Design Life

Going to conferences is something most professionals end up doing at some point in their career. But when should you start going to some? How do you know which ones are best? What should you do when you’re there? We discuss all these things in this latest episode and share how conferences have impacted our careers, as well as give you advice for how to get the most value from them. More at www.des...

Hustle is a buzz-word we see a lot these days. In this episode we discuss what it means to us, and the effect it has on our mental state and our work. It’s easy to feel a lot of pressure to hustle when you see others achieving so much, but it’s important not to let the hustle take over your life, so listen in for some advice on balancing that. More at www.designlife.fm

Repositioning your niche or your content isn’t necessarily about what you’re doing, but how you’re doing it. You may find yourself going down a path that’s not quite right for you, or perhaps your goal changes and you need to reposition to reflect that. In this episode we talk in detail about some changes we’re making to the content we put out online and why we feel this change is necessary. More...

The topic of pricing is often taboo in the design world, but we think it helps everyone to talk more openly about it. In this episode we discuss how we price our work, and how that’s changed from when we started out in design. We also debate the merits of project based vs hourly pricing. More at www.designlife.fm

Harsh critique is something we all encounter, and when you’ve not yet built up a thick skin it can be very hard to deal with. In this episode we give you advice for taking this feedback on board without letting it affect you emotionally. More at www.designlife.fm

Getting a job in the design industry is all about building up experience and making connections. In this episode we talk about how we’ve landed the creative roles we’ve had so far, and share advice for portfolios, job hunting, and nailing an interview. More at www.designlife.fm

With freelance projects, last impressions can have just as much meaning as a first impression; you need to make your wrap-up process count! In this episode you’ll hear advice for finishing up a client project and getting feedback to both improve your process, and use as a testimonial.

Time and energy are precious resources, and in order not to waste them we must be picky with what opportunities we take on, and what ideas we act on. In this episode we discuss our process for deciding what side projects and client briefs we work on, and which we say ‘no’ to. More at www.designlife.fm

Freelancing websites that offer the opportunity to bid for projects or compete to have your logo design chosen by a company are damaging to the way design is valued. In this episode we discuss our thoughts and experiences with these sites and explain why they should be avoided.  More at www.designlife.fm

Getting a degree is not a requirement for making it in the design industry, and that means that it is up to us to make the most of our time at design school to get the most value from it. You shouldn’t sit back and do the bare minimum; you should make the most of the opportunities and contacts available to you at your school and push yourself to do more than just get good grades. In this episode w...

A fear of failure can hold us back from going after opportunities, starting new projects, and aiming high. In this episode we talk about how failure is a natural part of the learning and making process, and it’s only an end point if we let it be. In the end the only real failure is giving up, or not even trying it in the first place. You’ll hear advice for pushing through this fear, and hear us ta...

There are three main types of design job: agency/studio (where you work as part of a team who does work for clients), freelance (where you work for yourself and have your own clients) and in-house (where you’re a designer on a team at a single company working on projects for them). They each have their own pros and cons, and we discuss them in this episode. We’ll also give you advice for choosing...

In the tech industry especially, there is a lot of pressure on designers to excel at everything involved in the design and development process and be “unicorns”. In this episode we discuss how the phrase ‘Jack of all trades; master of none’ applies to the design industry, and the pitfalls of spreading yourself thin across many different disciplines. We believe in being specialists rather than gene...

Bringing a new client onboard is the start of a new working relationship, and it’s important to get it started on the right foot. Having an onboarding process in place to streamline this beginning phase can save you time and also set expectations with your potential client. In this episode we discuss our process, and share advice for figuring out your own. More at www.designlife.fm

Do you work to live, or live to work? Often the latter is seen as a negative thing, but we beg to differ. In this episode we talk about our attitude towards work and how we see it as an integrated part of our life; not a necessary evil. You’ll hear tips for finding fulfilment and looking at your job in a positive light, and encouragement to make changes if the way in which you spend the majority o...

Defining a niche means targeting a specific audience with your work and content. In this episode we discuss the benefits of this focussed approach and discuss the niche(s) we’re aiming our content at. You’ll hear advice for choosing a niche, and we’ll quell any fears that you’ll find it harder to build an audience or find clients if you don’t appeal to everyone. Trust us; you will! More at www.des...

Design tools are all the things we use to bring our ideas to life. In this episode we discuss the software we design in, the resources we use, the analogue items we take our workflow offline with, and our top little workflow hacks. While learning design tools doesn’t automatically make you a good designer, it is good to know what tools professional designers use day-to-day to see which ones you sh...

No one is born knowing how to lead a successful life. That’s something we learn along the way from role models. In this episode we discuss the value and importance we place on role models and share our attitude towards taking inspiration from them while still following our own path. More at www.designlife.fm

Things get philosophical in this episode as we talk about the importance of living in the ‘now’. It’s so easy to look at successful people and feel pressured to hustle more so that you can achieve what they have, but if you don’t enjoy the journey towards your goals and find fulfilment in the process, will you ever feel content? We want you to know it’s okay to have down time! In this episode we s...

Procrastination is the enemy of productivity. The most important thing to do when you’re procrastinating is to take note of the reasons why you’re doing it and try to learn from them for next time. In this episode we talk about what we do when we procrastinate (and what tasks we procrastinate from) and give you advice for breaking through those low-productivity moments. More at www.designlife.fm

Feedback is essential to your work whether it comes from fellow designers, your audience, your clients, or your own gut! In this episode we talk about different types of feedback and when and how to ask for it. We also give advice on ways to improve the quality of the feedback you get so that it will be more useful to your work. More at www.designlife.fm

Design trends are visual elements or design systems that sweep over the web and start appearing on many different websites.  As with most things, there is a time and a place to follow trends and when you’re just starting out in the industry you can feel pressure to make your designs look like the ‘professionals’. In this episode we discuss the impact trends have on our design styles and the level...

The process you follow for design projects will vary depending on the type of work and the client, but in this episode we discuss the basic process we follow for designing websites. We give advice for wireframing, dealing with client feedback and revisions. Your design process is something that will evolve over time and it’s a good idea to always be open to learning new techniques and improving on...

Things get deep this week as we discuss a fear that many creatives have: what if nobody notices my work? When you work hard on something, and especially if the result is something that could help people, there’s no shame in wanting that work to be seen and appreciated. A lack of recognition or attention can be hard to deal with, especially if you’re not seeing growth in something you’ve been worki...

Being a part of the design community is an important part of being a designer. When designers come together to share ideas and discuss their work it benefits the whole industry because we can stand together against things like working for free. Participating in design communities both online and offline has helped increase our passion for what we do, and has been so valuable. In this episode you’l...