Design Life: Recent Episodes
Charli Prangley, Femke Van Schoonhoven
Design Life is a podcast about design and side projects for motivated creators. It was born after your hosts, two serial side project addicts, saw a gap in the podcast market for a conversational show about design and the issues young creatives face, that was hosted by two females.
This show aims to tackle the big issues designers face like getting paid, overcoming a creative block or managing time, to name a few. We want to open up discussion about things we wish we heard people talk about when we were studying, and we want to chat to you about the joys and the frustrations of working in the tech industry by day, and on our passion projects in the rest of our waking hours. We hope that by doing so, Design Life will give you a dose of motivation or inspiration when you need it.
Femke and Charli outline their goals for 2026 and the strategies they plan to implement to achieve them. Femke shares an update about her upcoming baby and how she plans to balance it with her business, while Charli discusses her approach to the book writing process.
Timestamps:
01:11 Episode introduction
01:59 Life updates
04:05 Goal setting for 2026: Does Femke set combined business and parenting goals? How does she plan to approach balancing them?
13:32 Femke and Charli’s plans for their business and projects this year
21:57 How can AI help manage your workload and make tasks more efficient and achievable?
23:23 Does Charli feel she has achieved work-life balance?
24:52 Working with a remote team: how do different time zones impact Charli? Managing slack updates and staying in the loop
Links:
Femke's community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Femke and Charli discuss how to collaborate effectively with other design creators on side projects. Femke shares her experience working with five other designers on the Design Creator's Bundle, including how the collaboration went, how they divided the revenue, and how audience size influenced their choice of collaborators and how Claud helped shape the overall strategy of the product.
Timestamps:
00:46 Episode start
01:50 Catch-up
06:33 Design Creator’s Bundle
08:41 Why did Femke decide to do it?
11:17 How does it feel to work on something like this with a group of people?
14:34 Charli shares a story about her experience being part of a bundle
15:50 How was the revenue split approached?
17:37 Did you know the people involved in the bundle beforehand?
20:01 How do you approach collaborations in terms of effort and contribution?
23:49 How did audience size factor into the collaboration?
28:11 Do you think you'll pursue more similar collaborations in the future?
29:22 What about collaborating with design creators in other ways, such as creating a product together?
Links:
Design Creator's Bundle
Femke's community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Charli and Femke discuss the common challenges people face when pursuing promotions, share strategies to prepare for performance reviews, and explore options for those who perform well but are unable to get promoted.
Timestamps:
0:57 Episode start
01:50 Catch up
07:25 What are the main challenged people that you mentored were having around promotions?
10:37 Thinking about promotions as a manager
16:01 Advice to people to whom it is not clear what needs to be done in order to get promoted
22:17 How to set yourself up for success l for the performance review time
28:32 What if you do a good job but you cannot get a promotion?
Links:
Femke's community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Charli and Femke discuss their evolving perspectives on side projects, preferred platforms and content formats, and how these have changed throughout their careers, while also sharing their current goals—Charli opening up about her book writing journey and Femke explaining how her approach to her course is continuously evolving.
Timestamps:
01:26 - Episode start
03:11 - How are you currently thinking about side projects? How do you describe what you do on the side when meeting new people?
05:23 - Perspectives on different platforms and content formats
08:38 - Charli’s main side project at the moment: writing a book
09:42 - Updates on Charli’s YouTube channel
16:00 - How Charli incorporates Claude into her creative process
17:00 - Strategies behind choosing and developing content formats
25:25 - Femke shares her vision for her business
Links:
Femke's community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Femke and Charli discuss how to foster a culture of knowledge sharing at a workplace. They explore how to structure language-sharing sessions, whether these should focus on work-related topics or personal expertise, how to encourage team members to participate, and what roles leaders and team members play in sharing knowledge.
Timestamps:
01:25 Episode start
02:27 Catch up
06:52 How did educational 'Lunch and Learn' sessions come about at Femke’s work?
08:06 Are these sessions about work topics or personal expertise?
11:26 Does Kit have a format for ICs to sign up or volunteer to share with the team? How is knowledge sharing structured at Charli’s and Femke’s jobs?
21:03 Does sharing come from anyone on the team or mainly leaders? How much do leaders set an example, and how did you get that started?
21:47 How do you protect team members’ time and set expectations for knowledge sharing beyond their regular responsibilities? Do you expect everyone to share knowledge at a certain level, and how much of it is built into their responsibilities?
26:32 How often do you do knowledge sharing?
26:52 Do you encourage your team to consume any of your content?
Links:
Femke's community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Femke and Charli discuss the challenges of staying up-to-date with AI tools, the importance of developing horizontal skills rather than just tool-specific knowledge, integrating AI into your workflow, the financial and environmental impacts of AI and strategies for keeping up with rapid advancements in the tech field.
01:11 Episode introduction
01:53 Catch-up
05:16 How the episode came about: Charli shares a story from her workplace about integrating AI into their processes
10:17 Challenges in staying up-to-date with AI and design tools
14:01 Is tool-specific knowledge important? The value of learning horizontal skills versus tool-specific skills
16:00 Building AI workflows and exploring what’s possible with AI
17:51 Financial costs of using AI
23:23 Environmental impact of AI
24:58 Goals for keeping up with the rapid pace of AI development
Links:
Femke's community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Femke and Charli discuss how to balance product quality with commitments, deadlines, and the pressure to ship quickly. They explore the best approaches to building MVPs and new features, and consider whether AI is influencing the expected pace of work in design.
Timestamps:
01:14 Episode start
02:25 Catch up
07:56 The background of the issue at Femke’s work
10:42 Did Charli experience anything similar?
12:56 Has the rebrand and the new systems in place helped your team unlock more velocity, allowing you to work more quickly?
17:19 What does your team think about MVP?
24:45 As a design manager, what’s your role in solving this?
26:07 Any ideas of solutions Femke can share?
32:15 Is AI influencing leadership’s push for speed? Do you think it’s making teams move faster?
Links:
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke
Charli and Femke talk about the challenges of discussing performance reviews and share the actual feedback they received. They discuss how performance reviews work at their companies, including how often they occur, the structure, and the tools used. They also share how AI tools are integrated into the process, explain how promotions are linked to reviews, and highlight key points to keep in mind for the next review cycle.
Timestamps:
0:51 Episode start.
01:39 Framer sponsorship.
03:14 What is the structure of the performance review at Femke’s company?
06:39 What tools are used during the performance review? How are performance reviews conducted at Charli’s company?
09:25 How long is your review period?
11:56 How have you incorporated AI into the review process?
14:58 Charli and Femke share the feedback they received during their performance reviews.
18:20 Femke and Charli go into more detail about their feedback.
21:08 How detailed do you prefer your feedback to be?
25:29 Charli and Femke share the feedback they received as managers from direct reports.
29:28 How does your company handle promotions? Are performance reviews and promotions separate processes?
32:20 What key points are you keeping in mind for the next review cycle??
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Framer. Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke
Femke and Charli discuss various aspects of hackathons, including team organization and timelines, the motivations behind creating dedicated create weeks, whether projects should go live afterward, the competitive dynamics of hackathons, and provide valuable advice for companies interested in hosting their own hackathons.
Timestamps:
0:47 Episode start
01:27 Framer Sponsorship
02:43 Have you been part of hackathons before?
07:38 How can non-technical team members add value during a hackathon?
10:11 Are hackathons competitive?
11:10 Do hackathon projects typically go live? What are the next steps afterward?
12:03 Do teams intentionally save work for hackathons? Is it part of your roadmap process?
15:17 Have you seen projects die after a hackathon?
18:12 What motivated you to start these hackathons?
22:18 What advice would you give to those wanting to organise a hackathon at their company?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Framer. Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke
Femke and Charli discuss their perspectives on giving feedback, how their approaches have evolved, the importance of mindful communication, and strategies for providing effective and focused feedback.
01:05 Episode start
02:01 Framer Sponsorship
04:06 How do you feel about giving feedback? How has your approach evolved throughout your career?
11:24 How do you develop your ability to give effective feedback? Do you choose your words carefully when framing your feedback?
13:45 Femke and Charli’s approaches to giving feedback
18:50 Should you already know the correct approach and solution before providing feedback?
20:38 Methods and strategies for giving feedback
23:08 How do you decide what to focus on when giving feedback?Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Framer. Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke
Femke and Charli discuss Gusto's new Creative Director role, including why the company hired for it and what they’re looking for. They talk about whether agency or in-house experience is better, how candidates should prepare for interviews, and what makes a talented brand designer stand out. They also mention whether having a broad or focused portfolio is better, common red flags to watch out for, and offer tips for applying to the brand designer role.
Episode timestamps:
01:02 Episode start
02:16 Framer sponsorship
03:45 How did the need for a Creative Director at Gusto come about, and what is the company looking for in this role?
08:24 When hiring for a brand role in a tech company, do candidates from agency backgrounds bring unique qualities? Or are in-house candidates generally stronger?
11:11 Do you influence the interview questions during the hiring process?
13:44 What type of presentation do you expect from candidates?
15:33 What distinguishes a truly skilled designer from someone with skill gaps?
19:00 How important is breadth of work for a brand designer compared to product design? Do you prefer candidates with diverse experience or specialized expertise?
23:25 What are common red flags to watch out for?
28:52 Any advice for candidates applying for the brand designer IC role?
30:46 Charli's Book Update
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Framer. Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke
Femke and Charli explore their coaching experiences, the importance of active listening, and navigating coaching challenges from both coach and coachee perspectives.
0:47 Episode start
01:59 Framer sponsorship
03:06 What was your coaching workshop experience?
09:47 How often do you find yourself in a coaching mindset?
15:38 Have you ever used coaching questions to help someone find a solution, only to encounter disagreement or struggle, requiring you to be more directive? How did you handle it?
19:59 How do dynamics change with peers once you become a manager?
21:53 What is active listening, and why is it important?
25:10 What has been your experience as a coachee?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Framer. Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke
Femke and Charli delve into the relationship between a designer and a product manager, exploring perspectives on role responsibilities, skill overlaps, relationship-building advice and distinctions between product marketing and brand design roles.
Timestamps:
01:27 Episode starts
02:22 Framer sponsorship
04:00 Typical relationship between a designer and a PM — what it looks like from Fem’s perspective.
05:26 Is it the PM's responsibility to set the direction of the role, meaning: defining the problem to solve, outlining potential solutions? And then, is it the designer's role to present what they believe is the best solution?
06:55 Is it fair to say that there's a significant overlap in the skill sets of a product manager and a UX designer?
11:55 What advice would you give for building a strong relationship? How can designers foster a good partnership with PMs?
13:47 What are the key differences between a product marketing manager and a brand designer or marketing designer? Specifically, on the product design side.
17:57 Regarding briefs from product marketers — how solution-oriented are they? Are they more focused on campaign goals, or do they also include specific design solutions?
19:58 Since you work in a decentralized manner from the product or feature teams, do product marketers coordinate among themselves? What happens if two campaigns conflict or need to be run simultaneously? How does Charli handle such situations?
22:57 How do you collaborate with a product marketing manager as a UX designer?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Framer. Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you to our sponsor, Workflow. As a listener, you can experience the Workflow too with an exclusive 30-day trial (instead of the usual 14) — so you can see the magic for yourself. Head to workflow.design/designlife to start your extended trial today.
Femke and Charli discuss the nature of vision work—whether it’s expected of designers, how their teams create space for it, their approach to the outcomes of pitches, and the criteria they use to prioritize ideas from vision presentations.
Timestamps:
0:30 Episode start
01:23 Workflow sponsorship
02:47 Can you define what vision work is?
04:56 In your company, are you instructed to do vision work, or is it something product designers are expected to do at some point? Are you expected to present the vision?
10:37 Do you think it's important for designers to make time for this work, especially if they haven't been explicitly asked to do it?
12:47 How does Charli's team allocate time for strategic impact work, and what is their approach to it?
17:51 Have any outcomes from those pitches surprised you? For example, did you prioritize an idea that ended up being very successful?
21:53 If several design visions are presented twice a year, how do you decide when to deeply consider the ideas within those visions?
24:36 Did you go through any exercises like vision work prior to your brand redesign?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Workflow Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you to our sponsor, Workflow. As a listener, you can experience the Workflow too with an exclusive 30-day trial (instead of the usual 14) — so you can see the magic for yourself. Head toworkflow.design/designlifeto start your extended trial today.
Femke and Charli reflect on the Figma Config event, exploring exciting new features like Figma Make and Draw, and sharing their thoughts on potential future innovations such as AI-powered tools and conversational interfaces.
Timestamps:
01:04 Episode intro
01:39 Workflow sponsorship
02:59 Figma Config event 2025
6:15 Design leaders were absent from the main stage of the conference.
08:39 Femke co-hosted an event at Figma Config
09:52 Figma’s new products and features: Grid, Figma Sites, Figma Make, Figma Buzz and Figma Draw
10:30 Which new feature excited Femke and Charli the most?
12:59 How do you think these updates will impact market designers' workflows?
19:38 What are your impressions of Figma Make?
23:43 Do you see yourself incorporating Figma Make into your workflow?
24:51 What about Draw? Do you think it will be useful for you?
30:48 Is Figma concerned about cannibalizing its community—balancing features versus plugins? For example, what used to be a plugin is now integrated directly into the tool.
32:55 Do you have any guesses about what might be announced in the future? What features would you like to see? What's currently missing for you?
33:50 Do you think Figma will ever develop a chatbox interface?
35:36 Finally, what do you think they might announce next year?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Workflow Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin!
Femke shares her experience returning to work, exploring team dynamics, personal impacts, surprises, challenges, and positive aspects of re-entering the workplace after maternity leave.
Timestamps:
0:49 Episode intro
01:39 Mobbin sponsorship
06:56 How did your first days back at work go?
10:15 Did it feel like you were joining the same company, or was it a different experience? How did it feel to meet your new team?
11:58 Your team previously had a manager. How do they feel about you joining the team? Were there any steps you took to establish a positive relationship from the start?
13:23 Can you tell me more about what your team does?
14:40 How would you describe your current responsibilities? How do they compare to your responsibilities before your maternity leave?
17:42 When you first joined Gusto as a manager, was your role a backfilled position, or was it a new managerial role?
19:10 What has been the personal impact of returning to work? How was your first week back as a working mom?
21:49 One of the biggest surprises upon your return has been the influence of AI. How has this impacted your work?
25:09 What has been the most surprising and the most challenging aspect of coming back to work?
28:15 And finally, what has been the most rewarding or positive aspect of going back to work?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin!
Femke and Charli respond to a listener's question about how to choose between pursuing a career as a design manager or an individual contributor (IC). They share their personal experiences navigating their career paths, discuss the factors they considered in their decision-making, and outline the skill sets required for each role.
Timestamps:
01:06 Episode starts
04:36 Mobbin sponsorship
06:11 Femke shares her journey in choosing between an individual contributor (IC) role and a managerial position.
07:43 What factors influenced your decision to pursue a career as a design manager?
13:43 Advice on how to determine which career path is right for you.
17:19 Have you ever considered different direction when you were in a design manager role?
23:45 Does Femke envision herself managing people, and what key responsibilities define the role of a design manager?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! Make sure to check them out
Charli's latest Youtube video
Femke's livestreams
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin!
Femke and Charli explore the transition from mid-level to senior roles and touch upon the changes in responsibilities. They delve into practical tactics for boosting confidence and understanding workload expectations, as well as strategies to help listeners feel more secure in their new positions. Femke and Charli also give advice on embracing new opportunities while managing feelings of impostor syndrome.
Timestamps:
0:48 Episode begins
2:01 Mobbin sponsorship
3:54 Transitioning from mid to senior: How did responsibilities change? Was it a significant shift?
12:01 Tactics to boost confidence and support in your new role—understanding expected responsibilities and seeking peer insights.
15:08 Is this level of responsibility common for senior roles? Insights on expected workload.
21:11 Additional strategies for listeners to gain confidence in their new role.
24:26 Advice for embracing new opportunities versus dealing with impostor syndrome.
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin!
Femke and Charli explore effective ways for designers to incorporate AI into their everyday workflows, sharing practical insights on how they use AI tools in their own work. They also tackle the question of whether AI will replace designers and examine the current trajectory of AI adoption within the design industry.
Timestamps:
1:04 Episode start
2:23 Mobbin sponsorship
4:15 What is the current state of AI in design? Charli's experience using AI in a hackathon project
11:48 Will AI take away our jobs?
13:29 Potential workflows for designing with AI
15:01 Recommendations for AI tools
23:11 How prevalent is the use of AI tools across the industry?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin!
Femke and Charl share their insights gained from their experiences with outsourcing for their side projects. They discuss the strategies they employed to find the right talent. Charli elaborates on potential hires she would consider for her upcoming business and outlines the tasks she would prioritize for outsourcing. Femke discusses the roles she is contemplating for outsourcing to expand her team, as well as the current tasks she is delegating. Finally, they delve into the costs associated with outsourcing.
Timestamps:
0:45 Episode intro
1:49 Mobbin sponsorship
3:11 What has been your journey in hiring people to assist with your side projects, and where did you begin?
10:26 What steps have you taken to find the right talent, and what advice would you offer to others?
14:51 If Charli were to return to her side projects, who would she choose to hire, and what tasks would she prioritize for outsourcing?
22:14 What would be your next hire for Charli’s upcoming business?
23:25 Have you received career coaching? Follow Badass Empires with Rosie on instagram
24:17 Are there any roles Femke is considering outsourcing to expand her team, and are there current tasks she is thinking about delegating?
27:19 What are the costs associated with outsourcing?
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin!
In this episode, Femke and Charli discuss the evolution of their side projects and reflect on what they’ve learned and how they would approach them differently if they were to start over. Femke and Charli share their personal side project journeys and discuss if side projects should be treated as passion projects or potential income sources. They also explore the value of different content formats, such as short-form versus long-form content, the effective leveraging of sponsorships and alternative revenue streams, and which platforms to use for posting.
Episode timestamps:
0:54 Episode start
01:37 Mobbin Sponsorship
05:52 What was your first side project?
9:16 Should you approach your side project as a money-making venture from day one, or is it better to treat it as a personal passion project?
14:04 How Femke went from blogging to where she is at now.
15:27 Charli's side gigs
16:19 How does Charli approach sponsorships in her work?
19:00 What are some other methods for generating income aside from sponsorships?
20:44 With the knowledge we have now, what steps would we take first when starting our side projects?
22:34 Is short-form content truly valuable? Do audiences form attachments to short-form creators compared to those who produce long-form content? Femke and Charli share their perspectives on different formats
Links:
A huge shoutout to our sponsor for this episode, Mobbin! Make sure to check them out
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative skills and unlock your full potential!
In this episode, Femke and Charli share their goals for 2025, including how Femke plans to approach her return to work and engage with her new community as well as Charli's business aspirations, plans for YouTube videos and content creation, writing projects, and ideas for future books.
Episode timestamps:
0:37 Episode start
1:35 Playbook sponsorship
4:04 What was the first goal you wrote down?
9:50 Femke’s new community
13:36 Other goals on the list
28:53 Hobby-related goals
Links:
Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Playbook! Be sure to check them out and see how they can elevate your workflow
Femke's new community
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative skills and unlock your full potential!
Femke and Charli engage in a conversation about the advantages of being a generalist versus a specialist, explore the various types of skill sets needed to future-proof your career, and discuss whether incorporating AI into your skill set is essential.
Timestamps:
0:53 - Episode Begins
1:43 - Playbook Sponsorship
3:16 - Catching Up
5:12 - What are the current expectations for skill sets in the design market?
10:04 - As a designer, how do you feel about the trend of companies prioritizing shipping over pixel-perfect craftsmanship? Why do some companies address skill gaps by hiring specialists as freelancers?
19:38 - What's your stance on specializing versus being a generalist? What changes have you made in your approach recently?
20:43 - What constitutes reasonable expectations for a generalist? Is it about specific skills or broader responsibilities? What is a "V-shaped skill set"?
22:43 - How do you view the role of AI in future-proofing your career?
26:26 - Any advice on how to effectively broaden your skill set?
Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Playbook! Be sure to check them out and see how they can elevate your workflow
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative skills and unlock your full potential!
In this episode, Femke and Charli discuss design maturity within organizations, the importance of establishing a strong design culture, practical advice for implementing changes, and personal experiences of integrating new design practices in the workplace.
Time stamps:
0:49 - Introduction
1:23 - Playbook Sponsorship
3:07 - Catch-Up
6:58 - How would you describe the design culture of the places you have worked at so far?
9:21 - What about experience with less mature design companies? How can I evaluate my company's design maturity?
16:15 - Is there a right time to establish design culture and maturity within an organization?
19:57 - Do you have any advice on implementing changes towards better design practices?
21:49 - Have you introduced any new practices or changes to workflows since joining your current workplace?
Episode Links:
Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Playbook! Be sure to check them out and see how they can elevate your workflow
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative skills and unlock your full potential!
In this episode, Femke and Charli delve into the journey of transitioning from an individual contributor to a design manager, including distinct responsibilities and skills required for effective management in the creative industry. They talk about their training experiences, essential books, and learning opportunities that contribute to the development of successful management careers.
Timestamps:
0:34 - Intro
01:16 - Catch-Up
03:31 - Playbook sponsorship
04:52 - Training for Management Skills
06:38 - Charli's Current Management Training at Kit
08:24 - Femke’s Training Overview
16:15 - Book Recommendations
- The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You by Julie Zhuo
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott
- The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier
19:23 - At what point of your career did you get the coach?
21:08 - How to balance the relationship between external coaching and internal management?
23:37 - Did you have a chance to coach others in management?
25:16 - Is there anything Charli would like to pursue in management training, specifically in design leadership?
Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Playbook! Be sure to check them out and see how they can elevate your workflow
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative skills and unlock your full potential!
In this live Q&A session, Femke and Charli dive into key topics for designers, including staying relevant in the industry, navigating stakeholder misalignment, making career moves, and the challenges and rewards of building a design culture as a founding designer.
0:38 Episode start and catch up
04:39 Playbook sponsorship
06:43 Q1: How do you stay cool and relevant for 9 years in the design industry?
08:30 Q2: When stakeholders are misaligned in product leadership, should a designer check in with the project manager to ensure alignment at the team level? Should designers step beyond the technical scope of their role to address misalignment?
13:22 Q3: What does it feel like to be a founding designer and how can you create a design culture?
15:48 Q4: How do you start a new role after ending on a low note at a previous company?
18:04 Q5: What’s the difference between a visual designer and a UI designer?
22:20 Q6: What were your sources of inspiration for shaping the new creative direction for Kit?
24:04 Follow up on the founding designer question
25:17 Q7: How do you view the current job market? Is it important to base career moves on company name recognition, or should you prioritize skills and experience over past employers?
30:08 Q8: How can you make your growth plan more actionable and trackable, especially when discussing career progression with your manager?
33:40 Q9: What advice do you have for someone hiring and leading a design team for the first time?
38:38 Q10: What are the main lessons you’ve learned from doing the podcast and sharing your career journey? Has the podcast contributed to your design thinking and overall creative self-development?
Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Playbook! Be sure to check them out and see how they can elevate your workflow
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative skills and unlock your full potential!
Charli and Femke explore the challenges and best practices in cross-functional collaboration, including navigating role overlaps, planning for future initiatives, understanding how other teams work, leading effective meetings, and how cross-functional feedback fits into performance reviews.
Timestamps:
0:33 Episode introduction
1:20 Playbook sponsorship
3:36 Cross-functional collaboration: who are your daily collaborators, and what roles do they play in your projects?
5:37 Navigating overlapping responsibilities: how to understand roles across disciplines
7:34 Charlie’s planning for 2025
13:38 Successful cross-functional partnerships: key elements for building strong relationships
17:06 Building context on other teams: how to start understanding their roles and processes
20:33 Approaching cross-functional meetings
24:22 The role of cross-functional feedback in performance reviews: is it valued differently than feedback from your own discipline?
27:24 Homework for listeners
28:12 Special live event announcement
Links:
Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Playbook! Be sure to check them out and see how they can elevate your workflow
Sign up for Charli and Femke's live event on November 1st at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm CET
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Femke and Charli dive into the experience of rebranding ConvertKit into Kit. Charli shares a behind-the-scenes look at launch day and the rebranding process, including what didn’t make it into the final launch but is on the roadmap, as well as key lessons learned and what could have been done differently.
Timestamps:
0:33 - Intro & Life Update
3:32 - How did it feel when the rebrand was finally complete?
5:26 - What was the public’s reaction? Walk us through the launch day—how did it unfold?
9:33 - Reflecting on the yoga retreat...
13:06 - How did the collaborating agency contribute to the launch? Or was it the Kit team handling the rollout?
18:57 - Can you share the process behind the rebrand and the driving initiative?
21:37 - What didn’t make it into this launch but is on the to-do list?
22:00 - Lessons learned—what would you have done differently throughout the process?
Show links:
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Femke shares her experience navigating the challenges of parental leave, including her decision to take extended time off supported by her employer and Canadian government benefits. She reflects on the challenges of staying connected with the design industry while on parental leave and the potential motivations for returning to work earlier than planned. Femke also discusses how her perspective on work-life balance has evolved over time as she adjusts to her new routine.
Timestamps:
01:42 - Life updates from Charli and Femke
05:16 - Deciding how much time to take off and Canadian parental leave benefits
08:06 - Would you consider returning to work earlier than planned?
09:34 - Employer reactions and typical leave duration at Femke's workplace
12:41 - How Femke arranged her 18-month long maternity leave and differences in parental leave across countries
15:56 - Reflections on being out of work for an extended period
18:27 - Adjusting to maternity leave and staying disconnected from work
20:18 - Staying updated on the design industry while on leave
Links:
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Charli and Femke talk about Charli’s recent promotion and how she approached this process. They explore the importance of taking ownership of your professional growth, including how proactively seeking feedback and showing initiative can help advance your career.
They also cover important questions like when to bring up a promotion, what the promotion process entails, and how tools like a promotion matrix and self-evaluation can help you in that process. Femke shares her past experiences with promotions, addressing the challenges of unmet expectations and what happens when someone believes they deserve a promotion but receives feedback suggesting otherwise. The episode gives advice on how to ask for a promotion, especially when you’re unsure, and how to use feedback to guide your approach.
Timestamps:
01:00 – Charli’s update
01:52 – Femke’s update
03:36 – Overview of Charli’s promotion
05:34 – Taking ownership of your promotion
07:40 – When to bring up a promotion
08:44 – The promotion process
16:05 – Do you have to meet every criteria?
18:16 – Femke’s promotion experiences
24:24 – What if someone expects a promotion but their performance feedback suggests otherwise?
26:30 – How to approach the conversation when you’re unsure about your chances for promotion
Show Links:
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Charli and Femke dive into their experiences working with freelancers and agencies in their side projects and day jobs. Charli shares the decision-making process behind choosing an agency for a recent rebrand at Convert Kit, the challenges they encountered, and how involved they were in the collaboration. The hosts also offer practical advice for anyone deciding whether to keep a project in-house or outsource it to freelancers or agencies.
Show Timestamps:
0:46 - Episode introduction
1:38 - Charli’s update
3:04 - Femke’s update
5:04 - Femke and Charli share their experiences working with freelancers and agencies in side projects and day jobs.
8:26 - Why did you choose an agency for the rebrand Instead of a freelancer?
10:56 - How did you select the right agency?
12:38 - What did the collaboration with the agency look like?
15:13 - Charli’s role and responsibility in the project
16:05 - Femke and Charli discuss the challenges they faced when working with agencies and freelancers.
17:59 - Freelancers and Initiative: what’s been your experience? How much direction do freelancers need?
20:38 - What are the best ways to work with an agency?
27:03 - Tips for deciding between outsourcing and in-house projects
Show Links:
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
01:55 Femke updates on her upcoming course cohort.
06:39 Charli discusses the "Convert Kit" rebranding journey.
08:47 How did the rebrand start? Did it begin with the name change or a complete repositioning of the brand?
13:12 Why did you choose to do the rebranding publicly this time instead of a big launch?
14:48 This is a massive project. What's Charli’s role in the rebrand?
16:28 How does Charli keep the team energized and informed during the rebranding?
17:19 What has surprised so far? Any unexpected challenges?
19:21 How have customers and the public received the rebrand?
21:13 What are Femke's thoughts on the rebrand?
22:50 How will the rebrand affect the product? Will there be new names or different positioning of the products inside “Convert Kit”?
24:16 Will we see the rebranding process from “Convert Kit” itself or through Charli’s channels?
26:06 Rebranding vs burnout: surprising insights.
28:33 Where is Convert Kit at right now?
Links:
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Show Timestamps:
0:45 Episode intro and how this episode came about
1:39 Updates from Femke on her course
4:49 Updates from Charli on the conference she is attending
5:46 More on how this episode came about
8:11 What Charli expects from candidates in terms of the impact of their work on business
10:58 Discussing the impact from a product design perspective
14:49 Have you ever had to choose a design option that was visually less appealing but more effective in converting?
17:43 Femke shares a mentoring story and how to grow as a designer with a focus on impact and reflecting that in a portfolio
19:19 Discussion on resistance to owning failures and how Charli’s company helps designers become more comfortable learning from failures
20:35 Advice for designers on understanding the impact of their work and what designers can incorporate into their process in order to measure success of their design decisions better
Episode on landing a new design job in 2024
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
0:45 Intro
01:16 Is it “cOnfig” or “confIg”?
02:04 Update to the Autolayout
04:25 Figma’s redesign - new UI3
07:19 Project transfers and connected workspaces
9:58 New AI features
15:12 AI Rename layers feature
16:28 Figma slides
17:51 Interesting fact: Femke tested Figma Slides before the official release
18:40 Femke and Charli’s impressions of Figma Slides
24:40 Multiple pages in FigJam
25:26 Dev mode update and Code Connect
28:02 Favorite feature revealed at Config?
28:42 Femke's slide deck template and Figma’s collaboration with Zach Grosser
Show Links:
Femke's "Project Overview DeckTemplate" in Figma Slides
Zach Grosser’s templates in Figma Slides
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Femke and Charli delve into the difficulties of managing a side project that isn't going well. Charli shares her personal experience of trying to organize a live workshop in New Zealand and not managing to attract enough participants. The hosts discuss what Charli learned from this experience and how the situation could have been handled better.
Show Timestamps:
2:03 Update from Femke’s side
4:14 Update from Charli’s side
6:23 Background of the situation
12:18 What is your reflection on this situation?
13:44 What are some lessons learned from this situation? Why do you think you did not sell as many tickets as you thought you would?
17:12 If you were to do it again, what would you do differently?
19:02 Are there any interesting reasons why the people who bought the tickets decided to do so?
21:28 Another idea for improvement
Show links:
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Femke and Charli share their insights on how to approach the application process in the 2024 design job market. The hosts share strategies on how to optimize your application, stand out from the crowd, and increase your chances of securing your desired position. As competition intensifies and hiring standards rise, it is important to excel in every aspect of your application, whether it's a case study, website, or resume. Tune in to discover how to effectively showcase your design expertise and gain essential guidance for thriving in today's fiercely competitive job market.
Show Timestamps:
01:40 Catch up
03:49 What are you looking for as a hiring manager?
09:08 How to approach an application process?
12:13 What are the tips for standing out more among other applicants?
16:09 What to focus on in the case studies?
17:32 Where would you be looking for the roles?
19:49 Instagram creator recommendation - @badasscareers
21:26 Extracurricular activities and side hustles
25:24 Extra tips
Show links:
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
In this episode, Charli reflects on her 7-year journey at her current workplace, emphasizing the importance of difficult conversations in clarifying issues such as salary and job satisfaction. Femke talks about the struggles she experienced of leaving behind internal reputation and connections when transitioning roles, highlighting the value of established relationships within a company. They discuss the concept of "golden handcuffs" and the need to see if current job aligns with personal growth and challenges. Charli and Femke also share personal experiences of leaving previous jobs in tech, offering insights into recognizing signs for change and taking the first steps towards opportunities.
Shownotes:
01:02 Episode intro
02:01 Life update
05:42 Charli shares her journey at the current workplace and emphasises the importance of addressing concerns
09:45 The value of reputation and relationships you’ve built within the company.
10:48 What is golden handcuffs concept?
11:35 How to identifying important things in your role if you are starting to think it’s time to move on?
12:52 Why did Femke decide to move on from her first position?
15:59 Charli shares why she moved on from her first job in tech.
17:14 Why did Femke leave her second role?
18:59 Femke shares the signs that made it clear to her that she should move on.
20:27 What was the timeframe from the decision to taking the first steps to move on?
24:44 Was there a moment at Uber when Femke thought it’s time to move on but then realised she should continue?
Show links:
Charli's Design Career Checkpoint worksheet
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
In this episode Charli and Femke talk about their experience of having retreats with their teams, how retreats should be structured, what is their purpose and how to make the best out of in-person time with your teammates.
As remote work becomes increasingly prevalent and we usually do not get the chance to see our co-workers’ faces outside of video-calls, team offsites can greatly improve the team dynamic and subsequently enhance communication between team members. Changing scenery and experiencing new things with your team will create space for creativity to approach challenges and open doors to have crucial discussions, paving the way for growth and innovation.
Show Timestamps:
0:57 Intro
01:50 Life update
6:13 Femke’s offsite in Denver
7:56 Charli’s team retreat in France
10:00 Purpose of retreats at Charli’s workplace
10:30 Retreats as a manager vs. an individual contributor (IC)
11:46 Structure of the retreat
17:22 Did the offsite match out to the expectations?
20:50 Femke talks about her upcoming off-sight to San Francisco
23:55 Is there anything that you learnt at an offsite in Denver that you will bring to San Francisco?
24:33 Takeaways from this episode
Show links:
Charli's live workshop in New Zealand
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
In this podcast episode, Femke and Charli delve into the concept of personal branding. They discuss whether personal branding requires strategic planning and the level of intentionality one should have regarding their personal brand. Femke and Charli explore the distinction between personal and company brands, the objectives personal branding can help achieve and whether individuals can truly control others' perceptions of them through personal branding. Femke and Charli also touch upon the importance of personal branding for designers and how to cultivate it within a company they work at. Finally, the hosts address the issue of misalignment between one's perceived and desired personal brand, offering guidance on how to navigate this discrepancy.
Timestamps:
01:54 - Life update
04:22 - Is personal brand something that is instinctive or do you need to be strategic about it?
5: 00 Femke shares her thoughts on the difference between her personal and her company brands
07:11 - What goals personal brand can helps you achieve?
09:40 - How intentional are you about your personal brand? Is it something that you change every year?
12:52 - Can you control what people think about you with personal branding?
15:38 Why as designers we need to think more about our personal brand? How to build your personal brand internally in your company?
17:54 Femke asks Charli how has her personal brand evolved over the years.
18:47 - Is there anything that people reach out to you for surprises you?
21:44 - What to do if people’s perception of you is not aligned with your personal brand?
24:33 - Updates on Charli’s workshop
Show links:
Charli's live workshop in New Zealand
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
In this episode, Charli and Femke give an elaborate reply to one of the listener's requests: whether deadlines should be taken seriously. The hosts share real stories of how they approached deadlines in different projects, how unrealistic deadlines should be handled, what to do in situations when a deadline cannot be met, how to discuss deadlines and set reasonable expectations, and how one's perspective on them changes depending on their role in the project.
Show Timestamps:
01:13 Intro
02:34 Charli’s workshop and life updates
04:21 Femke’s life update
07:01 Question submission from a listener about deadlines
07:14 Femke and Charli share how they approach deadlines in different situations
11:52 What is the importance of deadlines?
17:02 Charli elaborates on why she does not like fake (buffer) deadlines
19:00 Situation when the deadline is absolutely non-negotiable
26:08 Femke and Charli discuss milestone approach to projects rather than working towards one big hand off
29:08 Conclusion
Show links:
Charli's live workshop in New Zealand
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
In this episode Charli shares her personal experience of how she got burned out from her side projects. She talks about the subtle signs and symptoms that indicate burnout and how to confront them. Charli decided to drop her side projects and restructured her life to recover from burnout.
Charli and Femke touch upon how burn out can affect your career choices, the importance of diversifying your daily activities and hobbies, why burnout is so prevalent in creative professions and the importance of defining what is healthy balance for you.
SHOW TIMESTAMPS:
1:18 Femke shares her latest life updates
2:21 Charli shares her latest life updates
3:26 Charli reflects on how she realised she has burnout and how she confronted it
6:53 Charli delves into how stopping her side projects affected her full-time job
7:55 Charlie talks about how publicly announcing that she stopped her side projects affected her relationships with people
9:40 Charli shares what she does with the extra time and headspace she has now
11:59 Charli reflects on how she recognised she has a burn out
13:21 Charli gives advice for listeners who think they might be burned out
14:25 Femke talks about the importance of defining what healthy balance is for her in order to avoid burnout
15:54 Femke shares if she ever experienced burnout in her career
16:49 Femke discusses if burnout lead her to decisions to change her jobs
17:11 Charli shares how burn out affected her career choices
19:32 Charli shares if she learnt anything new about herself after she stopped her side projects and started spending more time on her hobbies
20:17 Femke discusses her perception of identity in relation to work
21:40 Charli talks about how burnout can happen outside of job context
24:05 Charli and Femke discuss why burn out is so prevalent in tech industry
SHOW LINKS:
Charli's live workshop in New Zealand
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Welcome back, design enthusiasts! We're kicking off 2024 by bring you up to speed on our latest adventures and aspirations.
🌟 Life Updates: Tune in as we share the latest updates from our lives – from career milestones to more personal things, we're laying it all on the table.
💼 Career and Side Project Plans: Get ready to dive into our ambitious plans for the year ahead. We're talking side gigs, big dreams, and everything in between. Charlie is sharing her plans to organise an in-person meet up in New Zealand, her plans for the upcoming book, while Femke reveals the upcoming course you might still have the chance to sign up to.
🎨 Hobbies: But wait, there's more! Discover our latest passions outside the design world. From creative writing to sewing, we're exploring new passions and keeping the creativity flowing. Who knows? You might just find some inspiration for your own creative journey.
So, grab your favourite beverage, cozy up, and join us for a candid conversation about life, design, and the exciting adventures that lie ahead.
SHOW TIMESTAMPS:
1:15 Recent updates from Charli
2:48 Recent updates from Femke
4:02 Sharing vision, plans and projects for 2024
9:13 Anything new we would like to build this year?
9:27 Charli’s live workshop in New Zealand
10:20 Femke shares her plans for the upcoming year
14:40 Thoughts on task delegation
17:02 Charli’s career goals
18:08 Charli’s book updates
19:50 Charli shares how she started doing creative writing
21:31 Discussing our hobbies
24:11 New hobbies for 2024
25:36 Femke’s plans while being on maternity leave this year and how it can affect her content
SHOW LINKS:
Charli's live workshop in New Zealand
Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”
Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm
Thank you Config for a fantastic conference! In this episode we recap our highlights and chat all about our meetup.
Are you attending a design conference this summer? In this episode we share our favourite tips for making the most of the conference experience to maximise learning, connection and most importantly - fun!
Preparing for a feature launch as a designer is such an exciting time! To see your work come to fruition brings with it a fantastic feeling, but it's not always plain sailing. In this episode we discuss the highs and lows of working on feature launches as a designer.
Today on the Design Life podcast we are answering a listener question from an engineer, who is looking for advice on how to validate a design and communicate this with the relevant stakeholders.
Wondering if you are on the right path in your design career? Fear not, we have a very reassuring conversation this week on the podcast! Hear all about how we've used the design career checkpoint to help reflect on our careers and set new goals.
This week on Design Life we’re chatting about learning throughout different stages of our design careers, and how our approach to learning has changed over time.
Find yourself in a new role and managing in different directions? Us too! In this episode we're talking how to make the most of managing in different directions.
In this episode of Design Life we chat about managing the split between IC work and being a manager and how we balance the responsibilities of both in our day to day work.
Are you an inexperienced designer if you don't name your layers? In our first episode of 2023 we discuss this question and why gatekeeping like this within the industry holds designers back.
In our last episode of 2022, we share our thoughts on the state of the design industry.
Planning your side projects for 2023? If you're thinking of expanding or starting a side project over the next 12 months we hope you find value in this episode as we share our plans and ideas for 2023.
It's that time of year again, time to start the annual planning for 2023. As a design lead in the tech industry, it can be difficult to know how to bring your team together to share their ideas or where to start with the planning so in this episode we share how we're tackling annual planning with collaboration in mind.
Trying to make the move from designer to manager? In this episode we chat about how to make your portfolio presentation speak for itself.
Building relationships with your colleagues at works takes time and patience. This week on the podcast we answer a listener question about how we've built strong relationships within our teams, both remotely and in person.
A real look into today's design interview process, what is it like trying to get a job in this economy?
On Design Life we like to talk openly about money when we can, including our annual income reports! This time it's Charli's turn.
Femke quit her job! After a year in her current role Femke is moving on to an exciting new opportunity. Listen to a deep dive into the thought process and the practical steps involved in the move.
News of Figma being acquired by Adobe has everyone talking, today on Design Life we share our thoughts on what this means for one of our most used design tools.
Getting buy in to help build design team culture can be difficult - this week we answer a listener question about how to create opportunities which promote design education for your team and foster a great design culture, on a budget.
Today on Design Life we answer a listener question about all the asynchronous communication methods we use at work.
This week on the podcast we're answering a very wholesome listener question, what makes a good manager and how can an IC help support a new manager to do their best?
Do you use six week cycles where you work? Today we're gonna talk about this way of breaking up work throughout the year which we recently discovered we both use in our companies.
In this episode we chat about Charli’s recent sabbatical, the preparations involved beforehand and what elements from the month have become part of a new daily routine.
Femke recently shipped a new design system and today on Design Life we are discussing the highs and lows of taking on such a project!
Listen to the Honest UX Talks episode
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This week on Design Life we chat specifically about collaborating with designers of a different level. Maybe you’re a junior designer collaborating with a senior designer for the first time or vice versa, we discuss which skills you need to make collaboration seamless.
How can you make the most of a design audit? Keep consistency in mind, improve popular assets and implement recommendations.
Today we are chatting about a topic very near and dear to our hearts, the pay gap between marketing/brand designers and product designers. What is causing the gap and how can we work towards closing it?
It might feel like vibe is the word of the year at the moment, and with good reason as the vibe in design is shifting again. Who are the companies shaping design this year and how do we stay up to date without following trends? Listen to this episode of Design Life to find out!
Boundaries are really important, and they've become even more important as more of us are working from home. This week on Design Life we chat about the boundaries we set in our jobs and how we share them with our teams and managers.
In this episode of Design Life we chat about why you should care about performance reviews even when they aren’t related to a bonus or pay rise and how to get the most out of them whether you are an employee or a manager.
Improving your writing skills can help your career in lots of different ways, from increasing your confidence to helping you to create memorable presentations. In this episode of Design Life we chat about creating writing procedures and using inspiration when it strikes to help your writing stand out.
In this episode we’re tackling a listener question, from a designer starting a new job and feeling like they’re starting from scratch again! We share what we've learned from starting new jobs, settling into a new team and how to have a productive first few weeks in your new role while finding your feet.
This week on Design Life we answer a listener question, what the heck are MVPs (and how to do them well). We chat about the benefits, the disadvantages and the questions to ask your team so you can make the best product possible without creating design or technical debt.
Today we’re chatting about monetising side projects with our guest, Sara Brunettini. Sara is a Youtuber, product designer and all round wonderful person. We share our experience of monetising our side projects, what's worked for us, what hasn’t and what we’ve learned along the way.
Keeping up with trends while maintaining a full time job is a challenge all designers face, but what should you do if you’re worried that the latest trend will quickly become essential to your role? There is a lot of talk within the design community about Web3, listen to find out how NFTs and Web3 are being viewed by two people outside the community.
The design interview process needs to change. Time consuming take home assignments and whiteboard challenges are the norm, can the interview process be simplified to benefit both designers and employers?
Need advice about dealing with conflict at work? Today we’re answering a listener question about a sticky work place situation, an experience we are all likely to have during our career.
You might not always be able to choose your projects but there are ways to advocate for the types of projects you would like best. In this episode we share how we choose which projects we take on at work.
When it comes to organizing your files, it is less about the tool itself and more about everyone in the team being on the same page. On Design Life this week we answer a listener question about how to organize your design files and work spaces to simplify remote collaboration.
Understanding business metrics and how your work helps achieve company goals can be a very useful skill to have as a designer. Not sure where to start? This episode of Design Life is a good place as we share how being curious about our companies helped us to progress in our careers.
Today On Design Life we’re talking all about Design Systems. We share our struggles and triumphs, and what you need to know if you're creating a design system for the first time.
What is the difference between a Junior and a Senior designer? Don’t they essentially do the same job? This week on Design Life we chat about moving up a level in your career and why it means more than just completing the same tasks and responsibilities.
How is your design team structured? Today on Design Life we answer an email from a listener about team structure, why our team structure works best for us and how other companies (like Dropbox!) organise their teams.
As is tradition now on the Design Life podcast, we spend our first episode of 2022 talking about our goals, plans and dreams for the year ahead.
Juggling multiple priorities at work is a skill that will be useful during your design career, when you find yourself working on more than one project at the same time. We've had plenty of opportunities to practice this skill and in this episode we share how we prioritise, say no (sometimes!) and still create our best work.
How does where you live impact you as a designer? On this episode of Design Life we chat about where we have felt most inspired and most welcome in the design community.
There's a lot to consider when you’re starting a new side hustle! Listen to our chat about committing to new side hustles, inspired by the launch of Femke’s design community.
Today we’re talking about pace. The more experience we have, the quicker and more efficient we become. We chat about why this happens and how to increase pace without sacrificing quality.
In this week’s episode of Design Life we answer a listener question - Do you NEED to do research before you design? (Maybe not!) We also talk about building a research culture where you work and what defines ‘good’ design.
After 4 years at Uber, Femke has recently started a new job at Wealthsimple. In this episode of Design Life we chat about how to figure out when is the right time to start a new job, making and maintaining contacts and negotiating good terms.
Welcome back to the Design Life podcast! In our first episode back after the summer break, we chat about how we spent our time off, our summer trips and look ahead to our end of year goals.
Today on Design Life we discuss our side hustle income stream growth from the past twelve months and the investment we make into content creation to fuel our personal brands.
As a designer, your skillset is always growing and there is always more to learn. In this episode of Design Life we share how we find new opportunities to learn and what we’re learning next.
Today on Design Life we answer another listener question, this time about self awareness as a designer. Our listener wants to know how to build and improve upon self awareness in a design role - asking a question like this in itself shows self awareness! Reflecting on and understanding our strengths and weaknesses is a big part of being a great designer and in this episode we chat about how we are cultivating the skill of self awareness as we progress in our design careers.
Today on Design Life we answer a listener’s question about decision making as a creative lead and how to find the balance between being decisive, seeking help and leading your team with confidence.
Do you know your ‘why’, the thing that fuels you in your professional and personal life? You might have heard of Simon Sinek’s book ‘Finding your why’ which is the inspiration behind today’s episode of Design Life, we discuss how to apply this framework and the impact knowing your ‘why’ can have on your design career and beyond.
Today on Design Life we chat about how to craft an effective case study. Sharing a project through a case study should involve telling the reader what you did, how you did it and most importantly why you did it, but often this storytelling is missing from the case studies we see. Join us as we dive deep into how to craft a great case study that shows off not just your project, but your skills too.
Spending time on your portfolio is time well spent when searching for a new job, but how can you maximise your portfolio even further? Today on Design Life we share our advice on how to create a unique portfolio that describes your core skillset effectively.
In today’s episode of Design Life we talk about something every designer needs to do in order to progress in their career - take initiative. The further you want to get, the more initiative you need to show. Taking initiative might sound like working harder, but really it means working smarter and coming up with better solutions to the problems you are presented with.
Today on Design Life we chat about building design team culture. A strong culture can help your team to have more impact in your company. Building design team culture improves how you get the work done and how you operate as a team, it can also make your team a more enjoyable place to work. We also discuss how Charli's approach to team building has changed since she became a manager.
Today on Design Life we tackle a listener question on a topic we haven’t gone in depth on before - how to work with PMs, POs and other stakeholders. Not familiar with these titles? Don’t worry! Listen as we dive deep into how to make the most of the relationship between product and design so you can make your best work.
Do you use daily themes to get more work done? Today we chat about the challenges and benefits of implementing daily themes to organise your schedule in a new role and to give your current schedule a productivity boost.
Is becoming a manager the next step in your career? How can you figure out if being a manager will be a good fit for you? In today’s episode we discuss why a move into management isn't the best course of action for every designer and what to consider before making the leap.
There are many benefits to working in public but sometimes it can be difficult for designers to share their work. This week on Design Life we talk about how to start sharing your work and some prompts to help you begin.
Today on Design Life we discuss taking ownership of your career growth. Pursuing your dream career takes courage but the risk is worth the reward. In this episode we answer a question from a listener about how to discuss career growth with your manager as a junior designer and also as a woman. We share the times that we have succeeded, and failed, at taking that leap in our own careers and what we have learned along the way.
Have you ever thought about organising a hack or jam day at your work? A hack, hackathon or jam day is an event for you and your team to put aside your usual work and focus on one project or idea, an opportunity to make progress within a tight time constraint, like one day or a half a day. In this episode Femke shares her experience of running jam days at Uber as Charli prepares to run a hack day for her team at Convertkit.
How has your daily routine changed over the past year? Working from home has meant our daily routines have adapted so that we start a little later, spend more time on our morning routines and get more from our day as a result. Today on Design Life we chat all about our daily routines and really break down how we spend each part of our day.
How do we balance our side projects and our full time jobs? This is a question we get asked a lot! The thing is, time gets filled up very easily. You’ll never find the time unless you are purposeful about how you spend it. Today on Design Life we discuss how working from home, taking on more responsibility in our day jobs and having shorter blocks of time in which to get work done has made us change our priorities and find balance in new ways.
This week on Design Life we want to talk about hiring from the perspective of the person doing the hiring. In the past we’ve talked a lot about finding a design job, portfolios, interviews and everything that the process entails but today we are looking at the other side of hiring. What do you need to consider when hiring a designer to join a team at your company? How can you encourage a diverse pool of the right people to apply for the job and how can you whittle it down to the best applicant. If you’re leading a team and own the hiring process, or if you regularly get pulled in to help during the hiring process this episode will be useful for you.
In today’s episode of Design Life we talk about ageing and ageism in the tech industry. This is something we’ve started to think about more recently as we noticed there are a lot of people in the design industry in their 20’s and 30’s and a lot less in their 40’s. What happens to people as they age in this industry? As designers, we are ageing along with tech. Ten years from now will it be common place to have your entire design team made up of people in their 40’s, or is this a naive idea? We discuss finding role models, fuelling your ambition and what we can do about ageism in tech.
This year has been a year like no other, which is all the more reason to look back and reflect on what we have learned and what has changed since the year began. In this episode of Design Life we chat about monetizing our side hustles, promotions, learning curves and finding gratitude in difficult times.
From the outside it seems like a quick and easy way to share your work and who you are as a designer, with a lower entry level than customising your own website, but is it too good to be true? We share the results of a recent Twitter poll on what the design community thinks about this new trend, along with our thoughts on whether this is a cool and creative idea or something to avoid if you want to make the right first impression.
This can be difficult to do as a creator because you might have the skills to do the work yourself, but not the time. In this episode we talk about when to outsource work, how to choose the right person and developing a productive workflow.
Flo Wong
Aine Brennan
In this episode of Design Life we discuss how to have a productive meeting, remotely. This year has seen a huge increase in remote working and has challenged many companies to find new ways of doing things. We have all spent an hour of our time in a meeting (that could have been an email) at some stage in our career, but how can you avoid that happening again in the future? We share our experiences of running successful and productive meetings while working remotely and the importance of speaking up if things aren’t working.
We chat about how to use social media advertising to get in front of clients as a designer, to drive traffic to your site and to remind people of your products that they’ve previously considered buying. There is lots of insight to be gained from our discussion with Mojca, including actionable steps to take, whether you want to start using social media advertising today, or in three months time.
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The Science of Facebook ads
Super Spicy Media
Do you always get the freedom to see your design process through from start to finish? On this episode of Design Life we talk about speeding up the design process or simply how to design fast. Keyboard shortcuts and being a software pro might help you to create a design faster but you need to look at the bigger picture to speed up the whole design process. Some projects need to get finished faster than others and there are a few things you can do to help make that happen, but if one project can be finished quickly can’t they all? We chat tools, timelines and how to ensure you’re still producing your best work on a tight deadline.
If you listened to our last episode you might have heard that Femke recently launched @femkedotdesign, an online space that focuses solely on design and separates the personal from the professional, in other words - a design-focused Instagram account! We chat about using Instagram as an educational platform, the benefits of a new, dedicated space for follower’s questions and what you should consider before launching a design-focused Instagram account.
femkedotdesign on Instagram
Taking on a new role in any company is an exciting time with lots of opportunities to learn and develop your skills but taking on a newly developed role in your current company has its own set of challenges and rewards. We talk about what a Creative Director does, leading a team and up-skilling for a new role.
@femkedotdesign on Instagram
Flo Wong
Lara Hogan Demystifying Management Course
Work with Charli at ConvertKit
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Thanks to Webflow for sponsoring this episode! Webflow gives designers the power of code in a visual interface, and both of your Design Life hosts love using it for their personal sites.
Get 10% off any new annual Webflow plan using the code “designlife” at http://wfl.io/designlife
Thanks to Webflow for sponsoring this episode! Webflow gives designers the power of code in a visual interface, and both of your Design Life hosts love using it for their personal sites.
Get 10% off any new annual Webflow plan using the code “designlife” at http://wfl.io/designlife
Join the design life community
Support the show by buying a Pin!
Submit a topic
Thanks to Webflow for sponsoring this episode! Webflow gives designers the power of code in a visual interface, and both of your Design Life hosts love using it for their personal sites.
Get 10% off any new annual Webflow plan using the code “designlife” at http://wfl.io/designlife
The inspiration for this topic came from Charli’s new series ‘Inside Marketing Design’ where she speaks with marketing designers working with the biggest Tech brands from around the world. A listener noticed a theme that many designers mentioned working with freelancers and we wanted to dive deeper into this topic and share our own experiences and insights of how to establish the freelancer/client relationship and the benefits or possible pitfalls of working with freelancers.
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In today’s episode of Design Life we talk about future proofing your skills to help you establish a long lasting career, by leveraging new technology to boost your creative thinking and using problem solving to develop innovative design solutions.
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Have you ever felt that you have so many meetings in one week that you don’t have time to get your work done? If this is the case finding focus time at work can be a struggle. In this episode of Design Life we discuss how to evaluate if you have control over your meetings and how to maximise your meetings so they are as productive as they can be.
Charli's new series - Inside Marketing Design
Get Femke's advice through Superpeer
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We spotted a tweet recently that said instead of working from home we’re living at work, a sentiment we can agree with. If your self worth is attached to your work, now more than ever you might be experiencing feelings of being unworthy, but you are worth more than your work. In this episode we talk honestly about our jobs, side projects and attaching self worth to our work.
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Today on the Design Life podcast, we’re talking about processes and design operations. Writing briefs, developing processes and reviewing workflows are all part of the job, but sometimes it can feel like that’s all we do as designers! If your daily to-do list has shifted away from design, it might be time to start delegating. In this episode we discuss how to use your initiative to accelerate your success, when to improve a process and how to delegate effectively.
In this episode of Design Life we ask the question why are there so few women in design leadership? When Femke tweeted recently wondering why there is a disparity between men and women in design leadership, the replies showed this message resonated with a lot of people. In this episode we discuss why female design leaders are the exception rather than the rule, and what can women, and men, do about it.
Femke’s Tweet
How to be antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Sign the petition for George Floyd
Although we work for companies of different sizes and on vastly different kinds of projects, there are more similarities between our QA reviews than there are differences. A QA is a process that every designer implements as the project comes closer to completion, as a designer you need to check everything is good to go for your launch date. Hitting snags at the end of a project is common, we discuss how we’ve evolved our design QA process to get the best results.
Jonathan has worked with companies like Lego, Twitter and even the UN, running sprints to make design decision making easier. Following on from our recent topic of design decision making, we ask Jonathan to tell us more about how we can get out of busy work and instead, spend time creating through easier, faster and more collaborative design decision making.
AJ&Smart
The Workshopper Playbook
As designers, we make a lot of decisions. From moving something two pixels to the left to redesigning an entire website, our decisions range in difficulty. Today on Design Life we talk about how we go about making these decisions and how to overcome decision paralysis.
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Design reviews can seem a bit like a holy grail but using them to the designer’s advantage to create a successful project is key. We dive deep into the processes in place for formal and informal design reviews and crits where we work and share what we have learned from giving and receiving feedback.
On this episode of Design Life we are talking side projects. You might have a few ideas bouncing around in your mind of late, that keep coming back to you. Maybe you want to see if your idea would spark interest in the audience you have in mind, but you don’t know where to start. Using our own side projects as examples, we talk about how you can bring your idea to life and avoid potential pitfalls along the way.
Burger bun recipe
In this week’s episode of Design Life, we have a timely discussion about our motivation while working from home. These are unprecedented times we’re living in. Trying to find and stay motivated while also building a new routine when working from home is a challenge. We discuss our levels of motivation as it changes from day-to-day and why it’s important not to give yourself a hard time if you’re feeling less motivated than usual.
Femke's video: Temporary workstation setup while working from home (Desk Tour)
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Many people find themselves working from home at the moment as workplaces play their part in helping to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. For those of us who are working from home for the first time, or returning to remote working after some time in the office, we use this episode of Design Life to chat about the benefits of working from home and how we stay productive in our new environment. We also share the struggles we face as we miss our colleagues and how we use technology to stay connected.
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In this episode of Design Life we discuss how to build your network. Over the course of your career, how can you build a strong, supportive network? We talk about taking the organic approach to creating your network so you can you successfully leverage the support of your colleagues online and IRL.
How to network as an introvert
116: An alternative approach to networking
107: Advice for networking
Giving and receiving feedback can be tricky. In this episode we talk about performance reviews, which is quite timely as both of us have just finished or are in the process of having ours. We discuss how feedback works on our teams, how this helps us and what we plan to do with our feedback.
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As designers we have very high expectations of our own portfolios. Try to take the pressure off. Don’t overthink it. Build a system so you can easily and quickly publish work and keep it up to date. Identify your own barriers and then build solutions to overcome them.
The temptation to redesign your portfolio can make you lose sight of your goal. Stick with an old design if it means getting the new work up. At the end of the day, that is the most important thing. Schedule time to come back to the design at a later date.
If your work is covered by an NDA, you might feel like there is no way around it - you just can’t build a portfolio. Instead of this mindset, could you consider sending a password protected link to share your work? How about blanking out information that is private? Or send through a password protected pdf. Remember your goal is to get an interview, so you need to share just enough to interest the company and give you a chance to present your portfolio in more detail at an interview.
If you are really short on time, create an archive. Even if you have a portfolio, creating an archive which you can reference at a glance is a good idea. Keep it simple. The information can be sparse to begin with, the year, the project, the company and a holding image is enough. If you want to host your archive on a platform, try using Dribble.
We have both experienced the frustration of being asked to sign off on our designs only to find that either a small part of the project or a large chunk have not been developed as we had intended. In this episode of design life we discuss how to tackle implementation issues between design and development so that company goals are achieved on schedule and within budget.
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In this episode we talk about how design is more than just pushing pixels. As a designer you may find yourself completing any number of tasks - planning researching, exploring, scoping, interviewing, wire framing - we could go on and on. Sometimes this can be frustrating. This week we discuss a query from a listener about what to do when you feel that design is the last thing on your to do list.
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Have you ever thought about starting your own YouTube channel? In this week’s episode of Design Life we speak about our channel’s journeys, what has worked consistently and what we have done differently over time. We speak honestly about growing our channels, dealing with controversy, balancing content, monetisation and sponsorship. This episode is a must-listen for any designer who wants to start or grow a design YouTube channel.
01.39 – Catch up
04.15 – Gaps in the Youtube design community
10.18 – Striking a content balance
12.13 – Our favourite videos to make
16.44 – Dealing with controversy
19.06 – Growing your channel
24.50 – Evergreen vs tentpole content
27.05 – Monetisation and sponsored content
Femke's latest video
Charli's latest video
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This is a very exciting time of year, a great time to evaluate 2019 and look ahead to what you want to achieve in 2020. In this episode, the first episode of the new decade, we talk about our goals and intentions for the year ahead. This has become a tradition for us on the podcast, at the start of every year we reflect on our goals and look forward to what we want to achieve next.
Plan your year workbook
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Is the weight of your potential weighing you down? Potential can be both a blessing and a curse. When you feel fulfilled, you are able to focus on the task at hand and complete your best work. If you possess a greater potential than the task at hand requires, over time, completing this task will leave you feeling unfulfilled. In this week’s episode, inspired by Charli’s blog post, we go deep and talk about how fulfilled we feel right now, the weight of potential and getting unstuck.
In this episode of Design Life we have a special guest joining us, Zach Grosser. Zach joins Charli on the podcast this week as they both attended Adobe MAX 2019, Charli was an Adobe Insider this year and Zach was invited to attend by Adobe as a UX leader. Charli and Zach discuss their key takeaways from this year’s flagship creativity conference.
Bézier podcast with Zach Grosser
Talk to Me by Dean Nelson
Full Time You by Meg Lewis
Are you hoping to make the jump from a junior to senior role in 2020?
On this episode of Design Life we discuss a query about senior and junior roles from a listener hoping to change levels. How do you know when you’re ready, how can you figure out and prove that you have the skills you need to do the job at hand?
We discuss how the jump is managed at our respective companies and the idea that there is always something you can do, even if it’s not being asked of you, to demonstrate why you you’re up to the challenge.
Han Bang – Toronto design Youtuber
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In a change to our usual format, this week on Design Life we discuss Femke’s experience of the Within leadership retreat. The three day, design leadership retreat provided plenty for us to discuss, including leading authentically, listening to your inner critic and coaching colleagues to come up with their own solutions.
Leadership Circles
Within Retreat
How do you deal with the frustration of people not accepting your ideas? When you share an idea and people brush it off or they don’t agree that it is a good idea, how do you deal with that in such a way that your team understand your disappointment but don’t mark you as a sore loser. In this episode we talk about how we communicate our disappointment and frustrations with our teams, and how sometimes listening can reveal an unexpected solution.
01.10 – Check in
04.40 – Listener’s letter
11.55 – What to do if this happens to you
17.34 – Accept your idea didn’t make the cut
22.50 – Listen & Learn
25.55 – What to do if your ideas are being shot down more often than not
This week on Design Life we’re talking about a topic that has been on our minds lately - career progression. We have been thinking about the next stage in our careers, and thought you might be interested to hear what steps we have taken to secure the next phase and how we know it is time to have that all important conversation.
After a short hiatus the Design Life podcast is back! Staying creative and motivated during big life changes can be a real challenge, one we have recently faced. We have jumped at the chance for our next adventure and moved to new countries. Femke has joined the Uber design team in Toronto, working with a new team on Uber Eats. Charli continues to work remotely for Convertkit but has swapped the hustle and bustle of London for sunny Valencia!
Trying to stay inspired while also managing the logistics of a big move to another country is a challenge, in this episode we share what worked for us during this busy time.
Ladies Wine Design
Bumble BFF
Ladders Conference
Design Life Enamel Pin
In this episode of Design Life, we talk about how to get your first design job. It can be a conundrum, in order to get a job you need to have experience, but in order to get experience you need a job. How can you get experience if no one is willing to give you a job? We share our tips, along with an exciting new product we have launched in the Design Life store.
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Liz Steel
Hollie Arnett
Passive income is a great way for designers to earn a little extra every month alongside your full time or freelance gig. In this episode of Design Life we discuss the different passive income streams we have used successfully, what we have learned and what we hope to try in the future.
Charli’s passive income, a breakdown
Amazon Associates
This week we are delighted to share a very special edition of Design Life with you. For this episode we invited Helen Tran who is a Product Designer, hobbyist writer, and the CEO & Founder of Jupiter to tell us all about her journey to becoming her own boss, the importance of teaching and her thoughts on going deep versus going wide.
Helen Tran's Blog
Jupiter
Helen on Twitter
A few weeks ago on the podcast we discussed project retrospectives. A listener sent in a follow-up request for an episode about project kickoffs, which it turns out we have never discussed! Starting a project with a kickoff checklist can be useful for everyone involved. In this episode we discuss the checklists we use, and how to jump in successfully if you haven’t been involved in the kickoff.
Design Life Episode 151 Running Design Sprints
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This episode comes by way of a talk Charli heard at the How Design Live conference in Chicago. Stephen Gates delivered a thought provoking presentation, about living life as a creative. One question in particular stood out - is our manufactured reality killing the design industry and our creativity? In this episode of Design Life we tease out this topic, and how we see it play out in our lives and in our careers.
Dribbble's HANG TIME – Get $100 off admission!
Stephen Gates
How Design Live
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Is your portfolio truthful, is it a fair representation of your skills? Today’s episode comes by way of an email we had from a client, who asks this very question, and favours freelance market places as a result. We discuss how to make sure your portfolio is an accurate representation of your work, honestly.
Dribbble Presents: Hang Time
Quinn Keast’s portfolio
Alejandra Quintero’s portfolio
Daniel Eden’s portfolio
Job titles and promotions came up as a topic of conversation for us on Twitter recently and we thought it a topic worth diving deeper into, in this episode of Design Life. Sharing your job title with people gives them an insight into the work you do every day, but what if your title doesn’t reflect your responsibility or autonomy? We discuss the tips we use to explain our work in the best way possible and how you can too.
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In today’s episode we discuss running project retrospectives. Retros give the whole team the chance to reflect on what went well, what didn’t go well and any areas of opportunity to improve upon next time. Find out why we think that not running a project retrospective is a missed opportunity to give your next project the best chance to succeed.
Design documentation might not be the most exciting part of the design process but its importance cannot be underestimated. Unfortunately the people we work with cannot read our minds, which is why documenting our designs is crucial. Communicating the ‘how and why’ of our design’s functionality allows questions to be answered quickly and efficiently. Today we talk about how we document our designs and the tools we use daily.
Flowkit library
In this week’s episode we get a little bit philosophical as we discuss the concept of done being better than perfect. This week’s episode comes by way of a listener comment, despite knowing that their design will only really come together in the end stage, they have a nagging doubt in their head that the project should look perfect at every step of the way. We discuss how we have overcome this doubt ourselves in the past and how done is better than perfect can often be good enough.
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What is an OKR? How can you best set and achieve goals at work? Join us for today’s episode, as we dive into the topic of goal setting and explore the process we use to help us achieve our goals.
What are design principles and how do they differ from design systems? In this episode we answer your questions about design principles and offer some direction as to how you can begin to define them for yourself.
Dealing with office politics? This episode of Design Life has you covered. We’re taking a break this week from our recent design focused episodes to answer a listener query - how best to deal with office politics. It can be tricky to keep a clear head when your work is impacted by factors outside of your control but doing so can make all the difference to your productivity.
In this episode of Design Life, we discuss running design sprints. In the Product/UX community for the last couple of years, design sprints have been growing in popularity. As a UX designer herself, Femke has run a couple of mini design sprints at Uber and found them useful. We talk about the what, why and how of design sprints and give you the steps you need to introduce them at your workplace.
AJ & Smart
Sprint - The Design Sprint Book
Femke's Youtube Channel
Charli's series about Ecommerce with Webflow
Today we are talking about the a hot topic in the design industry - Design Systems. In today’s episode we share our experience of working with design systems, their benefits and how using an efficient design system can help your team.
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Skillshare: Digital Product Design: Build a Flexible Design System That Lasts
How to build your design system in Figma
Complete guide to designing a site using a collaborative and powerful design system
Design Systems at Deliveroo
In this week’s episode we talk about something which is pretty on-brand for us - weekly planning. We cover how to plan your week, how to stay motivated and how to get things done. We share what works for us and how we plan to update our scheduling routines this year.
Many people will start a new job this year, but how can you make sure you get off on the right foot? In this week’s episode of Design Life we answer a question from a listener about getting the best start at a new job. We share our experiences of our first week in a new role, how we’ve helped new members of our teams to get off to a good start and how you can too.
In the first episode of Design Life for 2019, we evaluate our 2018 goals and see what we achieved. We also look ahead and chat about our new goals for 2019, the things that are important to us, what we want to achieve and how we plan to do just that.
Femke's YouTube Channel
Shawn Blanc - Plan your year
CharliMarieTV - 2019
Design challenges can prove a controversial topic, specifically the kind you might complete as part of a job application. Some people think they have merit while others think they tread a fine line between free labour and giving prospective candidates the opportunity to show their skills. We get to the heart of the matter in this week's episode of Design Life, sharing our personal experience and some news about the podcast!
Here at Design Life we are big fans of attending conferences, and probably attend well above the average each year. How do we choose which ones to go to and why do we prioritise our attendance at conferences so highly? In this episode we talk about our favourite conferences and why they have earned that title.
Your relationship with your manager is an important one. How can you best cultivate it? In this episode of Design Life we talk about how to build a good relationship with your manager, the traits of a good manager and women in management roles.
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As the Design Life podcast approaches its three year anniversary, we record another episode IRL. This week’s episode is a friendly catch up about our work and goals where we talk about some books, podcasts and apps we’re loving right now.
Yoga by Candace
Text Expander App
It doesn't have to be crazy at work
Women who Work Podcast
How Millennials can get rich slowly
Secure with Serena
Financing Book Recommendations:
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
I Will Teach You to Be Rich
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Is your first idea ever your best idea? Is there ever a time where you design something once and then - BOOM! That’s it, done. In this episode of Design Life we discuss iteration. As a designer, when you design something new, it's the beginning of a process. Iteration takes practice. It takes time to refine your taste and your skill in design, you don’t just come up with one idea and call it done. We discuss the process and how we use iteration to our advantage in our work.
This unique episode of Design Life was recorded in Copenhagen after a fantastic weekend at Confront, a conference about dev and design. We are joined by a special guest, our friend and Design Life Community member Zach Grosser. For those who couldn’t be there, we share our key takeaways from the conference and chat about design systems, empathy and the relationship between dev and design.
Today we are talking about switching careers to become a designer. Charli was asked a question via her Youtube channel by a viewer who wants to switch from a career in marketing to a career in design. The feedback she has been given by recruiters so far is that she is over qualified for a junior role, but lacks the experience for a mid-weight design role. We try to shed some light on how our eager designer can use her prior experience to her advantage in her career switch.
Gaining stakeholder trust can greatly influence the success of your project, but where is the best place to start? In this week’s episode we share our tips and experience to make the process of gaining stakeholder trust as straightforward as possible.
In a slight change to our usual series on design careers, in this episode we talk about the compensation packages we have been offered at varying stages of our careers. How can you negotiate to get the most out of your compensation package, and what can be included? Find out how we have used our compensation packages to our benefit.
Full takeaways at designlife.fm/episode/138
Personal branding can feel like an insurmountable task to many designers. Designing a personal brand that communicates personality, style and professionalism is no easy task. In previous episodes we have spoken about the importance of a purposeful personal brand, that accurately portrays who you are as a designer. However in today’s episode we talk about the nitty gritty details of our personal brands, the process we used to create them and how we got over some hurdles along the way.
Webflow
There is still value to be found in sharing unfinished work, but does it really belong in your portfolio? In this episode we discuss sharing unfinished work, when it is appropriate and how to present it in the best light.
Staying Convertkit
Frederique Matti
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On Design Life this week, we talk about productivity in the workplace. Being productive at work is about doing what you need to do to get the job done while also being aware that other people need you. We share what works for us while working in an office and being remote.
Basecamp
Pomodoro Technique
Design Life: Bullet journalling for task management
Many designers want to welcome more development skills into their toolkit and become a hybrid. In reality however, it can be a struggle to fit in the learning required to develop complementary skills while also completing the tasks you were hired to do! In this episode Charli shares her experience of becoming a hybrid, and the practical steps she took to expand her skillset.
Treehouse
SUPERHi
User testing, or usability testing, can help designers get to know their user even better. It can reveal insights into the use of the product or site that the team otherwise might never know. In this episode we discuss how user testing at Uber works, and how user testing can help to further develop designer’s empathy for the user, benefitting designers and the design process at the same time.
Zoom conferencing tool
usertesting.com
WhatUsersDo
InVision
In this episode we answer a question from a member of the Design Life community who is wondering if they should follow the advice to ‘fake it ’til you make it’. We discuss the pros and cons of ‘faking it’, how to use it as a tool to boost your confidence if you’re feeling unsure of yourself and when to know to stop.
Sarah Doody on ‘Faking it ’til you make it’
Fake it ’til you make it for designers
Data can be a powerful tool in a designer’s toolkit. A/B testing can help to prove or disprove our design hypotheses by checking them against the data to see what actually works.
In this episode we discuss our experience with A/B testing and how it can help you to become a better designers.
Show Links:
How Netflix does A/B testing
A/B testing at Basecamp
Google Optimize
VWO
It’s easy to get stuck in the same routine – same job, same tasks, same projects. However there comes a time when maybe it’s time to move on to something new. In this episode we discuss experiences we’ve had with moving on to new endeavours, and how you know you’re ready for a change.
Webflow
Simplecast
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Have an idea for a new side project? With potentially a few already on the go, how do you make time for new side projects without neglecting your current ones? In this episode we talk about how we decide which side project ideas to pursue and how to decide which is worth investing in.
Craft & Commerce
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User research is a vital part of the design process. It helps to inform your decisions and make sure that you’re designing the best solution to the problem. There are many different ways to do user research, and different points it could be involved in your process so that’s what we discuss in this episode!
Jan Chipchase – Masterclass
usertesting.com
HotJar – website surveying
The creative process is like a rollercoaster. It has ups and downs, it can put you in a spin, and sometimes things are moving so fast you don’t even know what’s happening. In this episode we talk about the creative process and how we handle the low points to keep things moving.
As designers our jobs can be done from anywhere! Ironically this can often mean that we don’t need to travel for work within a company, but opportunities can still arise to work with a team in another office, visit a client, go on a user research trip or perhaps travel to a conference. In this episode we discuss our experience with travelling for work, and share advice on how to stay productive during the break in your usual routine.
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There’s often more to a project than just design. As designers we regularly find ourselves working with illustrators, copywriters, photographers and more. In this episode we chat about how we’ve worked with content creators and their involvement in the design process.
In this episode we mention:
Things I use – Femke’s blog post
Nike+ Training App
ConvertKit ‘I Am a Blogger’
Webflow
Craft&Commerce Conference
Mackenzie Child
Handing over your design to a developer or a team of engineers for it to be built is an important part of the design process. In this episode we talk about that handoff and how to make it run smoothly so that everyone is happy, and the finished product matches your design!
Are you a community member? Sign in to your account and get access to a free template of the Design Handoff Deck that you can use with your team. Sign up here.
How do you design a design doc by Dropbox
The power of the design doc by Deliveroo
Notion design doc template
Zeplin
Atomic
InVision
Coda
Despite all the advances the world has made with gender equality over the years, there is still a severe lack of women in tech. In this episode we discuss our experience entering the tech industry and sharing our thoughts and frustrations on the matter.
The Confidence Gap – Article on The Atlantic
Startup podcast
Phrases to replace ‘you guys’
Diversity and Inclusion at Patreon
For many designers, deciding what new design or prototyping tool to choose can be overwhelming, with new tools launching every month! How can you choose the right one while also maximising your time? In this episode we discuss how we go about learning a new tool and how we choose which tool to learn.
In this episode, we share our current struggles, both personal and professional and what we are doing to overcome them. We also look at the struggles we faced in our careers in the past, and talk about the catalysts that helped us to change.
Ladies that UX Amsterdam
Ladies that UX London
Tobias Van Schneider
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I think also goals are good checkpoints, like the time before you reach the goal is obviously a really important time but I think afterwards is equally important like stop reflect okay I achieved this and then think about what could be the next one
Ever have that feeling where you have too many passions and not enough time to do it all? This week we address this question from a listener who’s been struggling with feeling as though she has too many passions, and share our experience.
Recently, Femke attended a workshop about articulating design decisions and in this episode she shares a few nuggets of wisdom she learned there with you. We also discuss our experience presenting our work and getting stakeholders on board, and answer questions from our listeners.
Networking is a vital part of your design career, but at conferences or meetups it can be hard to drive a meaningful conversation. In this episode we discuss ways to move beyond ‘what do you do?’ when talking to new people at an event and share some examples of times when connecting on a deeper level has paid off for us.
Competition can be healthy or harmful, depending on how far you take it! In this episode we discuss an email from a listener about toxic competition, and share our experience with similar situations.
Ux Conference London
Femke’s Website (live!)
Epicurrence
Do you ever feel guilty when you’re not spending time creating? It turns out, many creatives do. In this episode we discuss this guilt and why it’s irrational, and how to cope with it.
This week we get nerdy and talk about tech; more specifically, upgrading technology. When should you upgrade? Do you always need to have the latest device? How do we decide what to upgrade to? We discuss all of this and more!
As designers it sometimes feels like we are perpetually redesigning our own websites! In this episode we discuss our approach to tackling our redesigns and what tools we’re using to build the site, as well as share some advice for not getting overwhelmed with the task.
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As creatives, sometimes dealing with things like finances and paperwork don’t come naturally to us, but they’re important to figure out. In this episode we discuss the legalities and details of setting up an official business including accounting, expenses, paperwork, and when to even bother with registering it!
Both Design Life hosts have made the decision to shift their career in the past and change design disciplines: Femke from marketing to product design, and Charli from print to web design. In this episode we discuss what it was like to make this shift and share some advice for how to go about it if it’s something you’ve been thinking about doing too.
More and more designers and other creatives are starting to make video content these days, and there’s still plenty of room for you! In this episode we discuss getting started with making videos and give advice for dealing with the initial hurdles you’ll face.
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In this episode we discuss an approach to getting things done that might help you get more out of 2018 and finally complete some projects you’ve been trying to make time for by setting a monthly focus.
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Networking isn’t just for corporate people in business suits, it’s a handy skill to master as a designer! In this episode we discuss our experience with networking and share our best tips for finding the right people to talk to, and making the most of the connection.
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This week we’re talking about boredom. It’s something that strikes us all every now and then and we shouldn’t be ashamed about that. In this episode we discuss the ways it affects us and some possible solutions for dealing with it.
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All designers go through a stage where they create work they aren’t proud of. What should you do when you’re trying to build your portfolio up, but are working on projects you don’t love because you need the money? In this episode we discuss our own experience with this conundrum and share our advice for dealing with it.
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Where do you want to be in your career in five years time? How about ten years time, or thirty? In this episode we discuss the future of our careers and what we want to achieve as designers. You’ll learn a little more about us and our goals, and hopefully we’ll get you thinking about what you want out of your career too so that you can make sure you’re on the right path.
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Launching something you’ve been working hard on to the world wide internet can be intimidating. In this episode we share what we’ve learned from launching things recently, what we wish we’d done differently, and give you advice to apply to your own launch no matter how big or small your audience might be.
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What could be better than gathering regularly with a group of people as motivated as you are to discuss your projects and get advice? In this episode we discuss mastermind groups and their value. You’ll get advice for finding the right people to start one with, and for running it successfully to get the most value from it.
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Starting a new design job can be scary. Not only are there new colleagues to get to know, but new design processes and projects to get your head around, and no doubt a million questions. In this episode we continue our jobs series and share our advice for how to handle your first day of a new job.
We’ve reached one hundred episodes of the show! So what better topic to talk about than sticking with a side project consistently over a long period time? In this episode we answer questions from our listeners about running a side project for two years, and share advice for how to commit for the long haul.
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Slumps in motivation happen. No matter how passionate you are, no matter how good you are at time management; sometimes you just don’t feel motivated. In this episode we talk about how we deal with the slump, chat about possible reasons for it occurring, and give advice for trying to get out of it.
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We talk a lot on this show about starting side projects and working on bringing your ideas to life, but what happens when the passion dies and you find yourself not wanting to work on a project anymore? In this episode we discuss our reasons for sunsetting side projects and share ways for you to figure out if you should put an idea on hold.
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It’s time to start making money from your side projects. Designer/entrepreneur Nathan Barry joins us for this episode to share advice for selling products without seeming too pushy, setting goals for your side projects, and how to launch them. If you’ve been wanting to start earning money online, this episode will give you the advice and confidence to start doing it.
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Hardware is an essential part of the design process, but how much you invest in that is up to you. In this episode we talk about the technology and gadgets that make up our hardware setup and discuss our research process before buying new tech items, along with why you don’t need a shiny new MacBook to be a designer.
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The interview stage can be both the most exciting and the scariest part of the design job hunting process. In this episode we share our advice for nailing a design job interview: what to bring, how to prepare, what to ask questions about and how to deal with those unexpected curveballs you might be thrown.
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If speaking at a conference is on your career goals list, this episode is for you. In it we discuss the public speaking opportunities we’ve had, and share advice for not only securing your own spot at an event but also how to plan and present your talk with confidence.
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As humans we are designed to be afraid of taking risks, but a certain amount of risk is necessary to achieve success. In this very special episode Eric Friedensohn (a talented lettering artist and friend of the show) joins Femke to discuss why it’s important to take risks, and how to be smart about them.
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Lets say you’ve already done the job hunt – you’ve narrowed it down to a select few companies you want to apply at. Now it’s time to prepare your application. In this episode we share our advice for your CV, cover letter and portfolio, as well as chat about the emotional side of the job application process.
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Doing great work is just one part of building a reputation and an audience; you also need to get your work noticed. In this episode we give advice for feeling confident sharing your work, and how to go about it in the right way. More at www.designlife.fm
In this episode we’re kicking off the start of a new mini-series about finding a new job. To start with we’re talking about the job hunt process and giving you advice for where to look for your new role and how to research a company to see if it’s a place you’d like to work. More at www.designlife.fm
Do you feel like you need to be careful what you post online? Can you be yourself on social media? In this episode we discuss the divide between our personal and professional sides and how we handle this online. We’ll share thoughts on how this affects job prospects and some rules of thumb to follow. More at www.designlife.fm
Us creative types can often be distracted by shiny new ideas, especially when we’re at a tough point in a project. The temptation of working on something new is easy to give in to, but it’s not always the best thing for achieving our goals. In this episode we talk about shiny object syndrome, how it’s affected us, and advice for dealing with it to stay on track. More at www.designlife.fm
Project scoping is one of the scariest and hardest parts of the design process when you’re new to it. It takes time and practice to get right, and in this episode we’re sharing the best tips on project scoping from us and our listeners. You’ll also hear about some times when we got it wrong, so that you can learn from our project scoping mistakes. More at www.designlife.fm.
Professional development and growing your skills is important in any design job, but when you’re freelancing it can be hard to fit in as any time you spend learning is time not spent working for clients. in this episode we discuss the responsibility we have to develop our skills and how we incorporate learning into our projects. More at www.designlife.fm
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These days it seems like there is always a new tool or framework to try. It’s easy to feel the pressure to keep up with it all and stay relevant; especially when all of your peers are talking about it. In this episode we discuss our approach to trying new software and tools and how we deal with the pressure to stay up to date. More at www.designlife.fm
Feeling down about yourself, and like you’re super uninteresting and unsuccessful isn’t fun. In fact, it downright sucks. But it’s something we all seem to face. So that’s what we decided to discuss in this weeks episode along with feeling too old and comparing ourselves to others. More at www.designlife.fm
As ambitious people, we often find ourselves in situations where we’ve committed to too many things and have to deal with the overwhelm that comes along with it. In this episode we discuss what to do in this situation and how to learn from it for the inevitable next time. More at www.designlife.fm
We have ideas all the time, and sometimes those ideas are so big that we don’t have the skillset to actually follow through on them. So what should you do when that happens? In this episode we discuss our approach to big ideas and the learning or asking for help that comes along with them. More at www.designlife.fm
Bullet journalling has become an incredibly popular way to manage projects and tasks. In this episode we discuss how we use the system and why we decided to try it, as well as give advice for getting started if you’re interested in trying it yourself. More at www.designlife.fm
Design Life will soon be launching a community! In this episode we share in depth our plans for the community and tell you everything you need to know about the beta launch (sign up athttp://192.241.209.196/community to be notified), as well as talk about the value we’ve gotten from being surrounded by like-minded people.
Design is often misconstrued as being about surface level visuals, when actually a lot of work goes in behind the scenes before you reach a beautiful finished product. In this episode we discuss the difficulties in communicating the value of design and give advice for talking to friends and clients about it so that you can be paid way you’re worth.
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In the future, making videos will be just as common as writing blog posts. In this episode we talk about the benefits of creating online video (hint: it’s more than just audience growth!) and Charli gives advice to Femke for getting started and what to expect. More at www.designlife.fm.
Design software is becoming more and more accessible, with some tools offering automatic layouts and quick logos. As designers should we worry about this future? In this episode we discuss the commodification of design and give thoughts on the future of our industry and what we can do to make sure we’re providing value. More at www.designlife.fm
Procrastiworking is work you do instead of another task; think of it as productive procrastination! But it is still just that: procrastination. In this episode we talk about the process and cons of it and give our tips for avoiding it or making it work to your advantage. More at www.designlife.fm
Do you sometimes feel guilty for taking a break? Maybe you tinker on things throughout your break to ease the guilt, or perhaps you feel the guilt after enjoying a weekend away. Well we feel that too, so that’s what we discuss in this episode. You’ll hear our feelings on this guilt, and our advice for overcoming it and allowing yourself the permission to relax. More at www.designlife.fm
Working from home is becoming more and more common as more creatives take on a freelance life, and more companies embrace the remote way of working. In this episode we discuss the pros and cons of making your living space your working space, and give advice for combatting loneliness, switching off and distraction. More at www.designlife.fm
Us designers can be emotional people. We love our jobs and we feel passionately about our creative projects. But what happens when that passion wanes? In this episode we talk about what it’s like to lose the passion you once had for a project, and what to do about it. More at www.designlife.fm
Learning a new skill can be hard, especially when you’re teaching yourself. But it’s also a vital part of growing as a designer throughout your career. In this episode we chat about how we teach ourselves new skills, the struggles we face, and how we deal with them. More at www.designlife.fm
Struggling with confidence is a big problem creatives face. We’ve all had days where we feel like we can’t keep going on our creative journey; that we’re not good enough and should just give up. But facing those hurdles is a part of the learning process and something we have to learn to deal with. In this episode we discuss confidence issues and give advice on ways to feel more confident in your work and abilities. More at www.designlife.fm
Sending a client the deliverables is the last step of a project, so it’s one that can have a lasting impression. In this episode we discuss our process for sending client deliverables and some improvements we want to make to end the project on a really professional note. More at www.designlife.fm
Stepping out of your comfort zone is something you have to do every now and then to learn and develop. In this episode we talk about what that means for us in terms of our side projects, taking on new opportunities, and also with our design style. More at www.designlife.fm
When you’ve got a tight deadline to meet (or when you’ve just got a lot to do) little tricks to speed up your workflow can make all the difference. In this episode we talk about how our workflows have improved over the years and suggest some ideas for you to try. More at www.designlife.fm
The design world has gotten a little too perfect. All we see are beautiful finished products. The ideas thrown out along the way never get shared. But there is value in sharing your process and it can help others learn. In this episode we talking about perfectionism and sharing, and about how we need to see more crappy work. More at www.designlife.fm
How do your personal morals fit in with your design work? As designers, and as humans, we have a responsibility to think about the user and put forward work that makes the world better rather than worse. In this episode we discuss ethics and morals, and share examples of a few things we draw the line on. More at www.designlife.fm
In this episode we reflect on what it’s been like to leave design school and start designing full time. We cover the many differences in the design process and the people you work with in school vs out in the “real world” and share advice for making the transition smoother. More at www.designlife.fm
When it comes to creating content online, consistency is the key to building a reputation and an audience. In this episode we discuss how we stay consistent with our content creation and share advice for how to overcome some common struggles. More at www.designlife.fm
Remote working is becoming more and more common, and more and more desirable these days. In this episode we discuss our remote jobs and share advice for focussing and connecting with your team as a remote worker, and making the most of your nomadic situation. More at www.designlife.fm
When it comes to your design career, you need to think about what you want out of it and where you want to end up in the future so that you can make steps towards it now, and make choices that align with those goals. In this episode we discuss the career goals of our listeners (and our own!) and share tips for figuring out what you want, and working towards it. More at www.designlife.fm
Constraints breed creativity. If they’re not too restrictive, they give you a starting point and a box to think outside of. In this episode we discuss how to see constraints in a positive light and share advice for setting your own constraints on side projects. We also talk about what to do when a client is overly prescriptive and the constraints box you into a corner, and how to treat budget and time constraints as a good thing. More at www.designlife.fm
Lack of focus is our biggest enemy when it comes to productivity. In this episode we talk about focus time and how we can create it for ourselves. We discuss some different apps and techniques that help towards finding focus, but we also talk about the fact that focus looks different for everyone. The thing that helps someone else focus may not work for you, but it’s about experimenting and seeing what sticks. More at www.designlife.fm
When it comes to getting jobs in creative industries, your portfolio is more important than your resumé. Your portfolio should show your best work, and should demonstrate why you’re the person to hire for the job. It can be tough to create a good one. There are lots of decisions to be made, from what work to include and how to talk about it, to what platform to use and how much process to show. In this episode we share advice for all of these things and more. More at www.designlife.fm
The start of a new year is the perfect time for you to think about what you want to get out of the year ahead, and set some goals. In this episode we get super honest and share our audience building, teaching, learning, financial, content and health goals for 2017. And of course we give some advice for setting your own goals for the coming year. Be ambitious, and let’s make it a good one! More at http://192.241.209.196
The people you surround yourself with can have a huge impact on your life. That impact can be positive and uplifting, or it could be negative and crush your dreams; it’s up to you. In this episode we talk about how to find inspiring people and make them a part of your life, and also about how to let go of people who might be having a negative impact on you. More at www.designlife.fm
Sometimes you have to say no to really good opportunities, whether that be because you’re too busy to take them on, or because you want to make sure there is still room for great opportunities to come your way. In this episode share our experiences with saying no to things we might otherwise have said yes to, and give some advice for figuring out whether or not you should say yes to something. More at Design Life.
A contract is an essential part of being a freelancer. Even if you’re just starting out, it’s valuable to put one in to your process as soon as possible. In this episode we share advice for creating your contract and some hurdles to watch out for, alongside so many useful resources in our show notes. More at www.designlife.fm
Content marketing doesn’t have to be a thing only big businesses do to seem like they know their customers; it’s something we as creatives can do to get our names out there, attract the right type of client, and become a part of the creative community by giving knowledge back. In this episode we discuss the benefits we’ve gotten from content marketing, as well as tips for creating content. More at www.designlife.fm
When you market yourself for freelance work, there are two main ways to brand yourself: as an individual or as a studio. In this episode we discuss the pros and cons of each and help you figure out which option is best for you. More at www.designlife.fm
For Design Life’s one year anniversary episode we invited our listeners to send in an audio recording telling us about something they’re struggling with at the moment. We do our best to answer their questions about managing time, confidence, finding clients and opportunities, and creating content.In this episode you’ll hear advice for getting through the struggles and share our own stories on the topics. More at www.designlife.fm
We often hear stories of designers waiting months for payment. It’s hard asking for money, so how do you get clients to pay up? In this episode we talk about issues with payments, and share advice for making the payment process professional and easy. Remember, you deserve to be paid for your work in a timely manner, and there are things you should be doing that will help make this happen. More at www.designlife.fm
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.designlife.fm
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 at www.designlife.fm
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 we discuss our design school experience and share some things we wish we’d known, or done differently while we were studying. More at www.designlife.fm
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 talk about the mindset shift you need in order to see the positives in your failures. Find out more at www.designlife.fm
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 the path that suits you best. More at www.designlife.fm
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 generalists and we’ll explain why, as well as give you advice for finding out what you’re best at. More at www.designlife.fm
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 of your day is not enriching your life. Work is a part of our identity, and we don’t think that’s a bad thing! More at www.designlife.fm
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.designlife.fm
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 should focus your attention on.
We use different tools for different tasks and we share them all along with some background on how we learned to use them. More at www.designlife.fm
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 share tips for remembering to enjoy your present, and how this works in with your future goals. More at www.designlife.fm
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 of attention we give to them. More at www.designlife.fm
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 your process. More at www.designlife.fm
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 working on for a while. In this episode we chat about situations where we’ve felt this fear, and give solutions for how to deal with it. More at www.designlife.fm
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’ll hear us discuss the communities we’re a part of and hear advice for joining communities when you’re just starting out in the industry. More at www.designlife.fm
Creating a website involves two main skills: design and development. In this episode we tackle the hot debate of designers and code; Should web designers be able to build the things they design, and is it okay if they can’t? We share our personal experiences with this issue and discuss assumptions people make about our abilities when we use the term ‘web designer’. More at www.designlife.fm
Learning new skills is something that goes hand-in-hand with side projects. Often we have ideas for things that involve either expanding on the skills we currently have, or learning something totally new. In this episode we discuss our approach to learning and chat about the benefits of adding new things to your skillset. More at www.designlife.fm
Critiquing your own work is an important skill to learn, especially when it comes to side projects. When you set yourself a brief, you have to learn to look at your work in a new light and see it from an outside perspective to truly make it the best it can be. In this episode we share tips for doing that and talk about the challenges of self-critique (like loving your work too much to see that something isn’t working). More at www.designlife.fm
We always want to be moving forward and progressing towards our goals. In this episode we discuss long term thinking and the importance of setting goals for your future.
It can be hard to plan the exact steps to take to reach a goal set for five or ten years time, because life happens and your wants and needs may change. But having long term goals means you’ll be able to make decisions now in the present that align to them in order to keep you on the right track.
Listen in to hear about our goals and our advice for getting into a long term mindset. More at www.designlife.fm
Motivation is vital to working on side projects, and a positive mindset is key to staying motivated. In this episode we discuss how these things work together for us, and the external factors that drive us to keep hustling even when the going gets tough.
You’ll also hear about the things that have a negative effect on our motivation and how we get it back when it lapses. Motivation is something that has to come from within yourself and in this episode you’ll get tips for how to find it. More at www.designlife.fm
Creative block is scary. It’s something that every creative goes through, and it’s something that tends to sneak up on you. In this episode we discuss how for us creative block feels overwhelming and suffocating, and can hit at various points in a project. Our strategies for dealing with it vary depending on the time pressure we’re under, but we’ll give you some tips to try out next time creative block strikes for you. No matter how you get through it, creative block is something you have to push through. You can’t let it win. More at www.designlife.fm
Inspiration isn’t just a pretty image you find on Dribbble, it’s a way of looking at things in a new light. In this episode we discuss what it means to be inspired and our approach to gathering inspiration.
We touch on the perils of your work being a little too inspired by someone else’s, and how finding inspiration in unlikely places could be a solution to that. More at www.designlife.fm
Side projects can be an important and useful part of your career path. They can also be a huge distraction from your day job if you let them.
In this episode we talk about the impact our side projects have had on our careers and what we’ve gotten out of them from not only an educational perspective, but also for our own personal growth.
The itch to work on a certain type of project could mean that type of creativity is missing from your life. We discuss how we use our side projects to feel creatively fulfilled and share advice for if you have ideas but are unsure of starting a side project alongside your day job. More at www.designlife.fm
This week we’re having a heart-to-heart about stress and how we deal with it. We discover that for us a lack of control (be that of technology or other people) is often what stresses us out, along with feeling guilty for taking breaks. We talk about how a certain level of stress can be used as motivation to hustle, but how that can easily tip too far and be paralysing. We share our strategies for coping with stress and talk about learning from our mistakes in order to improve our process and be less stressed in the future. More at www.designlife.fm
At work we have managers, co-workers or clients relying on us to get things done. When it comes to our personal projects we often don’t have the same sense of urgency or deadlines, so how do you prioritise what to work on? That’s what we discuss in this episode. It’s about having accountability within yourself to get things done to help you move towards your goals, not allowing yourself to make excuses, and breaking down tasks into small chunks to get them done. Hear about how we decide what to work on, what tasks we put off as much as possible, and get some brilliant advice from our listeners. More at www.designlife.fm
Imposter syndrome, that feeling that you’re not good enough for what you’re doing, affects many creatives and it can be hard to overcome. In this episode we chat about how it affects us, and when and where it strikes most often. We also talk about social media’s role in this, and how we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others. We’ll give you some strategies for coping if this is something you’re struggling with too, and hopefully this episode will help you feel like you’re not alone in feeling a bit of self doubt every now and then. More at www.designlife.fm
On week days, we get up early to fit in a couple of hours work on side projects before we begin our day jobs. In this episode we chat about how we shifted our schedules to make this hustle happen, and if you’re a night owl who thinks you could never be a morning person, we’ve got advice to help you out. Waking up early is all about forming habits and shifting your body clock incrementally. It’s about setting little goals and choosing what you work on wisely. Set your alarm clock for half an hour earlier tomorrow! More at www.designlife.fm
This week we’re talking about why it’s better to attract clients than go out and approach them yourself. We think it’s the best way to get a professional working relationship off on the right foot and we’ll explain why. Attracting clients is a ‘long play’ involving positioning yourself as an expert in your niche by doing content marketing and being picky about what work you take on. It takes time to build your reputation in this way, but we think it’s worth it. We’re both in different stages with our client work, so listen in to hear about our experience with client work, and what we’re doing to attract the type of projects we really want to work on. More at www.designlife.fm
For those of us with many things on the go, the traditional work/life balance is more of a work/life/side project balance. Dividing our time between these important things can be tricky and in this episode we discuss how we approach it. We talk about stress and prioritising, and how changing your attitude towards those annoying must-dos like cleaning and cooking could be the key staying happy and living a balanced life. More at www.designlife.fm
There comes a point in every designer’s life where they decide what kind of designer they’re going to be. In this episode we chat about the different types of design we’ve done on our design journey and discuss the moment we started identifying ourselves as designers. We also hear from our listeners about their defining ‘I’m a designer’ moment. As we discussed in episode 4, branding yourself online is important especially if you want to do freelance work and attract clients, so we also dive into how we position ourselves as designers online within our niche. More at www.designlife.fm
As designers we work with a wide range of people on projects: copywriters, clients, developers, project managers and more. The diversity is awesome and keeps our jobs interesting, but it does bring it’s own set of challenges. In this episode we talk about how we deal with working alongside people who think differently to us and share some tips for making the process smoother, and for helping others see the value of design. More at www.designlife.fm
You only get 24 hours in a day. How you use it is up to you. In this episode we talk in depth about how we structure our days and manage our time (and geek out a little over to do lists). Things also get a bit deep as we talk about our attitude towards time and how getting in the mindset of making time rather than complaining that we don’t have enough has had a positive effect on our lives and general happiness. More at www.designlife.fm
In this episode we’re talking about side project goals and their value. You’ll hear what our own goals are for our projects and how they’ve changed over time. We really want to encourage you to set goals for your side projects, but we don’t want not having a clear idea of what you hope to achieve to hold you back from starting! To help you out, we give some advice on how how to set goals and make a plan to reach them. Things also get a bit deep as we talk about how our side projects are actually helping us achieve our overall life goals too. We hope this episode will inspire you! More at www.designlife.fm
We all struggle with motivation and focus at times; whether it’s for a design school project you’re just not connecting to or perhaps a side project that you’re feeling burned out on. In this episode we chat about the motivations behind our various side projects and warn you against letting numbers be what drives you to create. We also talk about the things that discourage us and distract us every now and then, and share tips for finding your focus zone from both us and our listeners. We hope this episode might give you an extra burst of motivation if you’re needing it right now! More at www.designlife.fm
As creatives we find that coming up with ideas is easy, but acting on them to make them a reality is the hard part. It’s awesome but overwhelming, having so many ideas, and in this episode we talk through what we do after we’ve come up with an idea for a new project or design direction. We touch on how we decide if an idea is even worth acting on, and the steps we go through to bring it to life if it is. You’ll also get to hear about some new project ideas we have and the next steps we’re taking on them. More at www.designlife.fm
We’re tackling a hot topic in this episode: doing design work for free in exchange for exposure. It’s a big issue in the design industry as it devalues what we do, and the more designers do it, the more clients think exposure is acceptable payment.
Things get a bit fiery as we vent our frustrations over the fact that as design students we were encouraged by our school to enter design contests and do work for companies for free to put in our portfolio. We hope this episode will help you become a little wary of companies offering exposure as payment as we discuss why we believe it’s not a good idea.
We offer alternative ways to get good portfolio pieces when you’re just starting out and want to encourage you to realize that you need to value yourself and your work! We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. More at www.designlife.fm
In this episode we’re talking about the importance of having a personal brand, and how it’s more than just a logo; it’s the essence of everything you do. We chat about how we approached naming and designing our own brands (and the struggle of being your own client) and how building up a personal brand early on when you’re still learning design will give you a head start and help your chances with full time jobs as well as freelance. We’ll give you some names of people with personal brands we love, along with our advice for developing your own. More at www.designlife.fm
In this episode we’re talking about learning design, and discussing whether designers should get a formal education or teach themselves.
We go through what we believe are the pros and cons of both learning methods (we both had our share of awkward critique sessions at university…) and talk about how interesting it is that we work in an industry where you don’t have to get a degree to find a job, because experience is so valuable.
As well as some background on our formal educations, you’ll also get some links to great online resources we’ve been using to learn since finishing university. We really want to hear your thoughts on this topic! Tweet us and tell us what you think. More at www.designlife.fm
Get to know us in this episode as we discuss our jobs, passions and paths to becoming the designers we are today. We chat about why we love working in-house as opposed to at an agency, and why it’s great that our day jobs aren’t too similar to our side projects. You’ll hear about our current favourite projects and struggles, and in a slight tangent we also discuss our thoughts on the best way to learn design. More at www.designlife.fm
In the first episode of Design life, we discuss one of our favourite topics: side projects. What makes a side project more than a hobby? How can they help with your career? We’ll fill you in on what our side projects are (both the ones we’re doing now, and some ‘failed’ ones from the past) and chat about the challenges we face. More at www.designlife.fm