You can't easily go wrong designing a bicycle, if that means choosing a frame,
wheels etc. from a manufacturer's catalogue, and having it built for you.

"1. I accepted a design commission for a bike to be sold through an
expensive department store."

What I choose for myself from a list of options is much like how I
would choose a new car... There is no 'design' involved, just how I
want my Car, or my Pizza or my Cheesesteak... It's when I choose for
others that it gets interesting.

If Mr. McCoy has a job as an order-taker for a department store, (i.e.:
A Drone), this would make sense, but getting a 'design commission' is
hardly the same thing as being an order-taker. The former does require
qualifications that it simply does not have. The latter is the
functional equivalent of "do you want fries with that?", something well
within its skill-set.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA