The Honest Designer Diaries

Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark
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The Honest Designer Diaries is a podcast about what it actually feels like to work in design. Hosted by Juls Christie-Clark (Designer in your Pocket) a brand designer and design educator based in Glasgow with over 30 years in the industry, each episode is a chat with a designer about a real experience or situation from their career. Sometimes it might be difficult, sometimes career-changing, sometimes funny, and sometimes it’s the kind of thing you only talk about properly once you’ve found another designer who gets it. Guests will include designers at all different stages of their careers, from new designers just coming into the industry, to designers who are 10+ years in, to the lifers who have been doing this for decades. We’ll talk about agency life, in-house roles, freelance work, clients, confidence, pricing, rejection, comparison, personal branding, building a design career online, building one completely offline, and all the bits of the industry that don’t always get shared very openly. Each guest brings one experience or story from their own career, then we chat about what happened, how they handled it, what they might do differently now, and what they’d say to another designer going through something similar. The Honest Designer Diaries is for graphic designers, brand designers, freelancers, students, creative business owners, and anyone trying to find their place in the design industry without pretending they’ve got it all figured out.

  1. 1h ago

    When designers become their clients therapists with Wayne Fick | EP013

    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 clientsWhy being sensitive and intuitive can be both useful and exhaustingWhat happens when you introduce a boundary after a client has become used to constant accessWhy skills swaps need an agreed value on both sidesPricing work when you’re worried about where the next project is coming fromDealing with micromanagement and clients who question every design decisionBecoming a content creator and YouTuber later in your careerStaying open to new technology without pretending every new tool is wonderfulFinding 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.

    When designers become their clients therapists with Wayne Fick | EP013

  2. Aug 26

    From fashion designer in New York to content creator with Hannah Walker | EP012

    Hannah Walker didn’t set out to become a content creator. She studied fashion design, worked in London and New York, then found herself back in the UK wondering what the next version of her career might look like. Hannah also shares how she plans content around big events without spending the entire trip staring at her phone, why she hasn’t forced herself into one very specific niche and how she’s attracting collaborations through the content she already enjoys making. There’s also plenty about procrastination, late-night working, filming yourself in public and the reality of having to give yourself all the encouragement and validation you once got from a creative team. You can find Hannah on Instagram and TikTok at @htwcreative, or connect with her on LinkedIn by searching Hannah Walker. 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 @‌designerinyourpocket_juls or @‌thehonestdesignerdiaries. I really hope you enjoy the chat. Juls

    From fashion designer in New York to content creator with Hannah Walker | EP012

  3. Aug 19

    Why do creatives wait for permission to make decisions they've already made? with Robin Son | EP011

    In this episode I’m chatting with Robin, brand and graphic designer and host of Creative Confessions, about the fear of growth and why we can make a decision in our own head, sit with it for ages, then still feel like we need somebody else to tell us it’s a good idea. We talk about overthinking, changing direction, working on your own without other creatives around to bounce ideas off, and why starting something new can feel so much harder when you’ve already built something that’s working. We also get into creative careers, confidence, getting older in design and that point where staying where you are can start to feel more uncomfortable than actually making the change. You can find Robin at: instagram.com/brandsbyrobin brandsbyrobin.com Listen to Creative Confessions wherever you get your podcasts. I’d love to hear what you think of this episode. If you’ve listened and any part of Robin’s story resonated with you, send me a message on Instagram at @‌designerinyourpocket_juls or @‌thehonestdesignerdiaries. I really hope you enjoy the chat. Juls

    Why do creatives wait for permission to make decisions they've already made? with Robin Son | EP011

  4. Aug 12

    How Morgan Hastie built a design career before graduating

    What happens when you graduate from design school and realise you’ve technically already been working as a designer for a few years? This week I’m chatting with graphic designer Morgan Hastie, aka The Logo Lassie, who had graduated just two weeks before we recorded this episode. But while she might be a brand new graduate on paper, Morgan has already been freelancing since 2023 and has worked with brands including Adobe, Uniqlo, Aardman Animations, GF Smith and First Bus. And, naturally, we somehow end up deep in a conversation about print, packaging, dielines, CMYK and why sending a printer a file they can actually use is quite important. Who knew. Connect with Morgan https://www.thelogolassie.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelogolassie/ I’d love to hear what you think of this episode. If you’ve listened and any part of Nikki’s story resonated with you, send me a message on Instagram at @‌designerinyourpocket_juls or @‌thehonestdesignerdiaries. I really hope you enjoy the chat. Juls It would really help if you could follow, subscribe or leave a 5* rating and review wherever you’re listening. If you’re watching on YouTube, liking the video and leaving a comment helps more designers find these conversations too. And if you know another designer, creative pal, student, graduate or freelancer who might enjoy this chat, please send it their way. And if you’re looking for somewhere to ask the questions that are harder to post publicly, get support with a difficult client or talk things through with other creatives who understand the day-to-day of working in this industry, come and join us inside The Creative Room.

    How Morgan Hastie built a design career before graduating

  5. Aug 5

    Sexism in Graphic Design: Why are women still fighting to be heard? with Liz Mosley | EP009

    This week I’m joined by brand designer, speaker and Building Your Brand podcast host Liz Mosley for a chat about sexism in the graphic design industry, and why women are still having to work harder to be trusted, heard and taken seriously. We talk about toxic agency culture, unconscious bias and the lack of women in senior creative roles. We also get into ageism, motherhood, caring responsibilities, the pressure to sacrifice everything for your work and why seeing women at different ages and stages of their careers matters. Episode Highlights06:25 Experiences of sexism in the design industry 09:03 The gender disparity in design leadership 11:47 Navigating career challenges as women 17:06 Social media and gender dynamics 20:11 Feedback and perceptions in professional settings 30:39 Navigating personal and professional feedback 33:02 Toxic work environments in design 35:45 The importance of supportive allies 37:35 Representation and diversity in design 39:01 Challenges of work-life balance for women 42:13 The cost of passion in creative industries 44:45 Visibility and mentorship in design Find Liz Website: www.lizmosley.net Instagram: instagram.com/lizmosley Podcast: www.buildingyourbrand.net I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so come and have a wee chat with me over on Instagram @thehonestdesignerdiaries. And if you enjoyed listening, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave the podcast a 5*r rating and a wee review, as it helps more people find the show.

    Sexism in Graphic Design: Why are women still fighting to be heard? with Liz Mosley | EP009

  6. Aug 3 ·  Bonus

    Bonus episode: The Saturday night SOS client

    In this bonus episode, I’m sharing the story of the Saturday Night SOS client, who also happened to be a friend, which made saying no even harder. What was meant to be a quick emergency job turned into hours of designs, feedback and changes. This episode follows on from my conversation with Bhavini in Episode 5, Bad clients and blurry boundaries, where we had plenty to say about red flag clients, people-pleasing and the situations designers somehow find themselves agreeing to. Have you ever had your own Saturday Night SOS client? Come and tell me on Instagram, where I’m @thehonestdesignerdiaries Subscribe to The Honest Designer Diaries for more conversations and bonus episodes about what working in design is really like. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, I’d also really appreciate a five-star rating and review, as it helps more designers find the show. Chat soon Juls

  7. Jul 29

    Slow sales and quiet months: The reality of running a small business with Nikki McWilliams | EP008

    What do you do when business goes quiet, orders slow down and everyone else online still looks suspiciously busy? In this episode, I’m joined by Scottish designer and maker Nikki McWilliams, whose wonderfully niche world includes biscuit cushions, stationery and a loyal community that has grown with her business over the past 15 years. In this episode, we chat about: Why quiet spells feel so difficult to talk aboutThe pressure to always look busy and successful onlineHow Nikki built several income streams across products and contentWhy faster growth is not always better growthThe reality of working with large retailers and long payment termsUsing pre-orders to reduce the risk of launching new productsWhy email marketing still mattersHow social media has changed for small businessesThe post-Covid slowdown many creative businesses are feeling About Nikki McWilliams Nikki is a Scottish designer and maker known for her playful biscuit-inspired homeware and her stationery brand, Nikki Supply Store. Her work is inspired by nostalgia, everyday objects and the things she genuinely loves, which has helped her build a brilliantly distinctive business and community over the past 15 years. Connect with Nikki https://nikkimcwilliams.com/ Nikki’s Supply Store: http://www.nikkissupplystore.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/nikkimcwilliams/ IG: http://instagram.com/nikkissupplystore I’d love to hear what you think of this episode. If you’ve listened and any part of Nikki’s story resonated with you, send me a message on Instagram at @‌designerinyourpocket_juls or @‌thehonestdesignerdiaries. I really hope you enjoy the chat. Juls The Honest Designer Diaries is still a brand new podcast, it would really help if you could follow, subscribe or leave a 5* rating and review wherever you’re listening. If you’re watching on YouTube, liking the video and leaving a comment helps more designers find these conversations too. And if you know another designer, creative pal, student, graduate or freelancer who might enjoy this chat, please send it their way. And if you’re looking for somewhere to ask the questions that are harder to post publicly, get support with a difficult client or talk things through with other creatives who understand the day-to-day of working in this industry, come and join us inside The Creative Room.

    Slow sales and quiet months: The reality of running a small business with Nikki McWilliams | EP008

  8. Jul 22

    What happens when your dream career isn’t right for you? with Aseil Amgheib | EP007

    Aseil Amgheib started out in interior architecture, moved into production design, then found her way into branding almost by accident during lockdown. A few cold emails, one very determined 100-day design challenge and a lot of figuring things out as she went eventually led to her building Design Wolf, her London-based branding and web design studio. We chat about changing direction when the career you worked towards no longer feels right, building a creative business without a clear roadmap, and the confidence wobble that can still show up even when you have a studio, a team and successful client work behind you. We also get into creative routines, setting better boundaries with clients, learning that most design emergencies can wait until Monday, and what Aseil wants the next stage of Design Wolf to look like. Find Aseil on Instagram at @‌designwolfldn. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to The Honest Designer Diaries, leave a rating or comment and share it with another designer who might need to hear this conversation. You can also message me on Instagram at @‌designerinyourpocket_juls or @‌thehonestdesignerdiaries. And if you’re looking for somewhere to ask the questions that are harder to post publicly, get support with a difficult client or talk things through with other creatives who understand the day-to-day of working in this industry, come and join us inside The Creative Room.

    What happens when your dream career isn’t right for you? with Aseil Amgheib | EP007
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About

The Honest Designer Diaries is a podcast about what it actually feels like to work in design. Hosted by Juls Christie-Clark (Designer in your Pocket) a brand designer and design educator based in Glasgow with over 30 years in the industry, each episode is a chat with a designer about a real experience or situation from their career. Sometimes it might be difficult, sometimes career-changing, sometimes funny, and sometimes it’s the kind of thing you only talk about properly once you’ve found another designer who gets it. Guests will include designers at all different stages of their careers, from new designers just coming into the industry, to designers who are 10+ years in, to the lifers who have been doing this for decades. We’ll talk about agency life, in-house roles, freelance work, clients, confidence, pricing, rejection, comparison, personal branding, building a design career online, building one completely offline, and all the bits of the industry that don’t always get shared very openly. Each guest brings one experience or story from their own career, then we chat about what happened, how they handled it, what they might do differently now, and what they’d say to another designer going through something similar. The Honest Designer Diaries is for graphic designers, brand designers, freelancers, students, creative business owners, and anyone trying to find their place in the design industry without pretending they’ve got it all figured out.

Information

  • Creator
    Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark
  • Show Website
    The Honest Designer Diaries

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