Be A Design Cast 47 : Klindt Parker
Klindt Parker is a man. A Man, I tell you, with capital M. Klindt is the Design Manager for a small coffee shop in Seattle (and the rest of the livable Earth) called Starbucks. Now this fact alone put him into my pantheon of design heroes, but as you’ll note while listening, Klindt is a really great, fun-loving guy. Makes you feel like all of that feel-good design you see when you walk into a Starbucks actually comes from someone’s heart, rather than the soulless mega-corporation giant monster they are often played-out to be (which is another topic we cover). So, if you’re a fan of the ‘Bucks, grab your mocha blatte blatte and relax to the show; if not, grab your emo-indie-coffee shop beverage and let your burning hatred of capitalism simmer as you listen to the newest Be A Design Cast.
–nv–
podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com
Right click to download Be A Design Cast 47 to your computer (14.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.
December 11th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Questions for Klindt:
What does Starbucks look for when hiring a designer?
How often do they hire designers for in-house positions?
What percentage of work is farmed out?
What does Starbucks look for when hiring an independent designer or firm?
How do I get on that list?
Is there a trend moving toward regionally themed Starbucks stores? The justification could be that it makes a closer bond with the locations.
Were you initially contacted by Starbucks for work or did you initiate the working relationship?
How long have you been with them? What are you plans for the future?
What can we look for next (design wise) coming out of Starbucks?
Is there a need that you see is not being filled design wise or communication wise that you and your team are trying to fill?
Working in-house for Starbucks, is it still difficult to gain trust and or respect from “the suits”.
How do you develop the respect you deserve?
Have you had to fire a designer? What was that like?
Do you have a “Boss”? Are they cool or do they suck?
My bad to all for asking all of this and taking up huge amounts of screen space. +Walkingstick
December 14th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Very interesting interview, thank you.
I work in-house, so it was very applicable.