The Angry Designer Graphic Design, Freelancing, Branding & Creative Business Podcast

For graphic designers to survive and thrive in the modern world, they NEED to be able to expand their skills to keep up with digital elements of the game. For many of us - that now includes websites. But does that mean we need to know how to code websites, or simply just understand the basic principles of coding? Join The Angry Designers as they dive into the world of Code; a land of opportunity o...

Can AI artificial intelligence really take the place of a graphic designer?  There's a lot of anxiety circulating these days around the future of graphic design, with more advanced AI systems showing up in the design space. Dalle 2 and Google Imagen are text to image AI software that can convert a phrase to a beautiful image equal to (or better) than most digital designers. What does the futu...

There are graphic design greats, then there are graphic design LEGENDS like Michael Bierut. Partner at Pentagram design in NYC for 25 years, Beirut is the master of iconic logos and flexible branding systems for globally recognized brands, like MIT, Mastercard, Verizon and Saks Fifth Avenue.  So who better to bestow words of wisdom upon the graphic design world than him? In this episode of The Ang...

Be it lack of business knowledge, sellers guilt or simply confidence, money is a tough topic for graphic designers to navigate. In this episode of the Angry Designer, the bearded design-bankers discuss some of the biggest mistakes they've made pricing & quoting projects. In this episode, the guys will cover - biggest game changers for zfactor billings - common pricing mistakes - recommend...

Money - the thing we all love to have, but HATE to talk about. For creatives, money can be a really difficult area to navigate. Are you charging enough for your work? Are you charging too little? How do you begin to put a price tag on your skills, knowledge and experience, without scaring off clients?  In todays episode of The Angry Designer, the bearded lumber-jack wannabe's chow down on the...

Sometimes, Graphic Designers get those clients who know JUST the right things to say. to Whether it's completely innocent, or straight up disrespectful, somethings you should just NEVER say to a graphic designer! In this ANGRY episode, the bristled beasts rant their way through some of the most irritating things that you'll hate to hear throughout your career as a graphic designer. Makin...

Some brands believe modifying the logo is taboo and would damage the brand. One should NEVER touch the logo.  But how many times have you seen a wide logo jammed into a square space, or a tall logo sitting empty in a website header? But therein lies the problem - for so long we've been told to keep a logo consistent - that static is best. These days, that simply isn't always true. In thi...

If there's one thing that can make or break a design, it's a font. Fresh graphic designers often overload them, experienced designers take them away, and for a lucky few, font choices are just second nature. But have you ever really thought about WHY we use the fonts we do?  Why certain font choices and styles can impact our audiences so dramatically, the composition, the mood? Turns out...

From disastrous Graphic Designer interview experiences, to what agencies are looking for in interviewees, we had SO much to rant about when it comes to this topic, we had to make 2 episodes out of it! In this 2nd episode of Interview Tips for Graphic Designers, Bearded gents will rant about: Tips for Introverts during an interview Things to do AFTER an interview zfactor interview questions Types o...

What's absolutely terrifying, haunts your dreams and sucks every bit of confidence from your soul? Graphic Design INTERVIEWS! There are some among us who show no fear in the face of a potential employer or new customer, but for a lot of graphic designers, the reality is that interviews can be scary as sh*t! In this episode of The Angry Designer Podcast, the bearded gents tackle the terrifying...

Getting to grips with the technical aspects of the design game takes time, patience and skill. But what about the people skills required, your ability to manage yourself, or your self awareness?  Some argue these skills are what separate Junior designers from Senior! Join The Angry Brutes as we go one step further and bring you the top soft skills that are absolute game changers for graphic design...

What comes to mind when you hear the term 'wireframes'?  Bet it probably has something to do with websites, apps or UX design, right? But why should it stop there? In this episode of The Angry Designer Podcast, the bearded gents take you through the world of wireframes - why they're so darn useful for graphic designers, and how to use them RIGHT so you can make sure you're nail...

Graphic design seems easy to get into, but it takes a lifetime to get REALLY good at it. But what if just a FEW TIPS could make you look like a PRO and take your graphic design game to a new level? Join The Angry Designers they share game changing tips to advance newbie designers by years.  In this episode, the gents break down tips in 4 categories from: Design Layout Color Typography Whether you&...

Creative briefs – something all graphic designers are familiar with, but that many also dread. Some creative briefs are AWESOME – sharp, concise, to the point and full of valuable information. Others are a disaster and make you almost want to pass on a job (or even worse, a client). So, what do you do when a bad creative brief lands on your desk? Do you pass on the job, or can you turn it around a...

Password management SUCKS 🤦‍♂️ There's no way around it - it's time consuming, it's awkward to keep on top of, and we can GUARANTEE that far too many of you reading this right now use the same damn password for all of your stuff, right? With so much at stake if it all goes wrong it is CRUCIAL you have your password game on when it comes to keeping those passwords smart and secure J...

In our not so humble opinion, a Mac should ALWAYS be a graphic designers tool of choice, but Apple don't always make it easy for us. 5 OS changes in 5 years? Dude, c'mon... Join The Angry Designers for a REALLY angry episode, where the gents really go to town on the love/hate relationship between graphic designers and Apple, and the not so fun quirks that often leave us pulling our hair...

For many graphic designers, there comes a time when you sit back and wonder if it's time for a change 🤔 But should you jump ship into a completely new career? Or should you use those highly transferrable skills you've gathered along the way to pivot into a new area of the creative world? This week, the Angry Designers discuss some of the career moves YOU could make if graphic design no...

Pitching your idea. Presenting your creative. All Graphic designers have to do it but not all Graphic designers like to do it. What does it take to take your pitch to the next level and leave your clients wowed? Join The Angry Designers for another furiously fantastic episode, where they discuss The Art of the Presentation and how to pitch your creative. In this episode, the Angry Designers discus...

Have you ever realized JUST how much time you've wasted SEARCHING files, images, logos or other project assets? That every project ends up in a Where's Waldo searchathon? Join the Angry Designers tomorrow as they cover the not-so exciting topic of file management! In this episode, the gents strive to make File Management Sexy! Well...one can only hope...but it's a necessary discussi...

The world of a graphic designer is constantly evolving which requires you to learn new things each project. Even a seasoned graphic designer will learn new things every day, both in  technical skill, and just straight up life lessons! (It isn't always easy to master the patience of a saint when a customer is asking you to make the black more blacker, make the logo bigger, enlarge the font by...

At what point do you decide the time is right to fire a toxic customer? How do you know when enough is enough? Is it when they've royally pis*ed you off beyond repair?  Is it when they continually believe they know (and can do) your job better than you?  It's a tricky balance when it comes to difficult clients, because let's face it, being an as*hole isn't a crime (unfortunatel...

Sometimes a great flick with the right amount of story, music, and pop culture is all you need for inspiration.  The only problem is that there's such a huge amount of content to stream (much of it a snor) that the best stuff can get lost in the mix.  Join the Angry Designers as they share a top 10+ list of Graphic Design Movies & Documentaries for Designers & Creative entrepreneurs t...

The best graphic designers come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life. But what do they all have in common? They all share a core set of traits - the same traits that transform a good graphic designer, into a kick ass awesome designer! But what are those traits, we hear you cry? Join The Angry Designers as they share their top 10 traits of really really successful Graphic Designers. In t...

The beginning of a new year ALWAYS touts a ton of new bullsh*t trends your brand, logos, designs need to follow. How many of these actually empower good design or do they just create visual pollution.  This week on The Angry Designers, the beardos take us back to design basics and refresh our fundamental design skills, bringing you our top 10 graphic design commandments that will have you creating...

The clock is counting down, the ball is dropping and 2022 is almost upon us. And with it comes some really, really sh*tty design trends. Join The Angry Designers as they take you through the top 2022 ugly design trends you’re gonna be seeing EVERYWHERE! Buuuuut hopefully not.  Spoiler alert: a lot of colors, mismatched fonts, and icons This episode will leave your head spinning heading for the hil...