime talk about originality in the age of social media. This episode of Clever focused on a designer named Madline Weinrib who designed textiles that were copied and stolen by other companies.
Mike and Tim get into a discussion about the differences between copying and emulating the ideas from people that we see on social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. They talk about how people should be getting inspired by the content that they see on social media, but never directly copying and calling a design or product their own.
Learn more about what it means to be authentic as a designer in a world where ideas are overflowing on all social media platforms in this episode.
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/38
In this episode, Mike briefly talks about Tim Ferriss’ book, Tribe of Mentors, and asks Tim 10 questions that Ferriss asks all of his guests in his book. From books to one message on a bill board and advice for a young person entering the “real world”.
Mike and Tim dive deeper into a quote that Tim lives his life by, “If today were your last, how would you live it?”. With this quote in mind, Tim fills his days with the things that he wants to do without the influence of others. He also leaves behind the things that he finds least important to his life. Mike lives his life by a similar quote, “You will die”, and carries it around with him on an engraved coin every day.
Learn more about Tim through his answers to these 10 questions from Mike and discover why and how these quotes impact their lives in this episode.
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/32
Never focus on designing projects solely to please others. Tim says that creative projects should be developed through the design process and ideas should come from within the designer. By focusing and applying what we know and believe in, our projects will reflect ideas that are true to us and solve the larger issues that are encountered through the process.
Mike discusses the choices that designers have to make in every project and emphasizes that these choices are driven by the best solution to the problems that we’re given and encounter along the way.
Until we, as designers, are able to overcome our self-doubt, we’ll continually encounter moments where our doubts make us give up our pursuit of potential projects, design ideas, and innovative solutions to the issues we encounter. How can you get over your self-doubt?
Find out how Mike and Tim overcome their moments of self-doubt and stay focused on their design projects in this episode.
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/30
One of the most important strategies for growing and getting the most out of our careers is to find mentors who can guide us through their personal experiences of the events we’re about to encounter in our lives and careers. On the opposite end, being a mentor for others allows us to look at our lives in retrospect as we help others find the right paths to take in their lives.
Oftentimes, we get caught up in the minutiae of the things that are less important in our lives and careers that eventually leads us to feeling stuck. We begin to ask ourselves questions like, “How do I get my first job out of school?”, “How can I become a manager?”, “Should I start focusing on growing my family?”, “How do I start my own firm?”.
It’s at these moments of our lives when we really need to lean on someone else who has more experience than we do in those specific areas of the profession. The benefit of having multiple mentors is that we can ask them specific questions that they can relate to and share their insights.
Join us as we share our thoughts on the importance of mentorship and how you can get involved in their design community!
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To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/29
One of the hardest things in life for anyone to overcome is burnout and this is one of the most common struggles for creative professionals. What does it feel like to burnout?
Mike shares his personal journey of burning out from overworking himself over his decade long pursuit of the idea of “more” in his career. In 2015, Mike started a blog called Evolving Architect where he shared very high quality blog posts, weekly newsletter, an online course, and more. He was also simultaneously juggling his full time job as an architect, relationships with family, friends, and his wife, and trying to manage his health.
One day, it all came crashing down. Mike internally crashed and needed to take a full year to rediscover his passion, reignite his relationships, and focus on his physical health. Even after a year, he still thinks about the journey that he went through to find balance and harmony in his life.
Tim had a close encounter with burning out early on in his academic career, but fortunately, found his passion for the profession and made it through. How does Tim stay focused on his passions and avoid burnout? By learning and practicing balance in his life.
Join us as we share our stories about burnouts as creative professionals and our ideas for avoiding burnout in your life!
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
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Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/26
How does sleep help designers work efficiently, get new ideas, and stay focused? In this episode, Mike and Tim talk about the struggle with getting enough sleep that nearly every designer faces during their time at a university and onward.
There’s a feeling of camaraderie and pride that comes with staying up late into the night. Perhaps its driven by the culture that has permeated our society where people who sleep less are seen as successful hard working individuals who put their hustle ahead of everything else. However, the accumulation of sleep debt is one that has been proven to slow down one’s ability to make decisions, reduction in overall awareness, and more.
Our minds need to have a break in order to process everything that has occurred throughout the day and to move onwards to new ideas. Learn more about the struggles that Mike and Tim faced with sleep during their time in architecture school and how important sleep is in their lives today,
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Thank you for listening to Unpacking Design!
To share your thoughts and make suggestions, keep the conversation going on twitter with Mike (@archivalley) and Tim (@tim_ung)
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Shownotes: http://www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/22
How can designers come together and address the pay gaps within all design professions? What are some of the implicit biases that we have about white males, women, people of color, and others? In this episode, Tim and Mike talk about the uncomfortable topic of pay gaps within the design profession based on a YouTube video by Glamour Magazine entitled “Confronting the Pay Gap: Two Graphic Designers Compare Salaries”.
Whether we’re aware of the struggles that minorities and women face in the design professions or not, statistics show that people who fall into these groups generally earn less than white males. However, having a diverse design team often leads to unique design solutions through the various experiences that people of different cultures and backgrounds offer.
As an individual, how can female and minority designers begin to close the pay gap at their firms? By knowing their value to the firm and developing the confidence to negotiate for equal pay. This means that it’s important to know the average pay for specific skillsets and roles and learning how to leverage oneself at a negotiation meeting.
What are some ways that we can work towards equal pay and rights at design firms? How can we ensure that the population of minorities and women continue to grow in our design fields? Hear Tim and Mike’s thoughts on the topic of women and minority pay gaps in the design profession and how they think we can start to address these issues in our fields. Let’s keep this conversation going at our Facebook page linked below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ1KDzrVUWg – Graphic Designers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQC2ZSILFKw - Executives
https://www.facebook.com/unpackingdesign/
Shownotes: http://www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/20
In this episode, Mike and Tim talk about what being a designer means to us and how it influences our lives. They talk about how being a designer affect the way that we look at the world through a creative lens.
To develop one’s identity as a designer, one needs to have confidence in their design process and style and be able to explain one’s ideas to others in an understandable way. Having confidence allows one to work through design ideas without hesitation and doubt.
In this discussion, Mike and Tim focus on what it means to develop a personal style as a designer and how it can influence a designer’s work and career. As they dive deeper into the idea of developing a personal style, Mike and Tim talk about how designers find their style through the process of design that they develop over time.
How can we find our process and styles of design? Hear what Mike and Tim are doing to find their style in this episode and let us know how you found your personal style of design.
Shownotes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/13
In this episode, we talk about what it means to fail as a designer working on a project and in general. We discuss the mindset of people who focus on failure versus the ones who think about design as taking steps to achieve a goal. Within those steps, we’re bound to make mistakes that we learn and grow from.
We go over our views on what failure means to designers and ways that we’ve found to be helpful for overcoming our fear of failure. Mike shares some of his personal stories of what might be perceived to be a failure and how he saw those moments as opportunities to grow. Tim shares some of his current struggles with the fear of failure and how he focuses on his reasons for pursuing his passions instead of all the things that could possibly go wrong.
As we get further along in our conversation, Mike and Tim share their views on failure as being a choice of personal perspective that could cripple designers. By simply changing the way we think about what we’re working on so that it’s fun and enjoyable, we can get ourselves out of the paralyzing effects of being afraid to fail.
Show Notes: www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/10/
In this episode, we talk about the influence of Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, Crush It!, which has influenced both Mike and Tim’s careers and lives. We talk about what it means to hustle, caring about what we’re putting out into the world, and pursuing our dreams.
Mike and Tim discuss the motivational ideas that come from Gary Vaynerchuk’s book and his online presence through social media, podcast, other books, and daily vlog. We also dive deeper into what passion and motivation means to us and how we push through the times when we feel stuck in our projects. Throughout our discussion, we refer back to two of the most important points in Crush It! which is to be honest and care.
Towards the end of our discussion, Mike talks about how Crush It! influenced him to start his blog, Evolving Architect, and all of the content that he’s sharing with his audience.
Welcome to the Unpacking Design Podcast! We're your hosts, Mike LaValley and Tim Ung and we're excited to share products and ideas from our perspective as designers and architects with you.
In this introductory episode, we talk about the reasons why we decided to start Unpacking Design, the differences in our personalities, and what we hope you get out of our podcast. We hope to share new technologies, trends, news, and ideas as they relate to designers that you might already be using, heard about, or are interested in exploring.
At the end of every episode, we'll provide links to anything that we discussed in our show notes. We hope you enjoy the Unpacking Design Podcast!
Show Notes:
www.unpackingdesign.com/podcast/00