Video: 2021 Kicks Off with Humility

Justin Dauer kicked off the 2021 monthly meet-up series, sponsored by Big Design and UXPA Dallas, with a talk titled Humility: The Designer’s Most Essential Trait.

Humility is essential to doing our best work. Why? Effective visual communication and intuitive UX are not subjective; every objective design decision we make carries weight, and is bigger than us. We must understand the privilege, and the responsibility, that are inherent in our craft.

And, in communicating. In *connecting* with people through design.

When there are clear project goals to be reached and problems to be solved, having a willingness to listen, learn, understand, grow, evolve, and connect will fuel you—and your design’s—evolution.

If we are always students of our craft, we are always making ourselves available to evolve. “Experience” does not equal “expert”, despite having a monogrammed portfolio or a blue checkbox next to your Twitter handle.

Through the lens of vulnerability of a career’s journey inclusive of early success, and the resulting effects on his design + personal growth, join Justin Dauer as he talks through how the human connection must always lead in evolving ourselves as designers, our work, and our career’s journey. We can’t settle for anything less: you, your work, and those on the receiving end of what you create, *deserve* nothing less.

Thanks, Wendy Vo, for sketch noting Justin’s talk. Wendy is a member of the UX Club at UT Dallas. The club has sketchnoted talks from Big Design since 2015.

Sketchnote by Wendy Vo

About Justin Dauer

Justin Dauer is a multi-faceted, multi-pierced, multi-tattooed designer, author, and speaker. He wrote the celebrated book, Cultivating a Creative Culture, speaks internationally on culture and design, and is the Vice President of Human-Centered Design and Development at bswift. With Josef Muller-Brockmann and user advocacy claiming equal parts of his creative heart since graduating The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he’s immersed himself intangible and digital media over the past 20 years.

As a perpetual student of human-centered design, observation, and creative process, Justin builds teams and cultivates cultures around the perspectives and skillsets we already use daily in our work: empathy, objectivity, and creativity.