010: What Makes You a Designer

So you are thinking about teaching architecture. You’ve got some years of experience under your belt and you want to share your knowledge with the next generation. Or you’ve always felt a calling to teach the next generation of the profession? Maybe you just want to try something ... Show More

Middle management is not usually the part of a career anyone dreams about, which is probably fair since most dreams do not involve inheriting more responsibility while time and authority stand nearby pretending they were not invited. Still, there is something important that happe ... Show More

Ep 200: Hate to Love You looks back at favorite episodes, hard lessons, great guests, and the conversations that made this podcast worth your time from day one. 

Most designers stay stuck at $3K projects because they’re pricing wrong, targeting the wrong clients, and positioning themselves as just another freelancer. The difference between a $3K designer and a $10K designer isn’t design skills. It’s how they run their business. In this ep ... Show More

<p>Most graphic designers think their biggest threat is AI, bad clients, or lack of exposure. But the real problem? They don’t think like designers at all.<br/><br/>Instead, they’re still stuck in the artist mindset—chasing aesthetics, taking feedback personally, and wondering wh ... Show More

<p>Graphic designers love to complain about <b>brand guidelines, tight budgets, and impossible client restrictions</b>—but what if those so-called <em>limitations</em> are actually the secret weapon to better design?</p><p>That’s right—<b>constraints don’t kill creativity; they f ... Show More

We’ve all been there — you start a remodel excited and full of vision, and then reality hits. A wall isn’t where you thought it was, a material is delayed, or something totally unexpected pops up once construction begins. Suddenly, your dream design feels like it’s slipping away. ... Show More

<p>Do you ever struggle to explain your design ideas to clients? Do you wish you had the right words to help them understand and love your designs?</p> <p>I hear you!</p> <p>In this episode, I walk you through the must-know vocabulary words that every designer starting out needs ... Show More

<p>Too many Graphic Designers forget one brutal truth. Design is NOT for you, your portfolio, or even your client. It’s for their audience. Period. The client pays the bill, sure. But they’re not the one your work is for. And every time you forget that, your design gets weaker. L ... Show More

<p>Most graphic designers think being “just” a designer is safe. But when a Reddit thread exploded over whether it’s actually risky, we didn’t just scroll past. We tore it apart!<br/><br/>Some takes were spot on. Others completely missed the mark and sounded like entitled designe ... Show More

<p>In this episode, Cezar and I reflect on our experience reviewing over a hundred portfolios at an Adobe Creative retreat, where we were inspired by the next generation of young designers. After seeing their work and hearing their questions, we decided to dive into three major t ... Show More

<p>Many graphic designers are stuck and they don’t even know it.<br/><br/>They price based on feelings, take feedback like a punch to the gut, and chase originality over clarity…all because they’re thinking like artists, not designers.<br/><br/>This mindset starts early with cray ... Show More