Five Questions with Antonio… | TXI – Digital Product Innovation Firm

I want to talk a little bit about the interview process — what do you look for when you interview design candidates?

When evaluating talent, there are obvious things we look for, like craftsmanship, storytelling abilities, and how candidates present their work and cases.

There are also less tangible qualities we seek, such as how a person shows up in their work and their mindset and behavior during interviews. These aspects are harder to teach and are more evident in how candidates talk and relate to us as the audience or interviewers.

When interviewing candidates, some of these traits become apparent when we understand the thought process behind their design decisions and the way they communicate with clients and colleagues.

My advice to interviewees would be to approach case studies like films.

Give credit to others who contributed to the work, provide context and objectives, take us through the work’s evolution, highlight pivotal moments and drama, and conclude the story, even if it’s not a perfect ending. What matters is what you learned from the experience.

I’m more interested in understanding the reasoning behind design decisions than the decisions themselves. So, structuring your case studies as compelling stories and practicing the art of storytelling is essential.

Let’s shift gears a bit and talk about Dadwell, an independent media project that you founded and hosted. The tagline is “creativity x fatherhood” — can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Certainly. It explores the intersection of creativity, entrepreneurship, and being an engaged parent. I believe the discussions we have are relevant to anyone caring for a child, not just fathers.

Personally, the show is my attempt to reconcile two aspects of my identity: a creative person with professional aspirations and an involved parent to my children. I was struggling with the challenge of juggling these significant roles and dedicating enough time to both.

So, I interviewed successful men who have managed to thrive creatively and entrepreneurially while also being exemplary parents. The project started as a self-guided research endeavor, and it eventually turned into a podcast.

It was gratifying to hear from people who found value, gained insights, or felt comforted knowing they weren’t alone in their struggles.

Thanks for the time, Antonio. Where can we find you online?

My personal site is amgarcia.com (with Dadwell and my other personal links there). You can also visit TXIdigital.com to find more on our work there.