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.

You started a business to do the work you love, but does that mean you now have to become a content creator too? And how much of yourself are you actually expected to share?

This week I’m chatting with Hannah Seycell, founder of creative marketing agency Social Folk, about building a personal brand when being visible doesn’t always come naturally.

If you’ve ever thought, “Can I just get on with my work without having to put myself out there?”, there’s plenty in this conversation you’ll recognise.

Connect with Hannah

Instagram and TikTok: @hannahsocialfolk
LinkedIn: Hannah Seycell
Website: socialfolkdigital.com

Chapters

00:11 Meet Hannah and how Social Folk began
01:30 How COVID changed our career paths
02:54 How influencer marketing has changed
06:12 Do businesses need a personal brand?
08:51 Moving away from perfect content
15:30 What makes people connect with you?
17:30 Showing more of yourself online
22:52 Juggling client work and your own content
28:34 Sharing your journey without sharing everything
34:45 Deciding what you’re comfortable talking about
35:56 Grief and keeping a business going
38:38 What people don’t see behind the content
40:54 Sharing the good things when life is difficult
44:56 Dealing with criticism and trolls
48:20 Getting started with your personal brand

If this conversation sounds familiar, I’d love to hear your thoughts DM me on IG @thehonestdesignerdiaries. And if you’re enjoying The Honest Designer Diaries, please leave a rating or review, it helps other people find the podcast.

Juls