Design Life
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 26, 2016 • 46min
045: Advice for finding a job in the design industry
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
Sep 19, 2016 • 40min
044: What to do at the end of a client project
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.
Sep 12, 2016 • 35min
043: How to decide what to work on
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
Sep 5, 2016 • 40min
042: The truth about freelance marketplaces
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
Aug 29, 2016 • 40min
041: Making the most of design school
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
Aug 22, 2016 • 36min
040: Fear of Failure
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
Aug 16, 2016 • 31min
039: Agency vs freelance vs in-house design
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
Aug 8, 2016 • 35min
038: Jack of all trades - Specialist or generalist?
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
Aug 1, 2016 • 40min
037: Bringing new clients onboard
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
Jul 25, 2016 • 37min
036: Blurring the line between life and work
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
