Welcome to the new year. In the first episode of 2021, Craig and Tom jump into an evergreen topic on the minds of designers everywhere. Should we be generalists or specialists, and why?

Specialization and generalization are tough terms to define. There are generalist designers who have a breadth of skills that cover the full design process. And then there's a wider definition of generalist that includes knowledge, skills, and experience outside of design. Similarly with specialization, it can be narrow, or wide. There's no standard way of saying what is general and what is specialized.

But saying "it depends" isn't too helpful. It can be a real conundrum in a designer's professional life. In the episode Tom and Craig talk about how they approach the topic, and some pros and cons of each. And in the end, it's all about recognizing you're unique "shape" as a designer. 

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