T or inverted T?

IDEO CEO Tim Brown, whose company is internationally renowned for its innovative design work, described the “T-shaped person” in an interview in 2010. A T-shape is someone who has received cross-training in areas related to his or her field of deep expertise. The horizontal refers to a wide range of skills, whereas the vertical refers to a single skill that is mastered over time.

Since then T shape profiles have gained popularity as a metaphor for describing a worker’s abilities in the workplace. The question is, whether it is a T or an inverted T.

It is said that if a building’s foundation is weak, it will collapse. Similarly, anyone studying design should first learn the fundamentals of design, such as harmony, balance, alignment, proportion, white space, and so on, before delving into a speciality. The same is true for any subject you study.

Continue to learn until you are fluent, then choose one of the skills you have learned and build on it to become a master.

The truth is that if the fundamentals are weak, a designer may fail when applying the skills. This same philosophy applies to all professionals. Build a solid foundation first, then begin constructing the floors. Everything is built on a solid foundation that never floats and always sticks firmly to the ground.

As a result, it is always an inverted T that is firmly attached to the base and never floats.