Design for Monkeys - Introduction
Hey — I’m Evan, and this is Design for Monkeys (DFM). It’s a play on “Design for Manufacturing,” but here it means something else.
about me
I studied Manufacturing & Design Engineering at Northwestern and graduated from the Segal Design Institute. That gave me the tools, experience, and connections needed to start a career — but design was always my passion even when I didn’t know it. Growing up, I jumped between sports, theater, science, music, art, and leadership. At first it felt scattered — but later, I realized design was the common thread. Design isn’t just a career — it’s a way of thinking that connects everything. And that connection is what this blog is about.
WHY BLOG?
Designers tend to stay in their lanes. Product people talk to product people. Architects stick with architects. UX, fashion, interiors — all siloed. But when you cross-pollinate, design gets way more interesting. A fashion insight can improve a UI. A theater technique can enhance product flow. That’s the magic I want to explore.
what to expect
I’m building a list of 100 essential design concepts — not by discipline, but by core ideas that translate across fields. Each blog post will cover one concept, explain it clearly, show where it comes from, and explore how it applies across different types of design. Each idea will be tagged by fields it connects to — product, interior, graphic, etc. But the goal is to break down the walls between them.
WHY MONKEYS??
