Challenging the Norm

In a developing economy, clients willing to pay a premium for design are rare; the common way to win big is through free pitches—but we despise them. So we naively thought, "If no one is willing to challenge the norm, could this be our cue to do something?"

We'll tell the story of how we recklessly initiated The Design Buffet—a design show aimed at increasing demand for high-quality design. The frustration, the hundreds of rejections, and the struggle to pitch an untested idea. And how, despite burning through our cash and energy, our hearts ended up full.