Photo: Noa Azoulay
Design expert Jaime Derringer is a busy woman. When she’s not running the noted website Design Milk–which provides daily modern design and architecture inspiration—Derringer is giving talks on design trends, podcasting, consulting, and running several other online publications.
From Adorn Milk—an online shop dedicated to architectural jewelry—to Dog Milk—which highlights modern pet design—Derringer is always thinking of ways to bring more design to the world. And now, with the Design Milk Job Board, she’s giving creatives a place to find career opportunities.
We had a chance to catch up with Derringer to hear more about the new job board, as well as her foray into podcasting and other projects she has in the works. Read on for our exclusive interview.
Why was now the right time for the Design Milk job board?
I have learned that for most things, it’s never the right time until you have the time to make. So, I finally made the time! I had been thinking about it for a few years, but it wasn’t until last year when I could make the time to give it 100%. Searching for a job is harder these days than it used to be because the larger websites are so overloaded with jobs—and often times those jobs have not been vetted—that it can be hard to really find anything of quality in your field, so I wanted to create a place where people knew that the jobs had been reviewed by someone who knows design and architecture and can make sure the jobs—and the companies listing the jobs—are high quality.
How does the job board fit into Design Milk’s overall mission?
Design Milk’s mission is to share great design, so why not match great brands with great designers? That’s what we do every day when we share good design work—Design Milk becomes a place where networking and connections are made. Essentially, it’s just an extension of that, but in a more formal way.
What differentiates Design Milk Job Board from other creative job boards?
Design Milk’s job board is focused on the same things we’re focused on for our website—the fields of modern design and architecture. Our readers already know and trust us and therefore, we have already established great relationships with both job seekers and hiring companies. We also review and approve every single job. It’s a more involved process, but we want to make sure it’s as curated and high quality as our website content.
How do you hope it grows over time?
Slowly and steadily! We have always been a slow and steady kind of brand, so we don’t expect a million jobs overnight but we hope that, with time, the Job Board will become a trusted resource for hiring companies and job seekers. We have already had some great brands list jobs from Kelly Wearstler and fuseproject to Ann Sacks, Gensler, and Kikkerland.
What’s your biggest piece of advice for new creatives looking for their big career break?
Find a company that shares your same values.
Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer.
You also host the Clever Podcast with Amy Devers. How did that come about?
Ah! Yes, Clever is so much fun! Amy and I met many years ago and more recently reconnected, which led to a conversation about the lack of podcasts and video media in the design and architecture industries.
With Design Milk, we already talk about products and brands, but I really wanted to be able to connect with designers on a more human level because it’s the stories and the people that make design more interesting and meaningful. Amy’s expertise in TV translated easily into podcast and storytelling, and my industry knowledge and connections and audience complemented that. We also realized we had so many values and goals in common, and quickly figured out that we work well together. We really love the podcast!
How does podcasting compare to your more editorial work with Design Milk?
As I said above, it’s much different, but complementary. For example, you can learn all about a new collection or building on Design Milk, but on Clever, you get to hear the story of the human(s) behind them, which we believe gives you a better connection to the built world, and the objects that surround us.
Also, podcasting is really hard! The perception is all you need is a microphone, but it’s so much more complex. While I think what we do on Design Milk is not easy, podcasting was a steeper learning curve and I am still learning!
What do you hope people take away from the podcast?
We really want to make connections. Create empathy, help people appreciate the work that designers do, inspire young designers and students, and help people who don’t know much about design or designers learn and connect with the industry to ultimately, have a better appreciation for every object they use or acquire.
You are always creating! What can we look forward to in the future?
Oh gosh! Well, Design Milk is working on launching a line of tees, totes, stickers, and pins for designers…coming soon!
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