Episode 10

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Published on:

7th Aug 2024

Emily Moyer on Embracing AI and The Importance of Relationship Building and Networking for Industrial Designers

Episode 10 of the Design Journeys Podcast hosted by Chris Whyte. New episodes every other Wednesday!


In this episode, host Chris Whyte interviews Emily Moyer, an independent industrial design strategy and innovation consultant.

Emily has worked with big brands like L'Oreal and Nestle, as well as startups like Aura Home and Bark & Co.

She shares her career journey and highlights the importance of user experience and problem-solving in design.

Emily also discusses the trends she's seeing in the industry, including advancements in design tools and AI.

In this conversation, Chris and Emily discuss the importance of understanding the limitations of design tools like GPT and Mid-Journey. They compare it to the process of designing in industrial design, where it's crucial to flesh out concepts before diving into 3D modeling. They also talk about the elements of a strong industrial design portfolio, including versatility and sketching.

Emily shares a success story of a prescription bottle design that won an award and a failure story of a wearable keyboard that didn't meet consumer expectations.

They discuss the challenges of business development for independent consultants and the effectiveness of personal posts on LinkedIn.

Emily recommends the book 'I Love It, What Is It?' by Turner Duckworth and the podcast 'Design Theory' by John Murielo.

She also mentions Hector Rodriguez and Jonathan Tai as valuable resources in the design industry.

Emily can be reached on LinkedIn or through her website, EmilyMoyer.com.


Takeaways

  • Industrial design involves creating physical consumer products that people use every day.
  • User experience and problem-solving are at the core of industrial design.
  • Advancements in design tools and AI are shaping the industry.
  • Collaboration and in-person meetings are still valuable in the design process.
  • Building relationships and networking are important for career growth in design. Understand the limitations of design tools like GPT and Mid-Journey and know how to get the best out of them.
  • Flesh out concepts before diving into 3D modeling in industrial design.
  • A strong industrial design portfolio should showcase versatility and include sketching.
  • Success story: A prescription bottle design won an award for design of the decade.
  • Failure story: A wearable keyboard didn't meet consumer expectations.
  • Business development can be a challenge for independent consultants, but consistency and personal posts on LinkedIn can help.
  • Recommended resources: 'I Love It, What Is It?' by Turner Duckworth and the 'Design Theory' podcast by John Murielo.
  • Connect with Emily on LinkedIn or through her website, EmilyMoyer.com.


Connect with Emily Moyer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-moyer-1b49973/


Connect with Chris Whyte on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Learn more about Kodu Recruitment: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teamkodu.com/⁠

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About the Podcast

The Design Journeys Podcast
For people interested in physical product design and development
Hosted by Chris Whyte, The Design Journeys Podcast is a podcast focused exclusively on product design and development careers. In each episode Chris interviews a founder or design leader from the physical product development space aiming to give listeners inspiration, insights and actions on how to further their own careers.

About your host

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Chris Whyte

Hi, I'm your host of the Design Journeys Podcast.

I'm also the founder of Kodu - a specialist recruitment consultancy focused exclusively on physical product development. It's the people who I've met in my years in the industry that inspired me to start this podcast.

When I'm not hosting the podcast, I help physical product brands, start-ups and design consultancies identify, attract and hire the best product design & engineering talent ahead of their competitors, across the USA, UK and Europe 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇪🇺

I focus exclusively on 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘴!)

𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 & 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬:
✅ Do you have high growth plans for your physical product development and engineering division?
✅ Would you like to engage with and source those hard-to-find Design Engineers and Industrial Designers?
✅ Are you spending too much time in the hiring process only to find that the talent doesn't match your expectations?

𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬:
✅ Are you interested in joining an exciting start-up, design consultancy or technology brand?
✅ Interested in honest, transparent advice as to which companies would be the best fit for you?

If you agree with any of the above, I know how you feel as I deal with people just like you every day.

I have successfully placed hundreds of design engineers, industrial designers, managers and directors into some of the world's most exciting technology brands, start-ups and consultancies.

My clients tell me they work with me because:

⭐ I focus on long-term relationship building, not transactions
⭐ I speak their language and understand their businesses and job roles
⭐ I’m professional, yet friendly and very approachable
⭐ My robust process significantly reduces time-to-hire

I’ve worked within consumer electronics, homewares, kitchen appliances, e-bikes, medical devices, gaming controllers, furniture, life-sciences, audio-equipment, vacuum cleaners and more!

Typically, I recruit the following roles:
💡 VP Engineering
💡 Engineering Director
💡 Design Manager
💡 Industrial Designer
💡 Product Designer (products not apps!)
💡 Product Design Engineer
💡 Mechanical Design Engineer
💡 Mechanical Engineer

Outside of work, I'm a wannabe rock star and a father to two teenagers. I support Manchester United and I'm terrible at FIFA/FC24 🤓

If you want to talk about my work or anything else, message me on here and I'll respond as soon as I can. Or you can reach me via:

chris@teamkodu.com

UK: +44 7538 928 518
US: +1 862 298 5088