16 Rules of Designer Coolness

Full disclosure: This post is inspired by Jeff Bezos’ 24 Rules of Corporate Coolness.

I’ve always appreciated Jeff Bezos’ writing style. No fancy words, no jargon, and all clarity and conciseness. The 24 Rules of Corporate Coolness inspired me because of the big ideas and clear thinking hidden behind the simple words.

I decided to write down my own list of how to be a cool designer in today’s tech world based on my own experience. Here it is.

1. Pretentiousness is not cool.
2. Ego-driven is not cool.
3. Collaboration is cool.
4. Supporting others’ successes is cool.
5. Superfluousness is not cool.
6. Vision is cool.
7. Empathy is cool.
8. Thoughtfulness is cool.
9. Confrontationality is not cool.
10. Learning is cool.
11. Open-mindedness is cool.
12. Data-driven is cool.
13. Cognitive bias is not cool.
14. Equanimity is cool.
15. Humbleness is cool.
16. Customer focus is cool.