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Just because youre an ultra-talented global celebrity doesnt mean youre a shoo-in for an amazing gig. In fact, even stars have to apply to jobs, just like the rest of us. Just ask Charlie Puth, wholl be singing The Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl LX Sunday night. It shows how humility fuels success for even someone at the top of their gamein this case, a dream opportunity for one of pops biggest stars on entertainments biggest stage. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, the We Dont Talk Anymore singer spoke frankly last month about how he applied and auditioned to sing the national anthem, and how hes elated for the gig. He shared that performing the national anthem at the Super Bowl was a dream goal and seemed like he didnt expect any preferential treatment: I applied. I auditioned for it, but I made up my own audition because Ive always wanted to do it. He adds, because I love it musically, he told the magazine: Its the best song. Musically, its so special.” “I actually have always wanted to do this, and I recorded a little demo, just me singing with the Rhodes and sent it to Roc Nation. Ive been told Jay-Z loved it, and it got Goodell and they all said that I could do it,” the 34-year-old said. The New Jersey native is a prime example of how even high-achievers and applicants at the height of their industry audition or apply for jobs. Its that blend of humility and experience that can lead people to great things: Humility can be a very impressive personality trait, and the kind of authenticity that shows in Puths Rolling Stone answers is the kind that tells a hiring manager youre grateful for the opportunity, and communicates real passion. Theres even research to back up that humility is a trait that can make you a more desirable candidate for a job. Puth kept that humility when talking about iconic Super Bowl performances from the past: “Im going to be inspired by what Whitney did, but I cant ever touch what she did, he told Rolling Stone. I just wanna show people that I can do it. I feel like people dont really think of me as, like, a stand-alone vocalist at times. To channel your inner Charlie Puth humility, try these strategies: Balance it with confidence: Thats especially the case for leaders. Have trust in your talents, but also be adaptable, empathetic, and open to learning from other people in your field. Model it for others: Sometimes deciding to be a model of supportive collaboration, trustful integrity, and taking responsibility can bring out your inner humility, which others can in turn learn from and be inspired by. Talk less about yourself: An easy way to unlock inner humility, this also helps you not compare yourself too much to others. Another element of a professional business persona is not to respond negatively to those who arent happy with your achievements. Puth responded with grace on X back in December after a snide social media post from a doubter. Striking a diplomatic tone, he wrote: Ill never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was. But I assure you were putting a really special arrangement togetherin D major. Itll be one of my best vocal performances.
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E-Commerce
Design culture loves the fantasy of blue sky thinking. No constraints. No limits. Pure imagination. It sounds liberating, but it often produces design that only works in ideal conditions for an ideal user who does not exist. Blue sky leads to paper designgreat ideas that never come to market. The truth is simple: Constraints fuel creativity. The most valuable constraint is the human one. When designers embrace real limits like limited dexterity, low lighting, fatigue, mobility restrictions, sensory sensitivities, small living spaces, and tight budgets, they stop designing for abstraction. They start designing for reality. That is where innovation becomes inevitable. That is where design becomes a successful game changer in business strategy. WHY CONSTRAINTS CREATE BETTER PRODUCTS Constraints do powerful things. First, they force clarity. When you cannot assume perfect vision, perfect grip, perfect posture, or perfect attention, you have to prioritize what truly matters. Second, they reveal opportunity gaps. The friction points that average user personas miss become visible. Those friction points are where unmet demand lives. Third, they raise the bar for usefulness. A product that performs under constraint often performs exceptionally well under normal conditions. That is why so many accessible innovations become mainstream. THE EDGE IS WHERE THE BREAKTHROUGH BEGINS Many of the features we now take for granted started as solutions for constrained conditions. Curb cuts were designed for wheelchairs, then they became indispensable for strollers, luggage, delivery carts, bikes, and scooters. Captions support deaf and hard of hearing communities, and they also help everyone in loud environments, quiet environments, and multilingual contexts. This pattern is not accidental. Designing for the edge forces teams to solve for higher friction. Once solved, the benefit cascades outward. A PRACTICAL CONSTRAINT FRAMEWORK If you want constraints to generate innovation instead of frustration, treat them as design inputs early, not late-stage fixes. Start with four questions: 1. What are the most common constraints in the users environment? Noise, glare, cold, clutter, time pressure. 2. What are the most common constraints in the users body? Dexterity, strength, mobility, stamina. 3. What are the most common constraints in the users mind? Cognitive load, stress, distraction, ambiguity. 4. What emotional constraints does the user bring with them? Fear of making mistakes, embarrassment, loss of confidence, and the desire for dignity, capability, and control. When those four constraints are treated as defaults, products stop proving they work and start proving they care. That shift is what separates good design from beloved products. Design as if those constraints are the default, not the exception. For every body, they are, or become, the default at different times and phases of life. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKS AND WORKS WELL A product can technically work yet still fail. It can be compliant, yet frustrating. It can be usable, yet unloved. It can function, but make people feel like there is something wrong with them. Constraints help solve that gap because they push the product beyond minimum viability and toward genuine excellence. When you design under constraint, you make fewer assumptions. You write clearer cues into the form. You reduce steps. You decrease error. You create comfort. You remove shame. You build trust. CONSTRAINTS ARE NOT A LIMITATIONTHEY ARE THE BRIEF The brands that lead next will not be those chasing novelty for noveltys sake. They will be the ones willing to design inside real human boundaries and treat those boundaries as creative partners. Inclusion is not a constraint layered on top of design. It is the constraint that makes design better. When you stop trying to escape limits, you start making products that people can actually live with, love, and keep. Ben Wintner is CEO of Michael Graves Design.
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E-Commerce
Over the years, Ive written and spoken extensively about my belief that design has the power to change the world. I find daily inspiration in the many individuals and organizations leaning away from design as pure aesthetics and embracing design as a powerful tool for promoting the wellbeing of both people and the planet. I refer to wellbeing as holistic health. It includes holistic health of the people: end usersthose using the products, and makerssuppliers, producers, and manufacturers. Also, of the planet, because no design is isolated; it is always dependent on and embedded in systems. Our choices have far-reaching impact. Upstream decisions about a designs materials, energy, and water requirements for manufacturing and operations, and end of life, for example, matter as much as the final form or user interface. For a design to truly promote wellbeing, all aspects across supply chain and user behavior must consider the physical, psychological, and environmental wellbeing of all stakeholderspeople and planet alike. We are at a critical moment in human history, and organizations must go beyond business as usual to design products and systems that are deeply, truly ethical. In my work over three decades, Ive spoken continuously about this with leading voices in business, science, technology, innovation, and design who are championing this shift toward responsibility and integrity. Here, I want to share some of the insights Ive gained on how design can actively support wellbeingmaintaining beauty, while also promoting justice. FORM FOLLOWS FEELING In season 7, episode 10 of my podcast, FUTURE OF XYZ, I hosted Suchi Reddy, founder of Reddymade, an architecture, design, and public art studio based in New York City. We continued our conversation on a panel during Archtober on the topic of designing for wellbeing. Suchi is an expert on neuroaesthetics, the study of how art, architecture, and design affect the brain and body. Renowned for design that utilizes principles of neuroaesthetics, Suchis practice emphasizes how environments influence our emotional and physiological states. When designers tap into that, they are able to create spaces and objects that are not only beautiful, but profoundly enriching to users lives. Rather than imposing a predetermined style, Suchi believes design should emerge from feelings, comfort, need, memory, and neural response. By centering design on purpose first, the aesthetics then gain depth, richness, and endurance. When we design to feel, not just to look beautiful, aesthetics become more meaningful and design becomes more human. In her studio, Suchi translates these principles into projects ranging from small objects for large corporate gifting (like a stone dish and incense inspired by memory and scent) to large-scale architecture including residences, cultural institutes, and commercial showrooms. She asks: How much stimulus does a person need? Where do they feel safe? How can proportion, texture, light, and movement be calibrated to support wellbeing? True aesthetic beauty invites emotional attachment, encourages reuse, and resists disposability. Thus, high-quality, durable, purpose-rooted design is a potent tool for promoting both human and ecological wellbeing. DESIGN FOR A NET-POSITIVE FUTURE Design that promotes wellbeing, as Ive so far defined it, is inherently sustainable. That said, far too many products today are marketed as sustainable, yet the evidence goes no further than the consumer messaging. Real environmentally-conscious design has sustainability woven into its DNA, beginning with the materials and means of production, and carrying through the products full lifecycle. During our October conversation about design as a catalyst for wellbeing, Suchi and I were joined by Sergio Silva, vice president of design and innovation at Humanscalean ergonomic design company and a leading voice in environmental ethics. Sergio argues that true sustainable design not only mitigates harm, but must be regenerative to truly advance wellbeing This means taking a systems-based approach and pushing for circular, climate-positive models. Humanscale, for instance, uses lifecycle analyses to identify environmental impact. When negative impact cant be fully avoided, they deploy a handprint strategy: Measure the carbon footprint, scale it through sales, and invest in positive initiatives (like solar for nonprofits or water restoration) until the positive impact exceeds the negative. They dont buy carbon offsets or other more nebulous claims. This is a human-centered, forward-thinking approach that reflects a shift from doing less harm to doing more good. Its a vision for design where every decision, material, and process contributes to a healthier, more equitable world. DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE Grace Farms Design for Freedom initiative is a groundbreaking movement uniting industry leaders to eradicate forced labor from global architecture, design, and construction. I have been lucky enough to attend the projects annual conference twice, and have been deeply inspired by the work theyre doing. Founded by the interdisciplinary Grace Farms Foundation in New Canaan, Connecticuta center dedicated to advancing human flourishing through nature, arts, justice, community, and faithDesign for Freedom challenges the industry to not only address its enormous environmental impact, but to confront an often-overlooked ethical crisis embedded within the built environments supply chain. Even today, achieving a truly transparent, slavery-free building requires systemic transformation. The construction industry remains one of the least regulated sectors in this regard, with an estimated 75% of U.S. construction firms owned and operated by a single individual with no payroll. Plus, the sheer complexity of sourcing, from raw minerals to composite materials to hard and technological finishes, makes it nearly impossible to ensure that every component is free from forced labor. Design for Freedom exposes these concerns, providing remarkable tools, solutions, and support to help designers, builders, engineers, and business leaders transition into a forced labor-free future. CLOSING THOUGHT To design for wellbeing means more than creating products or spaces that nurture users happiness and enhances beauty. It requires a holistic understanding tat wellbeing encompasses everyone and everything involved in the design and creation process from end-to-end: material suppliers, manufacturers, implicated communities, and the planet. Every design decision carries real impact, and to ignore that is to overlook the very essence of ethical design. Design can and should be a catalyst for wellbeingalways. Lisa Gralnek is global head of sustainability and impact for iF Design, managing director of iF Design USA Inc., and creator/host of the podcast, FUTURE OF XYZ.
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E-Commerce
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