This week I’m chatting with editorial designer, speaker, host and Adobe mentor Kieron Lewis about all the different skills that can shape a creative career. We talk about why being a great designer will only take you so far, how important it is to communicate your ideas and why Kieron considers his people skills to be one of his biggest strengths.

We also get into some of the more difficult parts of the design industry, from bullying and hierarchy in creative workplaces to imposter syndrome and being the only person in the room who looks or sounds like you. Kieron shares how voluntary work helped build his confidence, why junior designers need better support and how he created new opportunities for himself, including taking a chance and asking D&AD if he could host one of their events.

And because we’re both print designers at heart, we finish with a very serious discussion about the correct way to greet a newly delivered book, which obviously includes inspecting the binding and smelling the paper.

Connect with Kieron on IG:

www.instagram.com/kieronanthonyl

I’d love to hear what you think of this episode. If you’ve listened and any part of Hannah’s story resonated with you, send me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/designerinyourpocket_juls/ or https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries/.

I really hope you enjoy the chat.

Juls

Chloe from The Chatty Freelancer and I have a habit of sitting in the car talking for ages whenever we meet up, usually after one of us has offered the other a lift home. We always end up saying we should have recorded the conversation, so this time we actually did.

So we've set ourselves some big audacious goals we want to reach in the next few months and sharing our progress in this bonus series the Chatty Diaries.

Follow along with us as we keep each other accountable where we'll be meeting up again to find out whether either of us has actually done what we said we would, which may be exactly why making this public was a terrible idea.

Listen to Chloe's podcast on Spotify

Connect with Chloe on IG

I’d love to hear what you think of this episode. Send me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/designerinyourpocket_juls/ or https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries/ .

I really hope you enjoy the chat.

Juls

When you’re good at listening, asking the right questions and understanding what really matters to a client, it usually makes you a better designer. It can also mean that somewhere between the brand strategy and the logo concepts, you accidentally become their therapist as well.

This week, I’m chatting with art director, brand designer and content creator Wayne Fick about the client relationships that become far more personal than either of you expected.

In this episode, we chat about:

• How designers can unintentionally become emotional support for their clients
• Why being sensitive and intuitive can be both useful and exhausting
• What happens when you introduce a boundary after a client has become used to constant access
• Why skills swaps need an agreed value on both sides
• Pricing work when you’re worried about where the next project is coming from
• Dealing with micromanagement and clients who question every design decision
• Becoming a content creator and YouTuber later in your career
• Staying open to new technology without pretending every new tool is wonderful
• Finding thoughtful, practical uses for AI while still questioning its effect on creative work

You can find Wayne under Created by Wayne on
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@createdbywayne
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createdbywayne/

visit createdbywayne.com, and subscribe to his weekly Meaningful Creationist newsletter.