The Honest Designer Diaries

Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Design
  • Weekly

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. 5d ago

    When do you actually get to design in your design business? with Tanya LeClair | EP021

    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 adminFinding clients without constantly posting on social mediaContracts, deposits and projects that stall when you’re waiting to get paidWhy we both moved to presenting one logo conceptGetting useful feedback beyond “I don’t like it”Clients asking family, Facebook groups and AI for opinions on their brandingFiguring out what we actually want our businesses to look likeConnect 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.

    When do you actually get to design in your design business? with Tanya LeClair | EP021

  2. Oct 21

    Do you really have to build a personal brand to run a business? with Hannah Seycell | EP020

    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

    Do you really have to build a personal brand to run a business? with Hannah Seycell | EP020

  3. Oct 14

    Why are creatives expected to give everything away for free? with Katie Chappell | EP019

    You share your knowledge, help people find work and put time into building something useful, but the minute you charge for it, suddenly you’re a gatekeeper. When did helping other creatives mean you had to do it all for nothing? This week I’m chatting with live event illustrator Katie Chappell, who created a jobs board to share the client enquiries she couldn’t take on herself. People were getting work through it, but alongside the lovely feedback came accusations and personal attacks. And when she made it free, the complaints didn’t stop. Katie also talks about the difficult start to her design career, finding her way into live illustration and changing how she works to fit around life with her daughter. If you’ve ever felt guilty for charging for your knowledge, or found yourself dreading the notifications on your phone, there’s plenty in this chat you might recognise. Find Katie: @katiedraws on Instagram I’d love to hear what you think. Have you felt pressure to keep giving more for free? Leave a comment or come and chat with me on Instagram: instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe on YouTube or follow The Honest Designer Diaries wherever you listen. A five-star rating or a wee review would be very much appreciated too. Till next time, Juls

    Why are creatives expected to give everything away for free? with Katie Chappell | EP019

  4. Oct 7

    Serendipity and the conversations that shape a design career with Dave Clayton | EP018

    You can go to an event knowing exactly who you want to meet, but sometimes the conversation that leads to something brilliant is with the person you hadn’t expected to speak to at all. This week I’m chatting with graphic designer, instructor, speaker and author of 'How do I do that in InDesign' Dave Clayton about the creative connections that have shaped his career, including an awkward moment at Adobe MAX that eventually led to him creating tutorials for Adobe Learn. Dave says his last ten years, between 50 and 60, have been the most exciting of his career, and he’s now gone freelance for the first time. We chat about finding your people, getting work through relationships and why being an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t make those connections. Have you ever had a chance conversation that led to work or something completely unexpected? I’d love to hear about it in the comments or send me a DM on Insta. Instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries Connect with Dave: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsdaveclayton/ Website: https://www.itsdaveclayton.com/ And if you’re enjoying The Honest Designer Diaries, please leave a rating and review on your podcast app, or subscribe on YouTube so you can join me for the next chat. Juls x

    Serendipity and the conversations that shape a design career with Dave Clayton | EP018

  5. Sep 30

    Are designers born creative, or do they learn it? with Scott Gordon | EP017

    Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just not creative”? In this episode, I’m chatting with Scott Gordon, a brand designer who also teaches in secondary school, about whether creativity is something you’re born with or something you can learn. We talk about what happens when a student is convinced they can’t come up with ideas, why being brilliant with design software doesn’t necessarily mean the ideas will follow, and how much of brand design starts with being curious enough to really listen to a client. Scott also shares what it’s been like building Pure Good Graphics alongside teaching. If you’ve ever wondered where other designers get their ideas, or worried that yours aren’t coming quickly enough, come and join us for this one. Find Scott and his work at Pure Good Graphics or search for Scott Gordon on LinkedIn. If you enjoy the episode, I’d love to hear what you think, you can drop me a message on IG - instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries And if you have a moment to leave a rating or review on your podcast app, it really helps more designers find The Honest Designer Diaries. Juls

    Are designers born creative, or do they learn it? with Scott Gordon | EP017

  6. Sep 23

    From £5 logos to a global design business: becoming a self-taught designer with Courtney Wood EP016

    Courtney started designing £5 logos on her phone during lockdown, while still thinking graphic design would probably remain something she did at weekends alongside her retail job. Six years later, she’s running Funky Enough, working with branding and website clients around the world, building a small freelance team and creating the bold, colourful work she’s now known for. In this episode, we chat about becoming a self-taught designer, learning as you go and why not having a design degree doesn’t make you any less legitimate. We also get into the snobbery that still exists around Canva, Adobe Express and the software designers are “supposed” to use. You can find Courtney on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest at @funkyenoughh. I’d love to hear what you think of this episode, send me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries/. Till next time Juls

    From £5 logos to a global design business: becoming a self-taught designer with Courtney Wood EP016

  7. Sep 16

    How do you keep your business going while grieving? with Abi Lee | EP015

    In this episode, I’m chatting with brand designer Abi Lee about something we don’t hear discussed very often, how you keep a freelance business going when you’re grieving. Two years ago, Abi lost her dad very suddenly. While trying to process what had happened and support her family, she was also dealing with the reality of working for herself, where there’s no compassionate leave and nobody else automatically steps in to manage the clients, deadlines and bills. We chat about the guilt of trying to be everywhere at once, how Abi slowly found her way back into work and the impact the experience had on the way she now thinks about her business and what she wants from it. It’s a very open and personal conversation about grief, freelancing and trying to keep going when life changes overnight. You can find Abi and see more of her work on Instagram at @abileedesigns. Please be aware that this episode includes a conversation about the sudden illness and death of a parent, intensive care and bereavement. I’d love to hear what you think of this episode. If you’ve listened and any part of Abi's chat resonated with you, send me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/designerinyourpocket_juls/ or https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries/. Take care Juls

    How do you keep your business going while grieving? with Abi Lee | EP015

  8. Sep 9

    Being a great designer isn't enough with Kieron Lewis | EP014

    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

    Being a great designer isn't enough with Kieron Lewis | EP014
See All (23)

Trailer

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
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark
  • Show Website
    The Honest Designer Diaries

You Might Also Like