Results: What Personality Types Are Designers?
About a week ago, I challenged the idea that ISFJ was the ideal Myers-Briggs personality type for designers and asked designers to take the test and submit their results. 64 designers recorded their profiles, and here are the results of the poll:
While there wasn’t one personality that was most popular, results showed a strong level of Intuition and Judging among the group. I don’t believe that having strong Sensing and Perceiving traits necessarily rules out one’s ability to be a talented designer. However, someone with these traits should be aware of these as key differences when working with other designers around them.
About half of the designers surveyed were either INTJ, ENFJ, or ENFP. I’ll follow up with additional thoughts on what these profiles mean and what design careers best map to the most popular personality types. Visit the poll if you’d like to take the quiz and record your profile. If the results change significantly, I’ll update and report the changes. Finally, there are some great conversations both on this site and on the Core77 discussion boards.
Are you surprised that designers weren’t more biased towards Introversion or Feeling traits? Do we need more Perceiving in the design world? What do you make of these results?
Which personality types make the best designer?
Do designers share personality traits that make them successful? Even more specifically, can personality types indicate a likelihood that one will be a better manager, researcher, or stylist?
If you’re not familiar with it, the Jung Myers-Briggs Type Indicator documents 16 personality types based on four categories: Extroversion vs. Introversion, Intuiting vs. Sensing, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving. The test asks a series of simple questions and then assigns a four letter type along with the strength of each of those preferences. For example, I’m an INTJ. That means I tend to work well alone, focus on the future, seek logical explanations, and structure the world around me. The test has it’s critics, but for the sake of exploring my initial questions it serves as a good starting point. In addition to providing a personality type and description, many profilers provide advice for the ideal careers that match each type’s strengths. Here’s where it gets interesting.The ISFJ is listed as an ideal personality type for a career “designer.” This means that the ideal designer is:
- Introverted – likes to work alone, seeks to understand the world, prefers depth over breadth
- Sensing – trusts facts and data, accepts the world as it is, prefers practicality
- Feeling – seeks harmony, considers the feelings of others
- Judging – gains control through planning, focuses on results
While many of those traits work well in the design world, I can just as easily see opportunities where the opposite personality traits might be preferred. The definition of “designer” on this site is ambiguous, so let’s see if their recommendations hold true or if we can create some better ones.
What is your personality type? How well do your personality traits fit your current position? Click here to take the test and leave a comment with your result. Will we discover that certain traits are define certain types of designers?
Five Questions for Mark Gallagher
Over the past few months, many industrial designers have responded to my interview requests. I’m excited now to get a perspective outside of ID. Mark Gallagher started brand expression consultancy Blackcoffee in 1994. Using his background in communications and design, he helps brands tell strong stories, and he writes some good ones of his own on the Blackcoffee blog.
How do you define good design?
“Good” is defined by context. Good design considers the values of its audience within the context of how the brand will provide value to a given market. The more value it delivers, the better the design. The irony is that what is considered good design today may very well be considered bad design tomorrow, and by the same individuals.
Changes in consumer values change the context in how value and costs are perceived. New vs. Vintage, Handmade vs. Machine made, Natural vs. Synthetic, Sustainable vs. Disposable, Classic vs. Modern… A change in context changes everything.
What is your favorite part of the design process?
I enjoy being challenged and I enjoy collaborating with people who have different expertise and perspective than my own. Fortunately, I get to work cross-functionally with a highly diverse group of very smart and talented individuals. Each of them brings tremendous value to the brand and to me personally. Together we develop systems that allow the brand to grow and evolve over time without the appearance of change.
What challenges you most as a designer?
What works for you today can work against you tomorrow. The biggest challenge is creating brand systems that are rigid enough to maintain brand consistency, yet flexible enough to maintain relevance within an ever-changing world.
In the context of your job, how do you define success?
Award shows don’t define success—the market does. My job requires that I work towards a definition of success that is predefined by the brand team. Everything is then measured against that definition. Because each member of the team defines success the same way, we work individually and collectively towards the same ends. This encourages everyone to leave their egos at the door and allows the team to maintain momentum throughout the process.
What has been the most unexpected part of being a professional designer?
The unexpected is the norm, and yet I’m still constantly surprised. I’ve seen great designers get stuck carrying out production work and below average designers lead major redesigns. The difference is often presentation, being able to talk about design though the vernacular of business.
Thanks, Mark!
Brand Expressionist® Mark Gallagher graduated from Pratt Institute receiving a BFA in communications with a minor in industrial design. In 1994 he co-founded the brand expression consultancy Blackcoffee®, which helps consumer-facing organizations to unlock trapped value by clarifying, simplifying and amplifying their brand stories. Clients include: Acura, Showtime, Cannondale, Puma, Hasbro, Timberland, MTV, Reebok, Rockport, Tonka, Sperry Top-Sider, Seven Cycles, New Balance and Zildjian. In addition to building brands, Mark is a nationally certified high-performance driving instructor and competes in the BMW Club Racing series.
Fresh Coat of Paint
A neutral coat of paint has freshened up the Brutopia coffee shop in Cincinnati’s Clifton neighborhood. Artwork held up surprisingly well in front of the previously bright chartreuse walls, but the cool white they’ve selected looks professional and classic. Go get a great cappuccino this holiday season!
Speaking of holidays, artwork makes a great gift 
Here are some recent works that I have available, please let me know if you’re interested!
Five Questions for Demetrius Romanos
I’m particularly excited about this latest interview with Kaleidoscope’s Demetrius Romanos. With a background in both corporate and consultant design, he has a great sense of empathy for both the needs of clients and those of his internal team. Empathy can be crucial to the success of design, and it has helped Demetrius be successful as a designer, design director, and currently as VP of Design. And just so that I’m being completely transparent here, Demetrius is my boss.
How do you define of good design?
I suppose that every year the definition of “good design” changes for me to a degree based on what annoys me at the time. Right now, for example, I just wish I had a phone that I could hear, one that would not regularly fail in the most basic functions. At the end of the day, I’m still sadly too aesthetically driven. To me good design is the considered detail. The special last button on a Ben Sherman dress shirt. The tag on the inside of my Scotch & Soda jacket that says “you look really great today”. The little rubber ring on the handle of a Swiffer that keeps it from sliding down when you lean it against the wall. Anyone can make something look great at 10 paces, but when you consider all the little things, that to me is good design.
What is your favorite part of the design process?
My favorite part is getting to the root of what’s needed, then planning the strategy of what we’ll do and how we’ll do it. I love mashing design, fashion, architecture and looking to all sorts of areas for inspiration. Mostly I like to see people smile when they buy things and use things. Joy from joy.
What challenges you most as a designer?
At this point in my career, I would say relevance in the eyes of younger designers is the biggest challenge. While I might not be “on the board” anymore, I am so engrossed in consumerism and pop culture that I still want to not only share my own ideas and experiences, but to see them implemented. That’s my best way to contribute as a designer now.
In the context of your job, how do you define success?
I most define success by repeat business. I love to be trusted and relied upon. I want to be the go-to place for when you get a call like ‘I have this huge initiative to do and I only want to work with someone I trust and that’s you”. It is so affirming and hardly gets better than that.
What has been the most unexpected part of being a professional designer?
I suppose there are a few things. I guess what I think is cool to work on has changed over the years. Like packaging for example. You sort of have to suspend the moral part out of it, but it’s fun to work on. Being a consultant has changed me too I’d have to say. I get so much more of a thrill at building our business, strategically growing our offerings and client base and seeing our talented designers grow than any single artifact I’ve ever designed.
Thanks, Demetrius!
A University of Cincinnati grad, Demetrius Romanos is a driven design leader with 15 years experience as a design professional in both corporate and consulting environments. He has strategically focused his career for maximum engagement, beginning with working in the film and juvenile products industries, then as a key part of a high caliber corporate design team, and now as a leader building a world class product development team. As Vice President of Design for product development firm Kaleidoscope, Demetrius leads a team of multidisciplinary specialists in design, strategy and research for international clients including: Motorola, Procter & Gamble, Whirlpool, International Trucks, Staples, Evenflo and J&J. Demetrius’s work was selected for the Cooper Hewitt’s Design Triennial in 2000. He is an avid traveler, shopper, pop culture junkie and artist, all of which round out his creative eccentricity.
Failsafe: Latest Article for Product Design Hub
My latest article for Product Design Hub is called Failsafe, inspired by a student who took big risks and eventually failed to finish his chair prototype on time. Through his story, my advice to design students is to take these big risks, albeit with some proper planning in advance, so that they will learn from failure, overcome their fear of it, and understand what it sometimes takes to be successful.
Why are some designers afraid of failure? The truth is that designers are more comfortable with failure than most, but the fear is so deeply ingrained in our society that we must work hard to avoid it. Over at The 99 percent, research analyst Michael Schwalbe says it best: “Ultimately, it’s the ones who barrel through the discomfort, are resilient in the face of failure, and master the last 30% of taking risk who reach the highest levels of performance.”
So as not to steal their thunder, I’ll let you read the rest of the article over at their site. If you enjoy it, I hope you’ll comment and share your thoughts with them. Thanks again to Product Design Hub team for publishing my work and to Max Schlachter for sharing his story.
Five Questions for Jed Farlow
Born and raised in Boston, Jed Farlow studied human factors and ergonomics at Cornell University and then industrial design at University of Cincinnati. He currently works at DEKA Research & Development, creating smooth and understandable user experiences for life-saving medical and infrastructure (power, water) systems.
How do you define of good design?
Good design fulfills a stated need or solves a problem, efficiently and elegantly.
What is your favorite part of the design process?
The concept generation space between research and refinement, generating solutions to specific parts of the problem. At the moment, this involves a lot of back and forth with engineers about feasibility.
What challenges you most as a designer?
I’m having a major debate with myself about the sometimes subtle differences between design, art, and junk. A lot of what gets praised by the ID world at large seems off-base to me, and I’m trying to decide what’s reasonable to do about it.
In the context of your job, how do you define success?
Basically, success is how well-suited one of my products is to its users. We test this. Early involvement in projects is a big deal; the earlier I or my team get asked to provide research or input, the more successful we’re likely to be. I’m waiting for a few major projects to get released, so my definition is likely to get updated as I see how they are received and used (or not!) by their markets.
What has been the most unexpected part of being a professional designer?
The amount of subtlety and diplomacy it takes to protect design intent and user experience through the development process.
Thanks, Jed!
Five Questions for Colin Roberts
Colin Roberts is a Designer 1 at Fiskars Brands with a Bachelors in Industrial Design from the University of Cincinnati. He enjoys sneakers, reading on his back porch and drinking in daylight.
How do you define good design?
Good design is creating objects appropriate to their context that resonate with someone to the point of making life more enjoyable. Good design isn’t about a physical ethos or style.
What is your favorite part of the design process?
I don’t think I have a favorite part. It’s the process itself that I love, from exploration, to visualization and final development. When I’m getting too much of one and not enough of others I can get cranky.
What challenges you most as a designer?
I think our world is rich with ideas and lacking in executional ability. With all the good ideas floating around it can be challenging for a young designer to avoid being used simply for execution. Maybe even more so within a larger corporation.
How do you define success?
There are so many variables to successful products, even award winners can be failures in the market place. I think I’ll define success when I can look across my company’s product line and see a spread that’s given us the opportunity for success in the market place.
What has been the most unexpected part of being a professional?
I’ve been surprised by the lack of formality in the design process. It seems that with so much time in school, in books I’ve read, and on designer blogs devoted to exploring and perfecting processes, more emphasis would be given towards implementing those processes.
Thanks, Colin!
The Best Cappuccino
Nearly every designer I’ve heard speak talks about the importance of exploration and experimentation. For better or worse, we often can’t do that to the extent that our jobs will allow us. For me, fine art is one outlet for experimentation. It also keeps my compositional skills sharp. My work, a collection of both familiar and fresh pieces, is on display at Brutopia this month. They have great cappuccino, you should go have one!
I recently discovered the digital macro feature on my Canon Powershot SD790 IS. I’ve nicknamed it the industrial design setting since it is perfect for shooting the tight details of your favorite products. If you have a Canon, you should check for it!
Five Questions for Michael Seum
Michael Seum is a Chicago native currently working from Italy. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Industrial Design program. Seum’s work as a Principal Designer for Global Consumer Design, Whirlpool Europe fuels his interest for highly complex design problems. In his current role in the platform studio, he is integrating design led innovations and demonstrating the role design can play in the early phases of planning and product development. Michael’s work is diverse in nature as he fluidly moves between setting a vision, leading complex, multi-functional teams to working the intimate details of a product. Michael’s past design experiences include the design of award winning products for Sterling, Kohler, Procter & Gamble, and KitchenAid.
How do you define good design?
It’s really not up to me to define good design as the designer. Although I have my opinions, I leave the final judgment to the person who purchases the product at the end of it’s creation.
What is your favorite part of the design process?
The parts I am most passionate about are the collaboration aspects. There are some really smart and talented people out there and my favorite projects always found a way to pull seemingly different minds behind a single objective. I also like the espresso breaks.
What challenges you most as a designer?
A pencil, seriously. I am not the best with a straight line or creating wicked sketches to say the least. I prefer clay, paper, glue, duct tape and interns.
How do you define success?
Currently, I am working from our Italian design studio so my measure of success is very much influenced by my recent transition from working in the states to now working in Europe. Success (for me) is earning the respect and trust of my colleagues outside of design.
What has been the most unexpected part of being a professional?
I am sometimes surprised at how geeky designers can be. Recently, I’ve seen one designer who wears silver shoes.
Thanks, Michael!
On Twitter
- Help a brutha out RT @brandonlynne: Where is the modern furniture at merchandise mart?!?!? All this Florida style is burning my eyes. 5 days ago
- how do you look for sprezzatura when searching (interviewing) for the best designers? 1 week ago
- RT @ThisIsSethsBlog Seth's Blog: Sprezzatura http://bit.ly/bzFurb 1 week ago
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