Frank Bach

Hey Frank — I've been doing a lot of research into how AI tooling is reshaping design practice, and while there's plenty of speculation out there, I haven't come across many frameworks for what teams are concretely doing to adapt.

Love your work so much! I am writing because I joined the LA Design & Dev community during a brief stint in LA in 2020/2021. I have since moved to the suburbs of NYC (Connecticut to be exact) and was interested in starting something up a design and dev community here as I know there are many people in the field here but not much going on locally. Do you have any recommendations on starting something like this up ? Thanks so much for your time! If there is a better way to contact you please let me know :)

Living a dreamy life in LA, skateboarding designer thriving in tech, pulling in mid-six figures. Meanwhile, here I am—a very frustrated, broke designer. I’ve tapped out, deliberately taking the year off, just casually waiting to end up living on the street.

Does this help or harm if someone is switching from engineering into design at mid level career ?

What are you thoughts on being competitive as a designer with 20y of experience yet maintain the IC path? How does one compete on the market with super capable 10y-younger designers out there? I can stay on the IC path forever for what I know, but I do need to think about my relevancy on the market. I'm fortunate to have a job now. But that can change tomorrow. 

And how did you build a network before moving and immigrating?

My target audience are trade workers, retired craftsmen, hobbyists. But I prefer bright color and more dynamic in my craft. Have you had this sort of conflicts during your designing process? Do you end up pleasing yourself or the market? Have you mindset shift as you progress? Thanks. 

I'm Canadian too and was looking into migrating to the US and saw the TN visa seems the easiest way for tech jobs. TN doesn't allow freelancing or starting side businesses though, and since you managed to do both I'm assuming you didn't do that type of visa. which one worked best for you? thank you!

Would love to get your perspective on the process you go through when considering a big move (with the assumption that you would be over 30 yrs old):

- Would you relocate for a job with your current circumstances (child, wife, house, band, etc) 

- Would you relocate for a job if you were single? 

- Would you relocate for a job later in your career versus earlier? 

- Would you relocate for a job if you originally were hired as a remote employee and the location of the new job isn’t a place you particularly want to live?

I struggled to adapt to a new manager and team, now my performance at work is paying the cost. 

It’s so dope to see a designer be as dope as you are tbh. Shits sick 

Design & code at DoorDash, prev. Instagram, Headspace, Red Bull.

Frank Bach

Tags

Answers

What's the non-negotiable designer skillset & workflow for 2028, and how should teams prepare now?

Creating an online/IRL community

How can I have a lifestyle similar to yours, where your work seems aligned with your interests?

How much of your vocational success to do attribute to being a white male?

Do you feel you’ve had an unfair advantage in your career being a straight white male?

What’s your current salary?

Advice from someone switching into design career from engineering bg?

Who are you?

How much has being a white male helped in your career?

Could you share your key advice for design students as they prepare to graduate?

How can a designer with 20 years of experience stay competitive on the IC path with younger talent?

What school did you go to?

Who manufactures the clear frames you are wearing?

What was your immigration process like?

How to ensure my brand reflects my value and personality but still appealing to my target audience?

what visa did you do to move to the US? was it hard as a Canadian citizen?

How do I find a design mentor?

Would you relocate for a job?

Have you ever experienced a dip in your career development? If so, how did you bounce back?

I’m tired of the dumb questions..How did you become a rockstar?

Frank Bach