The Pragmatic Designers

From Academia to Modular Futures | Victor Tzen

Hi, we're Desai and Thuan, best friends from architecture school and early career designers on a journey to discover how to build creatively fulfilling and financially sustainable careers. We are super excited to share with you notes from our podcast, and hope you’ll subscribe for bi-monthly updates! In this episode, we talk with Victor Tzen, Senior Architecture Program Manager at Samara. Victor’s career spans teaching at Syracuse University, design leadership at Google’s R+D Lab for the Built Environment, and nearly a decade at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, where he worked on flagship Apple Stores across New York, Paris, and Cologne. From Academia to R+D Victor started his career during the 2008 recession, when teaching at Syracuse became both a practical and formative path. In the classroom, he discovered a love for organizing and running large studios — a skill that later shaped his leadership in practice. His move to Bohlin Cywinski Jackson sharpened his detailing and material sensibilities while exposing him to world-class clients and consultants. It was here that he caught the first spark of R+D, experimenting with lighting and sensor systems that hinted at a bigger future. Finding R+D Communities At Google, Victor dove into multidisciplinary R+D at scale, collaborating with engineers, scientists, and artists to rethink the workplace. He describes this as a turning point: learning how to define problems in undefined spaces, and how to navigate large organizations with many competing agendas. The Future of Living at Samara Today at Samara, Victor is exploring how design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) and modular construction might reshape the way we live. Rather than prescribing solutions, Samara’s approach focuses on creating tools and scalable systems — from ADUs to multi-generational housing models — that empower people to imagine alternate futures of living. With policy, culture, and technology finally aligning, Victor believes industrialized housing is on the cusp of breakthrough in the U.S. “Don’t be afraid to take a step backwards in order to take a big leap forward.” Advice for Designers Victor encourages young designers to: * Follow what excites you, even if it looks unconventional. * Apply for roles that feel out of reach — “fake it till you make it” often leads to the best growth. * Accept that detours and even “steps back” can become the biggest leaps forward. While Victor frequently travels for work, you can find him on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-tzen-ra-aia-b779b063/] — or maybe at a music shop in the Bay Area. → Learn more about Levittown and the Imperfect Rise of American Suburbs [https://ushistoryscene.com/article/levittown/]. → Explore Habitat 67 [https://www.habitat67.com/en/] and the modular design and construction. → Ordos City [https://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/04/19/an-update-on-chinas-largest-ghost-city-what-ordos-kangbashi-is-like-today/] in Mongolia. → The compositions of John Field [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Field_(composer)], discovered through pianist Alice Sara Ott [https://www.alicesaraott.com/]. → Dominion [https://www.riograndegames.com/games/dominion/](deck-building game) and Wingspan [https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/](resource-building game). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com [https://thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Minimizing Regret and Reframing Risks | Colleen Chang

In this episode we sat down with Colleen Chang, founder, writer, and builder, to explore her journey from engineering student to co-founder at Tuuli, a AI software start-up enhancing AEC workflows. She shares honest lessons about navigating risk, growth, and purpose. Rethinking Success and Compounding Small Bets Colleen’s story begins during the pandemic, when she realized that the traditional formula of grades, graduate school, and a stable career did not align with the life she wanted to build. Instead of operating on autopilot, she began to think deeply about how to allocate her time toward experiences that mattered to her. This led to a series of small but significant pivots. Switching from civil engineering to computer science, seeking out fellowship programs, and pursuing opportunities outside of the classroom all became ways of moving closer to the future she envisioned. Rather than waiting for a single big leap, Colleen built momentum through a series of smaller choices that compounded over time. The Power of Community and Reframing Risk A key part of Colleen’s journey has been finding communities that inspired her to think bigger. Programs such as Cansbridge and Next36 placed her alongside peers who were prioritizing side projects, startups, and unconventional paths over grades and traditional markers of success. By putting herself in environments where ambition and experimentation were the norm, she was able to expand her sense of what was possible. Alongside this, she reframed her understanding of risk. What felt risky on the surface, such as pursuing a startup, was far less dangerous than the hidden risk of stagnation—remaining in a role that did not allow her to grow or create meaningful impact. Through this lens of regret minimization, she chose to bet on herself early, before life brought additional obligations that might have made such choices harder. From Exploration to Mastery Colleen’s journey also reflects the balance between being a generalist and becoming a specialist. In her early years, she gave herself permission to explore broadly, testing different interests in sustainability, engineering, and design. Exploration helped her discover where her energy naturally flowed and what problems she cared most about solving. Once she found that intersection of skills, value, and growth potential, she began to dive deeper and commit fully. This has led her into the world of startups, where she has embraced not only the technical side of product development but also the surprising and deeply human aspects of sales and storytelling. For Colleen, sales is not about being the loudest voice in the room, but about practicing empathy, understanding problems deeply, and helping others find solutions that truly serve them. Storytelling has also become central to her growth, both in building her company and in shaping how others understand her vision for the future. The Importance of Rest and Human Connection Even in the intensity of startup life, Colleen emphasizes the value of rest and non-metric driven joy. Running, meditation, hosting dinners, and spending time with friends provide balance and creative fuel. These moments of slowing down remind her that not everything has to be optimized for growth or outcomes. They are essential for sustaining a clear mind, maintaining perspective, and nurturing a sense of purpose beyond work. Rest, she argues, is not wasted time but an investment in resilience and long-term creativity. Actionable Tip Adopt a regret minimization framework. When faced with a decision, ask: Years from now, what would I regret more—taking this chance and failing, or never trying at all? This simple shift helps transform fear of failure into motivation to act.To practice, try thinking of times when it was difficult to make a decision, or when you felt very conflicted. If you used the regret minimization framework, how would you have made your decision? Would it have been similar, or different? Connect with Colleen on LinkedIn and Instagram (@colleen_sora)! This article accompanies our podcast episode featuring Colleen Chang. You can listen to it here on Substack, or through Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7Hh16gWGvmyvdr3LbJCAfE] and Apple Music [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pragmatic-designers/id1811779072].References: * Strive: College Students’ Revelations During a Global Pandemic [https://www.amazon.com/Strive-College-Students-Revelations-Pandemic/dp/B0BKRX95W5] by Colleen Chang * Cansbridge Fellowship [https://cansbridgefellowship.com/] * Next36 Founder Development Program [https://www.nextcanada.com/next-36/] * Tuuli [https://www.trytuuli.com/] (startup creating AI tools for architects, which Colleen co-founded with Vit [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vithusan-vimal/] and Arpan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpan-grover/]) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com [https://thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Getting Real: Behind the Mic with Desai and Thuan

Hi, we're Desai and Thuan, best friends from architecture school and early career designers on a journey to discover how to build creatively fulfilling and financially sustainable careers. We are super excited to share with you notes from our podcast, and hope you’ll subscribe for bi-monthly updates! Why We Started From Cornell studios to Rome apartments, we’ve always collaborated. The podcast began as a way to explore how design thinking applies beyond architecture—and to share those paths with students and early-career creatives. The Wall We Hit After 8 episodes, we’ve had 454 downloads and 14 subscribers. We’re proud of the start, but reaching our target audience—students and recent grads—has been tough. LinkedIn posts mostly reach peers and seniors, not the people who’d benefit most. Add demanding day jobs and 10+ hours to produce each episode, and momentum isn’t easy to keep. How We’re Adapting In this episode, we brainstormed ways forward: * Slack community for listeners to connect. (Update: The Slack channel is live, join here → The Pragmatic Designers Community [https://lnkd.in/eQcAkw35].) * Live streams & workshops to share skills (cold outreach, navigating corporate culture). * Practical solo episodes alongside interviews. * Short-form content on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts to attract new listeners. Why Share This? We believe in showing the process, not just the polish. Building something from scratch is messy—and that’s worth talking about. As Thuan says: “If we were doing this alone, the podcast probably would have been dead a month ago. Doing it together keeps us excited.” If you’ve been listening—thank you for sticking with us in our “ugly duckling” phase. Your feedback means everything. <3 Connect with usDesai → desaiwang.com [http://desaiwang.com] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/desaiwang/].Thuan → thuanla.com [http://thuanla.com] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thuan-la/]. Join our Slack channel here → The Pragmatic Designers Community [https://lnkd.in/eQcAkw35]. Listen to this episode on Substack, Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7Hh16gWGvmyvdr3LbJCAfE], or Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pragmatic-designers/id1811779072]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com [https://thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Design Beyond Aesthetics | Thaddeus Lee

This week, we talk with Thaddeus Lee, a Play Inventor at LEGO’s Creative Play Lab. Have you ever wondered how aesthetics emerge from culture? What does empathy-driven design look like? How do you balance bold ideas with business reality? Whether you're establishing your design values or wondering how to turn ideas into products, this episode is for you! Reimagining Design and Redefining Value “Design is optimistic—it’s the belief that you can do something just a little better.” Thaddeus’ journey from architecture studios at Yale and MIT to now leading innovation at LEGO’s Creative Play Lab reflects this philosophy. For him, design isn’t just about the final product, nor is it limited to making things look good. Instead, design is a form of creative problem solving, a way of thinking that can be applied to buildings, toys, businesses, and even careers. Throughout his journey, Thaddeus has used design to question established narratives, including the narrow definitions of success that often shape creative fields. “It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re going for—nonprofit, B2B, or direct-to-consumer—there’s always some kind of value you’re trying to define with design.” In other words, design is not just about aesthetics. More so, it’s about articulating and delivering value. And yet, “value” itself is not a fixed concept. Thaddeus speaks to the importance of understanding both internal values (what you personally care about as a designer) and external values (what your audience, collaborators, or employer prioritizes). “Everybody’s going to have an opinion on whether your design is good. As long as you know what you value as a designer and you’re achieving those goals, that’s a good place to start.” This self-awareness not only grounds your practice, but also helps you choose opportunities that align with your beliefs and challenge you to grow. In some cases, you may need to adapt your ideas to fit the business or organizational context you’re working in. At the LEGO Group, for instance, the role of designers in the Creative Play Lab is to help prove that a new idea is playful, but also meaningful and viable. “The challenge,” Thaddeus says, “is to not just pitch the vision, but figure out how to get there—whether you have $20,000 or a million.” To reimagine design, then, is also to reimagine value not as a singular truth, but as a dynamic negotiation between what matters to you and what matters to the world. Aesthetics as By-Product We also discussed the value of aesthetics, and its importance in the design field. “Aesthetic is not an end in itself but a by-product of good design,” Thaddeus explains. His time at Yale emphasized formal aesthetics, while MIT’s culture focused on experimentation: “MIT’s aesthetic isn’t curated. It emerges from the culture. It’s incredibly brainy, incredibly experimental, and not really conscious about the aesthetic it produces.” This view liberates designers from obsessing over style. Instead, Thaddeus believes in focusing on solving meaningful problems. “Hopefully you’re thinking about the user, sustainability, computational tools, other ways of doing things.” Aesthetics, he says, will emerge naturally from the rigor of the process. Further, Thaddeus elaborates about defining the value of design. A Human Centered Approach For Thaddeus, design is fundamentally relational. It is not about asserting authority or imposing taste, but about empathy. Good design involves understanding others and offering them a glimpse into your perspective. “You’re not there to dictate what is good design. You’re there to invite people into your world, to let them see why it matters.” This approach guides his work at LEGO, where early-stage prototypes are tested directly with children. Watching how they engage, often with joy, unpredictability, and honesty, offers powerful insight. “There are these incredible moments where I get to put them in front of actual kids and see how they react,” he shares. “The value there is being able to bring joy to a playful moment.” Thaddeus also draws inspiration from Charles and Ray Eames, who treated design as a form of hospitality. Whether through picnics or short films, they believed designers should act as thoughtful hosts, welcoming others into an experience. For Thaddeus, empathy means creating space for others and staying open to the worlds they bring with them. An Actionable Tip We recognize that it’s difficult to translate stories into your own learnings, so beginning with this episode, we will end the accompanying notes an exercise you can try today!Take 10 minutes to write down three things you value most in your design work. These could be principles like clarity, playfulness, social impact, empathy, or experimentation. Then ask yourself: * Are these values showing up in the work you’re doing now? * Do the opportunities you’re pursuing align with them? * Where might you want to recalibrate? This kind of self-check-in is helpful at any stage of your career, especially when you're making a transition, questioning your path, or trying to find your next step. Connect with Thaddeus on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaddeus-lee-60028391/] or Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thadd.lee]. This article accompanies our podcast episode featuring Thaddeus Lee. You can listen to it here on Substack, or through Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7Hh16gWGvmyvdr3LbJCAfE] and Apple Music [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pragmatic-designers/id1811779072]. References: * Sianne Ngai’s book: Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15861548-our-aesthetic-categories] * Jimenez Lai’s colorful/playful architectural designs [https://selfassemblylab.mit.edu/] * Charles and Ray Eames on design as good host [https://www.vitra.com/en-us/magazine/details/about-being-a-good-host?srsltid=AfmBOopSu_XwLl7rROVeaFmkf4nI5XWXZpP4SkvDRn3BPvDv4czoheRa] * Article on Lego Creative Play Lab by Inc.com. [https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/an-exclusive-look-inside-lego-groups-super-secret-lab-dreaming-up-future-of-play.html] * Book on testing your ideas quickly: The Right It by Alberto Savoia [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40535691-the-right-it?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=rdHaTzeSNQ&rank=2] * Self-Assembly Lab [https://selfassemblylab.mit.edu/] at MIT, led by Skylar Tibbits This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com [https://thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

From Small Town to Global Newsroom | Hannah Dormido on Mapping Stories That Matter

Hi, we're Desai and Thuan, best friends from architecture school and early career designers on a journey to discover how to build creatively fulfilling and financially sustainable careers. We are super excited to share with you notes from our podcast, and hope you’ll subscribe for bi-monthly updates! This week, we spoke with Hannah Dormido, a multi-award-winning data journalist and cartographer at The Washington Post. Hannah’s storytelling career began with childhood spelling bees and school newspapers, and has since spanned Bloomberg, the Financial Times, and leading news coverage on everything from climate to protests to geopolitics. But her story isn’t just about professional accolades, it’s about betting on yourself, learning in public, and holding space for creativity, uncertainty, and community. From Local Roots to Global Stories Hannah’s career began not with a map, but with a story of her own. After graduating early with distinction from UP Diliman, she quickly rose through the ranks of journalism, first at the Financial Times, then Bloomberg News in Hong Kong, and now at The Washington Post. Her reporting spans financial flows, science and tech, natural disasters, and climate change. But across all domains, her work stays grounded in clarity and intention. Every project starts with a central question: What story are we really trying to tell, and why does it matter? Let Curiosity Lead You Hannah didn’t set out to become a visual journalist. Trained in traditional print and hard news, she stumbled into data visualization while working at the Financial Times. What started as an opportunity to learn Illustrator turned into a turning point that shaped the next decade of her career. From making line charts in Manila to cartography on global stages, she taught herself tools like QGIS via YouTube and Twitter, often after-hours and driven purely by curiosity. “I didn’t train for this—I taught myself how to make maps because no one else was going to invest in me but me.” From Invisible to Seen Despite her talent, Hannah often battled imposter syndrome—doubting whether companies would invest in someone with a weak passport, self-taught skills, and no formal cartography degree. It took mentors, a supportive partner, and dozens of “just try” moments for her to begin owning her worth. One pivotal moment came when a senior cartographer told her, “You are a cartographer. Say it.” Since then, she’s practiced claiming the title she once resisted. Visual Journalism Is Journalism At both Bloomberg and the Post, Hannah helped shift the perception of visual journalists from “support roles” to “reporters in their own right.” Today, she writes, researches, visualizes, and sometimes even builds the pages her stories live on. Whether she’s mapping protests in Hong Kong, exploring global heatwaves, or creating hand-drawn art for her community fundraiser, Hannah’s work is grounded in purpose and precision. “We don’t just make pretty charts. We add value to the reporting—and help readers truly understand what’s happening.” Invest in Yourself (Even When It’s Uncomfortable) From staging a 3AM job interview on her birthday in a Hong Kong hotel, to launching Studio 6101 to support her mom’s community outreach, Hannah embodies what it means to show up fully—messy, real, and all-in. Her advice to young creatives? * Find mentors who are honest, kind, and invested in your growth. * Ask questions—even when it’s uncomfortable. * When you're ready, be that mentor for someone else. Hannah painted this floral piece straight onto a shower curtain from her balcony and she didn’t stop until it was done. → Instagram post [https://www.instagram.com/p/DL3Dxx6OobZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D&img_index=1] Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahdormido/] and explore her amazing works at hannahdormido.com [https://www.hannahdormido.com/] and @byhannahdormido @dormidomaps on Instagram. Check out Hannah’s Tiktok @hannahdormido where she regularly shares her ChitChart talks and newly published maps visualizing current social and political events. This article accompanies our podcast episode featuring Hannah Dreyfus Dormido. You can listen to it here on Substack, or through Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7Hh16gWGvmyvdr3LbJCAfE] and Apple Music [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pragmatic-designers/id1811779072]. References: * Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman [https://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/lounge-seating/eames-lounge-chair-and-ottoman/], Herman Miller * Steven Bernard [https://www.ft.com/steven-bernard], Senior Visual Journalist at the Financial Times * ChitChart [https://hannahdormido.com/chitchart/], Hannah’s series discussing the behind-the-scenes of how charts, maps, and visual storytelling are created. * Daisy Chung [https://daisychung.com/] & her Pulitzer Prize winning article on Fentanyl Supply Chain Process [https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/drugs-fentanyl-supply-chain-process/] * Desai’s website featuring her blog and sketches: desaiwang.com [http://desaiwang.com] * Thuan’s website featuring her watercolor paintings and photography: thuanla.com [http://thuanla.com] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com [https://thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]