Identifying and developing talent is a challenge that crosses all boundaries. No matter your industry or specialization, organizations are constantly rethinking their talent-spotting strategies in the hopes of attracting the best and brightest.
The world of retail design is no different. Spend a bit of time in our industry, and you’ll notice a revolving door of sorts – with familiar faces and names moving about regularly as they grow their careers. But what about the new faces, so critical to evolving creative endeavors? How can we recognize the up-and-comers of our industry?
Enter our 2016 Designer Dozen, winners of VMSD’s annual award program that selects the best and brightest designers, age 35 and younger, from an impressive pool of nominees. I’m both proud and pleased to share that, based on the nominees we evaluated this year, the future of our industry is in extremely capable hands.
This year’s winners also represent a range of job functions that must align during the design or merchandising process to create a truly compelling retail experience. From interior designers to architects, visual merchandisers to digital artists, our Designer Dozen regularly push the envelope and question the status quo to advance their craft.
As you meet each individual designer (stay tuned for the digital edition of VMSD's April 2016 issue), think about who will sit in our boardrooms and lead our organizations years from now. If our winners are indicative of the caliber of designers who will be our future leaders, then we’re on the right path.