Last week we launched DesignUp.School - and this week we've crossed over 60% mark for shortlisted applicants 🎉 if you've been on the edge about applying - this week may just be the right one - and the good news is we have the Open House for the school this Wednesday - meet the teachers, creators and ask away your questions! Remember, we just have 24 seats.

We've also announced a DesignUp.School Masterclass 🔮 exploring New Narratives in Branding, on Saturday (the 18th) at 10:30am IST

This issue covers careers - designing, leading, coaching and building equity in yourself. All the goodness to get to a better version of yourself...

🚀 Design Careers

Why you should build equity in yourself — jeffgothelf.com

The investment you make in building your brand is creating equity in yourself, making you more valuable. 

3x3 - Three questions to three design leaders — www.buzzsprout.com

Shiva Viswanathan talks to Amy Huang, Navneet Nair, and Fatema Raja on what it means to grow in a design career. Short and sharp. Recommended listen!

💡 UpRise Mentors on Designing/Leading Careers

📚 Tech in fiction

Finally, we've started to see ourselves reflected in mainstream literature. Here are two fabulous books set in startups that we loved:

The tech world is so ripe for satire, says Tahmima Anam about her new book, The Startup Wife — yourstory.com

The Startup Wife, a novel by Tahmima Anam, is a satirical take on the tech world and an interplay of how relationships work.

Uncanny Valley - a brilliant memoir by Anna Wiener — www.theatlantic.com

Anna Wiener’s new memoir, Uncanny Valley, tells the story of being under the spell of a Silicon Valley startup and keeps you guessing through its oblique references.

🔮 Upcoming Masterclass

Five Hypotheses - Future of Brand Experience: A DesignUp MasterClass by Shiva Viswanathan

This Masterclass will explore hypotheses that tune a product team to construct great messaging and experience architecture from awareness, engagement and retention of consumers/users.

🍬 Elsewhere

Psych Out design is funky, bold, and trending now — blog.adobe.com

Brand campaigns are re-imagining the 70s, giving us a Creative Trend from Adobe Stock that is both nostalgic and contemporary. We’re calling this Psych Out.

Escape by illustrator John Holcroft — www.johnholcroft.com

Check out John Holcroft's satirical art about modern life and work.

What would you like to hear about? Tweet / DM us your ideas.

Stay safe and inspired,

@soo & @jdallcaps