This is easily one of the most important topics in Design right now that often is swept under the rug bc designers' eyes tend to glaze over anything remotely related to the word "business."

Understandable, as a lot of us do have backgrounds in fine art, visual design, marketing, etc and sometimes the ENTIRE REASON we got into this game was to simply do stuff we loved and not stuff we don't. We hear we need to code, need to go to more conferences, be more active on social media, need to blog more, more succulent plants on the desk, etc and this EASILY could tire anyone out. I understand completely, trust me. BUT (of course there's a "but") this notion of expanding our perspectives about what design is to include business goals/performance/strategy/etc is a critical one that WILL make you better at your craft in the same way that designing for systems instead of pages made you better at your craft, in the same way of mapping your designs to actual user research made you better at your craft, in the same way that taking the leap from print to digital made you better at your craft and so on and so on.

So do it. Take the dive. And relax, the waters fine. ;)

Wow...had no clue I would get such a great amount of responses! Thank yall so much...good to see this community is still very much alive (and full of funny, good people)

I always really enjoy seeing Frank's site redesigns and how his visual viewpoints have developed over time. Considering his time (and the ample amount of thought) spent in the game, he's a great vantage point through which to look at the rest of the web. thumbs up man! :)

Hey thanks Kamil!!! I appreciate the link :)

Jeez you guys are straight up nerds. How bout using it before trashing a landing page?

I'd say one of the most valuable things I learned outside of school was how to talk to people.

I went to art school, and while I learned plenty about space and form, not too much about how to speak to others, eye contact, actively listening without waiting for your turn to speak, maintaining relationships, and how to monitor how you come across to others.

My crash course started in the midst of the recession, where I learned about interviews, handshakes, follow-ups, taking rejection with grace, speaking up for what you want without being a dick, and the list goes on. I took odd jobs in retail, sales, and I'd have to say I learned a ton from being a cashier at a bakery. didn't pay much, but there was plenty of free espresso and conversation. also, humility :)

no worries man!! its mathesond2@gmail.com..look forward to chatting :)

Thanks Liam!! This is great

Hey Marcus!

Sorry for the late response and thank you so much for it..super helpful!! :)

Nice! are you located in the triangle area (nc)?? I'd love to chat sometime :)