Landing Your First Design Job: What Do Firms Want?

Get the latest insights on what design firm leaders are looking for in new hires.

Emerging professionals on the job market will benefit from our panel of design firm leaders sharing their perspectives on what they look for in new employees, and what you can expect when hired for your first professional position. As jurists for the 2022 ASID Student Portfolio Competition, our panelists also shared insights on creating a strong portfolio and the role of the portfolio in the hiring process along with the interview. You will walk away with tips and advice to apply in your job search and on the job, setting you up for success as a new professional.


This is a recording of a live webinar held on July 14, 2022.


Access Period: One year from registration date.

Brent Capron, ASID, AIA

Principal, Design Director of Interiors

Perkins&Will

Brent has always been keenly aware of his surroundings. Even before he knew there was a word for it, he wanted to have a hand in creating, shaping, understanding, representing, and interacting with physical space. Born and raised in Colorado, the intensity of the natural environment has impacted Brent’s approach to design. He is drawn to spaces that, like nature, have a temporal quality—changing and modifying over time. Often described as aspirational in his approach, his work reflects a clear ethos, telling a story that supports the user’s experience.

 

David Taglione

Managing & Creative Director

ICRAVE

David Taglione serves as a Managing & Creative Director at ICRAVE, and has been a part of the ICRAVE team since 2005. David has directed several large scale projects including Delta Terminals C and D at La Guardia Airport, Terminal G at Minneapolis St-Paul Airport, MSK's Josie Robertson Surgical Center and MSK's David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care. He has been at the forefront of thought leadership at ICRAVE working in numerous sectors influencing thinking such as transforming the passenger experience in airports, shaping the future of Cancer Care, creating a vision for the future of retail, building the next evolution of the food hall and creating numerous unique brand experiences. During his tenure at ICRAVE, David has worked with numerous brands including MSK, HSS, Johns Hopkins, Hines, Sponda and JPMorgan Chase. Helping developers strategically position themselves for the future and bringing new brands to the marketplace including Mister Dips and Le District. This multi-sector approach to his thinking has allowed for exciting cross pollination of ideas and a unique perspective to design. David is currently working on building several new brands including the Sapphire Lounge, strategically positioning both the aesthetics and experience. He has used his expertise to create client specific solutions across sectors and is always looking forward to a new challenge. David studied Architecture at the University of Buffalo and went on to receive his Masters of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2004.

Kia Weatherspoon, ASID, NCIDQ, D.F.A. (h.c.)

President + Founder

Determined by Design

The design voice of impact and change—Kia Weatherspoon, NCIDQ, ASID, D.F.A. (h.c) has spent the last 15 years defying every design stereotype. The most damaging—interior design is a luxury reserved for a few. Her voice, advocacy for Design Equity™, and design practice have shifted the narrative, making interior design a standard for all. Kia is challenging the lack of these standards in economically challenged communities. Her presence and leadership have created ripples, prompting housing developers, agencies, and industry partners in economically challenged communities to not just take notice of her work—but to do better. 

She became the design leader, educator, business owner and speaker she never saw. In doing so she has been recognized as a recipient of the Design for Humanity National award from American Society of Interior Design, HIP Designer for Good by Interior Design Magazine, Commercial Real Estate Women Washington D.C. (CREW DC) Raise Up Your Voice Recipient and the International Interior Design Association Luna Textile/Anna Hernandez Visionary Award recipient. She also received an Honorary Doctorate from the New York School of Interior Design for her contributions to the industry. Kia is a full-time professor, sought after speaker and mentor. She truly demonstrates what’s possible when you’re determined by design.

Elizabeth Von Lehe, Allied ASID (Moderator)

Director of Specialty Interiors

HDR

A seasoned design leader with professional experience across multiple industries, Elizabeth Von Lehe leads HDR’s efforts to advance a holistic approach to design, embracing not only the built form, but branding, curation and the development of user experience from every angle. Von Lehe previously worked at ICRAVE Design, where she served as director of strategy, brand and architectural design for more than seven years. Before that, she worked in design for both Target and Lands’ End. Her experience includes developing product collections for both fashion and furniture industries as well as guiding master plans and interior design concepts.

Based in New York, New York, Von Lehe is well known throughout the design professions as a leader in the field of experience design. She is a regular keynote and workshop speaker at the national and chapter levels for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), advocating for experience design to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and integration beyond what most designers usually practice. Von Lehe currently serves as a Director on the national board of ASID, and is a regular graduate mentor and panelist for her alma mater, Columbia University. Her work has been featured in several industry publications and she has been interviewed by national outlets such as Bloomberg and NPR.

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Open to view video. View the recording of the discussion from July 14, 2022.