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
Jun 15, 2021 • 31min
227: Building self awareness
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.
Jun 8, 2021 • 30min
226: Decision making as a creative lead
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.
May 31, 2021 • 23min
225: Finding your why
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.
May 25, 2021 • 32min
224: Crafting effective case studies
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.
May 18, 2021 • 27min
223: Why focusing on your portfolio will pay off
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.
May 10, 2021 • 29min
222: Taking initiative at work
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.
May 3, 2021 • 30min
221: Building design team culture
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.
Apr 19, 2021 • 29min
220: The relationship between design and product
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.
Apr 13, 2021 • 34min
219: Daily themes to get more work done
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.
Apr 7, 2021 • 32min
218: Become a manager or stay an IC?
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.
