Working with friends is not highly recommended. And when it does work out, it is commonly riddled with drama and stress. We need people close to us who we can trust, but most of the time, we aren’t sure which hat to wear: friend or colleague.

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Take a look at Asher Simonds’ thoughts, on how his passion for product design, and intent on holding trust, and humanness at the forefront, helped him and Cee become co-conspirators and creative partners on CEEATTLE, and elevated product design into an authentic, user experience.

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Katie Kutskill: How did you come across product design as your passion space?

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Asher Simonds: I grew up fascinated by technology and its story. As I’ve noticed in my peers, while many focused more specifically on the depths of how things were made, my wonder came from finding purpose and presence. How a tool can be both usable and a symbol of personality or story. That’s how I found design: the medium of communication that wraps form and function together. I love product design because it allows you to ask questions about why and how something can be directly valuable to someone in tangible and intangible ways. That also means listening intently to the answers, which I feel I was blessed with an ear for.

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Katie: What is it like to build CEEATTLE with a friend turned co-conspirator?

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Asher: I’ve heard it said to avoid working with those close to you, but I’ve actually found much of my professional life has been driven by collaborators I’d already known in friendship or later evolved into one. And I’ve seen the dark side of this as well. You look for trust when investing yourself in something and when friendship is the link, that trust is more potent a power when things go wrong. It can keep you together or tear you apart.

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I can tell you with Cee, it’s been a blessing. It’s rare to find people that have a dream they believe so strongly it’s hard not to get involved. Cee’s openness with her dream and natural ability to share her thoughts balance well with my tendency to listen and question. But the biggest piece is the respect and value we have as friends to create a trust where we can bring our best abilities and taste to the table to compromise on a mutually confident course of action. Considering what CEEATTLE is planning to do as a platform for that same feeling, we knew our collaboration had to reflect those values in, out, and through our work.

Katie: Can you give an example of how you approach design with humanness?

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Asher: Design is a hard term to pin down and is obviously used in a variety of ways depending on who's using it. In my context, design cannot exist without humanity in its creation or consumption. Everything evokes a feeling, from the warmth of a handwritten letter by a smooth ballpoint pen to the sturdy, satisfying latch close of a car door. Of course successful utility is an essential feeling to craft, but it’s as much a part of the work as how the design’s projected character aligns with, disrupts, or enhances the person interacting with it.

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In CEEATTLE’s current case, the presentation is at first glance quite spartan. But it’s a foundation that can present information neatly—our utility—and the smaller details in typography and thoughtful layout allow members and their efforts in this region to be seen with the same respect any world-class name would. CEEATTLE’s culture for us and our members is intent on building depth over breadth, so its look reflects this. That said I am excited to see how we can poke some holes and let more of Seattle’s rebellious persona through.