Decoding the Discussion: Girls + Tech

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We're all probably familiar with the controversial Barbie book I Can Be a Computer Engineer, by now, right? It sparked outrage with its sexist portrayal of women as helpless tech novices who need to call the boys when it's time to code. But it sparked something else, too. Discussion. Awareness. Most importantly, revision! Women everywhere revised the story, posting and sharing and starting discussions about how we can change the pattern of sexism in the tech world. Coder Kathleen Tuite even made a tool so anyone could rewrite their own stories within the book's pages. 

We want to continue this discussion with the second in our STEAM series, T for Technology, by sharing thoughts from women who are helping girls (and everyone else) think of technology in new ways. Our new pattern by artist Terri Fry Kasuba features a secret message to decode! We hope these insights, videos, and designs  will inspire you to start a chat with a girl in your life about the magic of technology and the limitless potential of what it can help her achieve! 

T for Technology

T is for TECHNOLOGY. Terri Fry Kasuba. November 2014. CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD MOBILE PATTERN

      Terri Fry Kasuba

T is for TECHNOLOGY. Terri Fry Kasuba. November 2014. CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD DESKTOP PATTERN

T is for TECHNOLOGY. Terri Fry Kasuba. November 2014. CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD FACEBOOK COVER PATTERN

Terri's patterns are also available on everything from iPhone cases to notecards! You can help to support STEAM learning that respects girls as thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators when you purchase items from Terri's STEAM collection. For a limited time, 100% of artist proceeds (for TECHNOLOGY) will go to Pretty Brainy®, a nonprofit organization dedicated to boosting girls' interest in STEAM.

Thought Starters

Interested in starting a discussion? Here are some quotes and videos to inspire you!

We must understand what girls value and appeal to those values academically... 
Let's create environments where girls can collaborate and bond with one another over problem solving that they value and that values them.
Watch Heidi Olinger, Founder/CEO, Pretty Brainy
When you put your first few lines of code together and suddenly it says Hello World! That moment is indescribable... Everyone wants to play. Everyone wants to invent. Everyone wants to create. And code allows you to do that. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a girl or a boy. 
Watch Ayah Bdier, Founder/CEO, littleBits

In order to dream big in the field of future fashion, I think it’s essential to know a little bit about code.
Watch Maddy Maxey, Creative Apparel Technologist

 

 

Expand Your Role Models: 5 More Women You Need to Know

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Jessica Hische: F.K.A. THAT DROP CAP GIRL

Jessica’s personal project, Daily Drop Cap, gained her a massive internet following. But her incredible success is quite obviously due to her passion, drive, and talent. To view more of Jessica’s work, visit http://jessicahische.is/ or follow her on Twitter: @jessicahische

Margo Chase: THE ARTISAN

Margo and her team are behind some of the most well-known logos in the music and entertainment industry. Plus, her résumé also includes over a dozen typefaces. To view more of Margo’s work, visit http://www.chasedesigngroup.com/

Sarah Parmenter: THE MOLD BREAKER

After deciding to pursue design full-time at age 19, Sarah is now a renowned web designer and speaker. She also runs a 3-person, all-female design studio called You Know Who. To view more of Sarah’s work, visit http://www.sazzy.co.uk/about/ or follow her on Twitter: @sazzy

Emily Oberman: THE JANE OF ALL TRADES

After 6 years working for Tibor Kalman, Emily co-founded a multidisciplinary design studio, Number 17, with her friend Bonnie Siegler in 1993. Now a partner at Pentagram, Emily has done everything from branding to motion graphics to packaging. You can follow her on Twitter: @emilyoberman

Yesenia Perez-Cruz: THE YOUNG GUN

Yesenia has taken the web design world by storm, starting with a five year stint at Happy Cog. With big-name clients like Zappos and MTV already under her belt, you can tell she’s only just getting started. Follow her on Twitter: @yeseniaa

 

BY SHANNON PATRICK


What We're Reading: #GirlBoss

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“I think that part of the reason Nasty Gal has been so successful is because my goals were never financial ones. I believed in what I was doing.”
— Sophia Amoruso

We’ve talked about Lean In, a book that’s so hugely popular it’s actually started (or helped to re-ignite) a modern women’s movement. Have you read it? Of the women I’ve spoken to who haven’t, a common assumption is that Sheryl Sandberg is too successful to be able to relate in any meaningful way to those of us without corporate jets at our disposal. In fact, before we read it for our blog, we shared a similar sentiment. Obviously after reading it we felt otherwise, but maybe you want some advice from a different type of role model. Perhaps Sophia Amoruso is the #GirlBoss you’re looking for. Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso’s book lives up to its claim “By the end of the last chapter you’ll practically be screaming, ‘Where is some work!?! I want some work and I want to do it now!’”

Amoruso hasn't set out to start a movement or write a manifesto. But #GirlBoss is more than just an inspiring success story. In this book she shares the hard-won lessons of her journey from "freegan" to millionaire businesswoman, along with advice from other successful #GirlBosses. Even the title is a clever way to address her readers and fans in an empowering way that encourages action (not to mention a ton of business boosting social media buzz).

You’d think the CEO of a multi-million dollar fashion brand would tell a pretty slick story, but in this book Amoruso honestly talks about her struggle, hard work (she started Nasty Gal as an eBay seller, btw), risk-taking, and even failures. Especially failures. As designers we hear a lot about embracing mistakes as a part of the process, but rarely is this advice accompanied by a concrete example of how or why it's important. #GirlBoss is a real-life case study of how sometimes the path to success isn’t immediately obvious and the only way to figure out what’s right is to learn what isn’t.

There’s a lot of great advice in this book, some of it practical and tactical, some of the big picture variety. Here are some of the major themes so that (while you're waiting for your newly ordered copy of #GirlBoss to arrive) you can get a head start at being a #GirlBoss. 

If you believe in yourself, other people will believe in you too.

This is the type of statement I’d normally call shenanigans on. Like those posters that say things like “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.” Except she's not saying that if you believe in yourself you’ll automatically succeed. In Amoruso’s case, believing in herself meant having the confidence to stay focused and work incredibly hard at something until she knew her business inside and out. The confidence that comes from knowing you know your stuff is a powerful thing.

There are secret opportunities hidden in every failure.

Sophia Amoruso learned early on not to try to “get along” forever in something that didn’t suit her. Maybe ADD was her guide, but it worked in a positive way, never allowing her to get complacent in a situation that wasn’t going anywhere. In a relatively short time she tried her hand at just about everything and sometimes failed miserably. Trying a lot of things that didn't work probably helped her uncover what did work more quickly, and made it more meaningful when she finally figured out what she was passionate enough about to spend every waking minute working on. What this lesson comes down to is if you’re afraid to fail, you might miss out on the new idea or experience that could bring your biggest success yet.

Own Your Style

This success story might seem unlikely if you just looked at Sophia Amoruso’s resume on paper. And she didn’t get a whole lot of encouragement from other people. But she stuck with what she loved, worked super hard, ignored the naysayers and embraced what made her unique. You can’t be a stand out success if you’re only focused on fitting in.

 

Sophia Amoruso is the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director of Nasty Gal.

Follow Sophia on Twitter @sophia_amoruso

Read about the #GirlBoss Foundation, a grants program providing women in the worlds of design, fashion, music, and the arts with financial endowments to achieve their goals.

 

BY KATE LINDEEN

Women's Work: MoMA's Designing Modern Women 1890-1990

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This week I took a field trip to New York to check out Designing Modern Women 1890-1990 at the Museum of Modern Art. It looks like the MoMA is responding to criticism in recent years of its scarcity of work by female artists. This exhibit explores the integral role women have played in shaping modern ideas of art, design and lifestyle in the twentieth century. The pieces on display tell a story of emancipation; of women redesigning everyday life and helping to change what it means to be a woman in modern society. The show runs until September 21, so there’s still time to go see it for yourself. In the meantime, here are some highlights.

 

Designing Modern Women 1890-1990 showcases women's creativity not only as professional designers, but also as clients, consumers, performers and educators.

 

The Arts and Crafts movement of the late 1800s raised the visibility of the decorative arts. This, along with new social freedoms, empowered women to explore opportunities in areas historically dominated by men. Design with women in mind as well as design by women for women and children began to emerge as important segments of the decorative arts field. 

 

In postwar years, new prosperity inspired a taste for modern design and decor. Eva Zeisel's houseware designs, including Folding Chair (1949), were exhibited at the MoMA during this time.

 

By mid-century, the relatively new focus on design for women brought about major changes in home design. Rather than being ignored as an unimportant room for "women's work," the kitchen became a major source of inspiration and change. Charlotte Perriand's innovative kitchen design for Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation apartment building in Marseille (completed in 1952) was created with the intention of improving women's lifestyles and meeting the changing needs of the modern woman in the early 1950s. 

 

In the 1960s, cultural changes encouraged more experimental design by increasingly empowered women. Brightly colored consumer product design reflected the optimism and newness of a decade seeking to liberate itself from the past.

 

This exhibit explores the evolution of what it means to do "women's work." Even as the show progresses from 1890-1990, the phrase becomes obsolete. But a new meaning for "women's work" emerges: That as creative women, we have a responsibility to challenge social convention, facilitate change, and continue to design a better future for the next generations of modern women.

Designing Modern Women 1890-1990 runs through September 21, 2014 | 

 

BY KATE LINDEEN


 

What We're Reading: Lean In

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I know I'm a little late to the Lean In party, but I'm so glad I decided to make an appearance! Honestly, several times while reading Lean In, I kept thinking to myself, "Okay, Sheryl Sandberg SERIOUSLY needs to get out of my head." She touched upon so many of my own thoughts, concerns, hopes and goals that I'm almost convinced she wrote this book specifically for me.

That's what's so cool about Lean In as both a book and a cultural phenomenon -- knowing that there are lots of ladies out there that have felt, are feeling, or will at some point feel the same way I do. Sheryl dives right into many common workplace themes that we've seen for years and years, breaking them down and essentially empowering women everywhere to thrive in both their professional and personal lives. To me, the true beauty of this book is the sense of camaraderie it brings out among women as a whole. It also makes me want to be best friends with Sheryl herself. Still working on that part!

While I'm pretty sure every woman will connect to various sections of this book in different ways, listed below are some of my personal takeaways from Lean In:

Don't be afraid to take the lead and sit at the table
“…feeing confident -- or pretending that you feel confident -- is necessary to reach for opportunities. It's a cliché, but opportunities are rarely offered; they're seized."

"Taking initiative pays off. It is hard to visualize someone as a leader if she is always waiting to be told what to do."

It's okay to get emotional
"Sharing emotions builds deeper relationships. Motivation comes from working on things we care about. It also comes from working with people we care about. To really care about others, we have to understand them -- what they like and dislike, what they feel as well as think. Emotion drives both men and women and influences every decision we make. Recognizing the role emotions play and being willing to discuss them makes up better managers, partners, and peers."

Don't forget about your personal life
"People often pretend that professional decisions are not affected by their personal lives. They are often afraid to talk about their home situations at work as if one should never interfere with the other, when of course they can and do."

Nobody's perfect all the time
"Another one of my favorite posters at Facebook declares in big red letters, 'Done is better than perfect.' I have tried to embrace this motto and let go of unattainable standards Aiming for perfection causes frustration at best and paralysis at worst."

Let yourself accept success
"Owning one's success is key to achieving more success."

 

Sheryl Sandberg is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. She has appeared on Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list and Time's list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. 

To learn more about Sheryl and Lean In, visit http://leanin.org/

Follow Sheryl on Twitter: @sherylsandberg

 

BY REBECCA BRYAN

Designing Disruption: Creating the Rent the Runway Experience

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Until recently, I lived by the rule that if I bought an expensive dress, I had to think of at least three occasions for wearing it. Practical, but so boring. Like a majority of women, my experience with high-end fashion began and ended with a daydream-inducing browse though a fashion magazine or Tumblr blog.

Then came Rent the Runway. Co-founders and Harvard Business grads Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss shifted the rules of luxury fashion from ownership to membership, instantly changing the definition of attainability, along with our expectations of online retail. 

What goes on behind the scenes to create this game-changing experience? I chatted with Rent the Runway’s Creative Director, Ashley Seidman, to find out.

 

The idea of membership over ownership is one of the biggest trends we’re seeing in commerce, and Rent the Runway has helped set it in motion by making the typically inaccessible world of high fashion accessible to all. Has this goal affected your decision-making when it comes to the design of the shopping experience?

As a brand, we try to balance the accessibility with aspiration. We’ve designed the shopping experience to be easy and engaging for our user, while still maintaining the aspirational quality of the designer products we carry. If she’s about to put on a Vera Wang gown, the shopping experience should add to that magic.

What goes into creating that magic? Are you a part of the product curation process? Is it a collaboration?

There’s a ton of collaboration at Rent the Runway. Our fashion and analytics teams constantly work together to curate the products we feature by seasonality, trends, and customer engagement to ensure that the shopping experience is relevant. When it comes to larger initiatives like a catalog, our fashion and creative teams join forces. We typically start by reviewing the season’s buy and identifying key trends and styles, at which point I’ll work with our stylists, art directors and copywriters to pull together the stories and placements.

Photo Credit: @rent_the_runway

One of our guiding principles at eBay is “Be the customer.” How about Rent the Runway? Have you used the service yourself? Has that informed your decision-making as Creative Director for the brand?

I couldn’t agree more. I’m an avid renter and feel as if using the service myself has influenced many brand decisions, such as making enhancements to the site, packaging and overall brand.

Rent the Runway is now opening brick-and-mortar storefronts and showrooms. This is a unique challenge, considering most companies start offline and then build an online store. How has the online business informed your vision for the offline shopping experience?

Focusing on the online experience the past few years has given us a definite advantage when it comes to brick-and-mortar. We’ve learned so much about our customer – her style, how she likes to shop, and what occasions she is shopping for. We’re able to take the best parts of our online experience and bring them to life in our stores. Giving her the ability to try on dresses, feel the quality of the garments, and get to know our brand in a physical sense is paramount. 

Quite a few designers have created capsule collections for Rent the Runway. How do you partner with them to bring their vision of the collection to life on the site?

I love the opportunity to work with our designers to bring their vision to life on Rent the Runway. It’s often a very cool experience because our fashion team works directly with the designer to create the collection, leveraging their knowledge of our customers and what they are looking for. We shot 2 beautiful capsule collections last year for Bibhu Mohapatra and Moschino, and we supported both launches with digital lookbooks.

Photo Credit: @rent_the_runway

Your deep understanding of the customer and her needs really seems to be inspiring not only relevant, but innovative experiences. How else do your customers help shape your decisions for the brand?

Two years ago, we launched Our Runway, a unique social shopping platform that was largely inspired by our customers, allowing them to shop by photos of real women in dresses available for rent. We weren’t sure how much information women would be willing to share about their body types or how a specific dress fit on our site, but we saw a lot of that conversation happening organically offline and on our social channels, so we knew there was a need for it. User-generated content has exploded in the e-commerce world, and now photo reviews are definitely one the most popular features on our site. Our Runway is an opportunity for women to celebrate their experiences and pay it forward.

What advice would you give to designers who aspire to leadership roles such as yours?

Look for opportunities that intrigue you, be honest with yourself and go for it. I spent a wonderful 4 years at Ralph Lauren prior to Rent the Runway and found that I was ready for a new challenge. Rent the Runway seemed like a gamble at the time, being a small, recently launched startup, but experiencing the evolution of the business has been invaluable. This role has challenged me and helped me grow in so many ways. I have had the pleasure of building out a creative team, directing shoots with the most incredible talent, shaping an entire brand, and of course learning from my mistakes. I’m proud to be part of a company that’s on a totally innovative path, and four and a half years later I still get excited when people ask me where I work. That excitement and passion will carry into your work, and as a creative, there’s nothing better!

 

BY KATE LINDEEN

Rethink Your Role Models: 5 Women You Need to Know

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Who's your favorite female graphic designer? Do you have one? Fantastic! No? You're not alone. Even with an education in art or design, a lot of us can't name many influential ladies, and it's not because they aren't out there. There are plenty of accomplished women who have helped to shape the design aesthetics, experiences, and trends we love. So what better topic for our inaugural post than a quick who's who starter course? Introducing your new role models!

Paula Scher: THE ICON

From her work at CBS Records to her legendary napkin sketch of the Citibank logo, Paula has been a force in the industry for over 30 years. To view more of Paula’s work, visit www.behance.net/PaulaScher

Jessica Walsh: THE IT GIRL

Protegé and partner to Stefan Sagmeister, Jessica has already accomplished so much at the young age of 27 – and it’s clear that she’s just getting started! To view more of Jessica’s work, visit www.behance.net/jessicawalsh or follow her on Twitter: @jessicawalsh

Louise Fili: THE ELEGANT TYPE

Louise founded her 3-person studio, Louise Fili, Ltd., in 1989. She is world renowned for her lettering, which is still done fully by hand. To view more of Louise’s work, visit www.louisefili.com or follow her on Twitter: @louisefili

Debbie Millman: THE TRAILBLAZER

As host of the first design podcast, co-founder of the first Masters program in branding, and president of the Design Group at Sterling Brands, Debbie is a true pioneer of female leadership in the industry. To view more of Debbie’s work, visit www.debbiemillman.com or follow her on Twitter: @debbiemillman

Ellen Lupton: THE CURATOR

As Curator of Contemporary Design at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, Ellen certainly has her finger on the pulse of the industry, simultaneously recognizing the current design greats while also helping to influence the next generation. To view more of Ellen’s work, visit www.elupton.com or follow her on Twitter: @ellenLupton

Inspired by these fabulous designers? So are we! Stay tuned as we reaffirm the importance of women in creative roles through spotlights, interviews, reviews and more!

 

BY SHANNON PATRICK