The Deeply Graphic Designcast - DGDC

Our annual review of great gifts for designers! Nick, Mikelle, and Jordan go over their wishlists for the holidays! To make things super festive and easy this year, we have two useful tools to make this a joyous holiday experience! One, Download Our Companion Guide including all the links! Second, you can WATCH the Video Companion on our YouTube channel! Cheers and Happy Holidays! -Nick, Mikelle &...

As a designer in a fast-paced and demanding position, it can be tempting to let your mental health take a back seat during stressful periods. However, those are the moments when it becomes even more important to exercise proper discipline. Mike, Rubaie, Steven, and Narek discuss how stress and work affect their mental health, as well as their process for staying in a positive mindset. They speak w...

The job market is hot right now, making this a perfect time to advance your career. Employers are struggling to find and hire great talent—and as a result, they are offering increasing pay, perks, and opportunities. In this episode, the gang reveals their best tips to increase your odds of landing that new job, helping you take advantage of the tight job market to grow in your job and get on a pat...

We've all been there before. A frantic call, late in the day, from a client in desperate need of a rush job. Don't panic, we've got you covered. NIck, Mikelle, and Jordan discuss some tactical maneuvers to help you navigate these rough seas! We go over setting better expectations upfront, avoiding knee-jerk reactions, and even "homework" you can give your client to hopefully avoid future "red-aler...

In this episode, the gang chats with designer Jason Craig, all about working autonomously in the design industry. It's a round-table discussion about working on your own as a solo entrepreneur. We compare notes on keeping the momentum going, initiating new business and endeavors, plus some fun questions we can all participate in. Jason specifically talks about being a solo entrepreneur in his town...

In this episode, we are joined by Jim Morris, author of "BADVERTISING: An Exposé of Insipid, Insufferable, Ineffective Advertising." We discuss the ongoing struggles of Designers and Content Strategists, trying to work together in both agencies and design firms. Jim shares his 20+ years of experience, highlighting everything from common failures to hugely successful working relations. Be sure to f...

"Extra time equals extra opportunities" - David Jon Walker. In this episode, we are joined by David Jon Walker. A talented designer and Associate Professor of Art in Graphic Design. We chat about his experience over the last year and how he took advantage of 2020 to set new Creative and Personal Goals. We talk about how he set new goals, including: 1) Learning a whole new creative skill/talent he'...

After a difficult year in quarantine, The Test Pilots kick off with a new 2 part episode series on Mental Health in the Design Community and interview industry professionals Meg Lewis and Kate O’Connell. Tune in for the first episode of the series—filled with personal stories, helpful tips, and more! This episode is sponsored by Skillshare. To take advantage of our promotion, click here or go to:...

Our longest-running tradition here at the DGDC, Bill Gardner returns for the 2021 Logo Trends Report. Bill and the Logo Lounge team report what they have found by thoroughly scrutinizing the more than 35,000 logos submitted to LogoLounge since last year’s report. As always, this report comes with a disclaimer, "It is an observation of the trajectory and evolution of key design directions. Yours is...

"Most people comment on logo rebrands as if they're judging a diving competition when they should be judging a swimming competition. It's not what kind of splash you make when you hit the water. It's how long you can keep your head above the water." Michael Bierut said it best. We should review logo rebrands differently. Logos need to have a long life, not win points in a discussion. So we decide...

Despite running a profitable, successful design business, many of us have experienced a few failures. We see failure as the end result of our efforts, or worse, we see it as the definition of our character. In this episode, Nick and Mikelle reflect on our own failures – financial challenges, client relations, and communication dilemmas. Hopefully discussing these challenges can genuinely have an i...

The Potential New Client Nextdoor. Jeremy Slagle joins the gang to discuss all the wonders of working with small local businesses. With his vast knowledge working with Jeni's Ice Cream in its early stages, Jeremy shares some tangible insights including: Tips and Advice for listeners to find small local clients. How to align your business with clients who share the same values and goals. Discoverin...

Every business owner’s goal is to scale their company into something bigger, something that can serve their clients better. Freelancers shouldn’t be any different. Outsourcing fits right into any scaling plan or expansion goals. Mikelle and the team discuss some of the pros and cons of outsourcing with personal stories and practical advice. From project kickoffs to revisions, we highlight differen...

EPISODE TWO! THE DGDC PRESENTS THE TEST PILOTS SELF BETTERMENT "We are the Test Pilots, 4 young designers exploring advice that “Senior Designers” are always giving. In the Design World, folks who have already been there, done that, are spouting soundbite suggestions that sometimes are unproven, and we are going to put them to the test! We might succeed or we might fail, no harm no foul, it’s all...

Focus Lab's Bill Kenney joins us for an uplifting conversation inspired by their agency's slogan"Proceed with Courage." A perfect mantra to kick off 2021 with a better mindset, by being courageous and optimistic for the coming year! In this episode, we tackle: Tactical actions for better communication. Pricing and confidence in asking for more. Are you being authentic, putting your best foot forwa...

Agency Advice for the Freelance Designer - In this episode, we are joined by Dan Janssen, Creative Director of Lincoln Design Co. Dan's gives us an inside look at how their studio has grown into one of the leading design agencies out there. We cover a ton of great insight, stories, and advice for any designer looking to grow their own business! Topics include: The beginning stages of Lincoln Desig...

The gang is back together having a candid conversation reviewing the changes and pivots of last year and how we can set the groundwork for a better year ahead! Some of the topics discussed: Did 2020 change or affect any goals you set for yourself back in2019? What was the top “Growth Moment” you worked through in 2020? Did you go off the rails at all last year? If you could go back to the beginnin...

Our first "Round Table" episode talking about Virtual Learning in the Design industry. Nick invites fellow Design instructors Meena Khalili, Victor Davila, Matthew Flick, Jorel Dray, and Mitch Goldstein to check-in and discuss their notes on the Fall 2020 semester. A compelling conversation not only for current design students or instructors but any creative who's curious about how our universitie...

The tradition continues! Even 2020 can’t stop the DGDC Holiday Gift Guide episode! Join in on the festivities as we present some great holiday gift suggestions we think any creative would be happy to receive! In addition to Mikelle, Jordan, and Nick, we have our colleagues Matt Dawson, Steven Overturf, Mike Burpoe, and Rubaie Jaffer joining in this year, with some recommendations of their own! We...

Bert Monroy is an American artist best known as an early Photoshop expert. He wrote the first book on the use of Photoshop and became an established Photoshop educator. He was a frequent guest on The Screen Savers, where he gave brief Photoshop tutorials. In 2004 he was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. Bert joins the gang to talk all about the digital revolution and how it forever changed...

An eye-opening discussion with Dan Stiles before his Meme Warfare: Design in the Age of Disinformation talk at Adobe Max. This is a timely conversation for all creatives. So WHY is he talking about THIS? Dan tells us about the inspiration for his talk, including an honest look at how digital media has played a huge role in false information and how we are just drinking it up. As disseminators of i...

Annie Atkins is a master forger, creating "fake" pieces of graphic design for movie productions all over the world. Annie has designed the graphics for four Oscar-nominated films: the animated feature The Boxtrolls, Spielberg’s Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies, and Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs and The Grand Budapest Hotel. We talk with Annie about designing graphic props for filmmaking and ho...

Buckle up for a fantastic interview! Our conversation with Aaron Draplin is here after years in the making. It's a conversation about changing priorities and refocusing on what really matters. Aaron talks about some of the challenges he's faced over the last few months and how that's led to some newfound perspective as he continually takes on meaningful endeavors. This was a complete blast to reco...

Changes are inevitable in business and in life. And every project will face moments when you need to rethink what you’re building and potentially adjust your process. Scope creep happens when you do more work than expected without increasing the project budget. The team talks all about past experiences, lessons learned, and solutions we've created to help eliminate scope creep from happening in th...

PREMIERE EPISODE! THE DGDC PRESENTS THE TEST PILOTS "We are the Test Pilots, 4 young designers exploring advice that “Senior Designers” are always giving. In the Design World, folks who have already been there, done that, are spouting soundbite suggestions that sometimes are unproven, and we are going to put them to the test! We might succeed or we might fail, no harm no foul, it’s all a test! " C...