Unfiltered Learnings from 2024.

Hey,

Welcome to SoleCents, The Thought dump by Prathamesh Thombre. Here you're going to read into my thoughts, insights and observations from the design space. This should take you between 3 and 5 minutes :)

This is an ever evolving initiative. So all kinds of feedback is appreciated, feel free to write to me and help shape this ??

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This year, I took my biggest leap: from a well-paying job as a sportswear designer in Europe to quitting that and founding my own sportswear brand in my home country, India. This year showed me a lot of highs and brought me even more lows. These experiences have shaped me, and now, as December nears its end, I can reflect on all that I’ve learned.

In this edition of #SoleCents I’ll focus on these learnings—not the clichéd regular stuff like design skills, portfolios, or job applications, because I’m sure we all know how to navigate those.

Instead, I’ll dive into lessons you can only experience when you show up for the challenges that I did.

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Before we dive into the learnings ; in classic #Solecents fashion, I will begin with setting up some context.

I began my professional career in France back in 2019. If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, I would have likely stayed there, growing in the same country—possibly even at the same company. But circumstances led me back to India for 11 months, only to return to Europe for my last job.

These formative years as a professional were about exploring the world, meeting new people, experiencing different cultures, and ultimately, discovering myself. Then came early 2024, when I took the leap of faith and founded my own company SoleStudio.in

What surprised me the most was that nothing felt more foreign than coming back to my home country, India. What I had expected to be a smooth transition led me down paths I could never have imagined.

Fast forward to today: I am proud to share that SoleStudio has officially placed its first purchase order after what seemed like endless sampling phases. On the consultancy front, SoleStudio is working with three long-term live clients, with three more potentially in the pipeline for 2025—all via inbound leads. While the road ahead is steep and full of challenges, I want to take this moment to reflect on what 2024 taught me.

Let’s go! Welcome to the learnings from 2024.

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>>? Introspect, Reflect, and be your biggest Advocate

In your journey of becoming a designer, you will learn through lectures, courses, work experiences, communities, bla blah.

But nothing can teach you better than introspecting and reflecting upon your own journey.

Do, and question yourself why and how, easy. Do it enough times, and you’ll see yourself taking quantum leaps. And do it consistently, because the industry around you will keep evolving faster than you can.

Design is hands down the most rapidly evolving profession that I have seen. My dad has been a designer all his life. And you won’t believe it, we still have magazine issues from gettyimages that used to be shipped across the world, it used to have a form that you could send back, marking all the images you wanted, and then they would ship you back a CD with the images in it. Compare that to how you grew up just downloading images from thin air ? Yeah, that is some evolution.

This fast paced profession will constantly tell you how you should perform and will try to teach you the etiquettes of being a designer, learn to question everything that is sent your way, no matter who the sender is. Learn the ways of the team, the culture of the company and the trend of the industry, and then find your voice to present to it, don’t just fit in and become replaceable. Be your biggest advocate, and stand for constant learning and improvement.

My two cents to all the fellow designers out there , learn to sell every bit of value that you provide to a team , to a company , to a cause and to the world. Because trust me, most things go unnoticed, mostly by our own selves. And as designers we create a lot of collateral value just merely by doing our process of ‘designing‘.

>> Make connections outside of your Professions

I have lived in 5 different cities across 3 countries in my early Design career. Inevitably I was given several opportunities to meet new people.

I have learnt a great deal of things from people who came before me and excelled at things I was about to take on, But I also learnt a lot more from people doing entirely different things.

Stay observant, learn holistically, and don’t believe in handbooks ??

>> Pick up on a complimentary skill and dial yourself in

Channel your thought outside of your daily work. Product designer ? Please sketch more than filleted boxes and machines. Challenge yourself with other things. Take it a layer further, channel your thoughts outside of design entirely. Learn about photography, make your own music, shoot videos, start writing. Anything. Start with a shitshow, but do something that can add to your skillset, interests, and personality. Most successful designers I know have another complimentary skill under their sleeve which they are also great at, and the really smart ones even learn how to monetise these complimentary skills ??

>> Own your work

You will spend years doing work that you cannot own publicly. More often you will find this as a hurdle in making moves within or outside of your industry. You either have to wait for market releases, sometimes it takes years, sometimes it’s scrapped and never sees the light of day and on other times you work in creative spaces that don’t really know how to manage credit, and all appreciation comes through a hierarchical funnel, while the criticism finds a more direct route, so when the work does get published, it does not necessarily show your contribution. Funny right ? Im curious to hear how many people can relate to this. Well facts and reality aside, Do personal work on the side where you can continue to implement your skills. Use this work to blow yourself up on as many platforms as you can. And if you really want to go that extra mile, explore multiple ways of sharing work through photos, videos, voiceovers, write-ups and so much more !

>> Selling Future.

You do know that you being a designer, are in the business of selling future right ? I don’t want to sound fancy but this is the reality. You are putting yourself out there, trying to sell ideas that currently do not exist, but you can help in making them happen. I saw this reality revealing itself more and more as I moved towards becoming an independent designer and then onto setting up SoleStudio.in . When I spoke with potential clients, it was tough to tell them how I can help them do something better. I had to live that loop multiple times till I got a stable footing with all of the tools I built around me to help me sell myself in a more compelling manner.

Here are the tools you can use if you are in the same boat -

- A kickass proposal document. Treat this as a portfolio, make it attractive, clear, crisp and compelling enough for the observer to call you back.

Always leave room for future prospect in this document. You will find yourself tweaking your proposal to cater to specific projects and clients, always show a little more than what is asked for. Almost like teasing them to open future discussions.

- A great website. I currently am still building mine, but I know now that I can speed up my inbound leads only through having a website.

More visibility, appears more credible, and it becomes another platform for you to advertise your potential.

- Learn conversation skills. Listen before you speak. When we are out there in client servicing, we want to jump at opportunities to advertise and sell, don’t dig that hole for yourself.

No-one wants to be sold to, they want to be heard. Be patient and don’t beat around the bush.

That’s me signing out for 2024. Ciao and Happy Holiday Season ! ????

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It’s #solecents , the thought dump by SoleStudio.in ??