Chris Green (This Design Life)

We got to interview the AWESOME @Draplin on how he became a designer, how he keeps motivated and some secret nuggets of wisdom for the This Design Life community... thisdesignlife.net/aaron-draplin-…

@socoloffalex I'm with you @socoloffalex

Am I the only one who is not even exited anymore about all those new AI tools that are realising every week. Like, meh ok, what ever 😒

@idLEO_ @ormanclark Great book

@ormanclark Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon

what are your favourite design books?

@ormanclark The one @Draplin created. Got a signed copy adorning my shelf.

@socoloffalex Who is telling people to skip Figma?

Wait, when did I miss this? Where were you suggesting young designers stop using Figma? Technically you can cut a steak with a spoon, but man, you’re gonna look dumb. Don’t overcomplicate other people’s lives. Everyone should start their journey with the basics, no matter what you do in life. Don’t look for easy solutions. Just saying.

@_andresjasso Nope, still using it.

I've completely stopped using Figma. Anyone else?

@GuptaSanskritii 1 million %

Are design fundamentals still relevant in this age of AI?

@darylginn Busted

The designer urge to place the logo full-width in the footer.

@Danielgbright Aaaamen

Nobody's going to frame your brand guidelines on their wall. And that's the point. Every year there's a new wave of "design trends" adaptive identity, modular components, flexible color palettes. And every year companies spend months making guidelines that look incredible as a Behance case study and then collect dust in a shared drive. You know what actually works? a system your marketing team can use without calling a designer. Rules that are clear enough that someone on your growth team can build a landing page that still looks like your brand. The identity work I'm proudest of isn't the stuff that gets the most likes. It's the stuff where a client's ops team is shipping brand-consistent assets six months later without asking me for help. That's the job. Making it look good AND functional.

@adgmodular @danmall This is a great point. Some of the happiest agency owners I know aren't creatives, but are business people. They know what they're growing, they're great at finding the people, but they don't want to jump in and do the work.

Funny, I read the E-Myth and the whole time I was thinking this absolutely does not apply to something like a branding agency. Creatives are a rare breed who like the work they do and do not want to outsource it to others. They start businesses specifically so they can do the work. Many forward thinking companies have finally acknowledged this fact and have created specific promotional tracks that don’t force creative practitioners to become managers instead. I also think that any competent freelancer should think long and hard before they try to start an agency. The cons can outweigh the pros until you get to 10+ employees.

If you’re an agency owner still doing creative direction, project management, and client calls, you’re the ceiling for your business. As Michael Gerber says in The E-Myth Revisited, “If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business. You have a job. And it’s the worst job in the world because you’re working for a lunatic.” The CEO of a growing agency does exactly and only three things: 1️⃣ Numbers. Know your revenue, profit margin, pipeline, and cash position at all times. If you can’t tell me your profit percentage right now, you're not doing this job. 2️⃣ People. Hire, develop, and retain the team. Build their skills. Have hard conversations when needed. This is your highest-leverage activity. 3️⃣ Culture. Define how work gets done. Protect the standards. Create an environment where good people want to stay. Everything else is production work. Creative direction? Train someone. Project management? Playbook it. Client calls? Bring your team in. The agency only scales past you when you stop being the bottleneck. *** I built a 33-step roadmap that maps out exactly when to start making these shifts in your agency. DM me “MAP” and I'll send it to you.

@danmall Do you find that some agency owners just wish they'd stayed solo?

@UiSavior Yes

Are you a: - Graphic Designer - Illustrator - UI/UX Designer - Motion Graphics Artist - Brand Strategist - Art Director - Web Designer - Interaction Designer - Visual Designer - Product Designer - Creative Director - UX Researcher - Packaging Designer - Environmental Designer - Game Designer - 3D Designer Drop a "Hi!" in the comments and let’s connect with fellow design enthusiasts!

@alexispresa @thisisdanguerra Great work

@thisisdanguerra Would love to help be a visual designer for you 🙏🏼

Need to hire 10x designers (web/brand/graphic/motion). Post your best work below and we'll add to our roster.

@marc_massanella @hemeon You make a good point. I also studied for a long time, but I feel like it was my taste that got me to start the studying.

@ThisDesignLife @hemeon absolutely, but that’s not taste. I did not waste four years getting a master's degree in "taste." I studied technique, art, design history, geometry, color, etc etc.

The value of a great designer is taste. It used to be execution, but thats basically free these days. Taste is the only tool that wont be replaced by AI.

@DrapzDZN Nice.

Logo concept I made yesterday. From blank canvas to final in 2 hours. Here's the exact process I used 🧵

@mortenpx @Ryan__Stephen Yeas

@Ryan__Stephen Cool! 🔥Now do engraved text in each block instead of the tool tip hover 🙌

liquid metal calendar

@Ryan__Stephen This is sooo good

@marc_massanella @hemeon We all secretly know when a design is great.

@hemeon I really don't know what kind of taste you're all talking about. Mine? yours? Whose taste? Is there some organization that decides what's good or bad taste?

@yeabuddy @hemeon Do you have an example?

@hemeon AI is getting pretty decent at that lately too though

@hemeon Is a great designer born with good taste or is it a muscle you can grow?

@ormanclark Where’s most of your new work coming from? (If you don’t mind me asking)

what's it called when you're so busy that you desperately need to hire another designer but are too busy to write the job description?