In praise of the solo designer.

Somewhere amid the emergence of “unicorn” brands and “rise and grind” coffee mugs, the frenetic whatever-it-takes ethos of buzzy startups has seeped into the workplace at large. Entrepreneurs and CEOs have become celebrities in their own right. Even the lingo of Silicon Valley—talk of “scale” and “disruption”—has found its way into businesses of every shape and size. Ours is an era of serial entrepreneurship, side hustles, monetization and growth—always growth.

The rise of hustle culture has come at a unique moment in the design industry. For most of the history of the profession, design firms—even the famous ones—were by definition small, local businesses. Over time, travel has gotten easier, design has become more mainstream, technology has broken down traditional barriers, and mass media has made everyone and everything a brand. In 2022, it’s entirely possible to be a decorator, a CEO and a celebrity all at once—or, at the very least, run a huge firm with projects all over the country.