ep 065: Zach Bulick

The Craft with May Globus

Zach Bulick has a genuinely kind and open spirit, underpinned by an intuitive sharpness that unearths itself once in conversation with him. The longtime designer has forged a career in a number of industries, from institutions and nonprofits Union Gospel Mission to agencies Burnkit, Domain7 and now global firm Versett, where he is currently a designer, facilitator & strategy lead.

Born in Dallas, Texas, he is the only child of an academic father and a fun, nurturing mother. His family soon moved to British Columbia, settling in Langley where his father was the vice president of student life at Trinity Western University. Surrounded by university students and essentially growing up on campus and in dorms, Zach spent his childhood here until he was 13-year-old, when the family went back to the States. He returned to Vancouver for university, and because it somehow always felt like home.

Once back in the Pacific Northwest, he began to immerse himself deeper into the world of human-centered design, building a thriving career within it and continuing to expand his passion for design thinking.

In this conversation, we explore his childhood in both the States and Canada; his pursuit of design in university and why he felt drawn to it; a short chapter living in Wales, UK; how his mentors have touched his life in different ways; what design thinking means and putting humans back at the center of design experiences; things he’s been pondering around purpose & impact since a recent birthday; emerging trends & hot topics in design; learning to create space for oneself; and more.

TIMESTAMPS:

4:00 - Growing up

7:17 - What Zach’s parents were like

11:40 - Zach as a kid/teen

13:35 - Transition from Langley to Texas

18:16 - What brought him back to B.C.

20:37 - Being the “Canadian”

22:56 - The journey to design

27:52 - Zach’s life in Wales

29:22 - Freelancing and internship at Burnkit

32:53 - Zach’s mentors

38:12 - What Design Thinking is

41:18 - What his feelings are around his internal shift and reflections

48:14 - Emerging design

51:24 - Recent insights in accessibility design

54:45 - Good boundaries and protecting your energy

01:02 - Is Zach proud of where he is at

01:04 - Final question