So, what is it? Is it working for RKS or another premier design firm? Working for Ives at Apple (or replacing him??!!) Or BMW?
Corporate or studio? Freelance or staff?
Designing stuff for myself and thats it. If it was something that I happened to be able to mass produce and sell to others, awesome.
Would never want to be in an Ives-like position. Would hate to have seen the internal backlash after antenna gate.
I’m getting tired of the industry in general. I’m tempted to move to Savannah and start a B&B there.
Sommelier at Alinea.
Giro d’Italia champion.
Ferrari test driver.
In no particular order.
Chief Design Officer at some point at the right place.
Then Doing my own thing, Jasper Morrison, Mark Newson style.
Then head of an ID department at a college.
Then running my own school.
Wow so many dream jobs it is impossible to pick just one,
But here is one: get paid $2,000,000/ month salary for working 2 hours a week designing large-term large-scale projects (like space stations , cities, or entire transportation solutions) by producing some concept scribblings. Over 2000 of the most talented designer, engineers, philosophers, researchers, politicians, and technical staff pool their talents to produce my design, which I can edit at anytime with ambiguous hand gestures and one-liners. Oh yeah and I collect taxes from everyone who even glances on one of ‘my’ marvelous creations. That would be sick- then I’d have time to work on my own projects (like a kitty-litter box that lights up according to odor)
That would work for me too.
I’d like to work someplace where I get paid a fair wage, enjoy living in that area of the world, and don’t hold my employer in contempt. On the last point I don’t have some inflated view of myself, rather I have a very honest view of everybody.
That’s amazing! Audible laughs from me…
Finance & Accounting.
Oiling and spraying dowm swimsuit models for photoshoots on exotic paradise island beaches…yeah right. Time to wake up.
As for design: Making my own products and not letting clients with bad taste ruin things. Then make all the profits from them too. Haha! Hmm be like Steve Jobs.
Being able to travel the world without needing a visa or work permit. And then doing whatever I want or dictate in any country, while having immunity from the law, free food and accommodation of my choice. Oh, and having exclusive access to sports cars and free transport.
In other words, I want to be an artis-cum-designer, enjoy life to the max, and learn from the whole world.
I did that for awhile. It wasn’t that hard to get into, just get good a cocktail party’s, knowing when to shut up, and getting people to like you. And if you can be the guy who can get whatever wherever you are whenever somebody needs it (not a drug reference), and talk others out of trouble.
Really that’s just good stuff to do anyway.
Job at International design studio (product & transportation Design)
Great design setup, class, studio environment, connected to design community, located in the city of art, design & culture…
with good returns…
Doing stuff that makes some difference and has real use to it. Like working on new means of transportation, energy, new weapon systems etc. …And being my own employer.
Designing for a recognized corporate consumer product brand collaborating with a smart, multi-disciplinary and charismatic team of professionals on a nice range of product categories where work effort is more likely to be rewarded by the satisfaction of seeing projects through to production, on store shelves and inevitably (more rewarding IMO) “in the wild” 
However, designing more high-quality things of substance with more freedom where not cost but good design (in it’s many faceted meanings from materials, build quality, end-user experience, brand…) is the shared goal of the team would be even more awesome! And, of coarse, doing this work in the city that I call home.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
I changed my view on dream job. I want to be challenged in general and challenged to put my soul into everything I touch.
To put yourself into everything you do is a worthy challenge in my view.
I agree here. The one thing I think is the best part of my job is that I am truly passionate about it. Even though there are bad days here and there I could never see myself doing anything else.
My dream job would be much like YO’s. I want to be in a role where I am making large strategic design decision. Although Chief Design Officer is a bit too high for me. I am thinking more along the lines of a Director role. In charge of a brand or department would be awesome.
I also plan to teach later on in my career after I retire.
Dream job?
Be able to just design whatever I want while thinking entirely through every detail without being rushed by project deadlines or cost quotes. All this in a highly creative environment such as a humongous warehouse turned industrial loft with more shop equipment than god right in the heart of a major city. Maybe having a crew of my closest friends that I can work with on a daily basis where I pay them so much that getting paid isn’t a motivator anymore but doing extraordinary things is. I imagine the work environment being kind of like a self educating commune where we take various instructional courses and lessons weekly advancing ourselves in design theory and craftsmanship. Ahh… 1st world wishes…
i would love to see myself owning my own firm, designing for pretty much every demographic and every category, really flash innovative produts that try to do every functions in a completly new way, irrelevant to if the market needs it.
however I want to make my name working for a large sompany, as working to specific breifs and to a budget is what I think makes a designer’s character. A company like Ford have to design many parts that are not only stylish but have to be mass produced, last a long time, and be produced from the design up to makimise prodution and profits. Pretty hard task, harder than designin something really expensive that is only ever going to sell in very small numbers if you aske me.
However I would always choose being a proffesional bum any day!