For years I showed clients three logo concepts because I thought that was just what you did. There was usually one I loved, one I’d be quite happy for them to pick, and one I was secretly hoping they’d leave alone. And then came the question every designer knows. Could we take a wee bit from this one and put it with that one?

This week on The Honest Designer Diaries, I’m chatting to Ian Paget, better known as Logo Geek, about what changed when we stopped presenting a selection of finished logos. We get into how much of the work you let a client see along the way, whether it’s worth showing them your rough sketches, and what you do when an idea you’ve both agreed on looks great on paper and then refuses to work in Illustrator.

We also chat about why the words “I just need a quick, simple logo” make us both twitch a wee bit, how much brand strategy a client actually needs, and how Ian makes time for his own books and podcasts around client work.

Connect with Ian Paget

• Visit Ian’s Logo Geek website
• Follow @logogeek on Instagram
• Connect with Ian on LinkedIn

I’d love to know how you do it. Do you take one logo concept to a client or give them a few to choose from? And has that changed since you started designing? If you’re watching on YouTube, tell me in the comments.

If you’re enjoying The Honest Designer Diaries, I’d love it if you left a rating or review wherever you listen, or subscribed on YouTube so you can catch the next chat.

You can love working for yourself and still really miss having someone to turn to when a client email leaves you wondering what on earth to say back.

This week I’m joined by brand designer Vickie Moore, who was made redundant on the very same day she collected the keys to her first house. Freelancing wasn’t quite the plan, but nearly three years later, she has no intention of going back.

Working alone took some getting used to, though. What started as a call with a few other designers has grown into a regular co-working group where people can share work, ask questions, have a moan and get support from people who understand.

We chat about finding designer friends online, missing the everyday conversations you get in a team, and how much easier the difficult bits of running a business can feel when you have someone to ask.

We also get into clients using AI to give design feedback, why our contracts keep getting longer, and trying to keep up with marketing when you’re already busy doing the work.

If you’ve ever saved up an entire day’s client frustrations for your partner coming home, you’ll probably recognise a fair bit of this conversation. 😂

Connect with Vickie
Find Vickie on Instagram, TikTok and Threads at @designsomemoore.

You can sign up for her mailing list through the link in her bio to receive the details for her free Thursday co-working calls.

For more of her life outside design, find her at @somemoorecontent.

I’d love to hear who you turn to when you need a second opinion or a good moan about work. Come and tell me on Instagram at @designerinyourpocket_juls.

And if you’re enjoying The Honest Designer Diaries, please leave a rating and review wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube so you don’t miss the next chat.

Till next time, Juls x

You start a design business because you love designing, then realise how much of your week goes into everything else that comes with it. Finding clients, sending proposals, chasing feedback and trying to remember when you last posted on Instagram, all while fitting in the work you actually get paid to do.

This week I’m joined by Tanya LeClair, the brand and web designer behind SoSwell Studio in Brisbane, Australia. We chat about the business side of being a freelance designer and the things we’ve both changed along the way to make working with clients a little easier.

From contracts that get updated after a difficult project to that anxious wait after sending a concept, this is a very honest chat about what goes on behind the finished designs.

We get into:

• Making time for design alongside marketing and admin
• Finding clients without constantly posting on social media
• Contracts, deposits and projects that stall when you’re waiting to get paid
• Why we both moved to presenting one logo concept
• Getting useful feedback beyond “I don’t like it”
• Clients asking family, Facebook groups and AI for opinions on their branding
• Figuring out what we actually want our businesses to look like

Connect with Tanya:
Website: soswellstudio.com.au
Instagram: @soswell_studio

If any of this sounds familiar, I’d love to hear how you handle it in your own business. Send me a DM at: instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries

And if you’re enjoying The Honest Designer Diaries, please leave a rating and review wherever you listen, it really does help other designers find the podcast.