This week Lauren Braier of Elby Creative (and now Branding Bestie podcast!) joins Jen for a chat all about hiring - whether that’s for your own studio or for someone else’s studio. Lauren is now (officially!) Jen’s first part time employee but has been with Hello June as a subcontract Production Designer & Admin Assistant for the past one and a half years. We chat through do’s and dont’s for hiring, mistakes we’ve made, recommendations for how to know when to hire, and what you should be doing as a studio owner to prep for your first (or next) hire.

Links Mentioned:

www.elbycreative.com

Packaging Design Master: www.packagingdesignmaster.com - $50 off PDM enrollment with the code BETTER

Branding Bestie Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2OjqjljCGrxhsFy2I3WQAH?si=908e23762b754b9d

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Tags:

designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

Pricing is a crucial aspect of any business, as it can make or break the profitability of the business. Leveraging your expertise and value is a great way to ensure that you are pricing your products or services appropriately. In this episode we talk through some important points to consider when leveraging your expertise and value in pricing, how we determine the value of our expertise (and constantly monitor and adjust it!), and methods we use to communicate our value.

Inbox Question:

"How do I position myself as an expert?” - Iannah James-Smith

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Tags:

designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

In this episode Esther announces her decision to depart from the podcast due to focusing more time on her rapidly expanding design studio Sereth Design. The hosts discuss what’s next for the podcast (Jen is going to host solo alongside some amazing guests!) and they review their favorite Esther episodes from the past three seasons.

The Better community is so grateful to Esther and all the time, passion, creativity, and heart that she’s brought to the brand over the past three seasons, and she will be missed but wholeheartedly supported in this next phase of her career! We love you Esther!

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Our podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting:

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Tags:

designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

This week we did a podcast swap with the lovely Bonnie Bakhtiari from The Brand Strategy Podcast! We chatted all about how difficult it can be to trust yourself as a designer - and what tools we use to strengthen our confidence and self-trust.

Links Mentioned:

Brand Strategy Podcast
B is for Bonnie Design

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Our podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting:

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Tags:

designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

Play a game with us! Think the opposite of “Never Have I Ever” - this week, we’re playing “Would You Ever…” We’re doing a Q&A-style episode where we ask some (juicy) questions about being a designer and business owner, working with clients, and our preferences. We also polled our audience (you guys!) on Instagram and share the results alongside our own opinions. Let’s have some fun!

Special thanks to our producer Jon from Wayfare Recording Co.

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Our podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting:
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Alice Brown is the pen behind Alice Writes Copy, from Cornwall, England: a website specialist, copywriter and SEO strategist for passionate business owners. In this episode Esther interviews Alice about how copy is crucial to websites - and is as important (if not more!) than design. They talk about first impressions, hooking customers and motivating them to move through your site, common mistakes to avoid, and how copywriters work hand-in-hand with designers.

Guest Information:
Guest Name: Alice Brown
Guest Business Name: Alice Writes Copy
Guest Website: alicewritescopy.com
Guest Instagram: @alicewritescopy
Guest LinkedIn: Alice Brown

Links Mentioned:
Website Builder’s Blueprint

Special thanks to our producer Jon from Wayfare Recording Co.

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Our podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting:
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This week Jen and Esther chat about life updates (Jen’s recent move and Esther’s travels) and business updates (how things are going and what we’re working on). We also review how Q1 went for Sereth and Hello June, and what’s in the pipeline for Q2 and beyond.

Links Mentioned:
Emma Fabros (Jen’s Engagement specialist - tell her I sent you!)

Special thanks to our producer Jon from Wayfare Recording Co.

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Jose is a Venezuelan born self-thought web developer & wellness enthusiast. After 7 years working in all sorts of different non-fulfilling corporate jobs he discovered his passion for coding and the limitless possibilities that it offers. His expertise lies within front-end web developing, and the main languages in his tech stack are JavaScript, and of course HTML and CSS. In this episode, Esther interviews Jose about the designer-developer relationship, his experience developing the Better Podcast website with Esther and Jen, and how overcoming the fear of failing is the key for effective coding and problem solving.

Guest Information:
Guest Name: Jose Roa
Guest Business Name: J.Roa Dev
Guest Website: jroadev.com
Guest Instagram: @dev.jroa

Inbox Questions:

• What are some of the key differences between web designer and web developer? When do you hire a web designer and when do you need to bring on a developer? And what would you call someone who designs websites in site builders like Squarespace, WIX, Wordpress, etc.? — Jez Towner Campbell
• How do you want my files to be set up when I hand them over to you? I work in Figma, but is that what other developers use? I also know a developer, who can start developing without me being done — is that something that is common? – Simonka Čellarova
• Can you hire a developer for specific dev tasks? For example: a section you can’t seem to code or figure out yourself. How would you go about reaching out for something like this? — Alex McGinness
• When the project is over, what are monthly, annual tasks one should keep up with to keep the site running smoothly? I would love to sell "maintenance plans to clients". – Simonka Čellarova
• How do you market yourself as a web dev for other designers? — Gloria Novello

Special thanks to our producer Jon from Wayfare Recording Co.

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When it comes to creative work such as brand design and website design, it is important to keep in mind the end user's perspective. After all, they are the ones who will be interacting with the final product. In this episode, Esther shares some tips for taking customers' and clients' points of view and needs into consideration to create the best result for them. We do this by researching, using customer-centric language, considering user experience, and testing your designs by cross-checking how the audience will see them. Because at the end of the day, the designs are not about us as designers, trends, or what we like - it’s about moving the needle for our clients, telling a story, and making something worth remembering (call back to S7 E6!)

Special thanks to our producer Jon from Wayfare Recording Co.

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This week Jen chats with Jen Wagner, a type designer - and the conversation was incredible. We went totally off-script and talked through some really personal things. Jen shares her story and recent experience with burnout, we chat about culture shifts we’re noticing in the independent designer industry, and then we talk through how to get started in font design and what that looks like for Jen W. and her business.

Guest Information:
Guest Name: Jen Wagner
Guest Business Name: Jen Wagner Co.
Guest Website: Jen Wagner Co. website
Guest Instagram: @jenwagner.co

Links Mentioned:
Jen Wagner Co. website
Gimlet Studios
Free Font Pairing Guide
Fontself
Glyphs
Learning Type Design by Charles Nix
Ingrid from Penguin Designing
Maria Bowler - Writer & Creative Coach

Special thanks to our producer Jon from Wayfare Recording Co.

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Our podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting:
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