Day in the Life: Product Designer
Defne Kansu at Niche Modern during the 2018 Be Original Americas Fellowship
Ever wonder what career paths are open to you in the design industry? We take a look back at our past fellows and catch up with where they are now. First up, our 2018 Fellow, Defne Kansu. A 2019 graduate from Virginia Tech with a major in Industrial Design, she now works at the lighting company, Niche Modern, as a product designer.
Name: Defne Kansu
City: Beacon, NY
Job Title: Product Designer
Company: Niche Modern
What does your job title mean?
As a Product Designer at Niche Modern, I am in charge of product development. I work with our Creative Director to advance the product line, research trends in the lighting industry, and correspond with vendors to manufacture hardware/parts to get our pendants ready for the market. I also tend to do some creative digital work for marketing during my down time to help the team.
What does your morning look like?
My day starts at 8AM. The first thing I do is check my emails with my morning cup of coffee. We have overseas vendors, so it is important to answer promptly as the time difference can be a challenge for our deadlines.
After emails, I do one of the three:
Prepare spec sheets of our electrical hardware for manufacturing.
Prepare CAD drawings of our glass molds to be CNC'ed.
Research vendors/trends/information and work on ideas/make renders for new products.
The mornings tend to be filled with meetings and I usually leave with a new list of tasks. I look forward meetings and coming together with other departments because I love seeing what everyone is working on.
After lunch, what are you working on?
After lunch things tend to get busy. Emails, incoming hardware and parts, and responses from our contractors and vendors all tend to arrive after lunch which means that I spend the rest of my day making sure everything is on track.
A part of my job is to coordinate timelines. I look at what product needs to be developed and decide next steps - do we make a foam model, do we need a new mold, is it time to put the pendant to production line?
Then I report to our operations manager and logistics manager to make sure the product development department is making progress in accordance to the other departments. If I have extra time, then I help the marketing department with graphics, retouching, and blogs to keep my creative juices flowing.
How does your workday end?
Before I leave, I make sure to update our check sheets and records for the day. I then take care of any file management and make a to-do-list for the next day. If it is a Friday, I make sure to have new tasks ready for the upcoming week. If I have a few extra minutes, I look at inspiration and sketch down a few ideas.
What do you do after work?
When I get home, I often take a quick nap. Afterwards, I unwind with a either a workout, video games, Netflix, or a good book. But regardless of what I do, I am in bed by 11pm during the week.
Is there anything else about your job you’d like people to know?
I really enjoy the small business aspect of Niche Modern. The pendants are not manufactured, they are all authentic, hand-made and "made with love". Every person plays an integral role in getting the products out in the market and we are basically operating as a small team of talented cogwheels.
I love how my creative side is being nourished while I am getting a better understanding of how a business works holistically. The team is very collaborative and involved so I learn new things every day from everyone, whether it is sales, marketing, or glassblowing in the hot shop. The prospect of learning something new every day makes me excited to come to work.
I knew I wanted to be a designer in the lighting industry ever since being exposed to the industry through the Be Original Americas fellowship. Coming to Niche Modern and being surrounded by beautiful lights truly solidifies my decision a little more every day.
What do you know now that you wish you knew in school?
Freedom of creativity is great when you are coming up with design ideas during college, but they probably are not realistic when you are working with clients and vendors. Who knew that there is a thing called a budget?
As design students who go through the studio culture of 24/7 availability, it is important to realize that once you start working, you need to adhere to other people's timelines and can't pull a last minute all-nighter to meet goals - plan ahead and save yourself the trouble!