Robert Brunner, founder of Ammunition and part of the team behind Beats by Dre, has a recommendation for young designers hoping to stand out: Try stand-up comedy.
“Go take the comedy class. Learn how to stand up in front of people to communicate thoughts and ideas”, Brunner said at Fortune’s Brainstorm Design conference in Macau on Dec. 5. The designer, who joined virtually, shared that creatives needed to “educate, motivate, cajole and sell [their ideas].”
Brunner admitted he was “scared” of public speaking at times during his career, but said it was key to being able to “articulate ideas” and see his work through to “see the light of day.”
Brunner served as Apple’s director of industrial design between 1990 and 1997, working on products like the PowerBook laptop. (Industrial designers focus on products meant for everyday use like electronics and household items). Brunner then joined Pentagram Design, the world’s largest independent design consultancy, as a partner.
In 2007, Brunner founded his own firm, Ammunition. He’s since worked with prominent brands and organizations like Adobe, Square and UNICEF. Brunner also worked with Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre on Beats Electronics, the audio products company.
At Brainstorm Design, Brunner called headphones the “original piece of wearable technology.” Before Beats, headphone designers didn’t think about “how it looks” and instead focused more on function like durability and acoustics.
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“If you’re going to put something on your head [and] wear it on your body, it should be speaking a language that you identify with,” he said.
‘I was right’
Brunner was one of several speakers at Brainstorm Design to offer advice and thoughts to designers trying to make themselves stand out. Design budgets are at risk of being scaled back as a tough economy puts a strain on corporate finances.
Dan Makoski, former chief design officer for the UnitedHealth Group, suggested designers learn “business-speak” to better connect with executives. NewDealDesign founder Gadi Amit, in contrast, suggested designers move away from just thinking tactically about their position in an organization, and push back against the “money and tech folks.”
Brunner took note that his long career in design moved him past his own inferiority complex as “the creative guy” amid an array of business executives, and that designers can contribute in the corporate decision-making process.
“I learned this lesson at Apple. I would sit in executive meetings, C-suite meetings…and I would think that’s not going to work, or that’s not successful. But [was] it my place to say that?,” he remembered.
“I would always find out I was right.”
