Design and Prosper

Getting clients for your graphic design business is actually not that mysterious, but in order for people to pay you, they need to know you exist. In this podcast episode, we run through some of the ways you can attract clients to your graphic design business—and yes, some of these ideas will require you to take a deep breath and put yourself out of your comfort zone.  Lovely designer, we know it...

Rush jobs, unrealistic deadlines, clients needing things yesterday! Sound familiar? Yup, we've all been there….It's 5pm on a Friday afternoon and a client has just dropped a tight deadline bomb on you.    They need it like, NOW!    This is not a fight, flight or freeze moment lovely designers—you can be really ready for this conversation with your client.    Let's outline empowering strategies so...

The dreaded client change...there's no sugar-coating it, this can be a pain in the rear of your graphic design business.   If not managed correctly, client changes not only affect your motivation and self-esteem as a designer, it impacts your financial bottom line and your work-life balance.   For full show notes and FREE SCRIPTS to use when clients ask for changes, visit https://www.designandpros...

Do you feel like you need to work for free to get ahead with your graphic design business?    We're noticing a negative trend in facebook groups where graphic designers are offering their creative and intellectual property for free. We felt compelled to reach out and say...please don't!   We are super passionate about this topic, and have jumped on our soap boxes to share why. Free work is disguis...

Have you ever made a mistake that has negatively impacted your graphic design business? And, at the time, you wish the world would swallow you up whole?    We've all been there, felt that deep pit of despair in our stomachs about the potential financial repercussions—wondering if our client will ever trust us again!    In this episode we talk about what to do if and when this happens. To err is hu...

Here at Design and Prosper we are all about making the design process easy, quick and seamless for graphic and brand designers. Did you know about the hidden gems hiding in your google chrome browser? Trust us, you need to know about them and use them in your graphic design practice.  The google chrome extensions discussed in this episode are amazing little resources that help to speed up and opti...

Are you one of those graphic designers who are constantly busy yet don't seem to be getting anything done? Time management can be our Achilles heel. We enter our week or our day with the very best intentions. And then, before we know it we are consumed with low priority tasks—or we are easily distracted with a new 'urgent' issue that arises. In this episode, we chat about ways to help you prioriti...

This is not a case of  "for us to know and for you to find out"...these are the things all entrepreneurial graphic designers need to know now! In this episode, we're sharing some of the key things we wish we knew before we started our own graphic design businesses all those years ago. Lucky for you, we're not the type of people to keep the mysteries of running a graphic design business a closely g...

We're all looking for opportunities for expanding our businesses, whether it be to grow larger, or to grow into other areas of interest and activity. The great news is, you already have access to one of the most powerful tools for creating targeted marketing and promotions there is? Yay! It's your Mailing List. In this episode we chat about the strategic use of lead-magnet opportunities as a way o...

How's your portfolio looking? Is it kicking you goals? Does it really represent you and what you want to do? Is it bringing in the people you want to work with? Your portfolio is one of your most essential business tools. This week we discuss the key features of a winning portfolio, and it's not as complex as you might think! Join us as we discuss the ins-and-outs of portfolio creation and how a c...

It's a big NO to Free Pitching! So our title gives us away…it's no secret that we are against free pitching. In fact we want to shout it to the roof tops, because we think it's a risky business and something you should avoid at all costs. Yes we all have to quote, however we don't have to give up our intellectual property for free. It's important that we designers, as a collective, say no for the...

In this episode we're talking about ways to create space and time in your day. We want you to be very protective of your time and truly understand your value. We chat strategy to help you protect your creativity and the energy needed to do conceptual work.     Where are you expending your energy? Are you being sucked dry by all the to-dos?   Burn out is very real. The good news…there are some very...

We believe you should only present one concept to your clients. Yep that's right, one—just one…with confidence!   So how many concepts do you present? Does presenting one concept feel too scary? We have tried and tested our theory and we want to shout to the rooftops… "single concept delivery IS a successful approach!". All you need is the right ingredients in your process and your delivery.   We...

Does pricing a logo do your head in?   Throughout our long careers as graphic designers, pricing has generally been shrouded in mystery and secrecy. Leaving designers in the dark and confused about their worth—and playing a crazy game of guesswork each and every time they quote.    Just the mere mention of pricing your work can give you a punch in the gut feeling (or at least, that's how we used t...

Should graphic designers learn to code?   Are you feeling the pressure to have to learn to code? Today we unpack the pros and cons of learning a new skill. Specifically, whether a graphic designer should learn to code. We unpack what 'coding' is and how a graphic designer would use it.   We discuss ROI (return on investment) and we ask you to ask yourself…does this light me up or does this make me...

Today we talk about our top 11 tips to make sure your clients feel safe and secure in your process while allowing you to feel in control and empowered.   Working with a client on their vision is the ultimate creative collaboration—and if you are lucky enough and if your systems are strong enough—you'll have client relationships that will last decades. The perfect client relationship is a combinati...

Today, we are so excited to share our chat with our special guest, the sensational Angela Henderson—an international award-winning business coach for women , international  keynote speaker  and podcaster who helps women in business get all the pieces in place to have consistent 5 figure months and then onto 6/7 figure years without burning out in the process. And most importantly to us, she's our...

Today, we are talking about money, money, money and getting paid!   To be paid what we are worth we need to price our work appropriately. But, oh goodness, pricing our work is such a big issue for so many designers.    It all starts with understanding the power of  'you', that transformation value that only you have, that 'wow factor' that comes from your unique offering. It's a collection of your...

In today's episode, we discuss the importance of a Graphic Designer working with a business coach and the results that can be achieved.   Maybe you are struggling with isolation, or committing to your goals and showing up consistently. You might need a sounding board to float new strategies or business systems. The list goes on…regardless of your challenges, it's so important to have a coach or a...

Welcome to the design and prosper podcast. We are Kris and Donna and this is our very first episode—how to love your graphic design business.   We've been graphic designers and educators for the past two decades and have both run multiple six figure graphic design businesses. We have experienced it all—the highs and the lows of success. We want to share with you, the good, the bad, and the messy....

Welcome to the Design and Prosper podcast. https://designandprosper.co Come chat with us on Instagram  :)