Laura Baker

INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS: weight distribution tells the quality story before specs do Pick up a cheap product and a premium one with your eyes closed, you'll know which is which in under a second. It's not just about being heavy or light. It's about where the weight lives and how it moves in your hand. Apple obsesses over this. The MacBook's battery isn't in the center, it's positioned so the weight balances at the hinge when you lift the screen. Sony does it with cameras, the lens weight counterbalanced by the grip and battery position. This isn't an accident, it's math and iteration. The principle is that weight should guide the primary interaction. A mouse should feel heavier in the palm than the fingers. A phone should balance where you grip it, not where the camera bump is. A tool should feel deliberate when you pick it up and effortless when you use it. When weight distribution is wrong, everything else suffers. The best UI in the world can't save a product that feels cheap in your hand. And users won't articulate this, they'll just say "it doesn't feel right" and buy something else. ——— To bold ideas and well-crafted things, —Blair Let’s connect → linkedin.com/in/blairhasty

98

8 Comments

What no one tells you about starting a CGI studio It’s not all about creating nice visuals - You would think creating the best showreel you can is all you need to do to have clients flooding your inbox. This might have worked a while ago when there was a lot less competition, but in today's market you need to be going above and beyond. - Like working on a marketing plan to convert potential leads, creating a consistent content system, a system to get calls booked in, and something I'm working on now is creating an irresistible offer to target long-term partnerships with leads. You’re likely going to send a lot of quotes before you land any work - When you're first starting out, sending multiple quotes or proposals is a common thing. This is down to a number of reasons and can be hard to pinpoint exactly why your lead goes quiet. - Gaining trust over your lead comes with time and experience working with clients, this will give leads confidence that you can get the job done. Your proposal might not be as good as it could be or your pricing could be out of their budget. Convincing the lead that your rates are worth it by showing how your content can add value/solve problems for them. Finding good talent, that’s within budget, and someone you have enough trust in to complete projects on time isn’t easy - I have worked with at least 20 different CGI artists on client projects and I’ve found it can be time-consuming to find the perfect talent for a job. - To overcome this I am always looking for new talent and building out my connection base - either on LinkedIn or Instagram. When I find new talent that excites me I will drop them a message to understand a bit about them, like location, software they use, rates and what their work schedule is like. By doing this I am slowly building trust with them, and when a suitable project comes by I will likely reach out to them. Comment below if you found this useful.

504

20 Comments

Manufacturing is facing a skills crisis—and traditional training isn’t going to fix it. With the UK losing around £6 billion annually due to long-term vacancies, traditional training just isn’t enough anymore. What if instead of shadowing and classroom sessions, we gave people VR headsets, AI mentors, and immersive experiences designed to let them learn by doing and add value from day one? In my team’s latest article for frog Design Mind, we argue that design and AI powered experiential learning isn’t just a nice-to-have. It is the only way forward if we want to close the skills gap and build a resilient future workforce, faster. 👉 Read here: https://lnkd.in/etb3eBfq Shoutout to my co-creators Arlene Carsley FCIPD Jessica Ayuya Jaedan E. Oliver Harvey #AI #Aerospace #Manufacturing #DesigningAI #DSEIUK2025

42

1 Comment