Our Speaker Spotlight sets the stage to get to know our speakers on a more personal level and connect them with our growing community. Read the mini-interview below!
A bit about Sam
With a background in physical computing and immersive installations, Sam’s career focuses on crafting experiences that tell stories, bring big ideas to life, and connect with the people behind the interface. He has worked with global consultancies such as Method, nimble design labs such as RIVAL, and start-ups just finding their feet; making him well-versed in finding solutions and shipping products that solve real problems. Sam has had the privilege of collaborating with notable companies such as Hitachi Energy, YunoJuno, Appsmith, Thriva, Google, and more. Additionally, and particularly relevant to this talk, he has spent the past 10 years competing internationally in the martial art of judo. In this talk, he hopes to demonstrate how the seemingly disparate worlds of combat and design are more similar than you might initially think.
How did you start out in your career?
To be honest, my path to becoming a designer was quite jagged. When I was in school, I was 100% focused on becoming a professional musician. At 16, I actually came fairly close after being scouted by an agent, but things didn’t work out. The next thing I was ‘good’ at was Philosophy, so I applied to King’s College London to study the likes of Kant and Descartes. However, life had other plans, and I failed to get into King’s by a measly one point. But, this setback was a blessing in disguise.
I ended up at the University of Hertfordshire, where I could study a minor in almost any subject alongside my major in Philosophy. Being relatively creative, I thought New Media Publishing looked interesting, as it was all about animation and digital design. About halfway through the year, I realized I was enjoying my creative studies much more than my philosophical ones. So, I spoke to the relevant authorities, withdrew from my degree, and re-enrolled in Interactive Media Design, which would start the following year.
I left the campus and spent the rest of the year back at home in London, working in retail to build up some pocket money. When September came, I was a fully-fledged arts student. Fast forward three years, I graduated from university and landed a job as a Junior Creative at an Experiential Advertising Agency called Wasserman Experience because I specialized in creating physical installations.
However, after around two years, I felt that the advertising industry was a little too inward-looking for me. So, I revamped my portfolio using some old digital projects from university and found a role as a UX Designer after an arduous job search. I haven’t looked back since.
I appreciate that was a long answer, but I think it’s important to be open about pivots, changes, and challenges because no career path (or anything really) is straightforward.
What are the signs of success in your field?
The only sign of success that matters is happiness. I think that people are too ready to look for extrinsic signs of success such as having a certain company logo or job title on their CV. For me, I’d ask whether you’re happy, whether you have good people around you, whether you are paid enough to be comfortable and whether your life feels in balance. If the answer is yes, then you’re successful.
What is the best and worst thing about your job role?
The best thing is the flexibility it affords. Being able to work remote is such a privilege. It helps me stay in balance and enables me to fuel other passions in my life such as sport. I’d say that the worst thing would be the pressure and comparison. Everywhere you look somebody is starting a new company or writing a book. It can often feel like you’re never doing enough. However, I try to remember that firstly, I’m only seeing the highlights and secondly, I don’t want to write a book right now, so why am I telling myself that I should? Focus on what you want to be doing and do it. Forget everyone else.
What can you advise someone just starting out in your industry to be successful?
Create more than you consume. Talk to everyone.
How do you switch off?
In all honesty, I don’t. Switching off is something I struggle with. I’ve been described as a “typical type A personality,” which is a nice way of saying that I’m a bit of a workaholic. I prefer to say that I have a lot of interests. I’m joking. Overworking and feeling compelled to immediately create every idea that comes into my head is a real problem for me, and I often go from boom to bust.
What advice would you give your younger self?
What is next for you?
Good question. Referencing an earlier question, the company I’m working for right now has good people and some interesting work. So, I hope I get to stick around here a little longer.
If you could do anything now, what would you do? Why?
Winning the lottery would be nice. Whilst I wait for that to happen, I’ve recently become interested in learning how to hand-write graffiti. I don’t know why. I guess it just looks cool.
What are your top 5 predictions in your industry for the next 5 years?
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AI, of course.
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The lines between design and development will begin to blur
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Social shopping will become massive.
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But social media as we know it will be disrupted. I have a feeling that photo/video focused platforms will change dramatically, or even completely drop off.
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iPhones will have round edges again
How did you find the TBI speaking experience?
I loved speaking with this community. David and Maddie are fantastic and everyone who joined my talk were extremely engaged. 10/10 would talk again.
You can watch Sam’s talk with Two Beer Ideas here.
Thank you to all our wonderful speakers for taking part and contributing your knowledge to the community!