Five Podcasts Every Designer Should be Listening to
an unreleased article from the archives
I’ve been working on a project lately, but it is something I have talked about for a little while now. Problem is I am a bit of a perfectionist and it keeps me tinkering with things instead of just releasing them. This was a story I have held onto for over 6 years. I’m not exactly sure why I never released it, but at the time I was only in business a couple of years and felt I needed to present myself perfectly. So I sat and waited days turned into weeks, months, and now years later I was doing a huge digital audit and noticed there were a few stories I had written, but never published. Sitting dormant and lifeless, I want to apologize to the podcasters who gave me some time in good faith, but then perfection paralysis prevented me from sharing it with the world. Here is it finally:
Professional growth should be a goal of anyone wanting to “grow” in their business or career. In an industry that relies heavily on evolving technology to complete most of its work, it’s especially true for graphic designers. New programs and hardware are released daily, making it necessary to continue learning new skills to stay relevant. As a solopreneur (I hate using the word freelancer) or a small business owner, it becomes challenging to find the time to take a new class or even stay on top of the news affecting our industry.
I knew I needed to push myself to keep learning, even when business picked up. There are many options beyond watching YouTube or going to school for those wanting to pick up a new skill. I love Skillshare but noticed that I needed to watch classes because it was more visual teaching; it’s the same for Linked In Learning (previously linda.com), Udemy, and Creative Live. I wanted to find an option that I could use while working.
I discovered podcasts during my agency life; they were perfect for listening to during my subway ride and while working. I found a thriving graphic design selection of “casts.” I was able to pop my headphones in and listen to industry leaders as I continued to tackle projects.
I have listened to many different podcasts, but there are a few in particular that make me hit the play button. These are the five podcasts I think every designer should listen to today.
THE DEEPLY GRAPHIC DESIGN CAST
The first podcast I ever started listening to was a group of three designers from across the country. Creator Wes McDowell, a web designer in Chicago, is joined by co-hosts Mikelle Morris, a print/web designer from Seattle, and Nick Longo, a branding/packaging designer out of Los Angeles. I started listening just as Nick joined the group, and it seemed like he had been a part of the cast from the start. I had the opportunity to talk with Nick about why he decided to join the Deeply Graphic crew:
“Being a listener, I always enjoyed the different opinions from the crew. I had just started my studio, and the Podcast played a huge part in helping me in my first few months of business. As someone with a vast corporate background and a recent design professor, I reached out to the team to add my unique insight to the show.”
-Nick Longo
The group talks about everything from best business practices, client relations, design trends, listener questions, etc. The energy between everyone is always dynamic, and the pace doesn’t make the show feel like it’s a 55+ minute episode. What I like the most is the diversity; they work in diverse locations and practice varying aspects of the industry. The experiences and advice they share speak to a broad range of markets and demographics. Serious discussions that are also playful and informative. The Deeply Graphic Design Cast recently hit its 150th episode, and in honor of the episode is a live listener segment recorded while they were Adobe Max this past October. An excellent podcast for some general advice from both the business and design sides. Nick is a professor at California State University, so, naturally, Nick enjoys the educational aspect of podcasting.
“The synergy and collaborative spirit of a collective freelance group. Most of our listeners work alone or in small groups. I love that our podcast gives them a sense of community and an outlet to submit pressing questions or discuss problematic issues. The more we share as creatives, the better! We are all at different stages of our careers, and we never stop learning. So I'm proud we can help listeners, in the same way, full-time corporate designers can from fellow coworkers.”
Deeply Graphic Designcast was the first podcast I started listening to regularly, and I loved the value it brought, but I wanted more. It was an hour's show every other week, so I searched for more. I listened to a few more, but nothing caught my attention until I discovered.
RESOURCEFUL DESIGNER W/ MARK DES COTES
The Resourceful Designer makes you feel welcome, and there is something about Mark that makes you feel like he’s giving you advice directly. I started around episode 43, a list for your graphic design business. It was 2016, and I was going strong with my business. Between Deeply Graphic and Resourceful Designer, I was learning more about how to set up a sustainable design business. Mark is a solopreneur like most of his audience. Hailing from Canada, Mark brings a fresh, positive spin to business advice, and at 30 to 40 minutes, the show is quick and easy to digest. Mark is a one-person show, and every week he gives his tip of the week and finishes every show with a listener question.
Around the time I started listening to Mark, my own business was evolving. I used a lot of his advice to alter how I worked with clients. It helped me raise prices on my services and think about the bigger picture. Mark also started a Facebook Group where he asks questions and has conversations that continue from the podcast to Facebook. I even was lucky enough to have a 30-minute FaceTime call with Mark by being in the group at the right moment. We were able to talk about my business, and he gave me pointers for possible growth possibilities. It was an excellent experience. The Resourceful Designer has me self-evaluating my business to find new ways to improve what I am doing and what I can do differently. As I started looking into other design Facebook groups, I noticed some of the same people. Eventually, I joined the Logo Geek Community group; the owner, Ian, happened to be a part of the Resourceful Designer group. That is when I discovered Logo Geek.
LOGO GEEK
Ian Paget is the host of Logo Geek Podcast and creator of the Logo Geek Community. It started as a group of Logo-loving brand designers. The conversations were different from most groups, and Ian was friendly. About two weeks in the group and I saw a mention of the Logo Geek Podcast. My constant pursuit to keep growing as a designer drove me to open my iPhone and look for Ian’s show instantly. I started looking at the episode log and noticed there were only ten episodes, but after looking at the episode list, I noticed a few surprises. Ian Paget had the who’s who of the design world. Names like Aaron Draplin, Chris Do, Alina Wheeler, David Airey, etc.; an all-star team of logo and branding designers. Ian had a different idea behind the podcast's origin. “I started a podcast for a number of reasons, but the biggest of them was a personal one… Podcasting is an ideal platform to help me overcome social anxiety, and to help me achieve my goal of becoming a confident speaker.
“Growing up, I was very shy. I was never a fan of being in big groups, hated public speaking, and I often stuttered. As I got into my twenties, in a more professional environment I was faced with the need to spend time in public, to be in meetings, to do presentations… I struggled, it was holding me back, and I was eventually diagnosed with social anxiety. I could have continued to just get by, but as I’ve missed out on huge opportunities the last few years I’ve made a conscious decision to face my demons.”
-Ian paget
The Logo Geek we know today wasn’t how it started.
“At one point a few years back I recorded four simple podcasts on my own. I managed to get through them, and I published them. They sat on iTunes for a few years, but last year I wanted to revisit the platform, but in the much bigger way. I deleted those initial recordings to start fresh... this time with guests.”
The current show is on its second season, focusing on logo design and branding practices but gets into the business with guests like Dina Rodriguez and Ryan Robinson. One thing is for sure Ian asks the right questions, and his friendly demeanor makes you feel like you have pulled up a silent third seat to this special meeting with a designer you wish you could be in the same room with right now. It would especially speak to logo and branding designers.
“The theme of the podcast is logo design, but I also wanted to create a platform where designers could learn to be successful, so the podcast covers topics such as getting clients, earning more, marketing, processes, branding and strategy, getting a job, portfolio mistakes… the list can go on! With each topic I make sure to find the best person I know to expand on that topic, which means that listeners at all stages of their careers can learn and improve as a designer by listening to this podcast.
I’ve been blown away by the guests who have been on the show, so I’m incredibly honoured and thankful to them for giving their time to me, and the greater community too. I'm really proud of what I've done so far, and I'm excited to see where it goes ongoing, and I'm incredibly grateful to the amazing people who have taken the time to listen so far. There's much more to come...”
I started meeting new designers through Ian’s well-managed social groups. It’s where I met Chris Green, a great designer who had his group and podcast named This Design Life.
THIS DESIGN LIFE
A new kid on the block in regards to podcasting, but a designer with 20 years of experience. I have had some discussions with Chris, who also knows Ian. It’s almost like a fantastic crew of designers who are also content creators, each catering to different industry aspects or getting other points of view. Chris is only four episodes in but has had a mix of shows, from short pieces of advice to an interview with Chris Do.
“I have been in design for about twenty years. I've learned a lot in that time, worked on great projects and truly awful ones. Been employed and self-employed. Collaborated with other designers. I still have a lot to learn, but I've also learned a lot. So the This Design Life is a combination of me learning from designers and letting the listener in on the conversation with the overall objective of us all growing as designers (and people).”
-Chris green
Being a friend of Ian Paget, he interviewed him for the first episode, and it is a great episode. This Design Life is still a little green, but it allows the community to have more control of the discussion. Chris is very responsive and is always looking for ways to address the needs of many of the designers in his social group. It has been a little while since there has been a new episode, and after speaking with Chris was reassured he has several new ideas coming soon. If there is one thing I realize, podcasts are a lot of work, so I understand entirely. Chris wants to build a community where designers are learning from one another:
“There are three key things:
1. Being a designer is a never-ending journey of discovery and growth.
2. Learning about business will make you a better designer.
3. There's a community of designers building that wants to support you.”
I originally stated I found most of these podcasts through Facebook groups. One name continued coming up in the myriad of discussions. The Futur seemed to be the holy grail of design communities at the time, and it still holds today. I remember a few months earlier seeing a video of him teaching a class on pricing logos. I started to learn about Chris Do, founder of The Futur.
THE FUTUR
The Futur is more than just a podcast; it has become a cultural movement. Chris Do is the founder and CEO of Blind, a brand strategy design consultancy in Santa Monica, CA. The podcast is an extension of their YouTube Community. They talk about the business of design, the growth, numbers, and processes, as well as the design side with logo critiques and the fundamentals, including color theory, layout design, and typography. The show is a fast-paced, thought-provoking conversation that lasts between 30 to 50 minutes. I had the honor of asking Chris about his vision behind The Futur Podcast:
“We started the podcast because our fans asked us to. They were listening to our content on the road, at work, and wanted to be able to do so without having to stream through YouTube. We try our best to listen to our audience. Initially, the podcast was us converting our youtube shows and posting to iTunes. But after a short while, I felt the need to optimize the content for an audio-only experience. The relationship that a person has with a podcast is much more intimate. They're listening on headphones without the benefit of visual material. It felt more conversational, so we needed not to make tv on the radio, but to really craft content that was meant to be consumed as a podcast.”
-Chris Do
I found myself going through the old podcasts and the YouTube channel. In each episode I listened to, I learned more about business management, growth planning, and other business and design topics. Not only is The Futur creating great content via Facebook, YouTube, and Podcasts, the site is beneficial. Offering classes, kits, and merchandise for sale, the site also filters depending on the type of designer and offers paid and free resources for professional growth. His Twitter and Instagram feeds are inspiring, and you should be following him right now. If you are in the business as a solo act but dream one day even to have a small team, then The Futur is the podcast for you. I receive so much information from the podcast I bought a small Moleskine that sits by my side when I’m listening to episodes as I am jotting down Information.
“The conversations go much deeper. It has a very different flow, style and tone than our YT content. My hope is to expose our audience to people and ideas that they hadn't been aware of. I also want to give a platform to artists, writers, and creators to share their ideas. If that works out, everyone wins.”
Being an energetic New Yorker, I appreciate Chris’s passion and the show's pace, making it a podcast I never miss.
In an age of smartphones that lead to smart home speakers and digital assistants are everywhere. Usually administered through a speaker, Podcasts are becoming popular again. With new shows created daily, 9TO5MAC just posted a story about Apple reaching 50 billion downloads and 500K shows. Even rockstar marketers like Gary V have stressed the importance podcasts have on the new digital audio era. You can learn new skills or even create your content and expand your brand. These seven designers show you just what is possible. I want to thank Nick Longo, Ian Paget, Chris Green, and Chris Do for giving us some insight into their inspirations and goals for their shows. Now fire up your favorite podcast app and start listening to them today.
I have even talked about doing my own podcast for a while and the same paralysis has kept me from moving forward. I am a pretty energetic person and try to be as good spirited as anyone, but I have flaws as does anyone, mine just happen to be an imaginary standard I set for myself. Take this story as an example of what happens when you allow perfection paralysis to reign control. Don’t make the same mistake I did.
Links to each podcast discussed in this story
Meet Brian - a dedicated graphic designer and brand strategist who is passionate about sustainability. His goal is to use his creative work to make a positive impact. Brian has a rich background in both print and digital design, and he brings a unique perspective to the table by incorporating cutting-edge A.I. systems into his process. Beyond design, he is a tech enthusiast and a big fan of comic books, finding inspiration in the intersection of technology and storytelling.
Brian's true passion lies in sustainable design. He is committed to environmental responsibility and infuses his creations with soulful energy and purpose - drawing inspiration from music and meditation. His work has received recognition on prestigious platforms such as USA Today, NYFW, and CES, solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in the field.
When he's not working, Brian loves spending time with his family and his two furry companions. He finds solace in the bustling streets of Brooklyn and is always open to collaboration, seeking opportunities to work on projects that promote sustainability and positive change.
