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If you would like to get involved with our activities in the Randstad UX Network? Schedule an introduction to take the first step. Do you want to talk, present or faciliate a workshop at a network event? Do you want to host or sponsor a network event? Maybe you would like to collaborate and unite for maximum impact? Let's talk UX buzzness!

Everyone is familiar with the Double Diamond in Design, but what's up with the Clubs, Hearts and Spades on this platform? The mission and vision of the Design in Focus Platform is to discover and demonstrate the value and impact of Creativity, Innovation and Design (CID) in business and society. While a diamond may seem relevant due to the link to the process, the reasoning behind the card deck symbols may have you wondering. Wonder no more as we're about to share the big idea. First let's look at the keywords of our mission and vision. Value & Impact and Business & Society. How could we measure the success of demonstrating value and impact, and how do we distinguish business and society? Most of society depends on business and most of business depends on society. The value of what we find impactful and the impact of what we value is equally nuanced because there are different economical and societal associations derived from societies dependence on business and business's dependence on society. We could have simplified it and just to just focus on tangible business numbers, but not all designers speak business and not all business speaks to CID professionals. How could we expect CID professionals to support the mission and vision? From starving artists such as Van Gogh, conned inventors such as Nicolas Tesla, and all the losses of clever designers such as Hedy Lamarr. Due to the demand on design and innovation to be effective problem solving agents, often there is a huge call for creativity, and creativity many argue, is the soul or spirit of all of what we as mankind experience and come to call reality. It is the link to this creativity which distinguishes great design and innovation from poor design and innovation. Often business is purely interested in figures and numbers, which does not always speak the same language as CID. So how to combine them all into a singular cohesive voice. We first, we need to find the relevant entry points and from there arrange them into cohesion through information processing. The link between value & impact and business & society from which nothing else can be subtracted is experience, and a persona we could form experience relevant for this platform is professional. Thus we arrived at professional experience at the base. Now we needed direction. To go in any direction we had to chart a map. A compass comprises of four cardinal points, North, East, South, West. Although the mission and vision relies on real world experiences, our compass needed more to be effective relating to the world of the professional and so the directions had to gain personalities of their own, that way they could realistically embody the viewpoint behind the direction. With the world as full of individuals as it is, how many viewpoints exist? A lot, so, we kept the goal of funneling the input into four directions. Now we needed to find recognisable personalities behind each one of the four directions. We came up with the notion that value only impacts humans which makes up society through the business of coexistence. Since we are a platform for CID professionals, the directions needed to be relevant for CID professionals too. It's not only business value and impact we are after, it is also professional humans' value and impact. From this we build the four pillars. Industry talks, the CID club, professional voice (business)+(figures value) represented by clubs The human experience, meet the hearts, personalities voices (society)+(human value) represented by hearts The dream team roundtable, diamonds made under pressure, professional performance (business)+(impact) represented by diamonds The dark side of the force, call a spade a spade, honest CID to CID talk. (society)+(impact) represented by spades By now you can see why we chose these four symbols. The Design in Focus platform has many areas and offers an array of options. To simplify navigation and aid users to better understand or remember the platform, the use of icons is very handy too. This platform is still in the making and we are expanding rapidly. Can you help demonstrate the value and impact of CID in business and society? We'd like to hear from you. Visit the onboarding portal for more details.

Why is Networking Important? In the realm of Creativity, Innovation & Design (CID), talent alone often falls short of guaranteeing success. Networking plays a pivotal role in shaping careers, opening doors, and providing opportunities that might otherwise remain inaccessible. Here are some reasons why creatives need to network: Exposure to New Opportunities: Networking introduces you to potential collaborations, freelance gigs, or even full-time positions that you might not encounter through traditional channels. By connecting with decision-makers and influencers, you increase the likelihood of being recommended or thought of when such opportunities arise. Skill Enhancement: Networking isn’t just about exchanging business cards; it’s also an avenue for professional development. Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and skill sets provides insights and knowledge that you wouldn’t gain otherwise. Building Your Personal Brand: Networking allows you to showcase your work, share your creative vision, and establish a memorable presence. A strong personal brand can attract opportunities and set you apart in a competitive field. Emotional and Creative Support: A robust network serves as a support system, providing emotional encouragement and constructive criticism. Fellow creatives can offer diverse perspectives, helping you refine your projects. Access to Resources: Networking connects you to resources such as workshops, mentorship programs, and industry events. These resources enhance your skills and keep you informed about industry trends. Collaboration and Partnership: Creative collaboration can lead to results that are impossible to achieve solo. Networking helps you find potential collaborators and partners who complement your skills. Mentorship and Guidance: Experienced professionals in your network can offer valuable advice, guidance, and mentorship. Learning from their experiences can accelerate your growth. Financial Benefits: Networking can lead to paid opportunities, commissions, and clients. Building relationships with potential clients or patrons can directly impact your income. How to start building your Network. Starting your networking journey as a CID professional can be both exciting and rewarding. Here are some practical steps to help you get started: Define Your Goals: Clarify your career objectives. What do you want to achieve through networking? Whether it’s finding job opportunities, collaborating on projects, or simply expanding your creative circle, having clear goals will guide your efforts. Leverage Social Media: Create a professional online presence. Use platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter to showcase your work, connect with other creatives, and engage in relevant conversations. Follow industry leaders and participate in discussions related to your field. Attend Industry Events: Look for local events, workshops, and conferences related to your creative discipline. These gatherings provide excellent networking opportunities. Be open to meeting new people. Strike up conversations, exchange contact details, and follow up afterward. Start Small: Chat with fellow creatives at co-working spaces, studios, or online communities. Share your experiences and learn from theirs. Join after-work sports teams or hobby groups. Networking doesn’t always have to be formal; it can happen while doing something you enjoy. Be Authentic: Be genuine and approachable. People appreciate authenticity. Ask questions about others’ work and interests. Active listening helps build meaningful connections. Business Cards (Digital or Physical): Carry business cards with your contact information. These come in handy during in-person events. If you prefer digital networking, ensure your online profiles are up-to-date and easily accessible. Follow Up: After meeting someone, send a brief follow-up email or message. Express gratitude for the conversation and express interest in staying connected. Remember to nurture relationships over time. Seek and Offer Support: Networking isn’t just about taking; it’s also about giving. Offer help, share resources, and support fellow creatives. Be part of a community that uplifts and encourages one another. Measure Your Efforts: Track your networking activities. Are you attending events? Connecting online? Collaborating? Assess what works best for you. Evaluate the impact of your networking efforts on your career growth. One step closer with Design in Focus. Networks & Community Area Design in Focus is a multimedia channel and professional platform serving CID professionals. On this platform we are listing Creative, Innovation and Design networks and Communities. Visit the Networks & Community list to discover Networks and Communities that are relevant for you. Many of these are external networks and communities. Some are websites and apps, while others take form on social media. Take Charge - Groups One great way to get started is to build your own Network. You can start for free using social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Another great way to start for free is by joining this platform and starting your own group from here. We have a few pre existing groups that you can join too, or post about your new group to ask members to join. Join this short Training to get started. The groups feature of this platform gives you a Discussion board where you can start or join conversations or share just about any kind of digital content, a Media tab for sharing content, a Members tab where you can see all members of the group and start discussions with them, as well as the option to publish events. The Design in Focus social media channels also become available to you. You can share your events on our LinkedIn pages as well as our Meetup page. This will ensure that you have an audience for your events. The first few months will be quiet, but with some effort you could create a network of 10 000 or more in one year. Design in Focus Content Creator Success story: In May 2022 Candice Storm started building Design in Focus. At the time she had 89 connections. In October 2022 the Networks & Community portal was launched with the flagship network Randstad UX. From the first event in October 22 to August 2023, Candice's network grew by over 10 000, and she published content and created an event lead by Don Norman, known as the father of UX which was attended by several hundred designers around the globe. Another great way to get started is to join this platform as a content creator. This entails unpaid community work, but together with your imagination can ensure that you expand your network. We publish content in 5 media formats, on 4 pillars, and in 3 topics. The 3 topics are Creativity, Innovation & Design. These three topics can be entered into broadly or you may choose to focus on a specific subject relating to the topics. For example. Creative -> Idea Generation, Innovation -> Creative Problem Solving, Design -> Interior Design. It could be interesting to think about creating content based in your local area or perhaps you would might consider focussing on a movement. For example exploring The Best Innovation in your city or dive into Design Trends. The 4 Pillars contribute four different perspectives to create content from. Industry Talks content is highly professional and industry focussed and requires content in formal tone of voice. The Human Experience is deeply human focused and the content requires empathy and a warm tone of voice. The Dream Team Roundtable is solidarity outcomes focused, and requires the presence of team spirit and collaboration. The Dark Side of the Force is austerely fact based and requires objective and provoking content. You may consider creating content for one of the pillars such as Industry Talks focussing on for example DesignOps, or you could consider exploring a topic like DesignOps from all four perspectives. The best way to build your network is to publish content frequently. This takes commitment but will pay off. On the platform we are also building Collectives. The difference between building Networks and Communities and building Collectives is that networks and communities are tightly linked, while as collectives are linked through a specific initiative, but members are individual personalities that are independently focussed on a topic collectively. #ImpactCollective is a good example. Content published in this area tends to focus on the impact of creativity, innovation and or design. You could consider building a listing page like this where you can find members and publish content with them. Currently we are searching for collaborations and building the following collectives, Creative, Innovation, Design or collective CID; #MammasAndPappasCorner, a portal for professionals who are also parents and create kid friendly events and conferences. #EmpowerHour, a portal listing influential speakers and professionals talking about and enabling creatives, innovators and designers. #TheFlashyAndTheFabulous, a portal dedicated to the pop culture of the now and wow of the industry. #NewToTheCrew, a portal dedicated to emerging professionals where they can find resources and tools to up their professional game. These are just a few examples, but you might ideate and propose a collective of your own. We require at least three productions to publish a collective. Now that you have a topic and a lens, you can decide on what kind of content to create. You may consider creating Audio and Video content such as podcasts or webshows, in which case you may think about weather you want to host or present. For example, if you start your own Audio/Video Podcast, do you want to invite guests to speak with you, or would you perhaps take on more of a reporting role and discuss your topic and lens from? Maybe writing is your way to go, you could consider publishing articles with your perspective, or you could journal about meeting or talking with professionals or industry developments. If visuals is your thing, you could create infographics and memes. Another great way to network is by publishing events. Aside from the events in the groups section, you could also organise and publish events on the main portal. Great networking events include webinars, talk events, and networking events. All events are listed in the events portal under the Professional tab in the menu. The difference between posting events to groups and on the platform is that you do not need to create a group to publish events and in the groups you do not need to create events. Checkout some predefined events here. All events marked with TBD are still being organised. Do you see one or more that you think you could lead? Then Join the event and find the link on the event page to contact us. All these events have one thing in common: The Value & Impact of Creativity, Innovation, and Design in Business and Society. That is also the Mission and Vision of this platform. Using this mission and vision, you can ideate on your own events (as well as any other form of content). You may want to organise talk events exploring the Value of Urban Design in Society, or webinars on The Impact of Industrial Innovation in Business for example. The key is to consider or focus on 1.Value and or 2.Impact, Of an industry topic relative to your field in A. Creativity, B. Innovation and or C. Design, By exploring its effects on either I. Business or II. Society. Why is this THE formula? Considering 1.Value allows you to demonstrate factually why your topic is important, while as if you explore the 2. Impact, you can share success stories. A. Creative, B. Innovation, C. Design can encompass a wide array of topics, but all are unified under one umbrella that is for those who make things and is relative in all industries where something becomes. By exploring the effect in either I. business or II. society, you can make it I. Objective or II. Subjective. Formula Short Form 1 or 2 or 1+2 A, B, or C, or any combination of A. B. C, I or II or I+&II. Now let's look at the idea shared above again : You may want to organise talk events exploring the 1. Value of C. Urban Design in II Society, or webinars on The 2. Impact of B. Industrial Innovation in I Business for example. Aside from formulating types of events and content, this formula also aids you in the type of networking you would like to do. If you would like to network to climb the corporate ladder, focus on the value of your topic in business and showcase your professionality and reliability as well as your knowledge and dedication. On the other hand if you would like your networking to be more social and you want to build lasting connections you may want to focus on the impact of your topic in society. You could of course mix the two up for some interesting new line of thought, but both set different tones you can use to start from. When building a network, you really want to ensure that you communicate the right tone so that your network is engaging. What appeals to the Data Driven Designer may not be as inviting to Human centered Designer. While both have value & impact, value is more expressed in facts and figures while impact often is best expressed in stories and cases. Also when starting to build a network, it's good to have a foundation on which to build on. Reaching out to complete strangers online can be intimidating. When you approach a professional you would like to network with, having clearly defined messaging helps. As a content or event creator on a dedicated platform, with a clear topic and tone, you can find common ground with like minded professionals with a demonstrated Ice Breaker. You will be surprised how humble professionals on all levels, including leaders, can be, and often when you have a mission and a vision when you network with them, they are happy to talk to you or join your event as a speaker. Summary The Three ways to start building your network publically on this platform. Networks & Community Area Find Networks and Communities on this platform. Visit Networks & Communities to discover networks relevant for you. Take Charge - Groups Join or Start a Group on this platform. Become a member and get active on this platform and associated media channels to start or grow your network. Design in Focus Content Creator Create public content to build a network with followers. Choose your topics, pillars, and media types. Start publishing content and engaging with the industry to build your reputation and network. Last But Not Least If you can dedicate 24+ hours a month and would like to seriously build a Creative, Innovation and or Design Network, then joining us a a volunteer can be a promising option. We have open positions for all levels from Intern to Board Member at Design in Focus. Here are two examples of how a volunteer position can help you grow you network. Industry Talks Audio & Video personalities This role is open to intelligent and witty interviewers who can bring out the best in our participants. By becoming a Audio / Video Personality, you gain visibility in the industry. During your publications, you could invite professionals to network with or follow you. Publishing content also gives viewers a reason to start a conversation with you. Board Member Creative This role is open to a candidate who will be the voice for Creatives, and champion for the creative industry and professionals. By working as a Board Member for the Creative Industry, you demonstrate your commitment. You also assume a leading role which potentially could inspire other creatives. Network and Speak to industry leaders and help define what is relevant for creatives on this platform. There are many open roles and if you do not find a role you like, you may propose one for us to consider. Either way, when you join the platform and dedicate your free time, you really get to shine. View all jobs Was this information useful to you? Do you have something to add to the conversation? Any other questions or comments? Please add your responses below.

Design in Focus #CID is a multimedia channel and professional platform demonstrating the value and impact of CID in business and society, through creating multimedia such as podcasts, shows, infographics and articles. CID refers to Creative | Innovation | Design. 1. Multimedia Platform 1.1. Mission & Vision 1.2. Pillars 1.2.1. Industry Talks 1.2.2. The Human Experience 1.2.3. The Dream Team Roundtable 1.2.4. The Dark Side of the Force 1.3. Gallery 1.3.1. Audio 1.3.2. Video 1.3.3. Visio 1.3.4. Editorial 1.3.5. Channels 1.4. Experience Page 1.5. Awards 1.6. Events 1.6.1. #CID Industry Events 1.6.2. Design in Focus & Stakeholders Events 1.7. Resources (TBA) 1.8. Credits (TBA) 2. Professional Platform 2.1. Members Area 2.2. Forum 2.3. Groups 2.3.1. CID 2.3.2. CID Training & Mentorship 2.3.3. CID Networks & Communities 2.3.4. CID DiF Founders and Makers 2.3.1. Founders 2.3.2. Makers 2.3.3. Projects plans 2.3.5. CID Leadership 2.3.6. CID Events * To be added. 3. Foundation 4. Collaboration 5. Sponsors 1. Multimedia Platform Design in Focus Concept in 5 Minutes. (New version coming soon) 1.1 Mission & Vision The mission of Design in Focus is to demonstrate the value and impact of CID in business and society through engaging with those in the field and finding supporting evidence such as statistics and cases and publishing it in audio/video/visio format so that CID professionals may share the digital assets with their stakeholders when they wish to prove their work, or for young CID people to be inspired and learn. The vision of Design in Focus is to have a channel for and by CID people to not only engage within their networks, but also to provide valuable info that can help bring their relative stakeholders along on topics related to CID. Into the future in a time and space where Design in Focus is all it can be. Around the globe CID people are engaging with other CID people. Local chapters exist in major cities around the globe, and in each chapter there are dedicated people working together to publish great content such as interviews and talks, events, linking networks & communities, locally and globally, uniting different people with different strengths to build new collaborative networks, all while demonstrating the value and impact of CID in industry and society. Big dreams require big investments. And all that is big, is made of a million or billions of smaller parts. To solidify this starting point as a small but significant part, it is important to define it. And here it is, the definitive dream of what Design in Focus can be and what we aspire to be. 1.2. Pillars 1.2.1. Industry Talks #IndustryTalks Professional / Expert discussions with creators, innovators, and designers, to investigate the value and impact of CID contribution to business, gain insights and awareness of developments and hot topics and talks about findings and insights within CID industries and programmes. This pillar is industry focussed. 1.2.2. The human experience #theHumanExperience The Human Experience talks to the people who make up CID about disciplines in these fields, what it means to them, how they find value, stay inspired, what they have learned and what they aspire to do. This pillar is people focussed. 1.2.3. The Dream Team Roundtable #thedreamteamroundtable The Dream Team Roundtable is made up of group sessions in which CID pro’s are presented with a challenge and have to set about to solve it by using creative problem solving or design thinking techniques. Can a small group of people solve challenging problems in max 90 minutes? You can always watch them try. This pillar was founded on the popular trend of companies assigning applicants design challenges to prove themselves. Many companies do not compensate designers for their time and efforts and many more use the solutions derived from these challenges without hiring anyone at all. To combat this, The Dream Team Roundtable aims to enable designers and others who have to “prove” themselves to only do it once, and when proof of their capacities are required they can share the link to the session, which should demonstrate fairly clearly their capabilities and methods. This pillar is solution focussed. 1.2.4. The Dark Side of the Force #TheDarkSideOfTheForce Not for the faint of heart - to solve a problem, one must first acknowledge a problem. In the dark side of the force, participants discuss topics less frequently addressed such as dark UX, deceptive design, why creatives are the most harassed and abused pro’s in all industry and more. This pillar is impact focussed. 1.3 Gallery Design in Focus has three main galleries on the platform as well as on other platforms listed below. All content produced by Design in Focus is added to these galleries as well as experience pages if applicable. 1.3.1. Audio Gallery Design in Focus hosts talks and interviews in audio format usually broadcasted as podcasts. Audio Gallery 1.3.2. Video Gallery Design in Focus hosts talks and interviews in video format usually broadcasted as shows and webinars. Video Gallery 1.3.3. Visio Gallery Design in Focus aims to create Visio content including infographics and inspirational quotes which CID representative may share cross platforms to support each other and industry. Visual Gallery 1.3.4. Editorial Gallery Here we will publish editorial content as well as have guest writers and publishers. 1.3.5. Other Media Channels 1.3.4.1 LinkedIn: 1.3.4.1 A Design in Focus HQ publishes only Design in Focus content. https://www.linkedin.com/company/86752242/ 1.3.4.1 B Design in Focus CID – Creative | Innovation | Design is where collective CID content that is valuable or interesting to viewers is posted. Share your coolest CID projects here. https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/85851624/ 1.3.4.1 C Design in Focus Group. This group was created for participants and stakeholders to have a chat or conversation. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12660097/ 1.3.4.1 D #IndustryTalks. Only Industry Talks content is posted on this page. https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/87103163 1.3.4.1 E #TheHumanExperience. Only the Human Experience content is posted on this page. https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/87114123 1.3.4.1 F #TheDreamTeamRoundtable. Only The Dream Team Roundtable content is posted on this page. https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/87110357 1.3.4.1 G #TheDarkSideoftheForce. Only The Dark Side of the Force content is posted on this page. https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/87116277 1.3.4.2 Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/design-in-focus 1.3.4.3 Vimeo https://vimeo.com/user181509085 1.3.4.4 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsXum885VuP0ysfV5bIFhxg 1.3.4.5 Twitter https://twitter.com/DesigninFocus1 1.3.4.6 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@designinfocus 1.3.4.7 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1074125196845201 1.3.4.8 Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/196371233@N03/ 1.4. Experience Page Participants, members, collaborators and sponsors may have bespoke Experience Pages on which stories are told, journeys are created, and or facts and figures are demonstrated and shared as well as other relevant information. Experience pages can look like this or this or even this. If you can dream it, we will do what we can to realise it. All the content found on experience pages will also be added to the gallery and other channels. 1.5. Awards Design in Focus will host CID Quality Awards and have events 3 times a year to celebrate nominees and award nominees with their certificates. Awards | Design in Focus 1.6.Events Design in Focus offers four ways in which events are published, three on the public platform, and one (see 1.3.6.) on the professional platform. Public platform 1.6.1. CID Events Design in Focus will publish CID events from around the globe on this page in order to give professionals interesting information about local and global events within their industry and amongst peers. Events | Design in Focus 1.6.2. DiF Events DiF events refer to Design in Focus events such as live webinars and shows, group calls and CID Quality Awards. These events may be set up by Design in Focus HQ or by DiF Founders and Makers (see 2.3.4.) DiF Events | Design in Focus 2. Professional Platform Members Area The Design in Focus members area was created for 4 reasons; 1. Certain participants who have public Experience Pages will also have private sessions in the members area in which they elaborate on their topics and offer discussions or thoughts, 2. To enable peers to find and connect with each other for group sessions (participants participate in one and done sessions as well as group sessions), 3. To showcase links and content that are relative to the CID professions, 4. To bypass common internet crawler mechanisms that delivers paid for content first. There is no influence from any financial institutions or organisations and all content and links are generated by CID people for CID people and CID people are able to vote for the best and most relevant channels. Donations are welcome to keep this platform running. (See also 1.2.4.) Design in Focus does not support any affiliation or advertising for the members area to ensure that it remains honourable and relevant and to avoid losing value and worth as an unbiased free platform for CID. No data is used other for tracking site performance and measuring impact. 2.1. Forum The Design in Focus Forum offers a platform for general discussion. 2.2. Groups The Groups portal is probably the most popular and useful. The groups were created to funnel CID pros and content into digestible channels. Each funnel has three groups. Below are the Design in Focus suggested groups, new groups can be created by specific collectives such as UX, Technology, Art, etc. 2.2.1. CID – A space for professional groups to meet, discuss, learn, and connect. Creative Group Innovation Group Design Group 2.2.2. CID Training & Mentorship – A space for the publication, discussion, and information for and over Training & Mentorship. Creative Training & Mentorship Group Innovation Training & Mentorship Group Design Training & Mentorship Group 2.2.3. CID Networks & Communities - A space for the publication, discussion and information for and over Networks and communities. Creative Networks & Communities Group Innovation Networks & Communities Group Design Networks & Communities Group 2.2.4. CID DiF Founders and Makers - A space for the publication, discussion, and information for and over Founders & Makers. Founders refer to individuals who launch local chapters of Design in Focus. Makers refer to individuals who make contributions to Design in Focus such as producing podcasts, writing content, creating graphics or events etc. Creative DiF Founders and Makers Group Innovation DiF Founders and Makers Group Design DiF Founders and Makers Group 2.2.5. CID Leadership - A space for the publication, discussion, and information for and over Leadership. Creative Leadership Group Innovation Leadership Group Design Leadership Group 2.2.6. CID Events - A space for the publication, discussion, and information for and over events. Anyone who posts events here may request to have those events also added to the public facing platform. (see 1.6.) Design in Focus aims to collect events and meetups across borders and disciplines to showcase to enable CID people to get more involved in tangible ways. Creative Events Group Innovation Events Group Design Events Group 2.2.7. CID Scams & Misconduct - A space for the publication, discussion, and information over Industry Scams and Misconduct. This is the place to discuss our industry shortcomings and challenges experienced and seasoned pros to advise and lead newcomers and youth as well as anyone who can fall victim to scams and misconduct. (Even the brightest, smartest and alert of professionals can, do and have fallen for “wolfs in sheep’s clothing”) 3. Foundation Design in Focus is the brainchild of Candice Storm and was founded in May 2022 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After the first idea was sparked, she conducted a brief market study and contacted several professionals. Having received positive feedback and responses to support potential she developed the concept further until it was completed in June 2022, after which she began to create and produce the MVP, which was originally set to go live in July, but due to summer holidays there was a massive request to postpone until after the summer, which resulted in the go live date moving out to September. Learn more 4. Collaboration Design in Focus collaborates with industry groups, networks, services and events etc. Collaborators appear on the homepage, and some have experience pages, while others link directly to the respective sites. Collaboration was created to build a stronger community and for the visibility of collaborators as valuable industry contributors. Collaborators also have a group created and assigned to them in which they can discuss and inform about themselves. Read more Would you like to collaborate? Learn more 5. Sponsors Other than donations, Design in Focus also relies on sponsorship in order to keep it alive but has several conditions that have to be met before they accept sponsorship. When Sponsored Design in Focus will always indicate clearly on the site who the sponsors are so that those who use the platform have information not only about the sponsor but that the content is sponsored. In a bold move Design in Focus requires that sponsors agree to the fact that sponsorship does not allow for the core mission and vision of Design in Focus to change or be modified and that sponsors must provide tangible value to and for CID professionals and industry. Read More Are you interested in sponsoring? Learn More

Media Kit Welcome to the media kit page. Here we will publish assets that you may use to create new media with Design in Focus branding. Contact us any time if you wish to have additional content added. When using these assets, it's important to remember that certain assets belong in certain categories such as the symbols for the pillars for example. Please also note that we are refining the branding. Up until September '22 the focus was on producing a MVP, since we are working on finetuning and tweaking. The brand guidelines will be published once done, up until then there are a few metrics that you can use to align your productions and publications to be inline of what is already set. Index Br and colour s Typography Logo s Icon s Graphic s Stock Photography & Video Templates Resources Guidelines Tools Brand Colours These are 4 main colours that are used on all assets and below that are three supporting colours that may be used in photography, charts and graphics when needed. Wind Chime #ebf0f3 MAIN Ocre / Butterscotch #e0984a MAIN Fandango Pink #e04b72 SUPPORTING Coral Red #ff4040 SUPPORTING Nightly Violet #754581 SUPPORTING Gorgonzola Blue #4a51cc SUPPORTING Eames For Blue #456e81 MAIN Meadowbrook #508688 SUPPORTING Dark Blue #002433 MAIN Bright Yellow #ffdf70 SUPPORTING Download Download the swatches PSD, the current platform doesn't allow us to share the swatch library, but this PSD document should enable you to quickly make your own. Brand Colours Typography & Fonts Helvetica is used for the most part. Relating to formality, EB Garamond 12 . For celebration we use the font Great vibes . The licence we have for Helvetica is for Design in Focus purposes only. Please email us if you are a DiF F&M and need to use it, but be aware that you may not use the font for any other commercial purposes. All letter S' in the headers are made yellow #e0984a. We use Blue #456e81 on either a pure white or DiF white #ebf0f3 on most of our communication. On photographic elements the font is usually white or DiF white (more details for photographic elements). This is H1 @ 60px This is H2 @ 40px This is H3 @ 27px Bold This is a p1 @ 21 px. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. This is a p2 @ 18 px. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Typography Logo To produce an MVP a very basic logo and name was created. In the future we may change the logo into something more or less like the image to the right and use only the name #CID because now Design is taking the lead but we would like to also have equal focus on creative and innovation. For now please use the logos below. Log Icons icons Load More Graphics Load More graphics Photography Here are some images to use in your digital publications and assets on Design in Focus. For all photographic elements containing text, please set the opacity of the image to 21%. Use white #ffffff / DiF light #ebf0f3 text and accent the S 's with yellow #e0984a. Load More photgraphy

Up Up < Back Venessa Bennett Head of UX Design Leader | Speaker | Problem Solver | Builder of great design culture and inclusive teams About Venessa Venessa is a design leader, speaker and problem solver that helps craft experiences that meet both business and customer needs. She has strong track record of building design practices and teams for brands like Vodafone, Rightmove, and more recently UK tech unicorn Cazoo. Venessa advocates using design thinking principles to help solve business problems, she strives to create and build diverse teams. She shares her insights and learnings on UX, career progression, and design leadership on her blog . Keep the converation going, add a response below with your thoughts, questions, suggestions, praise, requests, or review of this presenter, the event, or our network. Join the discussion Become a member on this platform and share your thoughts to the forum or on the related group. Here are some forum posts. We will add more ASAP and invite any stakeholder to contribute to the conversation. Get the Conversation Started Be the first to post in this category. Create New Post Subscribe to our Newsletter. Subscribe

Update This event has been cancelled. We will not be able to go through with it this year. Apologies for the inconvenience.

For those of you who will be writing articles to publish on Design in Focus (DiF), this post may be helpful to get you started. To start writing on DiF you need to first become a member. You can signup by clicking on Login. You should see a popup appear. Ensure that you select Join the network & community. We approve every sign up manually to filter out spam, bots, and other malicious type interactions. It may take a few days to get approval. This is the only reason that there is a required membership. We don't advertise to you, we don't allow affiliation paid marketing and or sponsorship in the members area. There are instances that we display other groups or organisations for example Ladies that UX, this is not meant as advertising in the regular sense, but informatising (if you accept that as a word) about things that have positive impact or value for CID people. Once your membership is approved and can complete your profile. Add a photo and some details so that other members can learn more about you when they read the article. Your article is visible to other members but also to the public. Only members can interact with you and only if you have set your profile to visible. If you also have an Experience Page, its advised to add a link to it for those reading on the public platform.

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You will receive a confirmation email once your membership is approved. Keep this email starred for easy access to various parts of Design in Focus in one place. After you have completed the Member request and have been approved, you must signup as a collaborator, this way we can assign the permissions suited to your needs, as well as assign your profile with relevant badges.