Podcast · Arts & Books

The Honest Designer Diaries

by Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark · English · Arts & Books

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 exper

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 47 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 49 minNew

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…

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Earlier episodes 20 most recent

E18 · 7 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 11 min
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…
E17 · 30 Sep 2026 · 57 min
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.…
E16 · 23 Sep 2026 · 47 min
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,…
E15 · 16 Sep 2026 · 43 min
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…
E14 · 9 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
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…
4 Sep 2026 · 47 min
Bonus: Chatty Diaries | The accountability pact we might regret making public
Chloe from The Chatty Freelancer and I have a habit of sitting in the car talking for ages whenever we meet up, usually after one of us has offered the other a lift home. We always end up saying we should have recorded the conversation, so this time we actually did. So we've set ourselves some big audacious goals we want to reach in the next few months and sharing our progress in this bonus series the Chatty Diaries. Follow along with us as we keep each other accountable where we'll be meeting up again to find out whether either of us has actually done what we said we would, which may be…
E13 · 2 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
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 clients Why being sensitive and…
E12 · 26 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
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…
E11 · 19 Aug 2026 · 46 min
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…
E10 · 12 Aug 2026 · 51 min
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…
E9 · 5 Aug 2026 · 54 min
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 Highlights 06:25 Experiences of sexism in the design…
3 Aug 2026 · 12 min
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…
E8 · 29 Jul 2026 · 40 min
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 about The pressure to always look busy and successful online How Nikki built several income streams across products and content Why faster growth is not always better growth The reality…
E7 · 22 Jul 2026 · 48 min
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…
E6 · 15 Jul 2026 · 44 min
Made redundant three times, then freelance finally stuck with Ross Grubb | EP006
Ross Grubb didn’t plan on becoming a freelance graphic designer. After four design jobs and being put at risk of redundancy four times, three of which ended with him losing his job, freelance started to feel less like the risky option. Ross is also one of the co-hosts of the Scottish Creative Network , a monthly Glasgow networking event created to help designers, photographers, marketers and other creatives meet without the usual awkward business networking routine. Find Ross Instagram: Grubb Creative LinkedIn: Ross Grubb Find Scottish Creative Network on Instagram and LinkedIn for details…
E5 · 8 Jul 2026 · 58 min
Bad clients and blurry boundaries with Bhavini Lakhani | EP005
I’m chatting with graphic designer Bhavini Lakhani about the client red flags we really should trust sooner, especially when we’re freelancing and trying to keep everyone happy. We talk about what happens when a project starts feeling off before it has even properly begun, from scope changes and last-minute timelines to contracts that are definitely not the NDA they were meant to be. Bhavini shares a story about walking away from a chunky project after a few too many warning signs, and we get into why saying no can feel weirdly terrifying, even when your gut has already packed a bag and left…
E4 · 1 Jul 2026 · 46 min
Canva vs Adobe our honest experience as creators with Darren Meredith | EP 004
I’m chatting with my lovely pal Darren Meredith about something we’ve both been asked about quite a lot, our experience working with Canva and Adobe as creators. And just to say this right at the start, this isn’t a “which design tool is better” episode. This is much more about what it’s actually like behind the scenes when you create content, build an audience, get invited into brand programmes, and then start realising that the shiny outside of a brand partnership doesn’t always tell you what it’s going to feel like once you’re in it. We talk about what it was like being Canva Experts, why…
E3 · 24 Jun 2026 · 43 min
The Friday freelance experiment with Teresa Ferreira | EP 003
In this episode of The Honest Designer Diaries , I’m chatting with Teresa Ferreira , founder of Ferrrgood Studio , about leaving her role as Head of Design at the Financial Times and building something of her own. Teresa had what many designers would probably see as the big, impressive, “you’ve made it” kind of job. But after seven years at the FT, and a pandemic-induced bit of rethinking, she started to realise she was craving more creative fulfilment. So she condensed her full-time role into four days and used her Fridays to test freelance life. Eight months later, burnout hit, and the…
E2 · 24 Jun 2026 · 31 min
Going freelance before you feel ready with Rachel Cartledge | EP 002
In this episode of The Honest Designer Diaries , I’m chatting to Rachel Cartlidge , a freelance graphic designer and illustrator based in Edinburgh. Rachel left university thinking she had her next step sorted. She had a junior designer role lined up, had signed for a flat, and was away travelling before she was due to start. Then, two weeks before her start date, the role fell through. So we chat about what happened when she came home and had to start figuring things out quickly. Rachel talks about reaching out to agencies, studios, small businesses and creative directors, trying to find…
E1 · 14 Jun 2026 · 4 min
Welcome to The Honest Designer Diaries | EP 001
Episode 1: Why I’m Starting The Honest Designer Diaries The Honest Designer Diaries is a podcast about what it’s actually like to build a life and career as a designer, beyond the nice work we share online. Hosted by Juls, a brand designer and design educator from Glasgow with over 30 years in the industry, each episode is a real chat with designers about the situations, decisions and wobbles that shape a creative career. We’ll talk about going freelance before you feel ready, dealing with quiet spells in business, moving from in-house work into running your own creative business, working…

About The Honest Designer Diaries

The Honest Designer Diaries is a English arts & books podcast from Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 47 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1896926552
Rights: 2026 Designer in your Pocket | Juls Christie-Clark

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