Design x Alex Pabian
Communication Design Lead at IDEO
Illustration by Bonnie Kate Wolf
Interview conducted by Bonnie Cheng on August 27, 2020
Tell us a little about yourself and your journey as a designer. What inspired you to become a designer?
I was born and raised in South Africa, and that’s where I got my start as a graphic designer. I was introduced to fine arts in high school and painted portraits, which I still try to keep up.
Both of my parents are design lovers. My dad used to travel a lot, and every time he took a trip to Europe, he would come back with a new design book for me. It could be on industrial design, graphic design, or art history. Every time he returned, it would be something different. As I built my little design library, I learned that a career in graphic design can be very impactful. That inspired me to become a graphic designer, which was a lovely balance of what I loved about visual art and bringing actual functions and strategies into solving real problems.
“As I built my little design library, I learned that a career in graphic design can be very impactful”
What do you do as a communication design lead?
To give you a little background, the difference between graphic design and communication design is that graphic design focuses on visually solving problems. Communication design expands on that, thinking about how you can solve problems and communicate information in a multi-sensory way, so it’s not narrowing down to just the visuals. It speaks to the different senses, communicating information through touch, taste, sound (such as language), and even the environment you’re in.
As a communication design lead, my role is to work alongside designers and hold the team’s vision. I take the creative concept that we develop as a multidisciplinary group and design the strategy and approach to help it come to life. And of course, in the consulting world, it involves working alongside clients to make the design solution real, feasible, and viable.
How did you transition from being a graphic designer to a communication designer?
I’ve always been fascinated with how humans interact with information in general. Visualization is one way, but I think it’s fascinating to also think about how someone can learn or interact with a brand in so many other ways that enrich the visual experience. It just felt like a natural expansion on my skill set as a visual designer.
For example, you’re designing something for an app, and as a graphic designer you’d be designing the visuals, and potentially the brand identity. But as a communication designer, you’re designing for the fact that they’re holding the product in their hand, or you’re designing for the fact that they’re sitting in a particular place interacting with the product for a particular reason. You’re taking the real human experience into consideration.
Where do you draw design inspiration from?
I think it’s really easy for us to open Pinterest or your favorite design blog and just start scrolling to find inspiration, but I struggle with that. It’s valuable in terms of keeping up with trends and what other designers are doing, but I try my best to step away from the digital when looking for inspiration for a new project.
I like to take my team to museums where we’re actually getting inspiration in a physical space. Let’s say, for example, a brand identity project. Walking into a gallery or museum, you can get inspired by art on the wall. You can pull inspiration from colors, textures, concepts, and even written language. The way we experience art now is so multisensory in and of itself. Finding something really analogous but not on the nose is a really lovely place to start.
You can also find inspiration from going out on walks in nature or the city, paying attention to what’s around you. It’s a lovely way to get your mindset away from what’s hip right now. For example, brutalism is really trendy in design right now. When I scroll through design blogs, everybody’s work looks the same because everybody’s looking at everybody else’s work.
I also draw inspiration from my audience. Learn about who you’re designing for, not thinking selfishly about what you want to make that’s cool, but really learning about the person that’s going to take in the information or learn about the brand. Learn about what they love, the things that will work for them, and their favorite trends. For example, if you’re designing for Gen Z, learn about what they do. Open TikTok and explore all the things that are going to appeal to them.
What topics in the design industry are particularly attractive to you right now?
I think it’s hard not to talk about what’s happening right now regarding inclusivity and designing for equity, inclusion, and diversity. It’s a topic I talk to my colleagues and designer friends about almost daily. One of the things we’ve been thinking about is the influence we have as design professionals and how we can leverage our knowledge to increase awareness of the subject. We can influence the way students and aspiring designers learn about design.
I read a fascinating article called “Can We Teach Graphic Design History Without the Cult of Hero Worship?” written by Aggie Toppins. She talked about rewriting the history textbooks and redefining who our design gods are. We grew up as designers worshipping the same five German gods of graphic design, that they’re the holy grail of who you’re supposed to aspire to be, and that Milton Glaser was the only one who did it right. We were taught to not pay attention to anything else, when there is so much beautiful design work out there that’s been completely ignored for decades. These lesser-known designs influenced how we communicate information today but don’t get the proper attribution or respect.
So how can we, as established designers, influence the information presented in textbooks? How can we change the way people are introduced to the world of design from high school, who they’re learning about, and why it’s valuable? That’s one thing that has been on my mind recently that’s really fascinating and exciting, but also sad. There’s so much emotion around it, but I think it’s so necessary to address.
What do you think makes someone a great designer?
I love that question. I would say a great designer does two things. First, they truly know their end-user and their experience and needs. Secondly, and even more importantly, they aim to bring the user into the design process itself.
“…a great designer does two things. First, they truly know their end-user and their experience and needs. Secondly, and even more importantly, they aim to bring the user into the design process itself.”
A great designer works alongside their user and gives them the tools to become a designer themselves. They must have a lot of respect for that and carry it through from day one until the end because it’s easy to say, “I’m a designer. I’m going to go get some inspiration about who I’m designing for. I’ll design some concepts based on the initial idea, but then forget about it, and move forward based on what I like and what my teammates like and forget about the audience.” It’s literally always keeping in mind that every design decision you make should always consider the end-user and how they respond to it. Because in the end, that’s what design is. It’s not about the designer—it’s about the humans that interact with the product.
What advice would you give to aspiring designers?
Definitely keep an open mind. There’s always pressure on us to go straight to the most elite design firms as soon as we graduate. It’s important to be open-minded about where you start out. My first job was with a boutique brand studio, and there were only four of us. I did everything from sweeping the floors to presenting to clients all in one day. But it was such an awesome experience because I learned so much.
I think the idea of starting at a small place is actually really nice because it helps you become a well-rounded designer very quickly, as opposed to being given a very particular role at a large firm. Being able to broaden your skill set is a valuable thing when you’re starting out. It also gives you the opportunity to really figure out what you like. Because once you get to try all these little things, you immediately learn what you’re not so great at and what comes much more naturally to you. It’s an opportunity to really learn about yourself.
How has working at IDEO changed your design work?
What I love about working at IDEO is the incredible amount of expertise of people who work there. In terms of craft, skill set, and expertise, you learn so much from each individual person. Every couple of months, you can work for industries from one end of the spectrum to the other. I’ve gone from one project designing a digital wellness app, to another developing a curriculum for training airline pilots. It taught me to stay on my feet and always keep learning. Keep absorbing and applying what you learn from one project to the next because they can inspire each other in crazy ways.
“Keep absorbing and applying what you learn from one project to the next because they can inspire each other in crazy ways.”
For me, the most crucial influence is the incredible talent that works there and how much I’ve learned about and from other disciplines. On multiple occasions, I worked alongside a design researcher, an industrial designer, and a UX designer for three months on one project, building a product or service together. During those months, I’ve learned a little bit about industrial design and how to work with them, about UX and how to partner with a UX designer, and how all of that improves your core skill set. Human-centered design is so focused on research and speaking to users to learn from them. There’s no way you can walk away from working at IDEO without knowing how to design with humans at the center.
You were involved in lots of interesting projects, from helping people living with HIV make the right medication decision, to building an immersive exhibit redefining aging and death. Tell us about a project that you are most proud of.
Last year, I had the opportunity to work on a six-month brand identity project, where my team and I were challenged by a global company to define their brand identity, purpose, and values. It was much more than a simple logo redesign. It turned out that sustainability and responsibility played a big role in the company. What we ended up doing was thinking about how we can communicate that vision visually and how to translate that message to show up in the actual brand identity.
We designed a living, breathing logo that changes shape based on how well the company is doing in achieving its goals, sustainability being one of those metrics. We were so lucky to work with a CEO who has the imagination and drive to look past all the hurdles that would make this idea a real thing, and worked alongside us to bring it to life. It was a lot of work, and it took a huge team of people, but I’m very proud of the work because we believed in it and created something that’s never been seen before.
What are some of the hardest parts of your job and some of the biggest struggles you experienced?
Being a woman in the design industry is a big topic, since it’s still very much a male-dominated industry. More and more, over the last couple of years, we’ve started to see some changes because we’re actually bringing the issue to the forefront. When it comes to speaking about diversity, I still come from a place of privilege being a Caucasian woman, but there are different struggles—being a woman, playing a senior role alongside mostly men. I think the design industry will take some time and some serious inward reflection when it comes to each individual design studio or group to change that.
But speaking for IDEO, I’m really proud of the fact that we recently appointed a woman as our CEO for the first time in the history of the company. For a lot of women, that was a really awesome win.
How would you describe your leadership style? How do you inspire your team?
I try to reflect upon the leaders that I’ve had in my life, those I look up to. I’ve learned a lot about leadership by observing their leadership styles and how those affected me as a team member.
At the core, making my team members successful is what means the most to me as a leader. It means really considering what each of their personal goals are as a designer and helping them grow and develop coming out of each project. It’s important to acknowledge that they are seen and heard. I think it is so gratifying.
“At the core, making my team members successful is what means the most to me as a leader.”
Rapid Fire Questions
What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
I actually moonlight as an Argentine tango dancer. I grew up as a dancer, and it has been a really nice therapy hobby of mine.
What is your favorite book or podcast?
My favorite podcast is Death, Sex & Money with Anna Sale. I just love listening to them broach the craziest most taboo topics. Hearing people build the confidence to speak on less pleasant topics helps us systemically discuss and address them.
What motivates you to get up in the morning?
Breakfast! In context of what’s happening today, I think it’s become harder and harder to get up in the morning.
But honestly, it’s loving the people I work with and being around them. Unfortunately, it’s now in a remote environment, but that social aspect you build as a team makes work fun, and I look forward to it every morning.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Pragmatic, optimistic, and a real-talker!
