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”.

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