By Denise Wydra
One item in my employment history stands out from the rest. After working for over 20 years at education companies, I took a brief spin as a tour guide. And not just any kind of tour—a tour by Segway.
Category: start-ups
by Denise Wydra
Everyone in charge of a small business or project will at some point have the lone responsibility for designing a flyer, presentation, business card, or some sort of promotional piece. No designer. No budget. For many, this can be a moment of frustration, even desperation. Surrounded as we are by advertising and the visual delights of the internet, we all see continuous streams of cool designs created by talented and skilled designers. And when we compare our capabilities to theirs, we’re tempted to throw our hands up and resign ourselves to mediocrity.
But there’s another way to think of it.
by Denise Wydra
OK, maybe you’re not desperate. But you know you need to fix your flyer or presentation deck, you can’t afford the time or money for a professional designer, and you haven’t a clue how to do it yourself.
Actually, you do. You read, notice, and respond to visual and textual messages all day. One of the best ways to build your design skills is to stop and notice your own habits and preferences. What looks cool to you? What did you notice first—and why? How can you tell something is professional vs. fly-by-night? Established authority vs. a fresh voice?
by Denise Wydra
What’s the Achilles’ heel of many edtech entrepreneurs? They’re brilliant and successful.
It’s not their fault, of course. Through a combination of natural ability, hard work, and outstanding support, they’ve come to excel in their chosen areas. But this means they may be unaware of what it’s like to be an average college student in the U.S.—and even less knowledgeable about the students who stand to gain the most from educational technology.