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Why Designers Leave(medium.com)

almost 10 years ago from J A, Design Lead at Gametime

  • Sabrina MajeedSabrina Majeed, almost 10 years ago

    I think it's more than just Facebook or other companies of that scale. I've experienced this at the last two startups I worked at, which pretty much put a nail in the coffin to the lure of the free-wheeling startup lifestyle for me. Younger startups probably face more pressure from investors (such as in the article's metaphor) because they have yet to prove they can take their own risks and get away with it.

    On the flip side, I get it. What we might think is high quality work might not 'sell' as fast or as much as the people running a business would like. While I do think designers play the long game when they focus on high quality work, sometimes that's not what a particular company or business needs right now.

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    • charles riccardicharles riccardi, almost 10 years ago

      Sure. I guess the point I'm making is that no matter what company you're at (even if you're doing high quality work there, and the benefits are insanely great) that you won't stick around if you're not passionate about (and can't align with) company vision or purpose of the product.

      Also, not all small start up companies are the same. Come check out Highfive some time. Seriously, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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      • Sabrina MajeedSabrina Majeed, almost 10 years ago

        Sorry, didn't mean to imply that all small startups are bad. There are definitely a lot of well organized, functional companies of a small scale (Makeshift is one I admire). I think I just have had bad luck at picking them or the environment just isn't for me. Is Highfive in SF? I'm going to be out there in a few weeks :)

        Totally agree though with not aligning to the company vision. I think we (generally speaking) also take for granted how natural it is to change you feel about a company. Especially when you're young, the type of problems you want to solve at 22 are different than how you may feel at 25. Likewise, companies change a lot as they grow too.

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