100 Wise Words To Designers Everywhere - RD200

Words of wisdom for designers.

Welcome to the 200th episode of the Resourceful Designer podcast. In celebration of this milestone, I'm going to try something a bit different.

For this episode, I'm going to be succinct and to the point as I share 100 wise words with you, in the hopes that some of them will help you grow as a designer and help your business succeed.

Before I get to my 100 words of wisdom I want to take this opportunity to thank you for being a part of my journey in reaching episode 200. Maybe you've been with me from the start, or have gone back and listened to each and every episode I've put out. Perhaps you discovered this podcast somewhere over the past 4+ years, and picked up from there and keep listening. It could be that you're a casual listener and only listen to certain episodes depending on the topic. Or, this might be your very first episode of Resourceful Designer.

Regardless of how much or how little you've listened, I just want you to know how much I appreciate you. YOU are the reason I keep doing this. I love helping designers like you. If just a small portion of the things I talk about on this podcast each week, helps you to become a better designer and a better business person. Then I'm a happy guy, I've accomplished what I set out to do when I published episode 1 of this podcast four and a half years ago.

And I'll keep doing what I'm doing, as long as there are people like you who are willing to take the time to listen and to grow.

So once again, thank you for being part of my journey in reaching 200 episodes. And now, 100 Wise Words To Designers Everywhere.

100 Wise Words To Designers Everywhere.

1. Save your work, often 2. invest in a comfortable chair 3. learn how to give a good handshake 4. splurge when buying your computer. it will last you longer 5. raise your prices. you're worth more than you think 6. look people in the eyes when talking to them 7. learn keyboard shortcuts 8. make the time to stretch 9. look at application preferences. You may find settings to turn on or off that will make your job easier 10. If you're not sure how to improve a design, try simplifying it by taking something away from it 11. Clean your keyboard 12. Get out of your comfort zone 13. Password protect your computer and other devices 14. Never show a client a design you're not proud of. 15. name your layers. you'll be grateful whenever you revisit your file in the future. 16. create another user accounts on your computer. never let anyone use your own 17. don't forget to take breaks 18. turn off distractions 19. avoid open drinks or messy food near your computer. it's called an accident for a good reason 20. smile. it releases endorphins, and that's a good thing. plus, people can hear it in your voice

21. charge for it. you do enough non-billable things. make sure you charge for everything you can 22. step back from your work. literally. stand back several steps. you may notice small details you might otherwise miss 23. eat well. a healthy body creates a healthy mind 24. creative blocks will happen. you will get over them 25. don't forget to drink. it's harder to concentrate when you're dehydrated 26. don't rely on bevels or drop shadows, they rarely make a design better 27 know a good lawyer 28. hire a good accountant 29. find a dedicated place in your home to work 30. claim everything you're allowed to on your taxes 31. be daring. trends are started because someone dared to try something no one had done before 32. understand the license for whatever you use. know what it allows you to do and what it doesn't 33. empty your trash 34. befriend other designers 35. trust your gut. it often knows better than you do 36. always use a contract. even for free work 37. buy lifetime deals. they're more expensive up front, but they'll save you money in the long run 38. proofread. don't rely solely on spell-check. this goes double for headlines, they're were most errors are missed 39. make time for exercise 40. doodle whenever you can

41. always under-promise and over-deliver 42. network every chance you get 43. get to know your suppliers and contractors 44. meet clients face to face whenever possible 45. keep a list of people with unique skills you may someday have use of 46. don't fret about your business name. you can always rebrand yourself 47. study the designs of others. it's a great way to learn 48. don't steal. but feel free to borrow ideas 49. it's ok to ask for help 50. never stop learning 51. decide if you want to market yourself as I or We. And then own it 52. diversify. don't stake your business on a couple of good clients 53. repurpose old ideas and unused designs 54. find a hobby that is not design related 55. get to know your clients 56. give criticism constructively 57. don't neglect family and friends for the sake of the job 58. remember to thank your clients, suppliers, contractors 59. ask for criticism from your peers. it's the best way to grow as a designer 60. time your work. you'll be surprised just how off your guesses are

61. it's ok to admit you don't know something. just don't let it stop you from finding out 62. use we when discussing a project. where we refers to both you and your client. they're part of it after all 63. upgrade whenever you can 64. get enough sleep 65. have your eyes checked on a regular basis 66. consider everything a client tells you as confidential 67. you only get one chance to make a first impression. make it count 68. apologize beforehand whenever possible. it's much easier than after the fact 69. hold yourself to your highest standards 70. never discuss a design project over text message 71. admit when you're wrong 72. find a niche 73. don't wear fragrances to client meetings. you want them to remember you, not how you smell 74. your biggest competition today is the future designer you will become. crush that competition 75. don't answer emails after business hours 76. update your portfolio as often as you can 77. don't follow design trends. use them as inspiration to design something unique 78. rules are meant to be broken. know when to and when not to follow design rules 79. be wary of anything free 80. work with good lighting

81. once you've made your pitch, stop talking 82. silence your phone when meeting with clients 83. the client is always right, except when it comes to design. that's why they hired you 84. If you don't understand something the client is saying to you, ask before it's too late 85. make both short and long-term goals for yourself 86. as a designer you can never have too many fonts 87. advertise while you're busy so that you have less times that you're not 88. when you find yourself in a creative slump walk away and refocus 89. buy insurance. it's better to be safe than sorry 90. it's ok to ask a client for their budget 91. identify yourself when answering your phone. even if you work alone 92. software is but a tool. it's you, the designer that creates the magic 93. using stock imagery as part of your design is acceptable. using stock imagery as your design is not 94. it's good practice to have someone else look at your work before showing it to your client 95. some clients will like your work, others won't. that's the nature of the design business 96. farm out mundane work and concentrate on the fun projects 97. it's ok to show off the work you're proud of 98. sometimes you have to let the client go 99. be a good listener 100. never stop creating

There you have it, 100 Wise Words To Designers Everywhere. I know this episode was very different, but I hope you enjoyed my departure from what I normally put out. Let me know by leaving a comment below.