Jobs and Income

These are lean times for design - manufacturers and design firms are cutting costs and employment is down.  Yes, someone stole the cheese.  Here's a brainstormed list of new cheddar and goudas that could support some interesting work, keep you connected, and help pay the rent.  Is there any Gorgonzola here? 

Please join the chat below and share your leads and experiences.

  • Foundations
  • Corporate Philanthropy
  • Private Philanthropy
  • Contests
  • Alumni Organizations
  • Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists
  • Government Contracts and Grants
  • Educational Grants
  • Design Advisory Committees
  • Internships/co-applications with larger firms
  • Think Sideways
  • Freelancing Wisdom and Resources
Also consider these ideas...
  • Foundations: They give out millions and billions every year. Which foundations could be interested in design? What are they already investing in that should be better designed?
  • Corporate Philanthropy: Large corporations regularly fund exhibitions and look-good projects. How do we tap into the plethora of things they would fund?
  • Private Philanthropy: Zaccai, president of DesignContinuum recently donated $250,000 to his alma mater, Syracuse University. Where do we make friends like that?
  • Contests: Google produced 2000 results for "Design Competition"! Compete to design a space station that goes under construction in year 2024 or to design packaging for Venus flytraps.

www.competitions.org
The official site of Competitions magazine. It features upcoming competitions in the fields of public art, architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and product design. One example is a listing by the Biennial America Corp. of Miami Beach:
Design a Miami Cafecito Cup (otherwise known as a Cuban Style Espresso Cup). This little cup will become the signature of their restaurant chain.
Design interior and exterior lighting elements for their restaurants.
Design a cell phone tower (for the community surrounding their establishment) that does not blight the urban landscape.
ID, HOW, and One magazine also feature annual design competitions.

  • Alumni Organizations: Universities have major alumni tracking efforts, evidently because it's worth the money. Can an individual successfully develop a mini alumni-funded project?
  • Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists: To whom can designers submit a proposal? What proposals have VCs funded that should include design?
  • Government Contracts and Grants: How can Jo Designer get funding to prototype her brilliant new environmentally friendly mousetrap? Are government grant services worth buying?
    Be sure to save the information from your completed application so you can use it on the next application- they look alike!

http://www.cfda.gov/public/granttopics.asp
A diverse listing of available grants and how to apply for each of them. Four that apply directly to designers/artists, each for $10,000, are:
45.027 Promotion of the Arts_ Challenge America Grants
45.026 Promotion of the Arts_ Leadership Initiatives Grants
45.025 Promotion of the Arts_ Partnership Agreement Grants
45.024 Promotion of the Arts_ Grants to Organizations and Individuals
Step sideways and work on:
10.212 Small Business Innovation Research Grant- $12,000 to help innovate products and services within the private sector.
84.275 Ready-To-Learn Television Grant- $16,000-$22,000 to create, develop, and help produce education television programming for preschoolers.

http://arts.endow.gov/artforms/Design/Design5.html
http://arts.endow.gov/artforms/Design/01design.html

http://www.nea.gov/guide/Challenge02/overview.html
The NEA also has a great website for grants and health insurance plans!!

  • Educational Grants: What sources do universities access? Can non-academics tap in there, or better team up with academic applicants?
  • Design Advisory Committees: What types of ad hoc committees are there?
  • Internships/co-applications with larger firms: How can mid-career designers more easily participate part-time with firms?
  • Think Sideways: The grass might actually be greener in another fields. Just as large architecture firms need product designers for detailed building elements, other companies need a designers' way of thinking. User-centered thinking is hot these days and designers are among the few who can truly deliver. Law firms, software development industries, hospitals, and countless others need creatives and problem solvers.
  • Freelancing Wisdom and Resources: A sporadic and often difficult way to go, but it can lead to interesting work or starting a new company.
    www.allfreelancework.com
    www.coroflot.com/public/how_to_succeed_freelancer.asp
    Resource books, especially valuable for recent graduates that cover issues of contract writing, non-disclosure agreements, legal rights of the artist, and so forth.
    -"The Annual Register of Grant Support" published by Bowker
    -"Graphic Artists Guild Pricing and Ethical Guidelines" by the Graphic Artists Guild
    -"The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management: Quick Tips, Speedy Solutions, and Cutting-Edge Ideas" by Eric Verzuh