AADA - Raw, direct and live chats about design and creativity

241 - The Last Ever Episode

Craig Burgess — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 21:08:19 -0500

This is the last ever episode of AADA. Today I explain what's next, and how to find it.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Why this is the last ever episode
What’s next
Upper Limit Beliefs (The Big Leap book)
I’m not just a designer
The reason for a new name and new domain
1. Different audience
2. Different people will listen to it
3. I want to talk about more stuff, but not delete this podcast
Introducing GET DOING THINGS
1. Mindset
2. Marketing
3. Design
4. How all 3 connect together, and how 1 doesn’t work without the others
I still haven’t recorded the first episode…
Or made the website…
Tomorrow is episode 1 of GET DOING THINGS
You’ll have to resubscribe to a new podcast
It’s called Get Doing Things
New domain: getdoingthings.com

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241 - The Last Ever Episode

Craig Burgess — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 21:08:19 -0500

This is the last ever episode of AADA. Today I explain what's next, and how to find it.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Scribbled Shownotes

Why this is the last ever episode
What’s next
Upper Limit Beliefs (The Big Leap book)
I’m not just a designer
The reason for a new name and new domain
1. Different audience
2. Different people will listen to it
3. I want to talk about more stuff, but not delete this podcast
Introducing GET DOING THINGS
1. Mindset
2. Marketing
3. Design
4. How all 3 connect together, and how 1 doesn’t work without the others
I still haven’t recorded the first episode…
Or made the website…
Tomorrow is episode 1 of GET DOING THINGS
You’ll have to resubscribe to a new podcast
It’s called Get Doing Things
New domain: getdoingthings.com

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240 - Be Careful When Automating Your Social Media

Craig Burgess — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Batching your social media is a great tactic...but you have to be careful.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Automating and batching your social media can be a useful way to save lots of time
Mostly, I recommend it
The problem comes when it’s too automated
Has to still seem relevant
Not repeat itself: Rise of people using Meet Edgar to repeat content
It means you see people’s Twitter timelines and they just say the same things over and over

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239 - 7 Reasons NOT To Start a Podcast

Craig Burgess — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I'm going to be negative today and tell you why you shouldn't start a podcast.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Back in #227 I spoke about starting a podcast
Today, this is 7 reasons NOT to start a podcast
I’m going to be negative

7 Reasons

LOTS of people do podcasts. Rather too many do: it’s a crowded market
People still don’t get podcasting
If you’re not a natural speaker, it might harm you
It isn’t the easiest way to build an audience - it takes lots of time
It’s hard to work out the size of your audience - no real stats means no real insights
I can’t make people take action: linking to stuff is hard
They take a lot of time and you have to be passionate about it

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238 - The Faceless Man

Craig Burgess — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Yes, The Faceless Man is from Game of Thrones and it's nice to include it in my podcast title.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Lots of companies get content marketing wrong
They get marketing wrong too
They try to market their business
And they try to get people to engage with their business
The problem is: PEOPLE ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE
Look at Apple: Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Tim Cook
Why do they put spokespeople out for a massive company?
Because people don’t engage with brands, even ones as powerful as Apple
I’m interested in Apple, but I don’t follow Apple on Twitter
Stop trying to make your business into a thing people want to engage with
Make your people the thing that people will engage with

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238 - The Faceless Man

Craig Burgess — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Yes, The Faceless Man is from Game of Thrones and it's nice to include it in my podcast title.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Lots of companies get content marketing wrong
They get marketing wrong too
They try to market their business
And they try to get people to engage with their business
The problem is: PEOPLE ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE
Look at Apple: Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Tim Cook
Why do they put spokespeople out for a massive company?
Because people don’t engage with brands, even ones as powerful as Apple
I’m interested in Apple, but I don’t follow Apple on Twitter
Stop trying to make your business into a thing people want to engage with
Make your people the thing that people will engage with

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237 - Why Are You Blogging/Podcasting/Making Videos?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Yes you're making a podcast or a blog. But WHY are you doing it and what do you want to achieve?

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Scribbled Shownotes

I listened to a great episode of Cliff Ravencraft’s podcast the other day where he spoke about making a podcast
He said a lot of people that come to him have got it the wrong way around
They made a podcast, but didn’t do it for a reason
There was nothing for a listener to then jump off to afterwards
This is fine for for-fun podcasts, but what about the marketing ones?
Why are you doing your content marketing? What are you ultimately trying to market?

My personal reasons for doing a podcast

You all know: I started my podcast in January as a challenge and “marketing experiment”
I didn’t have anything to sell though
I enjoy it and that’s one of the most important things
A new goal of mine is to freely share everything I learn
It helps me build an audience - 1000 Fans by Kevin Kelly

Let’s flip the question around

But let me turn the question to you: why are YOU doing these things?
Or why are you NOT doing?
A reason is important
For years, I didn’t have a reason, so I didn’t do it
Now I want to share, I have a reason

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237 - Why Are You Blogging/Podcasting/Making Videos?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Yes you're making a podcast or a blog. But WHY are you doing it and what do you want to achieve?

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Scribbled Shownotes

I listened to a great episode of Cliff Ravencraft’s podcast the other day where he spoke about making a podcast
He said a lot of people that come to him have got it the wrong way around
They made a podcast, but didn’t do it for a reason
There was nothing for a listener to then jump off to afterwards
This is fine for for-fun podcasts, but what about the marketing ones?
Why are you doing your content marketing? What are you ultimately trying to market?

My personal reasons for doing a podcast

You all know: I started my podcast in January as a challenge and “marketing experiment”
I didn’t have anything to sell though
I enjoy it and that’s one of the most important things
A new goal of mine is to freely share everything I learn
It helps me build an audience - 1000 Fans by Kevin Kelly

Let’s flip the question around

But let me turn the question to you: why are YOU doing these things?
Or why are you NOT doing?
A reason is important
For years, I didn’t have a reason, so I didn’t do it
Now I want to share, I have a reason

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236 - Why Investing In Your Continued Self Development Is So Important

Craig Burgess — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I believe in self-development, and today I explain why.

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Scribbled Shownotes

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

You're can only become as good as your level of self development
If you're not self aware or capable of being a leader you can't be a leader
If you're not capable of taking on the attitudes of successful people you can't be successful

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235 - PERSIST - The Secret Of Every "Successful" Person

Craig Burgess — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

What is it that successful people do differently that you can do too?

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Scribbled Shownotes

I read a lot of books about successful people
Both traditional success and weirder success
The common denominator between them all is a persistence in their attitude
They'll work longer and harder than everybody else
And they'll carry on when everybody else has quit

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234 - What The Hell Is Everygreen Content?

Craig Burgess — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I explain why evergreen content is important for your marketing.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Content that you can use for years that doesn't go out of date
Focused on long standing topics
Doesn't focus on technologies
Focused on mindset or something else
Important to make sure your articles aren't too topical
But topical can also be good at the same time

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234 - What The Hell Is Everygreen Content?

Craig Burgess — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I explain why evergreen content is important for your marketing.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Content that you can use for years that doesn't go out of date
Focused on long standing topics
Doesn't focus on technologies
Focused on mindset or something else
Important to make sure your articles aren't too topical
But topical can also be good at the same time

Support Ask a Designer Anything

233 - What would I do differently if I started again?

Craig Burgess — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I've been wanting to talk about this for a while: what would I do differently if I started again if I knew what I know now?

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Scribbled Shownotes

The easy answer - nothing
The real answer
100 Fans Article
1. I'd would've created a product
2. I would've created a useful blog and kept it up to date
3. I would have paid more attention to the importance of marketing straight away
4. I would have read a book a week
5. I would have started with a niche agency instead of one that appeals to everybody
6. I would have focused on clients that already made a lot of money through their website as it's easier to see the direct benefit that way

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233 - What would I do differently if I started again?

Craig Burgess — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I've been wanting to talk about this for a while: what would I do differently if I started again if I knew what I know now?

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Scribbled Shownotes

The easy answer - nothing
The real answer
100 Fans Article
1. I'd would've created a product
2. I would've created a useful blog and kept it up to date
3. I would have paid more attention to the importance of marketing straight away
4. I would have read a book a week
5. I would have started with a niche agency instead of one that appeals to everybody
6. I would have focused on clients that already made a lot of money through their website as it's easier to see the direct benefit that way

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232 - But Marketing Feels Slimy!

Craig Burgess — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I share how I used to feel about marketing, and how many people still feel about marketing.

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Scribbled Shownotes

The British attitude to advertising and marketing
Promoting yourself is important
Most people want to see you doing well
The people that don't don't matter
Marketing is the only way to differentiate yourself in the marketplace

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231 - Marketing Is More Important Than Your Clients

Craig Burgess — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

It's a title that's a bit clickbaity today, but it's true. Let me explain.

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Scribbled Shownotes

It's taken me a lot of years to realise this.
Before I took marketing seriously
After I took marketing seriously
Your level of marketing dictates your quality of clients
No marketing: anybody
Some marketing: some people you want
Lots of marketing done properly: pick and choose the ones you want to work with
Marketing is more important than your clients because eventually marketing becomes the way you choose your clients

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231 - Marketing Is More Important Than Your Clients

Craig Burgess — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 23:15:00 -0500

It's a title that's a bit clickbaity today, but it's true. Let me explain.

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Scribbled Shownotes

It's taken me a lot of years to realise this.
Before I took marketing seriously
After I took marketing seriously
Your level of marketing dictates your quality of clients
No marketing: anybody
Some marketing: some people you want
Lots of marketing done properly: pick and choose the ones you want to work with
Marketing is more important than your clients because eventually marketing becomes the way you choose your clients

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230 - How Do You Find The Time?

Craig Burgess — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 18:58:09 -0500

I do a lot of stuff. Because I do a lot of stuff people always ask me "How do you find the time?".

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Scribbled Shownotes

Lots of people ask me this question.
I usually just answer "I just do", or shrug my shoulders
Today I decided to try and get to the bottom of it a bit more.
Passion
Having a plan and a vision
Enjoying what a do
Being the kind of person that wants to be the hardest worker in the room all the time

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230 - How Do You Find The Time?

Craig Burgess — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 18:58:09 -0500

I do a lot of stuff. Because I do a lot of stuff people always ask me "How do you find the time?".

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Scribbled Shownotes

Lots of people ask me this question.
I usually just answer "I just do", or shrug my shoulders
Today I decided to try and get to the bottom of it a bit more.
Passion
Having a plan and a vision
Enjoying what a do
Being the kind of person that wants to be the hardest worker in the room all the time

Support Ask a Designer Anything

228 - The Right Way To Think About Design Inspiration

Craig Burgess — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 19:32:21 -0500

Design inspiration isn't about copying other people, no matter what other designers do.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Design inspiration doesn't mean finding similar stuff and copying it
Design inspiration means getting into the mood of a piece, looking st similar things to what you'd like to achieve
Think about what you want to achieve first and come up with idea first
Don't rush to looking for inspiration

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226 - Why The Creative Industry Needs a Governing Body

Craig Burgess — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 12:07:45 -0500

I get a bit serious today, and talk about why I think the creative industry needs a governing body.

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Scribbled Shownotes

No standardisation
No barrier to entry
No expectation of professionalism
No way of a new employee knowing what to expect
No way for a client to know what to expect
It makes us look like a bunch of con artists

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226 - Why The Creative Industry Needs a Governing Body

Craig Burgess — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 12:07:45 -0500

I get a bit serious today, and talk about why I think the creative industry needs a governing body.

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Scribbled Shownotes

No standardisation
No barrier to entry
No expectation of professionalism
No way of a new employee knowing what to expect
No way for a client to know what to expect
It makes us look like a bunch of con artists

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225 - How Do I Become a Better Designer?

Craig Burgess — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 12:21:45 -0500

I'm talking about a topic I touch upon a lot: how to become a better designer.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Read
Listen
Read
Do a LOT of design work
Don’t just do work in work time, and don’t just do it for clients
Do work that you hate
The tools are the least important thing
The ideas are the most important

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224 - How To Get 7000 Views of Your Content in 7 Days

Craig Burgess — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 17:49:16 -0500

I talk about Quora, and share a recent case study where I managed to achieve 1000 views a day for 1 piece of content.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Today I’m rounding off my content series to talk about Quora
What is Quora?
Let’s talk about some real life stats of Quora

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223 - Designing Your Content

Craig Burgess — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 17:01:02 -0500

I talk about a thing a lot of people don't think about: how to design your content.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Designing your content isn’t something many people think about
They think of content as writing, or blogs, or audio files.
The design of your content is probably more important than your actual content
If it’s boring, people won’t consume
If it’s too long, people won’t consume
If it doesn’t work or looks rubbish, people won’t consume it

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223 - Designing Your Content

Craig Burgess — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 17:01:02 -0500

I talk about a thing a lot of people don't think about: how to design your content.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Designing your content isn’t something many people think about
They think of content as writing, or blogs, or audio files.
The design of your content is probably more important than your actual content
If it’s boring, people won’t consume
If it’s too long, people won’t consume
If it doesn’t work or looks rubbish, people won’t consume it

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222 - Could You Sell Your Content Instead of Giving It Away?

Craig Burgess — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 16:20:30 -0500

I talk about an interesting idea today: the idea that you might be able to sell your content.

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Scribbled Shownotes

If your content is really special, or super helpful, you might be able to sell it
There’s lots of ways to do that:
1. Guest blog for other websites/publications
2. Setup a subscription website
3. Sell access to articles or research
Do you know things that others don’t know?
OR, do you know things that SOME people don’t know and would like to know?
Everything is on the internet, but it’s hard to decipher which is good

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221 - The Tactic Nearly Everybody Uses (and will always use) To Make Money On The Internet

Craig Burgess — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 20:16:51 -0500

I'm not talking about sleazy tactics. I mean: why should you be giving away all your content for free?

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Scribbled Shownotes

I don’t like talking about making money on the internet, because it feels dirty to say it
Some people will get the wrong impression, and think I’m talking about dodgy methods
But that’s not what I’m talking about today
I’m talking about creating content
I’ve spoken about this this week a lot, as it’s what I’m focusing on this week
The simplest and most effective tactic is this
Give away all your secrets and content for free, and charge to implement it
It works for nearly every business
And if it doesn’t work for your business, a BIT of it will
Give away SOME of your content and secrets
Give away insane amounts of value
Make people WANT to come back to your website for more free stuff

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220 - Why You (yes, YOU) Should Be Creating Content

Craig Burgess — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 17:47:20 -0500

Today I bang the content drum (again), and try to inspire you to write some.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Everybody has got an interest, a hobby or a passion. Sometimes they cross over and you get paid for them.
Whatever your hobby is, they’ll be a website for it.
If there’s not a website for it, you could create it.
When you start producing content, people start to know you for that content.
Creating regular content keeps you active in people’s minds.
They’ll remember you when they need the thing you’re promoting.
You could make a job from your hobby!

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219 - Why Having a Style as a Designer Is a Bad Idea

Craig Burgess — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 17:32:25 -0500

I don't think designers should have a style.

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Scribbled Shownotes

The tweet I mention in this episode:

https://twitter.com/CD_and_Co/status/895396505342705664

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218 - What Does "Creativity" Really Mean?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 20 Aug 2017 20:47:23 -0500

I'm talking about creativity, and exactly what it means.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Creativity is the act of creating something
It's not a superpower or something that special people have
Anything is creative
Playing guitar, doodling, making stuff
It's all creative
Often designers are called "a creative"
But we don't have the monopoly on the term.

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217 - What I Thought Of The Oculus Rift

Craig Burgess — Sat, 19 Aug 2017 22:32:30 -0500

2 episodes in the same day! I played with an Oculus Rift. This is what I thought of it.

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216 - My Expectations of the Oculus Rift

Craig Burgess — Sat, 19 Aug 2017 22:25:43 -0500

I played with an Oculus Rift. This is what I expected it to be.

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215 - 6 Things Young Designers Need To Do Better

Craig Burgess — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 20:19:51 -0500

I'm talking directly to young designers today: these are the things you need to know.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Use a sketchbook!
Use a sketchbook!
Create WAY more work than your teachers or lecturers actually do
Seek out criticism. Learn what’s wrong with your work.
Do work for clients and let them tell you how bad it is.
Nothing beats hard work.

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214 - Stop Treating Your Website Like Something You Hate

Craig Burgess — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I rant a little bit about people who are afraid of their website.

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Scribbled Shownotes

So many people aren’t technical, and I get that.
So many people are scared of their website, rather than seeing the potential for having an online presence anybody around the globe can see instantly
Start learning how to blog
Start learning how to update your website
Start learning the basics of SEO
YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON TO DO ALL OF THIS. NOT A MARKETING COMPANY.

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213 - Things I've Learned From Oversubscribed: How To Do Your Marketing and Design Properly

Craig Burgess — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 20:04:13 -0500

I've just finished reading Oversubscribed. This is what I learned.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Buy the awesome book: Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley

In the fantastic book Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley, Daniel talks about how to become oversubscribed.
I’m not talking about how to become oversubscribed, but he does suggest a very good way of running your design and marketing in your business.
Become a Campaign Driven Enterprise.
Stop thinking about individual marketing activities
1. A single blog
2. A single email
3. A brochure
Think about a theme
1. What are we doing in December?
2. What campaign are doing for Valentine's Day?
3. What is the ultimate thing we're promoting?
Start with 1 campaign
What things can we tie into?

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212 - 5 Big Design Mistakes I See Every Week

Craig Burgess — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 18:03:41 -0500

Today I get a bit ranty about the regular design mistakes I see made.

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Scribbled Shownotes

No logo. At all. The Noun Project is good for cheap logos if you're stuck.
A generic name for a business, or an acronym name.
Horrible colour choices. Find out what colours clash and don’t use them.
Overcomplicating the design of a website/business card/leaflet/anything.
Poorly written text.

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211 - Feeling Uninspired? Me too.

Craig Burgess — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 17:25:52 -0500

Today I talk about feeling uninspired and wanting to give up.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Throughout my 211 episodes, I’ve talked sporadically about inspiration and motivation
In episode 95 I discussed the idea of inspiration, or at least how designers understand the phrase.
I’ve spoken variously in other episodes about the idea of motivation, and how we shouldn’t wait for it or seek it before we do something.
Discipline wins out every time when motivation isn’t there, and that’s something I ranted about in episode 183.
Feeling uninspired happens. A couple of weeks ago I went through a period of not wanting to make my podcast. I’d got bored of the format, the things I was talking about, and how it was progressing.
One week later, I was happy again.
Feeling uninspired is like any other feeling: it’s fleeting. Just ride it out with a bit of discipline and just get to work.

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210 - The Difference Between Obama's and Trumps Branding and Marketing

Craig Burgess — Sat, 12 Aug 2017 16:55:01 -0500

Today I look at the difference between Trump and Obama.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Now Trump is a bit of a way into his presidency, I thought it’d be fun to compare him to Obama in terms of his design and marketing strategy
It’s fair to say Trump’s strategy has been mostly a car crash, but there’s some interesting comparisons when compared to Obama
The two different markets: the “right” market, and the “left” market
1. One uses words like “change we can believe in”, “belief”, “truth”, “change"
2. The other uses things like “fake news”, “the swamp”, ‘things need to change”
Obama’s design strategy https://www.obama.org/
Trump’s design strategy https://www.donaldjtrump.com/

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209 - The Path of a Design Career

Craig Burgess — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 18:27:52 -0500

Let's talk about how design careers usually go.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Nearly all design careers follow a predictable trajectory
Young plucky arrogant designer working for somebody else
Young plucky arrogant designer takes up freelance work
A bit wiser young designer loses the arrogance and decides to try an in house designer role for a bit
Then you go back to a design agency because it's more rewarding work
Then you make a choice, you either go into management or you hone your craft
I know a lot of designers that baulk against management and that's good
Because a good designer doesn't make a good manager

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208 - The Multidisciplinary Designer

Craig Burgess — Thu, 10 Aug 2017 21:07:13 -0500

Today I discuss why being a jack-of-all-trades isn't a bad thing.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I covered this a bit way back in #111 - Be Good At Lots Of Things
Today I want to talk about me, or at least my approach to design
The specialist designer
The jack-of-all-trades designer
The “designer" - The all round good designer

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207 - My Favourite Kind Of Design - Part 3

Craig Burgess — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 19:20:41 -0500

I talk about my favourite kind of design again, for the third time.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I’ve done this kind of episode twice before:
#142 - Old Design and Alan Fletcher
#122 - Graphic Design
Today I’m back for part 3.
I love talking about my favourite kind of design
Wit in design
Design with Easter Eggs

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206 - My First Design Job

Craig Burgess — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 18:27:29 -0500

I talk about my first design job. Awww.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I wrote an answer on Quora recently that I thought would also make a good podcast episode.
I answered the question: What was your first graphic designer job like?
I randomly decided to apply for this job and never expected to get it.
I struggled to deal with criticism and I used to get too attached
I wasn’t capable of understanding how to improve things
I wasn’t a very good designer
I was the only designer in the company
I had to learn everything and do everything myself
It was hard.

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205 - Designing For The Coffee Queue

Craig Burgess — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 17:54:30 -0500

What does it mean to design a website for the coffee queue?

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Scribbled Shownotes

In episode 204, I touched on the importance of mobile
I said a phrase that really caught my thinking, and I wanted to consider it more in-depth
The coffee queue is just an analogy really to help you consider how people use websites in reality. People use their phones whilst:
1. Killing time waiting for a friend
2. Stood waiting for the traffic lights to change (in cars and outside of cars)
3. Waking up on a morning
4. Going to bed on a night
5. Waiting for an appointment
6. Bored at the dinner table
7. Generally we use it as an all encompassing time waster
The idea of designing a website for the coffee queue
1. The user isn’t fully engaged
2. They want the content as quick as possible
3. They’ll be on a mobile phone
4. They’ll likely have a poor internet connection
5. They want to find something out
6. They want to be engaged, intrigued, interested, surprised
7. They won’t do anything complicated, and likely will forget to complete anything that is
It’s a powerful way of thinking about the next website you’re involved in.

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204 - Why mobile is now the most important thing to consider when designing nearly anything

Craig Burgess — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 15:57:41 -0500

Why mobile is SO important when you're designing things, or commissioning new design work.

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Scribbled Shownotes

What I mean by mobile
The Consumption age
The mobile brain and Short attention spans
Is somebody viewing your thing with intent or are they stood in a queue waiting for a coffee?
Chunking content
How to design for mobile and the mobile brain

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203 - Up front work to make the day-to-day easier

Craig Burgess — Sat, 05 Aug 2017 20:33:29 -0500

I talk about scheduling and batching things to make things more efficient.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I've fallen out of love with schedules recently, as I discussed in episode 186 about planning my podcast
I wanted my podcast to feel more spontaneous, but I'd estimate it's making my podcast twice as difficult
Wherever possible, you should separate the ideas and thinking tasks from the production tasks.
If you plan upfront then produce later, you'll be faster at both tasks
Using trello to plan my personal content schedule
All this stuff can be applied to anybody needs to write regular content

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202 - The most important things every person needs to know when providing design feedback

Craig Burgess — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 19:30:02 -0500

Today I'm talking about design feedback.

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Scribbled Shownotes

It's not about you and what shade of pink you like
Design is hard, and don't forget that fact
Be diplomatic with your opinions
But also, be honest with your opinions
If the designs match the brief, the job is a success
You don't need to see multiple options of everything, trust your designer

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201 - Lessons from learning how to get up early (again)

Craig Burgess — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 17:34:26 -0500

Here's the final lessons I've learned from getting up early for two weeks.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Yesterday, I got the episode numbers wrong. Tomorrow, I’ll talk about design. I promise.
My last year of late mornings.
There’s no such thing as a morning person or a night owl (sort of).
You can force yourself to get up at any time you choose.
Listen to your body.
Getting up early does feel more productive, but is it?

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200 - How easy it can be to set up an online business

Craig Burgess — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 21:37:29 -0500

It's stupidly easy to set up an online business.

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Scribbled Shownotes

P.S. I semi-scripted today's episode: here's the script.

When you’re stuck in a rut
It’s easier to look and see that the grass is greener on the other side
Today, I’m here to tell you that it is
And I’m here to show you how easy
How unbelievably, ridiculously easy it is
To set up an online business
Today, right now.
Seriously, you’re not going to believe how easy this is.
BREAK
I don’t care how much you know right now
Even if the only thing you can do is open your email
Within a couple of hours, you could make a website
If I look back 15 years ago to when I started this website stuff
You used to have to make them yourself
Well, sort of. I made my first website in something called Dreamweaver
Which was really just an upgraded FrontPage
And if you remember that, you’re an old sad geek like me.
Back then, websites would take a couple of hours just to make something basic
Now, you can go to something like WordPress.com
Or squarespace
Or Wix, or a million other things like that, and have a website online in 20 minutes
No kidding, no exergerating. I could teach my dad to do this stuff.
I could teach my dad to make a website in 20 minutes.
And with a website, comes a business.
Or at least, a potential business.
There’s loads of ways to setup on online business.
You’ve got the obvious ones like e-commerce
Selling a product online, then shipping it and stuff like that
Then you’ve got less obvious ones
Like being an online personal assistant for people
Which are sometimes called virtual assistants
And then there’s things like SEO consultants
Business coaching
Social media
And stuff like I do, selling websites
We started Genius Division with nothing more than a couple of computers and desks
And a website, obviously
From that website we sold our services
But we never really directly sold from the internet as such
We sold through contacts we already knew and the network we’d built up
But we did, and still do, sell websites
And in some way, ours is an online business
As I’ve been banging on all week, it pains me so much to see people not realising this
Not realising the potential of the internet, and all the crazy different businesses you can setup on it SO EASILY
If there’s any takeaway from this week of the power of the internet episodes its simply this
The internet is massive
And you could be making money from it as well
If you’re stuck in a job you hate or you want to change
I’ve got thousands of people who I could show you who make money purely through the internet
At all levels, from making a couple of quid a month through to making millions
The internet is really damn powerful
And I hope you can realise that in some small way, and start to take advantage of it too
I’ve linked to an article in today’s show notes that talks about online business ideas.
It’s here http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4572-online-business-ideas.html
There’s all sorts of crazy stuff in there
And I hope you find something that might suit you.

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199 - From The Industrial Revolution to The Consumption Regression

Craig Burgess — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 21:06:04 -0500

Today I talk about our period of making things, to now. The consumption age.

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Scribbled Shownotes

From about 1760 onwards, lots of people discovered the power of machinery.
People realised that hand production wasn’t as effective as machines doing the work.
The textiles industry realised this the most.
This was a huge turning point in our modern history, especially in Britain.
Financial growth beyond all expectations began.
Standards of living continued to grow
The period of Industrialisation began
Then, something similar happened in the 90s.
The internet came along, and it started to get more commercialised.
Savvy people realised the power of the internet, the dotcom crash came and went, and now we’ve settled in.
Now, the internet is here to stay
And it’s brought about an age of consumption
YouTube, Netflix, Podcasts, Websites, Blogs, Training courses
Everything is done on the internet
But nobody is making enough on the internet

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198 - Do What You Want

Craig Burgess — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 17:04:57 -0500

Sometimes, you just have to do what you want.

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Scribbled Shownotes

No shownotes today.

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197 - You can become anything you want with the internet

Craig Burgess — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 16:53:00 -0500

Everything is on the internet, and you can use it to your advantage too.

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Scribbled Shownotes

This episode was originally going to be negative about becoming how you need to be wary of internet experts
Today though instead, I want to talk about the potential of the internet.
This week is all about the power of the internet.
And today I want to look at the power of becoming an expert.
Anybody can setup a website, start publishing powerful articles, and become an expert over some years, or even months
This isn’t an episode about the negatives, it's about the positives.

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196 - …But The Social Media Like Is A Powerful Business Tool

Craig Burgess — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 17:39:30 -0500

The social media like can be a powerful business tool, and not just the bane of existence.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Although I hit pretty hard on social media likes yesterday, I don’t believe they’re inherently wrong
Like anything, in moderation this is all fine
If you can separate the meaning and understand it properly, it’s all good.
And also, it’s a powerful business tool.
Seeing the amount of likes and shares your business, products and content get can be free ways of seeing how good your stuff is.
Content that gets more traction on social media is a good indication that it’s more appropriate for your audience

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195 - The Social Media Like Is Ruining Our Lives...

Craig Burgess — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 05:37:49 -0500

Today I rant a little bit about social media.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Social media can be an amazing tool for bringing people together, but it has a darker side
Our constant obsession with more likes for more recognition from strangers is changing our brains
Social media affects our brains in the same way a hug does.

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194 - Internet Based Businesses Are Making A Killing: You Should Pay Attention

Craig Burgess — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 18:08:39 -0500

It's unbelievable how much money some people are making with the internet. Let me introduce you to some.

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Scribbled Shownotes

The internet isn’t just a consumption machine. It's not just a place to find funny cat pictures, youtube videos and blogs.
The internet is the business playground for some many businesses that get it.
- asos.com - $1.4 billion
- airbnb.com - $1.7 billion
- TripAdvisor - $1.5 billion
- Amazon - $135 billion
- Facebook - $27 billion
- Google/Alphabet - $90 billion
You aren’t going to start by making billions, but you have to sit up and take notice of these numbers.
- By comparison, Apple made $215 billion last year
The biggest internet companies aren’t far off these numbers.
What can you do online differently?

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193 - This week: The Power of the Internet

Craig Burgess — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 03:58:14 -0500

This week I've got a theme!

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Scribbled Shownotes

This week, I’m talking all about the power of the internet.
I’ve decided to look more in-depth at a huge topic—the internet—and talk about my thoughts and feelings to do with lots of things.
I won’t just be looking at the positive power of the internet, I’ll be looking at the negative side too.
Here’s what I’ll be covering in the next 7 days:
- 194 - Internet-based businesses are making are killing and you should be paying attention
- 195 - The Social Media Like Is Ruining Our Lives...
- 196 - …But The Social Media Like Is A Powerful Business Tool
- 197 - Anybody can be an expert on the internet
- 198 - From The Industrial Revolution to The Consumption Regression
- 199 - How easy it can be to set up an online business with the right product
- 200 - How savvy businesses are using the internet to make their marketing easier

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192 - Why finding a good designer is so hard, but so important

Craig Burgess — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 11:46:24 -0500

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It's vital to your business that you find a good designer that you can trust.

Scribbled Shownotes

Good design is vital to any business
IIt'sused to instil trust and credibility
It's used to command higher prices and make your look more professional

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191 - Proving you're an expert designer (or an expert in anything)

Craig Burgess — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 12:33:07 -0500

How do you go about proving you're an expert designer?

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Scribbled Shownotes

Paul Boag does this stuff REALLY WELL.
Why should somebody trust you that you're good at your job?
In the age of the Internet anybody can pretend they're good at anything
Oversubscribed talks about the idea of selling or giving away very small products
Give away everything for free and charge for implementation
Show how good you are

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190 - Why do you do these things?

Craig Burgess — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 04:25:11 -0500

I try to explain why I'm constantly pushing myself to do new things.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I do lots of random challenges.
I’m doing a podcast a day right now, as you know.
Yesterday, I decided to see how long I could wake up at 4.30am on a morning for.
And I get asked: why?
Why do you do these things to yourself?
Let me explain.

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189 - The Power of The "Wall of Noise"

Craig Burgess — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 04:23:21 -0500

Create a wall of noise around your brand and the effects can be huge.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Recent estimates suggest that the average Brit spends almost nine hours on media devices every day. In that time, each of us is exposed to 5,000 marketing messages and more than 100,000 words trying to convince us to do something
There's a concept in marketing called the wall of noise.
It's the idea that you push out so much stuff across different platforms that you can't be ignored.
Gary Vaynerchuk does it well. He puts out so much content that you can't ignore him.
It's a method for beating the algorithms of things like Facebook and Instagram, and increasingly Twitter that aren't chronological.

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188 - The First Day of The New Challenge

Craig Burgess — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 04:20:00 -0500

I've completed day one. Let me tell you what happened.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I’ve always been a night owl. I’m curious to find out if I can turn myself into a morning person.
I managed to get up at 4.30am!
This is already a massive achievement for me, and I could just go back to bed and be happy now I know I’ve managed to achieve this first step. But I’m not going to obviously.
Going to bed early was the most difficult thing for me: I managed to get to sleep around 22.30, which meant 6 hours sleep (but my fitbit told me I only managed 5 hours)
I’m not going to be doing one of these episodes every day about my sleeping habits, that would get boring. I’m just cataloguing this first day.

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187 - My New Challenge

Craig Burgess — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 20:29:04 -0500

Let me walk you through my new challenge.

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Scribbled Shownotes

No, I'm not going to reveal it in my shownotes.

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186 - Why I Don't Plan My Podcast

Craig Burgess — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 16:26:10 -0500

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In this really quick episode, I explain something about my podcast.

Scribbled Shownotes

No notes today!

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185 - The Really Important Thing I'm Learning Doing a Podcast

Craig Burgess — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 18:31:05 -0500

You can't please everybody, and you need to stop trying.

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Scribbled Shownotes

You can't please everyone, and nor should you try.
In fact, the less people you try to please, and the more you stay true to yourself, the More people you'll attract
The more people you try to please, the more vanilla you become
And nobody likes vanilla
Its all in the niche, and finding yours.

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184 - TechTown Junior Hack Day Roundup

Craig Burgess — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 23:25:41 -0500

I went to a hack day a few days ago in Barnsley where the attendees were all school kids. I have to tell you about this.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I did a talk about creativity as a job at a local junior hack day event a few days ago in Barnsley
The event brought together school age kids, around 11-14 to answer problems with design thinking
The 3 ideas shown off were great, and more importantly the creativity was awesome
A washing machine that did your washing and other household chores
A bluetooth alarm clock that could connect with other connected tech in your house like WiFi lights, kettles and curtains
And an alarm that you have to step on to get it to stop. It was basically a mat you'd leave outside of your bed. The name was the best thing. Up N Mat Em
There was a couple of activities as well, like making magnetic slime with Ruth Amos, who runs the YouTube channel Kids Invent Things
Making solar panel cars with Kisha Bradley from My Bright Toys
And Alison Buxton showed the kids how to make a simple circuit to make badges that light up (I didn't see the other things)
It was a great day and so good to see this kind of thing happening in Barnsley.
And also it was great to introduce the kids to so many potential job opportunities that just let you be creative.

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183 - Discipline Is The Only Thing That Matters

Craig Burgess — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 20:45:04 -0500

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I get very ranty tonight. It's all about discipline.

Scribbled Shownotes

A great quote by Henry Rollins - I don't have talent, I have tenacity
I walk past a guy every day at about 5.30pm Sat at home in his house. 5 days a week. He's watching telly. I explain what I mean by this.
Henry Rollins YouTube video - The one thing that changed my life forever
The Iron by Henry Rollins

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182 - My Portfolio Update and a Podcast Pivot

Craig Burgess — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:45:19 -0500

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An update on my portfolio AND my podcast. You lucky people.

Scribbled Shownotes

I talk about my portfolio, how I'm getting on, and some changes I'm making.
I talk about my podcast, and also about some potential changes I'm making.
I mentioned a book called Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley that I'm reading at the minute. It's brilliant.

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181 - Is The Role Of A Designer Dying?

Craig Burgess — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 21:12:46 -0500

In the tech-heavy world we live in now, is the role of the designer dying out?

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Scribbled Shownotes

I'm a designer
Which makes me bias on the following topic a little bit
I don't think the role of the designer is dying
But it's definitely changing
Design is so important
And as more and more digital products are made
And more things like Facebook, Instagram and snapchat makes loads of money
We need more designers than ever
But designers need to get more technical
Because that's where the industry is going
We'll still always need good graphic designers
And good designers who can design brands
But we need more technical designers more than ever
So my bet right now for the next five years
Is to diversify your design skill
And become more technical
In another 10 years time everything will probably change back again
So if you want to play the long game
Ignore everything I've said

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180 - So, what do you do for a living?

Craig Burgess — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 18:10:45 -0500

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This is the episode where I show what I giant contradiction of experience I have. I talk about what I do for a living. P.S. I forget to mention podcasting...

Scribbled Shownotes

I'm a designer
1. Which means I'm a graphic designer
2. A branding guy
3. A web designer
4. A UX designer
5. A UI designer
I'm a developer
I'm a creative
I'm a marketer
I'm a somewhat SEO person (basic stuff)
I'm a teacher
I'm an agency owner, and sort of a boss
1. And a new business sort of guy
2. And a director
I'm a fitness enthusiast and still trying to find a way to transfer this knowledge into a job
I'm constantly reinventing myself and so is my industry.

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179 - How do you get used to doing something that doesn't come naturally to you?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 16:11:42 -0500

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What do you do when you want to start something new?

Scribbled Shownotes

No notes for today.

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178 - If It's Not Perfect, Just Launch It

Craig Burgess — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 21:33:44 -0500

Stop trying to attain perfection, and just get it launched.

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Scribbled Shownotes

No notes for today.

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177 - Marketing Is Not A Dirty Word

Craig Burgess — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 19:18:02 -0500

Frankie Boyle thinks marketing is evil. But is it really? And is it a dirty word?

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Scribbled Shownotes

I remember watching a Frankie Boyle stand up DVD a few years ago.
He asks people in the audience what they do for a living, and he gets the usual answers.
Consultant.
Builder.
Doctor.
Then he comes to one he doesn’t normally get.
“I work in marketing”
And Frankie Boyle calls him “an evil c**t”
The crowd cheers.
But is marketing really evil?

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176 - Stop Pushing and Start Sharing

Craig Burgess — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 19:42:38 -0500

I ventured over to LinkedIn the other day, and this is what I discovered.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I was looking at LinkedIn today, and you could argue this is the most business-focused social network
It showed me that nearly nobody gets LinkedIn, and it reminded me of something I’ve been thinking a lot about this year
It’s not my idea, I’ve read it in loads of books, article, etc.
Stop pushing YOUR MESSAGE. Stop pushing out messages, and start interacting
Start sharing USEFUL information. Make yourself indispensable.
Stop "MARKETING" and start being useful.

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175 - Work/Life Balance

Craig Burgess — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 19:38:38 -0500

Work/Life balance is a topic I think a lot about. Today I rant about it.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I have no notes for this episode. I literally ranted for 10 minutes.

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174 - Content Is Everything

Craig Burgess — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 17:00:48 -0500

Content is your way to work out everything about yourself, and your marketing.

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Scribbled Shownotes

It doesn't matter what industry you're in, you can't allow yourself to become paralysed by perfect. Nothing is perfect. Everything could have been better and tomorrow someone will make something better than you. There's over 7 billion of us, that's just a fact. The only thing you can control is your own output, and you need to start outputting things.
Even if you don't know what you want to do with your marketing, start producing content
Note I don't say creating content, because creating content means nothing
If you create content and actually hit the button and publish it, it becomes another thing in that failed folder on your computer.
When you've got original content coming out and it's on your twitter feeds, websites, Facebook streams, people have a reason to be interested in you
Any form of marketing is about getting people to care about you, your brand, your business, your products.
It all starts with them caring about you. If you've got fans of just you being you, you can market anything to them.

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173 - Show People, Don't Tell Them

Craig Burgess — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 12:17:12 -0500

The title says it all.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Today's episode was a super-quick one done over lunch time.
I spoke about the idea of showing more of your work instead of just talking about it.
This has come from me realising this, after failing for 12 years to have a proper portfolio online.

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172 - What is a GOOD brand?

Craig Burgess — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

So, what actually is a GOOD brand?

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Scribbled Shownotes

A good brand isn't automatically the prettiest
A good brand isn't a good logo
A good brand isn't one that wins lots of awards
A good brand is one that properly represents your businesss or organisation
It takes the personality and ethos of you and the other people in your business and distills it down into a logo, colour, font, van design, website
It doesn't grate when you meet somebody behind the brand. It makes sense.

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171 - Would You Trust A Fat Personal Trainer?

Craig Burgess — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

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I'm not going to reveal anything here today. You'll have to listen to find out.

Scribbled Shownotes

Should you trust somebody who tells you everything you should do, but doesn't appear to have any outward evidence that they can do it?
Take the example of a fat personal trainer. They might be the best personal trainer that's ever existed, but the fact that they're fat can't be ignored.
Why, with all their knowledge and insight, would a personal trainer be unhealthy?
Should it put you off? Would it put you off?
I do a lot of preaching on my podcast about marketing, design, social media etc, but I actually don't do some of this either.
Genius Division don't blog, rarely tweet or use Facebook. We have the luxury of getting 100% of our work from referrals, but it doesn't mean that's right.
It's a hard decision to make, because even though outwardly a business may not be practicing what it preaches, that doesn't necessarily mean the advice they give should be any less quality.
Something to think about.

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170 - You Don't Have To Be First, Just Be Consistent

Craig Burgess — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

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There's so many ways to approach marketing and so many tips out there that people forget the one most important thing.

Scribbled Shownotes

It doesn't matter about being first to any platform.
There's advantages with being first, but you've got to pick wisely.
It's easier to pick a more reliable platform.
It's more important than anything else to just be consistent.

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169 - Create Every Day

Craig Burgess — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 07:37:39 -0500

I talk about the benefits of creating every day, and how it affects all parts of your life.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Creating every day can be anything.
But when you create something every day, it affects every part of your life.
It gives you knock-on effects to everything from productivity to all the other stuff you're working on.
I update a little bit on how my new super-portfolio is coming along.

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168 - Making A Design Portfolio

Craig Burgess — Sun, 25 Jun 2017 11:10:37 -0500

I talk about making a design portfolio, and the one that I'm currently working on.

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Scribbled Shownotes

What is the point of a portfolio as a designer?
Should we make one before we need one?
I believe we should make a catalogue of our design work, and keep it up to date.
This is something I've always struggled with in the past, but I think I've finally worked out a way to do it.

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167 - Doing Some Thing

Craig Burgess — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I'm back today after being ill. That's mainly what I talk about today.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I've been ill for a few days, so I've had to take a few days off.
Today's episode is mostly about that, but I also discuss a little bit about doing things.

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166 - Competitors Are NOT Your Enemy

Craig Burgess — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

The idea that your competitors are your enemy is just ridiculous.

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Scribbled Shownotes

This idea has been bugging me for a while and I've been figuring out a way to weave it into a podcast.
The idea that all your competitors are your enemies is just stupid, and at worst self limiting or damaging.
I express some thoughts on this today.

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165 - The 10 Commandments of Graphic Design - Part 2

Craig Burgess — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 18:04:04 -0500

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I consider some of the most important things to think about as a designer.

Scribbled Shownotes

These points have been taken from Irving Younger’s fantastic YouTube video about the 10 commandments of cross-examination.
I took them, and fashioned them for design, because amazingly a lot of them cross over.

Yesterday:

Be brief. Be straightforward. Use as little design as possible like Dieter Rams said.
Use plain words. Don’t try to get too clever.
Use only leading questions. Know what you want to communicate and communicate it.
Be prepared. Be prepared.
Listen. Listen.

Today:

Do not quarrel. Sometimes quarrel. Don’t be a Yes Designer.
The best ideas are hidden behind the average ones.
Never stop learning.
Don’t rely on inspiration. It makes you a weaker designer.
Work hard and be nice to people.

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164 - The 10 Commandments of Graphic Design - Part 1

Craig Burgess — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I consider some of the most important things to think about as a designer.

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Scribbled Shownotes

These points have been taken from Irving Younger’s fantastic YouTube video about the 10 commandments of cross-examination.
I took them, and fashioned them for design, because amazingly a lot of them cross over.
Be brief. Be straightforward. Use as little design as possible like Dieter Rams said.
Use plain words. Don’t try to get too clever.
Use only leading questions. Know what you want to communicate and communicate it.
Be prepared. Be prepared.
Listen. Listen.

Support Ask a Designer Anything

163 - Content Is More Important Than Presentation

Craig Burgess — Sat, 17 Jun 2017 23:11:46 -0500

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Content is more important than presentation. Full stop.

Scribbled Shownotes

It pains me to make this episode, as a man who spends his life making things look nice
But it’s true: the content is WAAAY more important than what it looks like.
That’s not to say good content can’t be enhanced with amazing design, because it can.
In an ideal world, good content sits side by side with good design

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162 - Doing Things You're Rubbish At

Craig Burgess — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

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Why is it so important that you do stuff you're rubbish at?

Scribbled Shownotes

When we first turn up on this earth, we’re rubbish at everything.
When we get older, we get good at some stuff.
When we get a little bit older, we get good at quite a few things, and we get used to that feeling.
We get to a point where we don’t really like feeling inadequate at something anymore, and that’s really bad.
We actually forget what it feels like to learn something new. To be humble. To get those synapses firing again.
Today I talk about a couple of things I’m doing that I’m bad at, like podcasting and BJJ.

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161 - Why I'm hopeless at making design for myself

Craig Burgess — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 21:26:39 -0500

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Like other designers, I'm hopeless at making design for myself. I explore why in this episode.

Scribbled Shownotes

Today I spoke about why I'm rubbish at designing stuff for myself.
This isn't unique, loads of designers suffer from it.
I suggested some tips that might help you to get over the hump (20 minute rule/treat it like a client job)

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160 - Making What You Want To Make

Craig Burgess — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Tonight I talk about the power of making things that you want to make.

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Scribbled Shownotes

Tonight should have been quiz night, but I didn't go to the pub quiz. I stayed at home and played Zelda instead.
I'm covering some old ground with these new podcasts, because I think I have loads more to say about some of the topics
I covered this topic a bit in episode 131, and I think 80
It's all about side projects, and doing stuff you enjoy as well as stuff you need to do to get paid
You can't survive without both of them

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159 - How Lifting Weights Makes You A Better Designer

Craig Burgess — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 20:51:19 -0500

Lifting weights builds a mental resilience that's really useful to a designer.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I'm watching Betting on Zero so I had to tear myself away from that to do this podcast
Also, I watched an ace YouTube video yesterday Irving Youngers 10 commandments of cross examination that's inspired a future podcast for me
Today I'm talking about lifting weights
Lifting weights is all about persistence
And it's about persisting past what everybody else is willing to persist past
To make your muscles stronger, you need to effectively damage your muscle fibres
You only do that by putting them under increasingly more stress
And by persisting longer than anybody else

Support Ask a Designer Anything

159 - How Lifting Weights Makes You A Better Designer

Craig Burgess — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 20:51:19 -0500

Lifting weights builds a mental resilience that's really useful to a designer.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Scribbled Shownotes

I'm watching Betting on Zero so I had to tear myself away from that to do this podcast
Also, I watched an ace YouTube video yesterday Irving Youngers 10 commandments of cross examination that's inspired a future podcast for me
Today I'm talking about lifting weights
Lifting weights is all about persistence
And it's about persisting past what everybody else is willing to persist past
To make your muscles stronger, you need to effectively damage your muscle fibres
You only do that by putting them under increasingly more stress
And by persisting longer than anybody else

Support Ask a Designer Anything

158 - Just Being You

Craig Burgess — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I talk a bit about how being you is SO damn important in marketing and actually, in life as well.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I recorded this episode after thinking a lot about my journey as a podcaster.
I thought a lot about how I’ve gone from being none of myself in Episode 1, to today’s episode, where all I am is myself.
I reflected on how important that is to really make an impact on anything, and how much better it comes across when you do that.
I’ve endlessly hunted for a unique idea for a podcast, not realising that was all wrong
The unique thing about my podcast, and any other podcast, is the person doing it
The unique thing is YOU
The idea doesn’t have to be unique

Support Ask a Designer Anything

158 - Just Being You

Craig Burgess — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I talk a bit about how being you is SO damn important in marketing and actually, in life as well.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Scribbled Shownotes

I recorded this episode after thinking a lot about my journey as a podcaster.
I thought a lot about how I’ve gone from being none of myself in Episode 1, to today’s episode, where all I am is myself.
I reflected on how important that is to really make an impact on anything, and how much better it comes across when you do that.
I’ve endlessly hunted for a unique idea for a podcast, not realising that was all wrong
The unique thing about my podcast, and any other podcast, is the person doing it
The unique thing is YOU
The idea doesn’t have to be unique

Support Ask a Designer Anything

156 - The 80 Day Hump

Craig Burgess — Sat, 10 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I'm changing my podcast again. Here's why.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I feel like I'm going through an existential crisis. What do I want my podcast to be?
Last episode, I cut out a big chunk talking about this because I wasn't sure I was ready to say it, and I think it was boring too.
I spoke about my shifting mindset towards podcasting
My rising desire to do more conversation podcasts
And how I've been getting more like an audio diary lately and enjoying the format
I've started to see AADA as my podcast. I'm not doing it for anybody else
I'm not brave enough to call it The Craig Burgess Podcast
So far in my eyes I've done two seasons
The first season, episode 1-80, was all about information to help people with their marketing
The second season,episode 81-now, is all about doing my podcast my way, a heavily produced thing
And now, I've got the desire to do season 3, an audio diary of sorts
From probably tomorrow, I'll be switching to season 3
Ill be talking about design still, but no scripts
No music
No promotion, just me and the mic
Talking about stuff
I'm interested to find out if it makes my download numbers go down or up
And to see if you find it more interesting or more boring
Let's see.

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156 - The 80 Day Hump

Craig Burgess — Sat, 10 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I'm changing my podcast again. Here's why.

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Scribbled Shownotes

I feel like I'm going through an existential crisis. What do I want my podcast to be?
Last episode, I cut out a big chunk talking about this because I wasn't sure I was ready to say it, and I think it was boring too.
I spoke about my shifting mindset towards podcasting
My rising desire to do more conversation podcasts
And how I've been getting more like an audio diary lately and enjoying the format
I've started to see AADA as my podcast. I'm not doing it for anybody else
I'm not brave enough to call it The Craig Burgess Podcast
So far in my eyes I've done two seasons
The first season, episode 1-80, was all about information to help people with their marketing
The second season,episode 81-now, is all about doing my podcast my way, a heavily produced thing
And now, I've got the desire to do season 3, an audio diary of sorts
From probably tomorrow, I'll be switching to season 3
Ill be talking about design still, but no scripts
No music
No promotion, just me and the mic
Talking about stuff
I'm interested to find out if it makes my download numbers go down or up
And to see if you find it more interesting or more boring
Let's see.

Support Ask a Designer Anything

155 - Self-indulgence

Craig Burgess — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Self-indulgence is vital as a designer.

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Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

It’s easy as a designer
To get bogged down in the day to day humdrum
Of things like client amends
Projects not going your way
Or you just not being able to produce your best work
That’s why it’s OK sometimes
To give into self-indulgence
And indulge yourself in some side projects
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Peaks and troughs are natural in anything you do
Something can’t be amazing without there being something bad to compare it against after all
And even today, I go through times where the work I produce isn’t my best
Or I don’t feel its my best
Even today, I still doubt my abilities
And question whether I’m a good designer or not
And wonder endlessly whether I’m good at my job
It’s natural
It’s self doubt
It’s what we all do.
I don’t seek to remove self doubt in my life though
Because I see self doubt as a positive thing
When I’m doubting myself, I know it’s usually for two reasons
I’m doing something new or challenging
And I care about doing a good job
And neither of those things are things to avoid
Obviously I know I care about doing a good job
But even when my subconscious is doubting
I know even in my subconscious I care about doing a good job
That was a weird meta-tangent
Anyway
The reason I say this is to make a point that everything we do won’t be great
Every design you knock out isn’t going to be your best work
But there is a place where you can always do your best work
And if it doesn’t turn out to be your best work, you can just scrap it and try again
In side projects, you can always try and do your best work
There’s no restrictions on time, effort, feedback
You just do the work you want to do, when you want to do it
That’s self-indulgence
And whilst the word indulgence is often seen as a perjorative
I don’t see it like that at all
To get better as a designer you need to be indulgent
If you stick to the sometimes tight confines of a client brief
You’ll never push past and do your best work
Often clients don’t let you do your best work
Not because they’re bad clients
But because some of your design work won’t ever be applicable in a commercial setting
For example, I’ve spent about 4 weeks on and off making a illustration of Jeremy Corbyn with a Hulk Hogan badanna on
I didn’t do it because I had a client in mind
I did it because it popped into my head and I had to produce it
It was purely self-indulgent, and unlikely to be ever sold to any kind of client
But I had to do it, because I wanted to
That’s self-indulgence
And I believe we should sometimes give into it.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Outro by Komiku
2. The Life and Death of a Certain K. Zabriskie, Patriarch by Chris Zabriskie
3. The Simulation Hypothesis by Revolution Void
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep155
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

155 - Self-indulgence

Craig Burgess — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Self-indulgence is vital as a designer.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

It’s easy as a designer
To get bogged down in the day to day humdrum
Of things like client amends
Projects not going your way
Or you just not being able to produce your best work
That’s why it’s OK sometimes
To give into self-indulgence
And indulge yourself in some side projects
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Peaks and troughs are natural in anything you do
Something can’t be amazing without there being something bad to compare it against after all
And even today, I go through times where the work I produce isn’t my best
Or I don’t feel its my best
Even today, I still doubt my abilities
And question whether I’m a good designer or not
And wonder endlessly whether I’m good at my job
It’s natural
It’s self doubt
It’s what we all do.
I don’t seek to remove self doubt in my life though
Because I see self doubt as a positive thing
When I’m doubting myself, I know it’s usually for two reasons
I’m doing something new or challenging
And I care about doing a good job
And neither of those things are things to avoid
Obviously I know I care about doing a good job
But even when my subconscious is doubting
I know even in my subconscious I care about doing a good job
That was a weird meta-tangent
Anyway
The reason I say this is to make a point that everything we do won’t be great
Every design you knock out isn’t going to be your best work
But there is a place where you can always do your best work
And if it doesn’t turn out to be your best work, you can just scrap it and try again
In side projects, you can always try and do your best work
There’s no restrictions on time, effort, feedback
You just do the work you want to do, when you want to do it
That’s self-indulgence
And whilst the word indulgence is often seen as a perjorative
I don’t see it like that at all
To get better as a designer you need to be indulgent
If you stick to the sometimes tight confines of a client brief
You’ll never push past and do your best work
Often clients don’t let you do your best work
Not because they’re bad clients
But because some of your design work won’t ever be applicable in a commercial setting
For example, I’ve spent about 4 weeks on and off making a illustration of Jeremy Corbyn with a Hulk Hogan badanna on
I didn’t do it because I had a client in mind
I did it because it popped into my head and I had to produce it
It was purely self-indulgent, and unlikely to be ever sold to any kind of client
But I had to do it, because I wanted to
That’s self-indulgence
And I believe we should sometimes give into it.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Outro by Komiku
2. The Life and Death of a Certain K. Zabriskie, Patriarch by Chris Zabriskie
3. The Simulation Hypothesis by Revolution Void
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep155
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

154 - Quiz Night 1 - Male Appendage Logos, Juventus FC Kit and Wood Chucking

Craig Burgess — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 22:35:22 -0500

Introducing a new weekly format: Quiz Night.

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Questions Answered on Today's Episode

How often do you sneak dick drawings into paid work?
You seen the unveiling of the new Juve kit? I think the word is 'bland' - thoughts? https://t.co/z96dCNf5Vq
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Support Ask a Designer Anything

154 - Quiz Night 1 - Male Appendage Logos, Juventus FC Kit and Wood Chucking

Craig Burgess — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 22:35:22 -0500

Introducing a new weekly format: Quiz Night.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Questions Answered on Today's Episode

How often do you sneak dick drawings into paid work?
You seen the unveiling of the new Juve kit? I think the word is 'bland' - thoughts? https://t.co/z96dCNf5Vq
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Support Ask a Designer Anything

153 - The Complicated Future of The Web Designer

Craig Burgess — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

The web is getting more and more complicated, but where does that leave people trying to learn the trade?

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Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

I don't like making this podcast a look back on the golden days
But today warrants a revisit
When I first started making websites
An embarrassingly long time ago now
Some 16 years ago
There were really only 2 things you needed to make one
HTML
And CSS
Some people were still using tables for layout, but that's a different story for a different day
And now, in 2017, you need way more than that
Git, terminal, grunt, gulp, npm, package managers, jquery, JavaScript, Vue.js, deployment commands
It isn't simple to make a website anymore
This episode is all about my belief that the web is getting too complicated
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Yes, before you say it, you COULD still make a website out of just HTML and CSS these days
When I make a website for myself, I usually like sticking to just these two simple things
But if you rocked up to a web agency up and down the land tomorrow looking for a job
And they asked you what you knew
And you replied with HTML, CSS, and I know FTP to upload it
They wouldn't be very impressed, and you'd be unlikely to get a job
Let's get this straight, for most agencies, they now expect more
From graduates, they expect a lot of complicated technical knowledge
Things like Git, task runners, setting up Terminal and using the Terminal are just the tip of the iceberg
And I'd argue that this knowledge is expected
And honestly, we've done this to ourselves
The web industries desire to continue to push the boundaries, and to continue to get better
To use faster and more efficient technologies
To use better methodologies
Has brought about a massive technological barrier to the web design game
The rise of the role of a "front end developer" has lead to the development of lots of obscure and difficult to learn technologies
I know all this, because I've tried to teach this stuff
I've kept it simple too
Things like basic Git commands, basic Grunt stuff, basic terminal commands
And all of this goes of the head of nearly everybody I've tried teaching this to
We're in this industry every day, and I don't think we've realised how complicated we've made things
I genuinely don't think we've realised it
Even responsive web design is difficult to teach people, and a difficult concept for a young designer and a young web developer to understand
Over the past five years, we've seen the front end side of building a website
Just the HTML and CSS stuff
Take lots of hints and tips from the "real" development community
And all that is really good
Don't misinterpret what I'm saying here
PRogress is good
And progress is necessary
And the web design industry has matured a lot
But in our obsessive effort to get better and introduce better technologies
We've forgotten how the hell we can teach this complicated stuff to the people who'll be replacing us in 10, 20 years time
We've forgotten that this stuff IS complex, no matter what we think
I usually like to end on an answer
A simple solution that could fix everything that I've just been talking about
One simple thing that could make everybody understand our job easier
But unfortunately, I don't have it
Our industry does need to keep getting more technologically advanced
And we need to move with the times and the technology that is available to us
And we do absolutely need young people coming up though the web industry
So the answer just isn't...easy
Or the answer isn't even there
I guess all I'm trying to say
Is just think of the kids man
When you're making your next website, and you're implementing lots of time-saving, life changing technologies
Think of all the young designers, developers, juniors, interns, placements
And think how you'd teach this to them
Can you even do it? Is it even possible?
If we don't figure out a way as an industry, we'll be dead in 40 years
And that's no fun, is it?
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was from
1. A Walk by Mystery Mammal
2. Lonely Satellite by Mystery Mammal
3. Conviction by Little Glass Men
For a line by line rundown of this episode, go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep153
If you want to follow what I'm up to, go over to https://twitter.com/craigburgess
I'm back tomorrow with another episode of AADA

Support Ask a Designer Anything

153 - The Complicated Future of The Web Designer

Craig Burgess — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

The web is getting more and more complicated, but where does that leave people trying to learn the trade?

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

I don't like making this podcast a look back on the golden days
But today warrants a revisit
When I first started making websites
An embarrassingly long time ago now
Some 16 years ago
There were really only 2 things you needed to make one
HTML
And CSS
Some people were still using tables for layout, but that's a different story for a different day
And now, in 2017, you need way more than that
Git, terminal, grunt, gulp, npm, package managers, jquery, JavaScript, Vue.js, deployment commands
It isn't simple to make a website anymore
This episode is all about my belief that the web is getting too complicated
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Yes, before you say it, you COULD still make a website out of just HTML and CSS these days
When I make a website for myself, I usually like sticking to just these two simple things
But if you rocked up to a web agency up and down the land tomorrow looking for a job
And they asked you what you knew
And you replied with HTML, CSS, and I know FTP to upload it
They wouldn't be very impressed, and you'd be unlikely to get a job
Let's get this straight, for most agencies, they now expect more
From graduates, they expect a lot of complicated technical knowledge
Things like Git, task runners, setting up Terminal and using the Terminal are just the tip of the iceberg
And I'd argue that this knowledge is expected
And honestly, we've done this to ourselves
The web industries desire to continue to push the boundaries, and to continue to get better
To use faster and more efficient technologies
To use better methodologies
Has brought about a massive technological barrier to the web design game
The rise of the role of a "front end developer" has lead to the development of lots of obscure and difficult to learn technologies
I know all this, because I've tried to teach this stuff
I've kept it simple too
Things like basic Git commands, basic Grunt stuff, basic terminal commands
And all of this goes of the head of nearly everybody I've tried teaching this to
We're in this industry every day, and I don't think we've realised how complicated we've made things
I genuinely don't think we've realised it
Even responsive web design is difficult to teach people, and a difficult concept for a young designer and a young web developer to understand
Over the past five years, we've seen the front end side of building a website
Just the HTML and CSS stuff
Take lots of hints and tips from the "real" development community
And all that is really good
Don't misinterpret what I'm saying here
PRogress is good
And progress is necessary
And the web design industry has matured a lot
But in our obsessive effort to get better and introduce better technologies
We've forgotten how the hell we can teach this complicated stuff to the people who'll be replacing us in 10, 20 years time
We've forgotten that this stuff IS complex, no matter what we think
I usually like to end on an answer
A simple solution that could fix everything that I've just been talking about
One simple thing that could make everybody understand our job easier
But unfortunately, I don't have it
Our industry does need to keep getting more technologically advanced
And we need to move with the times and the technology that is available to us
And we do absolutely need young people coming up though the web industry
So the answer just isn't...easy
Or the answer isn't even there
I guess all I'm trying to say
Is just think of the kids man
When you're making your next website, and you're implementing lots of time-saving, life changing technologies
Think of all the young designers, developers, juniors, interns, placements
And think how you'd teach this to them
Can you even do it? Is it even possible?
If we don't figure out a way as an industry, we'll be dead in 40 years
And that's no fun, is it?
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was from
1. A Walk by Mystery Mammal
2. Lonely Satellite by Mystery Mammal
3. Conviction by Little Glass Men
For a line by line rundown of this episode, go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep153
If you want to follow what I'm up to, go over to https://twitter.com/craigburgess
I'm back tomorrow with another episode of AADA

Support Ask a Designer Anything

152 - The Future of the Web

Craig Burgess — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I've been thinking about this a lot lately: what's the future of the web?

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Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

The web used to be like a weird piece of avant garde music
Nobody understood it, and nobody could work out how to apply it to anything
Until Tim Berners-Lee
In 1980 there was a man called Tim Berners-Lee
Tim still exists today too by the way, he hasn't vanished or anything
But in 1980, he was working on something very special at CERN.
He'd previously made a prototype of his information sharing network, that at the time he called ENQUIRE
He'd been working on the idea of hypertext: interlinking documents and pages and sharing information
When he became a fellow at CERN in 1984, he saw the opportunity to take this idea further
Tim created something called the World Wide Web, by pulling together lots of different technologies like the Internet, and hypertext
The first website went online on 6th August 1991.
It's still online today.
From there, the rest is history.
And today, I want to speculate on the future.
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
Music
27 years later, the world wide web is more powerful and all encompassing than ever
It's used for everything,
from just plain old boring websites,
to replacing government services,
to allowing you to book holidays online
To actually providing people jobs, like me
I think few people would argue with me when I say that the world wide Web and the Internet are the two most important inventions of the last 30 years,
And a strong argument could be made for the most important invention of all time too
Think for a second
You could probably just about imagine life without some of the other greatest inventions
If they were gone tomorrow, you could get by without a TV
Without a car
Without a microwave
Without maybe even a phone
But try and imagine a life without the internet
And that's nearly impossible
On a daily basis, I communicate with people
Pay bills
Book cinema tickets
Sometimes book holidays
Upload a podcast to let you listen to it
Check my bank balance
Update websites and get paid to do it
Make people websites and get paid to do it
Doing all that without the Internet
Is either really hard or impossible
So that's the Web now, but what is the future?
I think about this a lot
Especially when I think how far the Web has come in 27 years
What will it look like in another 27 years?
That’s a really tough question to answer
Especially when I consider that 12 years ago, I couldn’t have predicted responsive websites
The way that websites now expand and contract based on the size of the screen viewing it
Before that, everybody made two websites
A mobile website
And a desktop website
Even that simple thing
Was precipitated by the rise of the smart phone
And popularised by Apple’s iPhone, and then the ensuing Android phones
I think the future is in mobile
I think in 20 years time, they’ll be no such thing as a desktop computer
We’ll look back on 2017 and the 2020s and think about how weird we were
I think we’ll all use touchscreen devices permanently for every task, or some other kind of input I can’t even imagine right now
The laptop, the PC, that will all be gone, because we won’t need it
It’s more immediate to tap a screen right on the thing you want to change
Than it is to guide an arrow on a screen to that location with a mouse
There’s lots of maturing that needs to happen before then in the touch screen space
Apps need to get more fully featured
And somebody needs to break out of the gaming and entertainment bubble,
and start to explore the idea of making serious productivity apps for touchscreen devices that take advantage of the medium
Rather than being hindered by it
And when the web is entirely mobile
When 90-100% of all people consume websites on screens about 500 pixels wide
The entire game changes
Design, interaction, internet speed, access, everything
Another thing that interests me too is the rise of audio and video
YouTube and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are killing TV
I’ve got no doubt about that at all
Regularly scheduled programming will be dead in 20 years
Network television won’t be the same
You’ll be able to watch what you want to watch whenever you want, anywhere
Because that’s the way it already is now, and everybody prefers it
The only thing holding it back right now is TV networks
And finally, podcasting is slowly killing radio
I think we’re still in the infancy of podcasting
But if you see it as on demand radio,
Just like on demand TV
It will eventually overtake radio, and radio will be gone
Everything will be on demand
I think the next 20 years of the web can be summed in 1 word
Convenience
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. где она мера? by Kosta T
2. Through The Storm by P C III
3. Open Door by Little Glass Men
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep152
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

152 - The Future of the Web

Craig Burgess — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I've been thinking about this a lot lately: what's the future of the web?

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Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

The web used to be like a weird piece of avant garde music
Nobody understood it, and nobody could work out how to apply it to anything
Until Tim Berners-Lee
In 1980 there was a man called Tim Berners-Lee
Tim still exists today too by the way, he hasn't vanished or anything
But in 1980, he was working on something very special at CERN.
He'd previously made a prototype of his information sharing network, that at the time he called ENQUIRE
He'd been working on the idea of hypertext: interlinking documents and pages and sharing information
When he became a fellow at CERN in 1984, he saw the opportunity to take this idea further
Tim created something called the World Wide Web, by pulling together lots of different technologies like the Internet, and hypertext
The first website went online on 6th August 1991.
It's still online today.
From there, the rest is history.
And today, I want to speculate on the future.
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
Music
27 years later, the world wide web is more powerful and all encompassing than ever
It's used for everything,
from just plain old boring websites,
to replacing government services,
to allowing you to book holidays online
To actually providing people jobs, like me
I think few people would argue with me when I say that the world wide Web and the Internet are the two most important inventions of the last 30 years,
And a strong argument could be made for the most important invention of all time too
Think for a second
You could probably just about imagine life without some of the other greatest inventions
If they were gone tomorrow, you could get by without a TV
Without a car
Without a microwave
Without maybe even a phone
But try and imagine a life without the internet
And that's nearly impossible
On a daily basis, I communicate with people
Pay bills
Book cinema tickets
Sometimes book holidays
Upload a podcast to let you listen to it
Check my bank balance
Update websites and get paid to do it
Make people websites and get paid to do it
Doing all that without the Internet
Is either really hard or impossible
So that's the Web now, but what is the future?
I think about this a lot
Especially when I think how far the Web has come in 27 years
What will it look like in another 27 years?
That’s a really tough question to answer
Especially when I consider that 12 years ago, I couldn’t have predicted responsive websites
The way that websites now expand and contract based on the size of the screen viewing it
Before that, everybody made two websites
A mobile website
And a desktop website
Even that simple thing
Was precipitated by the rise of the smart phone
And popularised by Apple’s iPhone, and then the ensuing Android phones
I think the future is in mobile
I think in 20 years time, they’ll be no such thing as a desktop computer
We’ll look back on 2017 and the 2020s and think about how weird we were
I think we’ll all use touchscreen devices permanently for every task, or some other kind of input I can’t even imagine right now
The laptop, the PC, that will all be gone, because we won’t need it
It’s more immediate to tap a screen right on the thing you want to change
Than it is to guide an arrow on a screen to that location with a mouse
There’s lots of maturing that needs to happen before then in the touch screen space
Apps need to get more fully featured
And somebody needs to break out of the gaming and entertainment bubble,
and start to explore the idea of making serious productivity apps for touchscreen devices that take advantage of the medium
Rather than being hindered by it
And when the web is entirely mobile
When 90-100% of all people consume websites on screens about 500 pixels wide
The entire game changes
Design, interaction, internet speed, access, everything
Another thing that interests me too is the rise of audio and video
YouTube and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are killing TV
I’ve got no doubt about that at all
Regularly scheduled programming will be dead in 20 years
Network television won’t be the same
You’ll be able to watch what you want to watch whenever you want, anywhere
Because that’s the way it already is now, and everybody prefers it
The only thing holding it back right now is TV networks
And finally, podcasting is slowly killing radio
I think we’re still in the infancy of podcasting
But if you see it as on demand radio,
Just like on demand TV
It will eventually overtake radio, and radio will be gone
Everything will be on demand
I think the next 20 years of the web can be summed in 1 word
Convenience
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. где она мера? by Kosta T
2. Through The Storm by P C III
3. Open Door by Little Glass Men
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep152
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

151 - 11 Things I've Learned In 11 Years - The Last 6 Years

Craig Burgess — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 12:22:30 -0500

In 150 episodes, I'm about to do something I've never done. Go uncut and unscripted.

Each episode I normally record of AADA is carefully planned and written. Then I go out and find some music to fit that episode. Then I cut out the bits where I mess up. It takes a long time.

I've been plotting this episode for a long time. I've spent a long time thinking about my 11 best things I've learned in the first 11 years of my career as a designer.

This episode didn't feel like it deserved to be carefully edited. I turned on my recorder, and started talking. What you're listening to is the result of that.

For anybody that this episode might interest, I felt they deserved to hear me being honest, and talking from the heart.

You don't know everything when you're 18
You're not good at something when you first start it
Side projects are probably the most important thing in your career
Building a network of friends is really important too
Every agency does things differently
You've got to adapt
Everything isn't always fun, or perfect, or all roses
Find enjoyable work, even if your job isn't always fun
Don't rely on motivation, rely on discipline
Read everything
Never stop learning

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Support Ask a Designer Anything

151 - 11 Things I've Learned In 11 Years - The Last 6 Years

Craig Burgess — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 12:22:30 -0500

In 150 episodes, I'm about to do something I've never done. Go uncut and unscripted.

Each episode I normally record of AADA is carefully planned and written. Then I go out and find some music to fit that episode. Then I cut out the bits where I mess up. It takes a long time.

I've been plotting this episode for a long time. I've spent a long time thinking about my 11 best things I've learned in the first 11 years of my career as a designer.

This episode didn't feel like it deserved to be carefully edited. I turned on my recorder, and started talking. What you're listening to is the result of that.

For anybody that this episode might interest, I felt they deserved to hear me being honest, and talking from the heart.

You don't know everything when you're 18
You're not good at something when you first start it
Side projects are probably the most important thing in your career
Building a network of friends is really important too
Every agency does things differently
You've got to adapt
Everything isn't always fun, or perfect, or all roses
Find enjoyable work, even if your job isn't always fun
Don't rely on motivation, rely on discipline
Read everything
Never stop learning

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Support Ask a Designer Anything

150 - 11 Things I've Learned In 11 Years - The First 5 Years

Craig Burgess — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 13:47:50 -0500

In 150 episodes, I'm about to do something I've never done. Go uncut and unscripted.

Each episode I normally record of AADA is carefully planned and written. Then I go out and find some music to fit that episode. Then I cut out the bits where I mess up. It takes a long time.

I've been plotting this episode for a long time. I've spent a long time thinking about my 11 best things I've learned in the first 11 years of my career as a designer.

This episode didn't feel like it deserved to be carefully edited. I turned on my recorder, and started talking. What you're listening to is the result of that.

For anybody that this episode might interest, I felt they deserved to hear me being honest, and talking from the heart.

You don't know everything when you're 18
You're not good at something when you first start it
Side projects are probably the most important thing in your career
Building a network of friends is really important too
Every agency does things differently

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Support Ask a Designer Anything

150 - 11 Things I've Learned In 11 Years - The First 5 Years

Craig Burgess — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 13:47:50 -0500

In 150 episodes, I'm about to do something I've never done. Go uncut and unscripted.

Each episode I normally record of AADA is carefully planned and written. Then I go out and find some music to fit that episode. Then I cut out the bits where I mess up. It takes a long time.

I've been plotting this episode for a long time. I've spent a long time thinking about my 11 best things I've learned in the first 11 years of my career as a designer.

This episode didn't feel like it deserved to be carefully edited. I turned on my recorder, and started talking. What you're listening to is the result of that.

For anybody that this episode might interest, I felt they deserved to hear me being honest, and talking from the heart.

You don't know everything when you're 18
You're not good at something when you first start it
Side projects are probably the most important thing in your career
Building a network of friends is really important too
Every agency does things differently

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Support Ask a Designer Anything

149 - Everything Is A Work In Progress

Craig Burgess — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Once you start to appreciate that nothing is ever finished, you'll live a little easier.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

As designers
We have a habit of being hyper critical
It’s natural to look back at a thing you’ve made
And think
Well, that could have been better
And maybe I could have tweaked that a bit
It’s normal to think like this
And once you accept one thing, it’s easier to deal with it too.
Everything is a work in progress.
Fast food
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
I’ve got something to admit to
I’m the worst finisher in the world
Now before you start giggling
I mean I’m rubbish at finishing anything
I’m an ideas person through and through
I think of an idea, and I can see it all the way through to completion
…
In my mind
I’m an amazing thinker
And I’m amazing at getting excited about new ideas too
And then I’m amazing at staying up until 3am to get started on it
Because of the way I think, I always start with the names
Then the branding
In fact, I was doing this only last night until about 12.30am
Way past my bed time on a school night
Being able to start a million projects and finish none of them used to really annoy me
I used to inwardly shout at myself
Why can’t you finish anything?
In fact, the only thing I’m good at finishing is 365 days challenges
And some of them I’ve failed at too
I used to think like this a lot, and it started to get me down
I decided the only way to get out of it, was to take a break from producing so much stuff
So a couple of years ago, I took a while off
As you can probably guess, it didn’t work
I was approaching this all wrong
And then it clicked what was so wrong
I never realised, everything is a work in progress
And you should be looking at doing lots of little things, often
I was looking at all the things I wanted to do
All the ideas I had
All the projects I wanted to complete
I want to learn guitar
I want to lift this much weight
Run this far
Do this thing or that
I was always looking at the end goal
And when you’re trying to do so much
And when that end goal is so far away
That kind of thinking just doesn’t work
You have to learn to love the process
If your desire is to learn the guitar
Your goal shouldn’t be to learn the guitar
It should be to turn up, 3 times a week, and play some guitar
The goal isn’t the end goal, the goal IS the process
Because by following the process, you automatically get the goal without even realising
This kind of thinking isn’t revolutionary
Learning to love the process is something that lots of people have known for years
But just appreciating it in your life a little more
And knowing everything is a work in progress
Lets you live a little easier every day
And you turn up, enjoying every single day
And who doesn’t want that?
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Mayr Hayastan/Dilijan feat. Flower Gear (VDCJ Mix part 1) by Diezel Tea
2. I hate mashed potatoes by Pousse Mousse
3. Drift Away (instrumental) by Pachyderm
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep149
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

149 - Everything Is A Work In Progress

Craig Burgess — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Once you start to appreciate that nothing is ever finished, you'll live a little easier.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

As designers
We have a habit of being hyper critical
It’s natural to look back at a thing you’ve made
And think
Well, that could have been better
And maybe I could have tweaked that a bit
It’s normal to think like this
And once you accept one thing, it’s easier to deal with it too.
Everything is a work in progress.
Fast food
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
I’ve got something to admit to
I’m the worst finisher in the world
Now before you start giggling
I mean I’m rubbish at finishing anything
I’m an ideas person through and through
I think of an idea, and I can see it all the way through to completion
…
In my mind
I’m an amazing thinker
And I’m amazing at getting excited about new ideas too
And then I’m amazing at staying up until 3am to get started on it
Because of the way I think, I always start with the names
Then the branding
In fact, I was doing this only last night until about 12.30am
Way past my bed time on a school night
Being able to start a million projects and finish none of them used to really annoy me
I used to inwardly shout at myself
Why can’t you finish anything?
In fact, the only thing I’m good at finishing is 365 days challenges
And some of them I’ve failed at too
I used to think like this a lot, and it started to get me down
I decided the only way to get out of it, was to take a break from producing so much stuff
So a couple of years ago, I took a while off
As you can probably guess, it didn’t work
I was approaching this all wrong
And then it clicked what was so wrong
I never realised, everything is a work in progress
And you should be looking at doing lots of little things, often
I was looking at all the things I wanted to do
All the ideas I had
All the projects I wanted to complete
I want to learn guitar
I want to lift this much weight
Run this far
Do this thing or that
I was always looking at the end goal
And when you’re trying to do so much
And when that end goal is so far away
That kind of thinking just doesn’t work
You have to learn to love the process
If your desire is to learn the guitar
Your goal shouldn’t be to learn the guitar
It should be to turn up, 3 times a week, and play some guitar
The goal isn’t the end goal, the goal IS the process
Because by following the process, you automatically get the goal without even realising
This kind of thinking isn’t revolutionary
Learning to love the process is something that lots of people have known for years
But just appreciating it in your life a little more
And knowing everything is a work in progress
Lets you live a little easier every day
And you turn up, enjoying every single day
And who doesn’t want that?
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Mayr Hayastan/Dilijan feat. Flower Gear (VDCJ Mix part 1) by Diezel Tea
2. I hate mashed potatoes by Pousse Mousse
3. Drift Away (instrumental) by Pachyderm
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep149
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

148 - The Colours of Fast Food

Craig Burgess — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

The colours in fast food restaurants isn't all as it seems.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

As I’m in the marketing game
I see lots of things in a different way
When you’re in marketing
Or when you’re a designer
You don’t take anything at face value
My episode yesterday about Photoshop discussed that a little bit
But today, I want to focus on something else that has hidden meanings
Fast food
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Let’s start with something really basic
And something that you won’t even think about consciously
That’s colour
Obviously, everything has a particular colour
When I spoke about political parties in episodes 145 and 144,
I talked about colour a lot
And the meaning of colour
In politics, red means a socialist/left leaning party, almost exclusively around the world
And blue means the opposite
I think Those two things, just taken by themselves,
Are pretty fascinating
Before you even see anything else, a logo, words, anything
The colour of something is already influencing you
And beyond politics, the psychology behind colour goes even deeper than that
Believe or not
When you see a colour
Just the simple act of a colour bouncing off of your retina
The it being processed by your brain
This still starts to influence you, and do all kinds of things to your mood, your hunger levels, your priorities
It’s really quite crazy when you think about it
And maybe just a little bit creepy
Fast food companies are the absolute masters at using colour to great influencing effect
Let’s take the colour red again
It’s been proven that the colour red stimulates appetite
That’s why so many fast food logos
Burger King, McDonalds, KFC
Are all predominantly red
And you have not a single say on how the colour red influences you
Because it’s programmed into your brain already
And it’s programmed to instinctually think things when presented with stimuli
Red and yellow used together, as they so often are in fast food restaurants, represents speed
And also, yellow is one of the most visible colours you can choose at any time of day, but especially in daylight, which is why McDonalds chose it for their giant M arches all around the globe
And because red and yellow has become so well known in fast food
Any other fast food places that open also pick these colours
Perpetuating the standard that fast food restaurants should be red and yellow
And as more and more fast food restaurants pop up using these colours
The more you associate red and yellow with fast food
It’s genius really
One other point that’s interesting though
Is how a lot of McDonalds have started implementing the colour green in their restaurants now
I’m not sure if it’s a worldwide thing, but this is a thing in the UK
They haven’t picked a garish green, they’ve picked a dark olive green
An earthy green
And this gives McDonalds immediately a much different impression
They’ve also upgraded to wooden tables and benches in a lot of their restaurants too
It gives off lots of new impressions of McDonalds
Mainly around quality
It makes you think about natural foods, and the environment
Lots of natural foods and vegetarian products use dark greens in their packaging
And it’s no accident McDonalds have chosen this as they’ve also been banging the "100% chicken and beef” marketing drum
The green also makes McDonalds feel more adult
And maybe a little bit more like a place to relax like a coffee shop
And not just a crappy fast food restaurant for crappy fast food
When you think about colour theory and the psychology of colour
There isn’t many greater examples than looking at fast food joints.
Next time you see a colour in a restaurant
Have a think what it’s trying to say to you
Because I guarantee
It’s trying to say more to you than you could ever possibly imagine
And it’s probably saying more to your subconscious mind
Than you even care to admit
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. 7-La hache et le canoë by Pousse Mousse
2. 4-Roulé-boulé-boulé by Pousse Mousse
3. Dans la batterie solo by Frederic Lardon feat Laura Palmée
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep148
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

148 - The Colours of Fast Food

Craig Burgess — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 23:15:00 -0500

The colours in fast food restaurants isn't all as it seems.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

As I’m in the marketing game
I see lots of things in a different way
When you’re in marketing
Or when you’re a designer
You don’t take anything at face value
My episode yesterday about Photoshop discussed that a little bit
But today, I want to focus on something else that has hidden meanings
Fast food
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Let’s start with something really basic
And something that you won’t even think about consciously
That’s colour
Obviously, everything has a particular colour
When I spoke about political parties in episodes 145 and 144,
I talked about colour a lot
And the meaning of colour
In politics, red means a socialist/left leaning party, almost exclusively around the world
And blue means the opposite
I think Those two things, just taken by themselves,
Are pretty fascinating
Before you even see anything else, a logo, words, anything
The colour of something is already influencing you
And beyond politics, the psychology behind colour goes even deeper than that
Believe or not
When you see a colour
Just the simple act of a colour bouncing off of your retina
The it being processed by your brain
This still starts to influence you, and do all kinds of things to your mood, your hunger levels, your priorities
It’s really quite crazy when you think about it
And maybe just a little bit creepy
Fast food companies are the absolute masters at using colour to great influencing effect
Let’s take the colour red again
It’s been proven that the colour red stimulates appetite
That’s why so many fast food logos
Burger King, McDonalds, KFC
Are all predominantly red
And you have not a single say on how the colour red influences you
Because it’s programmed into your brain already
And it’s programmed to instinctually think things when presented with stimuli
Red and yellow used together, as they so often are in fast food restaurants, represents speed
And also, yellow is one of the most visible colours you can choose at any time of day, but especially in daylight, which is why McDonalds chose it for their giant M arches all around the globe
And because red and yellow has become so well known in fast food
Any other fast food places that open also pick these colours
Perpetuating the standard that fast food restaurants should be red and yellow
And as more and more fast food restaurants pop up using these colours
The more you associate red and yellow with fast food
It’s genius really
One other point that’s interesting though
Is how a lot of McDonalds have started implementing the colour green in their restaurants now
I’m not sure if it’s a worldwide thing, but this is a thing in the UK
They haven’t picked a garish green, they’ve picked a dark olive green
An earthy green
And this gives McDonalds immediately a much different impression
They’ve also upgraded to wooden tables and benches in a lot of their restaurants too
It gives off lots of new impressions of McDonalds
Mainly around quality
It makes you think about natural foods, and the environment
Lots of natural foods and vegetarian products use dark greens in their packaging
And it’s no accident McDonalds have chosen this as they’ve also been banging the "100% chicken and beef” marketing drum
The green also makes McDonalds feel more adult
And maybe a little bit more like a place to relax like a coffee shop
And not just a crappy fast food restaurant for crappy fast food
When you think about colour theory and the psychology of colour
There isn’t many greater examples than looking at fast food joints.
Next time you see a colour in a restaurant
Have a think what it’s trying to say to you
Because I guarantee
It’s trying to say more to you than you could ever possibly imagine
And it’s probably saying more to your subconscious mind
Than you even care to admit
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. 7-La hache et le canoë by Pousse Mousse
2. 4-Roulé-boulé-boulé by Pousse Mousse
3. Dans la batterie solo by Frederic Lardon feat Laura Palmée
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep148
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

147 - None Of What You See Is Real

Craig Burgess — Wed, 31 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

With Photoshop, and CGI, none of what you see is real anymore. I explain why.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

I recently watched a YouTube video about David Fincher
If you dont know him, he's a film director
He's a pretty big deal
He's directed things like Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network, and he was very influential in the making of Netflixs House of Cards
As I said, he's a big deal
The video I watched was about Fincher use of CGI in films for things that seemed, well, pointless
He'd use CGI for putting stuff on Cork boards in detective's rooms
And CGI for most of the blood spatters
He does it so he has absolute control over how the blood spatter looks
He doesn't have to rely on anything as boring as gravity and physics to ruin his shot
It got me thinking of the comparison in design
Or at least, Photoshopping things
And how nearly any photo you see these days
Just isn't real
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Let me ask you a question
When you see a photo in a magazine or on a billboard, do you think it's real?
It's a question you probably haven't considered much
What is real anyway?
You'll see it, and see its a real human, so yeah, you probably think it's real
Or it's a real country side, so yeah, it's real
After all, why would anybody bother to fake it rather than just take a photo?
It's sound logic
Surely it's easier to send a photographer to a location and take the photo?
Because I'm a designer, I see these things differently.
I know how hard it can be to get a perfect photo
I know how much some photos are altered, and sometimes completely changed
It isn't often you see a side by side comparison
Between an original photo and the retouched one
Just like David Fincher using CGI for surprisingly small things, you'd be surprised how often photos are retouched or photoshopped as most people say
I've seen everything from composite photos made
Which is where an entirely new image is made from several other images
This is usually done for things like movie posters and car advertisements
And everything down to using it for things swapping out skies
Or making the sun brighter, or darker
Photoshop is a stupidly powerful tool
And it isn't always used for innocent purposee
I can't do an episode about photoshop without talking about models
Most models are photoshopped in every photo
Everything from simple things like removing pores from skin so skin looks smoother, to brightening eyes, removing wrinkles,
And the most despicable of all
Changing a models shape
Making a model thinner
Taller
More muscly or more curvy, depending on the model and the purpose needed
These photos aren't anything like just taking a photo
These kind of photo shoots with models and I say that with lots of inverted commas
Are a two part process
Photos are taken with the model looking their best
The after that, the photos are given to photo retouchers to make them look extra specisl
Or to make the model look like they always do in magazines or movies
Photoshop has become such a powerful tool at retouching photos
Just as CGI is in movies now
That you just can't trust a single thing you see anymore
And I'm saying that from somebody in the know.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Air Hockey Saloon by Chris Zabriskie
2. Nothing Like Captain Crunch by Broke For Free
3. The Wrong Way by Jazzer
For a line by line rundown go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep147
Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

146 - Using Design To Improve Business

Craig Burgess — Tue, 30 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

How do you use design to improve your business?

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Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

After my last couple of episodes about politics
I’m leaving all that alone for a couple of episodes now
And I’m going to return to talking about some less controversial topics
Although…some people might see this one as a bit controversial
Especially if you’re in business
And you don’t really appreciate the value of design and design thinking
By the end of this episode, I think you might appreciate design a little bit more
Today I’m talking about how design can improve businesses
And the power that having a design first mentality can bring
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
I’m going to start with a really overworked example of how design is used in business
But as much as it’s overworked, and overused to explain how powerful design and business can be
It’s a great example
Throughout the years, there’s been lots of businesses that have put design at the heart of their company, and made a lot of money from it
Think Braun, Dyson, Airbnb, and the king of it all, Apple
Apple is the example I want to start with
But first, let me explain what I mean by a business that puts design first
Essentially, they design amazing products, be them digital or physical, and spend all their effort designing those products
Or at least, outwardly to the public they appear to be doing this
They value design inside their business above almost everything else
And no how valuable a well-designed product is
To return to the Apple example
Think about the difference between a £300 Windows laptop, and a £1200 MacBook
The Windows laptop will feel cheap, usually made of plastic
It’ll start breaking away almost as soon as you buy it
And it’ll be full of bloatware and software you just don’t need
Compare that with the MacBook
As soon a you see the packaging, you know it’s a quality product
Apple even spend stupid amounts of care and attention on their packaging, to give you the exact impression they want you to feel
Quality
And then when you open it up, and feel that MacBook, you know you’re handling a quality product
It’s made of aluminium, feels premium, and you instantly know you’ve made the right choice
Even when you boot up the MacBook for the first time, the software is easy to use
It’s clean, functional, and guides you through the entire process
This has all come about because Apple care about the entire design experience
They care about designing and manufacturing really good products, and it shows in everything they do
And that’s because they value design above everything else
They value profits too, which is why they’re one of the largest companies in the world in terms of money made each year
But even if you don’t like Apple, and you hate their laptops and their phones and their stupid watches, you can’t deny they’re well-designed products
Jony Ive clearly has always wanted to leave a legacy around his products
And you get the impression that their current range of products will be looked back on in 20 years by product designers and still admired
Just like the original iMac is today
And other design-led companies are just like this too
Look at Dyson
James Dyson and everybody else at Dyson is utterly focused on making the best products possible, just like Apple
Even if you don’t buy one of their vacuum cleaners, fans or desk lights, you look at them and they’re just damn cool
You know they’re products that are at the top of their game
And one of the major advantages of all this design led thinking, and trying to produce the best products you can
Is that it makes your company unique in your marketplace, even if you’re making the same things as everybody else
And also… you make more money. Apple, Dyson, Braun… none of their products were cheap.
These companies demand a premium for their products, because their premium products
For me, the only way to run a business is to run it with a design-led mentality
Because throughout it all, the only way to really get satisfaction in anything you do
Is to try and make the best damn thing possible, no matter what your business is.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. World Take by Drake Stafford
2. All Your Organs Get A Laugh by Mystery Mammal
3. Good Grief by Mystery Mammal
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep146
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

145 - The Design of The Conservative Party

Craig Burgess — Mon, 29 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

In the lead up to the general election in the UK on June 8th, I'm doing a series of episodes about the design of UK political parties. Today's is about The Conservatives.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

Yesterday I spoke about the design and branding of the Labour party
I spoke about how they use the colour red, and where the red came from
And I went through their logos, and spoke about some of their reasoning behind their logos
I enjoyed doing it actually, a lot
And in the lead up to the june 8th general election in the UK
I’m doing a series of episodes analysing the history of the design and branding of the major UK political parties
There’s something I didn’t mention yesterday that I want to mention today
I’m trying to be as objective as I can with these episodes, as I’m not trying to influence your political opinion in any way
I’m purely looking at the political parties because their interesting, and not for any other reason
The only other reason I’m doing these episodes is so I can try and influence you to vote
It doesn’t matter who you vote for, but if you’re a UK citizen over 18 it’s really important you vote
Anyway, enough of that. Let’s get to looking at The Conservatives design and branding throughout the years
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Let’s start like we started last time, by looking at colour
As Labour is red, the Conservatives are almost the exact opposite: they’re blue
In really crude, childish terms, just the colour difference shows how different they are to other parties like Labour
It’s a little bit like when the bad guy and the good guy in a cartoon always wear different coloured clothes
It immediately and very obviously sets up a point of difference between the parties
And that colour… blue… you can’t really go wrong with that
You’ll see a million companies out there using the colour blue, because it’s a very safe colour
It’s a very popular colour with banks and other things to do with money, because it means safety, and security
It’s a colour that makes a lot of sense for a political party to use
Because it’s used extensively throughout businesses that you tend to trust
It almost automatically sets you up to trust a political party that is blue
Blue also, is nearly always used to indicate a political party with conservative views
But not always, because in america—as is a lot of other things—it’s the complete opposite
In America, the democrats are blue, and the republicans (the conservative party equivalent) are red
But america is the exception to the rule here
So for The Conservatives in the UK, the blue colour makes a lot of sense, both as a political colour and as any business picking a colour
It actually makes a little bit more sense than Labour’s choice of red, as red can be seen as quite a striking or negative colour to some people and cultures
Blue is just safe, almost universally, around the entire world
So that’s the colour blue, but what about that logo?
Well, the Conservatives logo is actually pretty interesting
I struggled to find the original logo of the Conservatives, but I found the one they used right back in the Thatcher era
The torch logo, introduced in the Thatcher era, is a really strong statement of intent
It isn’t like Labour’s original logo, that plays to the people
This logo, the torch logo, was grandiose, and dare I say even a little bit pompous
It reminds me of an olympics logo, or the logo for a Great Britain sports team
It feels strong, and powerful, and a logo that you can get behind and be proud to wear as a pin badge
In comparison to the Labour logo of the British rose, the British rose is a much more restrained and down to earth symbol
It doesn’t have the same weighty intent behind it, and such an overt sense of power embedded in it
Even the way that the hand is holding the torch reminds me of old Russian propaganda posters
It completely sums up a strong character like Thatcher, and you can tell that it was almost invented for her and her ideals and how she thought the country should be ran
Personally, I think the symbol is too strong, and it makes the Conservatives look like a baddie in a movie.
and depending on your political persuasion, you might agree with that
I can completely see though why, when David Cameron came into power, he unveiled a new logo
In 2006 they introduced the now infamous “scribbled tree”
And simple—some may say crude—drawing of an oak tree, showing strength and longevity
It still gets across lots of the messages of the original torch, but in a much less pushy and shouty way.
It’s much less propogandery, and much more…well…socialist feeling
Also, the original logo they unveiled was actually green too, which to me smacked of a little bit of pandering to try and show they were trying to become more environmentally focused
The green in the logo was a little too simplistic for me
And then in 2010, they introduced the update to the tree, where they replaced the green with a Union Jack
I always thought that adding the Union Jack to the logo was a direct response to parties like UKIP gaining popularity
And in the same way they used green to show environment, this was another simplistic attempt to show the tories were nationalists as well
Looking at their website
Their website is very similar to Labour’s, in its simplistic design
But whereas Labour decided not to use too much red on their site, the tories have used LOTS of blue on theirs
Intriguingly, they’re also playing a different marketing game to what Labour are playing
The Conservatives have constantly been pushing Teresa May, rather than the conservative party
And also, they’ve been directly attacking Jeremy Corbyn, rather than the Labour party
I don’t have much more to say on it other than that’s an interesting approach
Whether it works or not, we’ll see come June 9th.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Siamo Tutti Antifascisti by Monplaisir
2. Radiasiya by Mystery Mammal
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep145
That’s it for the politics for now, but I’ll be doing an analysis of a couple of the other parties over the nest couple o days too
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

145 - The Design of The Conservative Party

Craig Burgess — Mon, 29 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

In the lead up to the general election in the UK on June 8th, I'm doing a series of episodes about the design of UK political parties. Today's is about The Conservatives.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

Yesterday I spoke about the design and branding of the Labour party
I spoke about how they use the colour red, and where the red came from
And I went through their logos, and spoke about some of their reasoning behind their logos
I enjoyed doing it actually, a lot
And in the lead up to the june 8th general election in the UK
I’m doing a series of episodes analysing the history of the design and branding of the major UK political parties
There’s something I didn’t mention yesterday that I want to mention today
I’m trying to be as objective as I can with these episodes, as I’m not trying to influence your political opinion in any way
I’m purely looking at the political parties because their interesting, and not for any other reason
The only other reason I’m doing these episodes is so I can try and influence you to vote
It doesn’t matter who you vote for, but if you’re a UK citizen over 18 it’s really important you vote
Anyway, enough of that. Let’s get to looking at The Conservatives design and branding throughout the years
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Let’s start like we started last time, by looking at colour
As Labour is red, the Conservatives are almost the exact opposite: they’re blue
In really crude, childish terms, just the colour difference shows how different they are to other parties like Labour
It’s a little bit like when the bad guy and the good guy in a cartoon always wear different coloured clothes
It immediately and very obviously sets up a point of difference between the parties
And that colour… blue… you can’t really go wrong with that
You’ll see a million companies out there using the colour blue, because it’s a very safe colour
It’s a very popular colour with banks and other things to do with money, because it means safety, and security
It’s a colour that makes a lot of sense for a political party to use
Because it’s used extensively throughout businesses that you tend to trust
It almost automatically sets you up to trust a political party that is blue
Blue also, is nearly always used to indicate a political party with conservative views
But not always, because in america—as is a lot of other things—it’s the complete opposite
In America, the democrats are blue, and the republicans (the conservative party equivalent) are red
But america is the exception to the rule here
So for The Conservatives in the UK, the blue colour makes a lot of sense, both as a political colour and as any business picking a colour
It actually makes a little bit more sense than Labour’s choice of red, as red can be seen as quite a striking or negative colour to some people and cultures
Blue is just safe, almost universally, around the entire world
So that’s the colour blue, but what about that logo?
Well, the Conservatives logo is actually pretty interesting
I struggled to find the original logo of the Conservatives, but I found the one they used right back in the Thatcher era
The torch logo, introduced in the Thatcher era, is a really strong statement of intent
It isn’t like Labour’s original logo, that plays to the people
This logo, the torch logo, was grandiose, and dare I say even a little bit pompous
It reminds me of an olympics logo, or the logo for a Great Britain sports team
It feels strong, and powerful, and a logo that you can get behind and be proud to wear as a pin badge
In comparison to the Labour logo of the British rose, the British rose is a much more restrained and down to earth symbol
It doesn’t have the same weighty intent behind it, and such an overt sense of power embedded in it
Even the way that the hand is holding the torch reminds me of old Russian propaganda posters
It completely sums up a strong character like Thatcher, and you can tell that it was almost invented for her and her ideals and how she thought the country should be ran
Personally, I think the symbol is too strong, and it makes the Conservatives look like a baddie in a movie.
and depending on your political persuasion, you might agree with that
I can completely see though why, when David Cameron came into power, he unveiled a new logo
In 2006 they introduced the now infamous “scribbled tree”
And simple—some may say crude—drawing of an oak tree, showing strength and longevity
It still gets across lots of the messages of the original torch, but in a much less pushy and shouty way.
It’s much less propogandery, and much more…well…socialist feeling
Also, the original logo they unveiled was actually green too, which to me smacked of a little bit of pandering to try and show they were trying to become more environmentally focused
The green in the logo was a little too simplistic for me
And then in 2010, they introduced the update to the tree, where they replaced the green with a Union Jack
I always thought that adding the Union Jack to the logo was a direct response to parties like UKIP gaining popularity
And in the same way they used green to show environment, this was another simplistic attempt to show the tories were nationalists as well
Looking at their website
Their website is very similar to Labour’s, in its simplistic design
But whereas Labour decided not to use too much red on their site, the tories have used LOTS of blue on theirs
Intriguingly, they’re also playing a different marketing game to what Labour are playing
The Conservatives have constantly been pushing Teresa May, rather than the conservative party
And also, they’ve been directly attacking Jeremy Corbyn, rather than the Labour party
I don’t have much more to say on it other than that’s an interesting approach
Whether it works or not, we’ll see come June 9th.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Siamo Tutti Antifascisti by Monplaisir
2. Radiasiya by Mystery Mammal
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep145
That’s it for the politics for now, but I’ll be doing an analysis of a couple of the other parties over the nest couple o days too
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

144 - The Design of The Labour Party

Craig Burgess — Sun, 28 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

In the lead up to the general election in the UK on June 8th, I'm doing a series of episodes about the design of UK political parties. Today's is about Labour.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

When it comes to design
And branding, and visual stuff
Basically, the thing I do for a job every day
Political parties are really interesting
No matter what country we look at
Be it American politics, French politics, UK politics,
They all make really fascinating choices when it comes to design
In the lead up to the UK general election on June 8
I’m going to be doing a series of episodes of my podcast looking at the branding of UK political parties
Today, let’s talk about the design and branding of the Labour party
Just a quick note: In this episode I talk about some visual stuff that you won’t be able to see
If you want to see what I’m talking about, I’ve linked to any images that I’ve mentioned in the show notes
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Let’s start by talking about colours
Each political party all around the world have a particular identifying colour
In the UK, UKIP is purple, Conservatives are Blue, Liberal Democrats are yellow,
And Labour is red
You’ll notice they’re all really simple colours that are easy to differentiate
For example, Labour isn’t lime green and Conservatives aren’t a dark green
It’s important that each party picks a strong colour
If you don’t know your colour theory, it’s also interesting to note that each major party has what’s called a primary colour as their main party colour
Primary colours are the core colours on the colour wheel, and they’re the base colours that everything else is made from
They’ve all picked these colours because they’re the strongest, and the most easily identifiable by pretty much anybody
What’s particularly interesting about the colour red for Labour in the UK though
Is that the left leaning party in America—the democrats—is actually blue
Red is a very interesting choice for Labour in the UK
Red, on its own, has all sorts of connotations around the globe
It strongly means things like danger, or blood, but it also strongly means passion, and love
In the political landscape though, red tends to mean different things
It’s usually used to symbolise left wing ideologies
The most famous being communism and socialism
The oldest symbol of communism in fact is the red flag, which dates back to 1848
So red is really old, and its long since been associated with communism and socialism
As Labour started as a party to put forward the interests of the workers and unions, it’s pretty obvious why they chose red.
And as they’re generally considered left leaning party, and according to wikipedia their ideology is social democracy, red makes perfect sense
Just by seeing the name Labour, then the red colour, you’ll know this is a social democatric party.
Whilst under Tony Blair Labour wanted to hide the fact they were a social party, talking about New Labour and The Third Way
It makes perfect sense under Jeremy Corbyn that they shout the fact that they’re red
Interestingly, during the New Labour campaign with Tony Blair, looking back at old pictures shows that they didn’t use much red in his campaign, particularly in backgrounds and when they wrote the words New Labour
Let’s look at Labour’s logo throughout the years now
If we look at the original Labour logo, used right up until 1983, they clearly spoke very directly to their core audience of workers and unionists
The logo said LIBERTY across the middle of it, in a strong serif font
And that word was crossed with a spade and a quill
I actually couldn’t find a definitive history of the Labour logo after 1983, until I came across Logopedia and found an article on there
Surprisingly, throughout Labours entire history they’ve only had 3 logos, showing a commitment to a logo that you don’t normally see with any company, let alone a political party who has to try and influence people during every general election
Compare it to the Conservatives, who have managed to change theirs 4 times in 30 years,
vs labour’s that’s changed 3 times in over 100 years, and you can see how significant that might be
In 1986, Labour introduced the English rose as the logo, and they’ve kept the same symbol ever since
In 2007 they modernised the logo slightly, and also made it more red, maybe meaning to signify their return to their original ideals
It’s clear they removed the spade and quill—or maybe it was a feather—from their logo to modernise the party a little bit,
and try to appeal to a wider audience, which is never a bad idea
They’ve actually simplified their logo quite a bit, and looking at some of their recent marketing material,
and particularly their website, they’ve simplified their design too
It’s not often you see complicated political websites because they have to grab somebodies attention very quickly
And get straight to the heart of the message very easily
And also, they’ve got to cater to a very wide ranging audience
So this usually means that you see their websites looking very simple
But looking at the labour website
It does quite strongly remind me of a budget supermarket
Not any one in particular
But that’s the thing I think of the most when I see it
I don’t think this is a bad thing
As it needs to be simple so everybody understands it
But it’s an interesting angle they’re taking nonetheless
The labour party clearly want to be known as the party of the people
And they want to be inclusive to anybody
And this shows in their style of design and branding
Used throughout all their marketing materials, logo, and website.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Simple Hop by Broke For Free
2. Let me be by Soft and Furious
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep144
Tomorrow, I’m going to see how the Conservatives stack up against their message with their branding and design
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

144 - The Design of The Labour Party

Craig Burgess — Sun, 28 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

In the lead up to the general election in the UK on June 8th, I'm doing a series of episodes about the design of UK political parties. Today's is about Labour.

Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

When it comes to design
And branding, and visual stuff
Basically, the thing I do for a job every day
Political parties are really interesting
No matter what country we look at
Be it American politics, French politics, UK politics,
They all make really fascinating choices when it comes to design
In the lead up to the UK general election on June 8
I’m going to be doing a series of episodes of my podcast looking at the branding of UK political parties
Today, let’s talk about the design and branding of the Labour party
Just a quick note: In this episode I talk about some visual stuff that you won’t be able to see
If you want to see what I’m talking about, I’ve linked to any images that I’ve mentioned in the show notes
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Let’s start by talking about colours
Each political party all around the world have a particular identifying colour
In the UK, UKIP is purple, Conservatives are Blue, Liberal Democrats are yellow,
And Labour is red
You’ll notice they’re all really simple colours that are easy to differentiate
For example, Labour isn’t lime green and Conservatives aren’t a dark green
It’s important that each party picks a strong colour
If you don’t know your colour theory, it’s also interesting to note that each major party has what’s called a primary colour as their main party colour
Primary colours are the core colours on the colour wheel, and they’re the base colours that everything else is made from
They’ve all picked these colours because they’re the strongest, and the most easily identifiable by pretty much anybody
What’s particularly interesting about the colour red for Labour in the UK though
Is that the left leaning party in America—the democrats—is actually blue
Red is a very interesting choice for Labour in the UK
Red, on its own, has all sorts of connotations around the globe
It strongly means things like danger, or blood, but it also strongly means passion, and love
In the political landscape though, red tends to mean different things
It’s usually used to symbolise left wing ideologies
The most famous being communism and socialism
The oldest symbol of communism in fact is the red flag, which dates back to 1848
So red is really old, and its long since been associated with communism and socialism
As Labour started as a party to put forward the interests of the workers and unions, it’s pretty obvious why they chose red.
And as they’re generally considered left leaning party, and according to wikipedia their ideology is social democracy, red makes perfect sense
Just by seeing the name Labour, then the red colour, you’ll know this is a social democatric party.
Whilst under Tony Blair Labour wanted to hide the fact they were a social party, talking about New Labour and The Third Way
It makes perfect sense under Jeremy Corbyn that they shout the fact that they’re red
Interestingly, during the New Labour campaign with Tony Blair, looking back at old pictures shows that they didn’t use much red in his campaign, particularly in backgrounds and when they wrote the words New Labour
Let’s look at Labour’s logo throughout the years now
If we look at the original Labour logo, used right up until 1983, they clearly spoke very directly to their core audience of workers and unionists
The logo said LIBERTY across the middle of it, in a strong serif font
And that word was crossed with a spade and a quill
I actually couldn’t find a definitive history of the Labour logo after 1983, until I came across Logopedia and found an article on there
Surprisingly, throughout Labours entire history they’ve only had 3 logos, showing a commitment to a logo that you don’t normally see with any company, let alone a political party who has to try and influence people during every general election
Compare it to the Conservatives, who have managed to change theirs 4 times in 30 years,
vs labour’s that’s changed 3 times in over 100 years, and you can see how significant that might be
In 1986, Labour introduced the English rose as the logo, and they’ve kept the same symbol ever since
In 2007 they modernised the logo slightly, and also made it more red, maybe meaning to signify their return to their original ideals
It’s clear they removed the spade and quill—or maybe it was a feather—from their logo to modernise the party a little bit,
and try to appeal to a wider audience, which is never a bad idea
They’ve actually simplified their logo quite a bit, and looking at some of their recent marketing material,
and particularly their website, they’ve simplified their design too
It’s not often you see complicated political websites because they have to grab somebodies attention very quickly
And get straight to the heart of the message very easily
And also, they’ve got to cater to a very wide ranging audience
So this usually means that you see their websites looking very simple
But looking at the labour website
It does quite strongly remind me of a budget supermarket
Not any one in particular
But that’s the thing I think of the most when I see it
I don’t think this is a bad thing
As it needs to be simple so everybody understands it
But it’s an interesting angle they’re taking nonetheless
The labour party clearly want to be known as the party of the people
And they want to be inclusive to anybody
And this shows in their style of design and branding
Used throughout all their marketing materials, logo, and website.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Simple Hop by Broke For Free
2. Let me be by Soft and Furious
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep144
Tomorrow, I’m going to see how the Conservatives stack up against their message with their branding and design
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

143 - The Dying Art of Conversation

Craig Burgess — Sat, 27 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Is the art of conversation dying, or is it just different?

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Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

It’s funny
Talking about the dying art of conversation to a medium of listeners that’s all about conversation
But it’s a topic I talk about a lot to my friends about
And it’s an important topic to designers
The reason it’s important to designers is because so much of what we do is about conversing
We have to have a conversation to sell our design work
To discuss projects, goals and briefs
And countless other parts of our job that require designers to be masters of the art of conversation
But how does this change our job, if the art of conversation is dying
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
On April the 21st, 2006, the BBC ran an article about the dying art of conversation
In it they spoke to two self styled expert conversationalists about how conversation is changing
They talk about time being a factor, that everybody is busier now
And they talk about old TV talk shows, where they used to have one guest on for an hour,
and now the same talk shows have five guests in the same time
They talk about how our attention spans are shorter, that we have less patience for chit chat, and that we’re not good listeners
All of which I agree with, but this article is from 2006, 11 years ago
Now, in 2017, the situation is even worse
The rise of so many text-based chat apps: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, iMessage, Twitter and all the rest, mean we’re even more text-baed now, and not conversation based
We’re conversing with each other, but less and less, we’re actually talking to each other
You know, actually looking each other in the eye and saying words
Let’s talk about one final example
In the UK
The good old British Public House used to be the place to find a conversation, every night of the week
Often called Pubs, pubs used to be everywhere across the UK
Any night, you could turn up to your local pub, and talk with people over a pint of beer
They’re used to be 3 pubs within 2 minutes walking distance from my house about 10 years ago
And now there’s 0
Pubs are dying too, and they were one of the last bastions of the good old art of conversation
Lots of people say pubs have lost their appeal in the UK because beer became so expensive at them
But maybe it’s because people don’t like, or aren’t skilled in the art of conversation anymore
Some people even point to the rise in the popularity of podcasts as an indicator that conversation is dying
But...
Maybe I’m wrong with all of this
Maybe all this means is conversation is changing
And there’s big signs that this is true too
WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook Messenger and all those are absolutely thriving
The younger generation spend hours every day chatting to each other over messaging apps
And they’re actually spending longer than even chatting to each other in these formats than anybody ever did face to face
It’s not dying, it’s just different from what I and loads of other people are used to
Whether that’s true, or not, it’s important as designers that we understand how conversation is changing
Whether young people’s conversation patterns are changing or not, it’s vital that designers are excellent communicators
We need to sell our ideas, sell our our work, and sell ourselves every single day
The only way we can effectively do that is through being excellent communicators, and being good at the art of conversation
And then we need to understand all of this
The changing landscape of conversation
Because every design we produce has to communicate something
And if we don’t understand how to communicate
And communicate to anybody, regardless of age
Then we might as well not bother designing anything else
And regardless of all that, even when you put aside everything I’ve said
Chatting to people, just talking to people, with nothing else, no distractions, is just nice
There’s nothing I enjoy more than sitting down with interesting people and having a chat
I can’t think of many other things in life more enjoyable than a really deep interesting chat with interesting people.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Comfortably loved by Soft and Furious
2. When the blood driving the self by Soft and Furious
3. Empowered Ending by Soft and Furious
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep143
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

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143 - The Dying Art of Conversation

Craig Burgess — Sat, 27 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Is the art of conversation dying, or is it just different?

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It’s funny
Talking about the dying art of conversation to a medium of listeners that’s all about conversation
But it’s a topic I talk about a lot to my friends about
And it’s an important topic to designers
The reason it’s important to designers is because so much of what we do is about conversing
We have to have a conversation to sell our design work
To discuss projects, goals and briefs
And countless other parts of our job that require designers to be masters of the art of conversation
But how does this change our job, if the art of conversation is dying
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
On April the 21st, 2006, the BBC ran an article about the dying art of conversation
In it they spoke to two self styled expert conversationalists about how conversation is changing
They talk about time being a factor, that everybody is busier now
And they talk about old TV talk shows, where they used to have one guest on for an hour,
and now the same talk shows have five guests in the same time
They talk about how our attention spans are shorter, that we have less patience for chit chat, and that we’re not good listeners
All of which I agree with, but this article is from 2006, 11 years ago
Now, in 2017, the situation is even worse
The rise of so many text-based chat apps: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, iMessage, Twitter and all the rest, mean we’re even more text-baed now, and not conversation based
We’re conversing with each other, but less and less, we’re actually talking to each other
You know, actually looking each other in the eye and saying words
Let’s talk about one final example
In the UK
The good old British Public House used to be the place to find a conversation, every night of the week
Often called Pubs, pubs used to be everywhere across the UK
Any night, you could turn up to your local pub, and talk with people over a pint of beer
They’re used to be 3 pubs within 2 minutes walking distance from my house about 10 years ago
And now there’s 0
Pubs are dying too, and they were one of the last bastions of the good old art of conversation
Lots of people say pubs have lost their appeal in the UK because beer became so expensive at them
But maybe it’s because people don’t like, or aren’t skilled in the art of conversation anymore
Some people even point to the rise in the popularity of podcasts as an indicator that conversation is dying
But...
Maybe I’m wrong with all of this
Maybe all this means is conversation is changing
And there’s big signs that this is true too
WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook Messenger and all those are absolutely thriving
The younger generation spend hours every day chatting to each other over messaging apps
And they’re actually spending longer than even chatting to each other in these formats than anybody ever did face to face
It’s not dying, it’s just different from what I and loads of other people are used to
Whether that’s true, or not, it’s important as designers that we understand how conversation is changing
Whether young people’s conversation patterns are changing or not, it’s vital that designers are excellent communicators
We need to sell our ideas, sell our our work, and sell ourselves every single day
The only way we can effectively do that is through being excellent communicators, and being good at the art of conversation
And then we need to understand all of this
The changing landscape of conversation
Because every design we produce has to communicate something
And if we don’t understand how to communicate
And communicate to anybody, regardless of age
Then we might as well not bother designing anything else
And regardless of all that, even when you put aside everything I’ve said
Chatting to people, just talking to people, with nothing else, no distractions, is just nice
There’s nothing I enjoy more than sitting down with interesting people and having a chat
I can’t think of many other things in life more enjoyable than a really deep interesting chat with interesting people.
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Comfortably loved by Soft and Furious
2. When the blood driving the self by Soft and Furious
3. Empowered Ending by Soft and Furious
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep143
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

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142 - My Favourite Kind of Design - Part 2 - Old Design and Alan Fletcher

Craig Burgess — Fri, 26 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Here's another episode where I gush about my favourite kind of design.

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I was asked by Ian Moss
What my favourite piece of design is
And what areas, such as communication, graphic design, architecture
I enjoyed answering the question so much back in episode 122
That I’m going to answer it again
Let’s go for a second round
This is all about my favourite kind of design
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
When I think about design that I love
I mean, really love
Almost none of it is new design
In episode 138 I spoke about designing logos
And how all of my favourite logos were Paul Rand ones
I love old graphic design especially, because it has something that I can’t quite put my finger on
Lots of it has has an innocence that’s missing from modern graphic design
Now, you can easily hide behind amazing technical ability
You can hide behind how well you can command Illustrator or Photoshop to realise your pretty pictures
Old graphic design didn’t allow for that
You drew ideas on paper, then you drew them again properly, and somebody would use that as an actual logo
Old graphic design was limited by the production methods available
But because of that, the ideas behind so many of them are amazing
You couldn’t rely on execution to hide behind
You had to come up with an amazing idea, something witty or clever
Witty and clever design is much rarer these days
Maybe it’s because there’s so many more designers
And anybody can be a designer with a laptop and the right applications
So all the good stuff gets hidden under the dross
Or maybe it’s just that modern design favours technically brilliant design over witty stuff
I’m not really sure on that one
But when it comes to designers that I’d love to even have 20% of their skill and intellect, Paul Rand is on the list, but Alan Fletcher is somebody I appreciate even more
Paul Rand was just way more than just a designer, and he embodied what I see a “proper” designer should be
His fascination about the world of design and art never faded throughout his whole career
And his books, particularly The Art of Looking Sideways, are masterpieces
The Art of Looking Sideways is an interesting read for anybody, whether you’re as much in love with design as me or not
That book showed Alan Fletcher at his absolute best
Curious about everything, and using that curiosity about everything to make great graphic design
He understood, so well, that inspiration can come from anywhere and because of that we should be interested in everything
I’ve taken that into my own career, and I’m endlessly pursuing new knowledge and experiences to help fuel inspiration for my design
And of course, he founded Pentagram, one of the greatest design studios out there today doing work
Alan Flecher and Paul Rand were proper graphic designers
Their design work was ideas lead, and it was always about producing the simplest design work possible to execute that idea
They didn’t gradients or flashy effects to do any of that, and it wasn’t available to them even if they wanted it
They relentlessly searched for interesting ideas, and new ways of looking at problems that had already been answered a thousand times
They really were on the cusp of when graphic design started to establish itself as a real profession
When sometimes they’d be called commercial artists
There’s just something magical about that era
Something that’s better than now
I could put it down to a feeling of nostalgia
But I didn’t live through that era, so there’s no reason for me to remember it fondly
I think the reason why I love old graphic design so much
Design like Alan Fletcher’s and Paul Rand’s
Is because it was just pure
It wasn’t diluted in any way
It was just pure ideas
From people who were at the top of their game
Trendsetting, and doing a job that was very new and had very few precedents set
And there’s definitely something magical about that
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Whiteout by Little Glass Men
2. Clover by Little Glass Men
3. Westside Chillers by Little Glass Men
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep142
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

141 - Gaining Respect As A Designer

Craig Burgess — Thu, 25 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

How do you gain respect as a designer, especially as a young designer?

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When you speak to anybody
In any career really
And you ask them one question
What is it you really want from your career?
People will say surface things
Like money
Fame
Appreciation
But everybody really wants one thing
And especially designers
And that’s respect
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
I remember when I first started out a designer
And I especially remember this when I first started out as a freelance designer
I wanted respect
I wanted clients and peers to respect me as a designer
I knew I was right about some of the design decisions I’d made
But why were clients overruling me, or not believing that I was right?
What was I doing wrong?
I was like every other young designer
I wanted my work to be respected
And I wanted to be respected as a professional
It’s hard as a designer, and even more so when you’re a young designer who might lack confidence or conviction
Designers just starting out usually lack confidence in their skills
And that’s just natural, it’s normal
And because they lack confidence
That shows in meetings with clients and people buying the design
Then you go in a vicious circle of not being respected as a designer
And add on top of that a simple fact
That lots of people don’t respect design as a profession
And people just see graphic designers as people who just colour in
Lots of people don’t respect design as a profession
Because they don’t see it as a real profession, like a doctor or a lawyer
The only way to gain respect as a designer
Is to command respect as a designer
Don’t be a yes designer
Don’t just say yes to everybody all the time
If you know you’ve done something right
Tell people it’s been done right, and there’s a reason it’s been done that way
Always command respect for your work
Command respect by being confident about your work
And confident that you’ve done your job correctly as a professional
Respect comes from confidence
And confidence only comes from experience, and unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to that
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Indian Summer by Lobo Loco
2. Electric Puppet by Mystery Mammal
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep141
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

141 - Gaining Respect As A Designer

Craig Burgess — Thu, 25 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

How do you gain respect as a designer, especially as a young designer?

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Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

When you speak to anybody
In any career really
And you ask them one question
What is it you really want from your career?
People will say surface things
Like money
Fame
Appreciation
But everybody really wants one thing
And especially designers
And that’s respect
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
I remember when I first started out a designer
And I especially remember this when I first started out as a freelance designer
I wanted respect
I wanted clients and peers to respect me as a designer
I knew I was right about some of the design decisions I’d made
But why were clients overruling me, or not believing that I was right?
What was I doing wrong?
I was like every other young designer
I wanted my work to be respected
And I wanted to be respected as a professional
It’s hard as a designer, and even more so when you’re a young designer who might lack confidence or conviction
Designers just starting out usually lack confidence in their skills
And that’s just natural, it’s normal
And because they lack confidence
That shows in meetings with clients and people buying the design
Then you go in a vicious circle of not being respected as a designer
And add on top of that a simple fact
That lots of people don’t respect design as a profession
And people just see graphic designers as people who just colour in
Lots of people don’t respect design as a profession
Because they don’t see it as a real profession, like a doctor or a lawyer
The only way to gain respect as a designer
Is to command respect as a designer
Don’t be a yes designer
Don’t just say yes to everybody all the time
If you know you’ve done something right
Tell people it’s been done right, and there’s a reason it’s been done that way
Always command respect for your work
Command respect by being confident about your work
And confident that you’ve done your job correctly as a professional
Respect comes from confidence
And confidence only comes from experience, and unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to that
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Indian Summer by Lobo Loco
2. Electric Puppet by Mystery Mammal
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep141
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

140 - Inertia

Craig Burgess — Wed, 24 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

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What happens when you do nothing? What really is the effect of inertia?

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Yesterday’s episode about doing nothing got me thinking
Funnily enough, about doing nothing
It got me thinking a little bit deeper about it doing nothing
The effects of it
And how it impacts your life
Or, as the dictionary puts it, inertia.
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
As a designer
Especially as a young designer, or a learning designer
Doing just enough isn’t anywhere near enough
The competition is too large
The amount of skills you need to learn is too lengthy
Doing a design course, or just turning up 9-5 at your job
Isn’t going to cut it if you want to become an amazing designer, or even any more than an average one
Really early on in my design education I realised this
I read magazines like Creative Review and Grafik, and every day I was exposed to amazing design work
I realised if I was going to compete with anybody in those magazines
I had to work harder than them
Or at least as hard as them
And after reading interviews with these designers in those magazines
I knew that they didn’t turn up on a morning and leave at tea time, and never did anything else
These people spoke of always thinking about design
And if they got an idea in their head, no matter what time it was, they’d pursue it, and see where it went
That’s why inertia is weird to me
That’s why doing nothing is weird to me
Doing nothing has been the exact opposite of my personality for the last 12 years
People might call me a workaholic
But when you’re a designer, or anything else for that matter
If you really love what you do, and you do it as a hobby as well, does that make it a job?
Sometimes I do design work that I don’t like, or that doesn’t turn out like I hoped
We all have jobs like that, everything you do can’t be a masterpiece after all
But I’m always working on my masterpiece in my spare time
My next side project piece of design that will be absolutely amazing, honestly
And that nobody else has a say in other than me
I guess you could call that art, but lets not get into that argument today
Maybe you’re not the same, but I find inertia contagious
I find if I do nothing for even an hour, I don’t want to do anything for the rest of the day
If I want to exercise on an evening after work
And I come home and don’t do it immediately, I won’t do it for the rest of the night either
If I have an evening off doing work or design or something productive, it stops me doing things the day after
I think productivity is some kind of weird habit, or a muscle that you train
If you don’t regularly train yourself to be productive
You don’t get productive
If you regularly don’t do anything, you continue not to do anything
Obviously, not doing things and relaxing is good sometimes, as I spoke about in episode 139
But to get anything done over a long period of time
You’ve got to go get things done
And you’ve got to keep getting lots of things done
To build up a habit of getting things done
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Stop to Start Over by Artofescapism
2. Some Bad Joke by Monplaisir
3. Cherry Dump Cake by half cocked
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep140
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

Support Ask a Designer Anything

140 - Inertia

Craig Burgess — Wed, 24 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

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What happens when you do nothing? What really is the effect of inertia?

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

Yesterday’s episode about doing nothing got me thinking
Funnily enough, about doing nothing
It got me thinking a little bit deeper about it doing nothing
The effects of it
And how it impacts your life
Or, as the dictionary puts it, inertia.
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
As a designer
Especially as a young designer, or a learning designer
Doing just enough isn’t anywhere near enough
The competition is too large
The amount of skills you need to learn is too lengthy
Doing a design course, or just turning up 9-5 at your job
Isn’t going to cut it if you want to become an amazing designer, or even any more than an average one
Really early on in my design education I realised this
I read magazines like Creative Review and Grafik, and every day I was exposed to amazing design work
I realised if I was going to compete with anybody in those magazines
I had to work harder than them
Or at least as hard as them
And after reading interviews with these designers in those magazines
I knew that they didn’t turn up on a morning and leave at tea time, and never did anything else
These people spoke of always thinking about design
And if they got an idea in their head, no matter what time it was, they’d pursue it, and see where it went
That’s why inertia is weird to me
That’s why doing nothing is weird to me
Doing nothing has been the exact opposite of my personality for the last 12 years
People might call me a workaholic
But when you’re a designer, or anything else for that matter
If you really love what you do, and you do it as a hobby as well, does that make it a job?
Sometimes I do design work that I don’t like, or that doesn’t turn out like I hoped
We all have jobs like that, everything you do can’t be a masterpiece after all
But I’m always working on my masterpiece in my spare time
My next side project piece of design that will be absolutely amazing, honestly
And that nobody else has a say in other than me
I guess you could call that art, but lets not get into that argument today
Maybe you’re not the same, but I find inertia contagious
I find if I do nothing for even an hour, I don’t want to do anything for the rest of the day
If I want to exercise on an evening after work
And I come home and don’t do it immediately, I won’t do it for the rest of the night either
If I have an evening off doing work or design or something productive, it stops me doing things the day after
I think productivity is some kind of weird habit, or a muscle that you train
If you don’t regularly train yourself to be productive
You don’t get productive
If you regularly don’t do anything, you continue not to do anything
Obviously, not doing things and relaxing is good sometimes, as I spoke about in episode 139
But to get anything done over a long period of time
You’ve got to go get things done
And you’ve got to keep getting lots of things done
To build up a habit of getting things done
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Stop to Start Over by Artofescapism
2. Some Bad Joke by Monplaisir
3. Cherry Dump Cake by half cocked
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep140
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

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137 - Should Developers Design?

Craig Burgess — Tue, 16 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

A follow up to yesterday: should developers learn to design things?

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Quite a few years ago
I did a talk that was loosely about the designer/developer divide
I argued that designers should be more developer
And developers should be more designer
Today, I’m going to talk about developers being designers
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
I’m a pretty positive person
But there’s certain things in the design industry that really bug me
That I try not to let annoy me
But they do anyway
One of the big things that bug me
Is...well…actually two things
1) When people say that developers aren’t creative
I’m a designer myself
But lots of designers like to put the technical people in a box
As if their creativity is somehow less worthy than their creativity
Programming is creative
And it’s problem solving
In fact, it’s one of the most direct forms of problem solving
You’re writing code, you’re creating things, you’re creative
And the second thing that bugs me
Is that developers either think they can’t design or designers stop them from doing so
Yesterday’s episode was all about the opposite of this
I spoke about designers coding, and argued whether they should code or not
To reiterate, designers should code
Designers should embrace any opportunity to learn more things and get better at their craft
And the exact same rules apply to developers
I hate the whole designer/developer design thing, full stop
I hate that we feel we need to label ourselves as one or the other
And we can’t possibly be both
Because if we’re both people think we’re worse at one of them
After all, how could we possibly be good at both those things?
On most projects, developers do way more design than you probably realise
When designers design 3 pages of a website and none of the interactions
The gap is left for the developer to fill in
You could argue that in terms of websites, when a developer is building the website they design most of the website
And developers are becoming more design savvy
Because they have to
There's too many new startups and not enough designers, so developers need to learn to design
Even if you’re not in that situation as a developer, and you’re lucky to have a good design team
When working in a team its always a good idea to get a better picture of how everybody’s job works
And as a developer, learning how to design only makes you better at your job
It’s not as a if as a developer, if you start to learn some design stuff
the programming languages will fall out of the other side of your brain
Developers learning to design
Helps to close that divide between designers and developers
When I did that talk a few years ago that I mentioned at the beginning
I spoke about designers and developers needing to get along better
We needed to stop picking holes in each other
And start working better
Designers need to start coding
And developers need to start designing
I ended the talk by getting a designer and developer to hug
But this is a podcast… so that isn’t going to work
If you’re a designer or a developer
When you get into work tomorrow,
Go hug a developer or a designer
And learn to appreciate each other’s jobs a bit more
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Eutrophic by Mystery Mammal
2. La Besitos by Ryan Little
3. Jam With Me by Monplaisir
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep137
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

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136 - Should Designers Code?

Craig Burgess — Mon, 15 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Should designers code?

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There's several debates that are forever recurring in the design and tech worlds
Is design art?
Or is art design?
Should a designer do multiple things?
And the hottest topic and that comes around every week
Should designers code?
I probably going to get a bit offensive to designers in this episode.
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Over the years I've lost count of how many times I've had this argument
But I'm going to go at it again, becaause I like causing controversy
And amazingly, I've not discussed it on this podcast before
Let me lay out my stance straight away
I have a dim view of designers who choose not to bother learning to code
It's not just about designers though
I have a dim view of anybody who actively chooses to stop learning things
When it comes to designers, they actively choose not to bother learning how to code, or any of the technical side
I'll try learning anything, because I love learning things
And we should all love learning things, because it's the only way to grow as human beings, not just at our craft
So I find it fascinating and maddening when I see anybody putting up a barrier to themselves and saying
"No, I don't want to learn that and I don't want to know anymore about that"
Knowing more about something makes you design it better, that is just a fact
Not even technical stuff, the more you know about anything the better you'll design it
So when it comes to websites, and especially now with responsive websites and there being so much changing so quickly
You have to know how to build websites, to a point
HTML and CSS isn't difficult to learn for anybody
And I can't see a logical reason why somebody wouldn't want to learn it, or can't learn it
The reasons for a designer designing websites to learn it are nothing but positive
It helps you understand websites more
It helps you design and make better websites
And it makes you a better designer
Why on earth would you not want those things?
Who could argue against those points?
We get too bogged down with titles
And too caught up with labels
I'm a designer, therefore I can't be anything else
I'm a developer, so that means the design is left to somebody else
These titles aren't useful for anybody, because having knowledge about all those things only serves to make you better at everything
People always come back to the phrases like
Jack of all trades, master of none
But I wholeheartedly disagree with that phrase
The modern world is making jack of all trades out of us all
Especially in design
In design alone, we no longer have typesetters, typographers, and reprographics
A designer is usually expected to be all of those things, as well as a proofreader, a photo retouched, an art worker, a account manager, an illustrator, the list goes on
So even in design, we aren't specialists anymore
So if we're not even specialists in our specialist area, why do some designers get so angry and against learning just one more thing?
And especially when that one more thing will have such a positive impact on making everything else that designer designs even better
As you can tell, I'm passionate about designers knowing as much as possible
My one viewpoint isn't the correct one, it's just my viewpoint
But I would passionately argue with anybody
That a designer who designs websites should know HTML and CSS, minimum
And if they don't, they're just lazy.
As a follow up to this episode, there's an interesting article on Creative Review's website about who is responsible for design. There's a link in my show notes for you to check it out
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Eutrophic by Mystery Mammal
2. Cart before the horse by Myriadar
3. Where There Is No darkness by Nihilore
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to …/ep136
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I’m back tomorrow

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134 - Haters

Craig Burgess — Sat, 13 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

In this episode, I say "haters gonna hate" quite a few times.

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I think the biggest thing
That stops anybody from doing anything
Is people being afraid of what other people will think of them
We’re pack animals, and we want to please everybody
Because of that, we’re afraid that people will hate us
But, sometimes, people like to hate people
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
As you can probably imagine
Since I decided to start a podcast on January 1st
I’ve had a lot of conversations with people about podcasts
They’ve been varied
Some people love podcasts
Some people hate them
And some people have never heard of them
But inevitably, I always say to them
“Why don’t you start a podcast?”
And they usually say
“ooo no, I couldn’t do that”
At this point, I always love digging a bit deeper and finding out why
Some people think they haven’t got the ability to do one, which is understandable
Some people think they aren’t interesting enough
But a lot of people just don’t want to put themselves out there
They’re scared of what people will think of them
And they’re scared of the haters
I always try to explain to them at this point that “haters gonna hate”
That no matter what you do
If somebody doesn’t like you
Or doesn’t like what you’re doing
People will hate you no matter what
You can’t please everybody
It’s just impossible
And if you try to please everybody, you just turn into somebody that nobody likes
It took me a long time to appreciate this
I’ve always been a pretty outspoken kind of person
But I do like pleasing people
I don’t want anybody to hate me
I try to get on with everybody, and I’m nice to anybody
Because of that, I don’t like thinking that there’s people out there that just won’t like me
Just my personality, just me being me, will annoy some people, and there’s nothing I can do about that
That’s exactly the same with starting a podcast, making videos, writing blog posts, or designing something
Everything you do will not please everybody, and there’s going to be haters out there
There’s people out there right now who hate you
For no real reason, they just can’t stand you for being you
And there’s nothing you’ll ever be able to do about that
So what do you do about that?
If you’re designing something new, and that person hates everything you do
It’s not your fault, it’s theirs. Unless your work is rubbish of course, but I’m hoping you can work that one out.
Your work will not please everybody
And the sooner you find out what your work is, and what you want to do
The better your work will get, because you’ll stop trying to produce work that everybody will like
You’ve got to stop caring about everybody, and start just doing what you what to do
Do what pleases you
Do what interests you
And ignore everybody else
Haters gonna hate anyway.
MUSIC
This was AADA and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. So What by Soft and Furious
2. Unity by Kevin MacLeod
3. 5 Piece by Black Ant
For a line by line rundown... /ep134
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I'm back tomorrow

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132 - Saying Yes

Craig Burgess — Thu, 11 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

What does saying yes too often really lead to?

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Over the next two episodes
I want to present two sides of the coin as a designer
There’s the saying yes side
That’s saying yes to amends, or things you think you shouldn’t say yes to
Then there’s the other side
The saying no side
The standing your ground, and not budging side
Today is saying yes
Let’s explore saying yes
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
I’ve said many times before
Design is a weird profession
There’s no formal education required
Every agency works differently
And every designer works differently
We all work with clients differently as well
And say yes or no to different things
When you first start out as a designer
You say yes a lot
When a client asks you to change something
You just do it
Often you don’t even question it, because you don’t know any better
Or you might not have the confidence or the experience yet to say otherwise
I think there’s actually two types of designers
There’s the Yes Designers
These kinds of designers will always do whatever the client wants to please them
Clients like these kinds of designers for obvious reasons
And some designers would argue that as a designer you should always be like this
After all, the customer is always right, right?
Well, wrong
In the design world, the client is often wrong
And it’s our duty as a designer to make the client aware of that
We should tell them when they’re wrong, always
Not in a nasty way
And not in a combative way that ruins relationships
And not even in a difficult way
I just believe that before we say yes, it’s our duty to explore the reasons behind a change
If the changes that a client is asking for are sensible, go nuts. Just change it
But if a client is suggesting stupid things
Or things that will make your design work worse
Challenge the request
And don’t automatically say yes
Try and find out the underlying reasons for these changes
Sometimes they’re silly, and purely because a client wants to put their stamp on a project
This is OK to a point
But when those pointless changes start to affect the end product
It isn’t OK anymore, and you should start raising your concerns
Automatically saying yes to a client on everything sets up a weird unbalanced relationship too
People come to us as designers because we know about design
We’re professional designers
That means they want out opinions on stuff, and want to know if it’s best for them
If we’re so eager to please all the time and just say yes, we don’t show our value as a designer
When we’re really against some change further down the line too, we’ve already shown we’re a pushover
I’m not saying it’s wrong to say yes to clients, I do that all the time
But you do have to be very careful when you do say yes
And consider all the implications that decision has on your relationship
You owe it to your client to make sure you don’t say yes just to please them
They’ve hired you as a professional, and they want your professional opinion
That doesn’t work if you’re a Yes Designer
So stop just saying yes
And start considering the power of the word Yes a little bit more carefully.
MUSIC
This was AADA and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Too Far Gone by Ryan Little
2. Interstellar Export by The Insider
3. Calm The Fuck Down by Broke For Free
For a line by line rundown of this episode... /ep132
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I'm back tomorrow

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132 - Saying Yes

Craig Burgess — Thu, 11 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

What does saying yes too often really lead to?

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Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

Over the next two episodes
I want to present two sides of the coin as a designer
There’s the saying yes side
That’s saying yes to amends, or things you think you shouldn’t say yes to
Then there’s the other side
The saying no side
The standing your ground, and not budging side
Today is saying yes
Let’s explore saying yes
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
I’ve said many times before
Design is a weird profession
There’s no formal education required
Every agency works differently
And every designer works differently
We all work with clients differently as well
And say yes or no to different things
When you first start out as a designer
You say yes a lot
When a client asks you to change something
You just do it
Often you don’t even question it, because you don’t know any better
Or you might not have the confidence or the experience yet to say otherwise
I think there’s actually two types of designers
There’s the Yes Designers
These kinds of designers will always do whatever the client wants to please them
Clients like these kinds of designers for obvious reasons
And some designers would argue that as a designer you should always be like this
After all, the customer is always right, right?
Well, wrong
In the design world, the client is often wrong
And it’s our duty as a designer to make the client aware of that
We should tell them when they’re wrong, always
Not in a nasty way
And not in a combative way that ruins relationships
And not even in a difficult way
I just believe that before we say yes, it’s our duty to explore the reasons behind a change
If the changes that a client is asking for are sensible, go nuts. Just change it
But if a client is suggesting stupid things
Or things that will make your design work worse
Challenge the request
And don’t automatically say yes
Try and find out the underlying reasons for these changes
Sometimes they’re silly, and purely because a client wants to put their stamp on a project
This is OK to a point
But when those pointless changes start to affect the end product
It isn’t OK anymore, and you should start raising your concerns
Automatically saying yes to a client on everything sets up a weird unbalanced relationship too
People come to us as designers because we know about design
We’re professional designers
That means they want out opinions on stuff, and want to know if it’s best for them
If we’re so eager to please all the time and just say yes, we don’t show our value as a designer
When we’re really against some change further down the line too, we’ve already shown we’re a pushover
I’m not saying it’s wrong to say yes to clients, I do that all the time
But you do have to be very careful when you do say yes
And consider all the implications that decision has on your relationship
You owe it to your client to make sure you don’t say yes just to please them
They’ve hired you as a professional, and they want your professional opinion
That doesn’t work if you’re a Yes Designer
So stop just saying yes
And start considering the power of the word Yes a little bit more carefully.
MUSIC
This was AADA and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Too Far Gone by Ryan Little
2. Interstellar Export by The Insider
3. Calm The Fuck Down by Broke For Free
For a line by line rundown of this episode... /ep132
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I'm back tomorrow

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131 - Designing For Designers

Craig Burgess — Wed, 10 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Is all designers really just for designers?

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You've already seen the title of this episode
Design isn't for designers
It's a controversial viewpoint
And one I want to explore in a little more depth
Designers deep down know that design not only isn't for designers
It SHOULDN'T be for designers
But still, we design things that only designers would get
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
As I said
I'm presenting a controversial topic
I think lots of designers will see this episode and think
Well, I don't design things for designers
But, I think you're wrong
Often we all design clever logos
Clever websites or clever bits of design
And all that stuff, the majority of it only designers will get or appreciate
Take the classic example, the FedEx logo
How many times have you explained this logo to a non designer to show how clever and deep design can be?
Non designers don't look at things like we do
They don't look at the leading of a paragraph
Or the kerning in a word
They don't look at something and think it could have done with more space
Or the colours are wrong
Or even that the apostrophe is used incorrectly
These are all things we care about as designers
And rightly so, of course rightly so
But the point I'm getting to
Is that lots of this extra detail
Beyond the stuff like proper spacing, leading and kerning
Is all stuff a non designer won't even comprehend
So why do we bother?
If 90% of the intended target audience won't get that clever thing you did with that logo,
Why did you bother?
Now this is as much of a question directed at myself as it is at you
Designers bother with those extra bits for lots of reasons
But the main reason I think is pride
It's my job as a designer to do the best job I can possibly do
And that often means going far and above what a normal person would to care about something that most people won't see or even appreciate
It's a little bit like Steve Job's stories about his dad, Paul Jobs
He tells stories of his dad being a craftsman. And having the ability to make anything
But no matter what he made, he never cut any corners
Even when he made a chest of drawers, he refused to use a poorer quality wood for the back of the drawers that nobody would ever see
And he'd always pay as much attention to the back of a fence as he did the front, the bit that most people would see
That's a desire to do a good job
It's a pride in your work
And that's why designers do what they do, and why I do what I do
It's why most of my work never gets seen by anybody,
And why I draw 300 logos in my sketchbook before I even get to a computer
Designing those little bits for designers is exactly the same thing
It's build in little Easter eggs into my design work, especially branding and logo work
It's something fun to discover
And it's like painting the back of a cabinet
Most people will never ever see it
But that's ok, im cool with that
I do it for that one person
That one person who stumbles across that little nice touch
And when they spot it
They smile
And they feel a little bit warm inside
Because they discovered something most people won't discover.
That's what those extras are for
And I live for those
MUSIC
This was AADA and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Outsiders in Nome by Mystery Mammal
2. Route of the Old West Convicts by Fields Ohio
3. Arrythmia/ a lost battalion of conversationalists jumping down the stoops off fire escapes off Empire State out of the moon into vacant Ohio factories by The Fucked Up Beat
For a line by line rundown... /ep131
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I'm back tomorrow

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130 - Comfort

Craig Burgess — Tue, 09 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

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Comfort. It's comfortable. And deadly.

Music and links from this episode

Mystery Mammal from their great new album, Risk Society
I featured the tracks: Ruin, Greenhorn, and All Your Organs Get a Laugh

Line-by-line notes

Today's episode was going to be an extended one
But at the last minute
I changed my mind
Something has been nagging at me the last few days
About comfort zones
And how nobody likes to step out of them
But really, the only way we get better as humans
Is to step outside our comfort zones
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Design and the creative industries require very specific things from you that lots of other careers dont
You have to adaptable, changing to variables that can appear at the drop of the hat
You have to be consistently improving, because things move so fast
And that is something that gets harder as time goes on
When you first start in any career, everything is new
Anything at all that you learn is an improvement
Every small increment is an improvement
But when you've been doing the design game for a while
You feel like you've seen it all
Or done everything
Worst of all, lots of people feel like they know it all
That there's nothing left to learn
That's comfort
And it's deadly in a fast moving industry
You can't ever get comfortable
Comfort breeds arrogsnce
And cockiness
And not only are those traits not nice to see in somebody
They're self limiting
When you think you know everything, you stop learning everything
Ive spoken lots about lifting weights on this podcast
And i don't just do it keep fit and get stronger
I do it for the mental strength that it gives me
Lifting heavy weights pushes you far out of your comfort zone
When you've got a massive weight crushing your whole body and the only way to escape is to push it away
You find mental strength you didn't know you possessed
And finding that mental strength breeds more mental strength
This is exactly the same reason why pushing yourself out of a realm of comfort is so important
Progression isn't made by doing the same thing over and over
The only way to progress with anything is to increase the chsllenge
And as a designer, as you get better and better, that challenge needs to get bigger and bigger
When you get past all the initial book learning
And reading the magazines
And doing all the design work over the years
Then you have to start working really hard to get outside of your comfort zone
I'm lucky in some ways
I've always thought like this
And I know that the only way to get better is through insane amounts of hard work
I don't always do the hard work
Sometimes I'm lazy
And sometimes for a long time I'm lazy
But I know, and I've proved it to myself over the years
That when you put in the work to push yourself far outside of comfort
You make huge improvements
The clue is in the title
Comfort is... Comfortable
Comfort is nice feeling
But comfort over a long period has diminishing returns
We should all strive to be comfortable
But the only way to be permanently comfortable
Is to keep getting better and better
And the only way to do thst
Is to stop being comfortable
MUSIC
This was AADA and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was by
1. Mystery Mammal from their great new album, Risk Society
2. I featured the tracks: Ruin, Greenhorn, and All Your Organs Get a Laugh
For a line by line rundown... /ep130
If you want more updates about my podcast, follow me on Twitter at craigburgess
I'm back tomorrow

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129 - Handling Conflict

Craig Burgess — Mon, 08 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

How do you handle conflict in a design project?

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Every designer has worked on frustrating projects
Most design projects have little bumps in the road
But sometimes, they turn into full on car crashes
At some point in every designer’s career
They’re going to have to handle conflict
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Design projects can go wrong in a thousand ways
If you’re really unlucky, they’ll go wrong in a thousand ways all at once
The client can be wrong, the designer can be wrong, the research can be wrong
Deadlines might get missed, emails might get missed, meetings might get missed
People easily misunderstand things
Seriously, there’s so much that can go wrong
It’s no wonder then that experienced designers have to become conflict resolution experts
Let’s talk about one of the most common ways conflict arises in a project
A client making lots of changes to a design
You’ve been working with a client
You’ve been designing them a new logo
But you just can’t seem to get it completed
Every time you think you’re nearly there
The client makes another change
And most of the changes the client is making seem pointless
What do you do?
When a client is making lots of changes to any kind of design work
There’s something deeper going wrong
It could be the designer isn’t good enough
and the client feels like they need to improve it
It could be that the client is being polite
and that they don’t really like the design but they’re trying to improve it stealthily
Finally, it could be the client thinks they’re the designer
And they merely see you as a facilitator of their ideas
Whenever a design goes through more than a couple of changes
And you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere with the project
You can’t keep going and not saying anything
At some point, for everybody’s sanity, a conversation needs to be had
The air needs to be cleared
In a situation like this
You need to ideally get to the problem before everybody gets pissed off
Which is sometimes easier said than done, because people can be excellent at hiding when they’re annoyed
Then that conversation needs to be had
These kind of conversations aren’t easy for anybody
Nobody likes talking about negative stuff
Unless you’re some kind of monster, or you’re used to that kind of thing
Lay out the problem or issue clearly to your client
“It seems like we’re struggling to get this piece of design work signed off”
“Why do you think that is?”
“What’s stopping us from getting this work signed off from your end?”
Then let them talk
When you’re trying to resolve a conflict, you need to encourage your client to talk
You need to get every last bit out of them
Every last annoyance and hangup about you needs to come out
And even though that could be uncomfortable to hear
Don’t be tempted to go on the offensive
Don’t be tempted to elevate the situation to start to argue or fight back
Let your client talk and explain the situation
Once they’ve explained their entire situation, then you have the time to talk
Explain your point of view, but don’t blame anybody
Be polite and friendly
Because at the end of the day
Everybody wants the same thing
The designer wants to do a good job and make the best possible thing for their client that they can
and the client wants the designer to make the best possible thing they can
Sometimes though, things get muddled a little bit
And tensions can build up
Make sure you iron them out as soon as you can
And keep your projects running smoothly and stress free
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
I had to reuse music from episode 86 today, as Free Music Archive was down
I featured:
1. Zapomnieç by Nonima
2. Viscous by FRAIL
3. Perfect Match by Kilyo
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to askadesigneranythingdotcom/ep129
I’m back tomorrow

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128 - Ego

Craig Burgess — Sun, 07 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Ego is the enemy of any design project.

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If we consider the task of making a website
There’s several stages a project goes through
Most of those stages are black and white, especially actually building a website
But when design gets involved
The ego starts to get in the way
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
When you build something
Like a wall for example
There’s no black and white to that
A wall either works
It stays stood up for years and functions as a wall
Or it doesn’t
The wall falls down
It’s very clean when the wall isn’t working, or doing its job
There’s no emotional intricacies to deal with here
Design is the exact polar opposite of this
When you’re talking to somebody and telling them their logo will be green
This can elicit a whole range of responses you can’t begin to even comprehend
Ranging from things that make sense like
My customer base won’t like the colour green
To strange things like
Green reminds me of grass and the countryside, and I don’t like that
No matter how hard we try to stop it from being so
Design is an emotional thing
It isn’t as simple as a wall that either stands up or doesn’t
Or a website that either works or not
Design isn’t black and white, and it works on a thousand levels
Most of all, design is subjective
And that causes problems for everybody
With subjectivity comes a much more insidious thing: ego
The graveyard of failed design projects is full of gravestones that declare Ego was the problem
And ego comes from everywhere
It comes from the client thinking they know better than the professional designer they hired
It comes from the marketing company thinking they know better than everybody else
And worst of all, it comes from the designer thinking that they know better than everybody else in the world
A designer with an ego is a useless designer
That’s a fact
A designer who sees their work as precious pieces of art that have been perfectly crafted isn’t a real designer
Design is not art
Design can be pretty, it can affect people’s emotions and decisions, but it’s not art
Art is designed to affect an emotion
Design is to communicate a message
Art serves the artist
Design serves the client or the purpose intended
Design doesn’t serve the designer
And when a designer thinks it does, things go wrong really quickly
Don’t get me wrong
Designers should be passionate about doing a good job
OF COURSE they should
But that’s a fundamental difference
Passion is not ego
Passion is doing things with conviction
And an ego usually negatively impacts anything it gets involved with
I’m going to finish off with a depressing thing about design
It’s not depressing if you already know it
But it might be depressing if you’ve never considered it
Good design
Really good design
Gets out of its own way
Good design doesn’t get noticed
Because its done it’s job
The only people who notice good design is designers
And design isn’t for designers
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Why I Can't Sleep With The Door Ajar by We Is Shore Dedicated
2. Nothing (Bonus Track) by Kai Engel
3. Mutations by Small Colin
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to askadesigneranythingdotcom/ep128
I’m back tomorrow

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127 - Every Design Isn't Solid Gold

Craig Burgess — Sat, 06 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Sorry. Every design you make isn't going to be amazing.

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Music and links from this episode

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No matter what your job is
When you do it every day of your life
When you create stuff every day
It's not always good
In fact, most of what you do isn't good
And every thing you do isn't solid gold
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Let me clarify what I mean when I say most of what you do isn't good
Unless you're really lucky
I mean, really lucky
90% of what you create isn't good
It might be average
It might be better than average
And some of it that you never show anybody will be absolutely terrible
Some of it will be good
But most of it won't be solid gold
It's hard making stuff that's good, and especially solid gold design work
It's a sad and inevitable fact of design
Sometimes
Whether it's the client's fault, your fault, or you just run out of time
The design work you make won't be amazing
It'll be passable
And sometimes good enough is...good enough
Sometimes, and I don't want to sound snobby about this but I guess I'm going to
Sometimes a company or a client deserves just good enough
Not every company in the world should look amazing
You wouldn't make a scrap yard look like a perfume brand
A perfume brand should look elegant and usually high class
But the same isn't true for a scrap yard, and it shouldn't look...amazing
And yeah...I know that sounds snobbish
But it's true
Not every brand should look amazing, because it isn't appropriate
As a designer, it's OK to sometimes be bad
In my last episode, I spoke about creative block
And learning to appreciate that it's OK to sometimes run out of ideas
It's also OK to sometimes make bad design work
So long as you have an internal barometer to know that you should never show it to a client
Because I can guarantee that the client will pick your worst design if you show it
My sketchbooks and my rough logo documents are full of things that look like they've been designed by a 2 year old
But nobody ever sees them
You've got to get past all of the bad ideas before you can get to the good ones
Sometimes you get lucky, and the first thing out of your brain is amazing
But that's rare
And it takes persistence and consistency to find that solid gold idea amongst all the dross
Sometimes you can start to feel a little self conscious about this though
If you go through a couple of hours or even a couple of days
And everything you've designed or the ideas that you've come up with are all rubbish
You start to wonder if you're rubbish
Am I rubbish?
Is that it?
Am I past it? Have I got no more good ideas in me?
It's hard to stop thinking that
But you've got to
Because bad ideas never last for a long time
Unless you let yourself start to believe that you're a bad designer
Just like creative block
You've got to understand
That as a designer, your job is to come up with ideas
And as your job is ideas
Not all of them are solid gold
And you've got to be OK with that
Because as soon as you are
And you can dismiss the bad ideas easily
The good ideas suddenly start appearing
And then you get to the solid gold ones
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Creative Destruction by Nihilore
2. Slow Nights by Sro
3. Synthetic Feels by Sro
For a line by line rundown of this episode go to askadesigneranythingdotcom/ep127
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126 - Creative Block

Craig Burgess — Fri, 05 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

What do you do when you run out of ideas?

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Music and links from this episode

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Today’s episode has a double-edged meaning
On one instance
I’m discussing the idea of struggling to find ideas
And in the other instance
The reason I’ve done this episode
Is because I’m struggling for ideas
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
No matter what kind of creative person you are
An artist, a designer, a musician, a writer
You’re going to hit creative block
You’re going to hit a point where suddenly
You can’t think of any ideas
You’re going to go from being an absolute ideas machine
Where they come freely and easily
To a complete idea vacuum
Where nothing exists anymore
And that…is scary
Different creative people react to this kind of thing differently
Some relish the challenge
And some get scared
It’s OK to feel like that
When you trade on your ideas and suddenly your stock has vanished
That’s scary
I think that a creative shouldn’t be judged on their creative output
Although that’s important
But a truly experienced creative should be judged on their ability to consistently come up with good ideas
And also should be judged on their ability to recover from creative block
An experienced creative knows that they’ve not just become irrelevant
They don’t get scared by creative block
And they have endless strategies on how to overcome such a situation
Overcoming creative block isn’t a skill you develop overnight as a creative
I don’t even think that’s it’s something that you could teach to a young creative
It’s just a thing you develop with experience
And pressure
And really, doing things wrong and running out of ideas
I talk a lot about the creative muscle and needing to exercise it regularly
If you’re not regularly flexing that ideas muscle, your creative muscle
It gets smaller and harder to use, and it burns out quicker
Mood, anxiety and just generally being in a bad mood affects all this too
If you’re in a bad place, ideas are hard to come by
And that can be a vicious circle that’s hard to escape
You’re in a bad mood, you get creative block, it makes you in a worst mood, and so on
So creative block is more complicated that it looks
It’s hard to combat and hard to come out of
Sometimes the only way out
Is just get doing
Just start writing, designing, drawing, whatever it is
And creative block just disappears
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Not Locrian by Captive Portal
2. Beautiful Reciprocal (Half Mix) by Captive Portal
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to askadesigneranythingdotcom/ep126
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125 - Awareness

Craig Burgess — Thu, 04 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Self awareness. It's an important thing.

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Hello, it’s me again, Craig
Before we start the episode proper
I’m going being a dirty tease again
Just a quick update on the whole interview podcast thing
I’ve got a couple of guests lined up
And I’m going to start recording some of the episodes soon
I still don’t have a name
But the format will very likely be a couple of hour episode every 2 weeks
I’ve decided not to edit the episodes beyond just making them sound better
So they’ll sometimes be long conversations
The first episode will likely be out within the next 2 months
I really can’t wait to release it
And I think you’re really going to love it
Maybe even more than this podcast, if you prefer listening to conversations
Anyway, back to this podcast.
Cue the episode!
INTRO
I don’t envy young designers
All the stuff you have to learn can be overwhelming
And especially now, where’s there’s so much new stuff ALL THE TIME
You’ve lots of stuff to learn, constantly
And it’s not easy
Because you’ve got to be good at everything as well
But one thing a lot of young designers struggle with
And young people in general really
Is awareness
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Self awareness is a tough one
You won’t find self awareness listed on any curriculum anywhere
And you’d probably even struggle to define it
And if you went to any other seasoned designer
They’d probably never even mention self awareness
But having said all that
And after probably making you think this whole thing isn’t even important
I’m going to tell you it is
And it’s probably one of the most important things designers need to know
So, what is self awareness?
Well, it’s an awareness of yourself
Obviously
It means you’re really aware of what you’re good at
And you’re really aware of what you’re bad at
Basically, you’re really aware of yourself
Yes, I’m aware I’ve just turned the words self and awareness around a few times to explain the term self awareness
Knowing what you’re good at and what you’re bad at is harder than you think though
It’s some parts confidence
Confident in your abilities
And it’s some parts being pragmatic
And some parts being honest
Admitting things that you’re not so good at
Isn’t easy for most people
Especially as a young designer, you’re just not aware of what you’re best at
And you want to try everything, so you’d probably never admit you’re not that good
And actually, some people just plain aren’t aware that they’re bad at things
And if you’re not aware of what you’re bad at
There’s no way you could ever improve
And that means there’s no way to ever become a better designer
And that is why self awareness is the single most important thing to develop
This is definitely something I never realised when I was a young designer
And it lead to some really uncomfortable conversations with my boss about my design work that wasn’t up to scratch
I didn’t have the design knowledge to know that the work I was producing wasn’t good enough
And I didn’t have the ability to step out of my own work and admit it wasn’t good enough
I actually developed self awareness without being aware of myself
Which is weird
But if I could go back now
And talk to my 18 year old self
This is the single thing I’d be shouting out
Go learn to some self awareness
And forget everything else
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Suspension by Jorge Mario Zuleta
2. Effects of Elevation by Revolution Void
3. And this quirky little song playing right now, Ahead Of The Curve by Creo
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to askadesigneranythingdotcom/ep125
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124 - Developing The Style

Craig Burgess — Wed, 03 May 2017 22:34:41 -0500

Is a style for a designer a good thing to cultivate, or a bad thing?

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I’ve always been heavily conflicted as a designer
I’ve never really thought I fit in with what lots of other designers think of themselves
I love designing things, and I love coding things
I love technical stuff as much as design stuff
But I call myself a designer
That puts me in a weird no mans land with lots of designers
And the other thing I’ve never had
Is an outright style as a designer
Let’s talking about designer’s styles for a bit
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Style
Having a style works for lots of things
This podcast, has a style
A model may have a particularl style
And a singer usually sings in a certain way or style
It’s still a weird thing to me to associate with design though
In design, you should be producing the work that’s most appropriate for the situation
Regardless of personal preference, and style
Maybe I’m being a little idealistic
After all, we all have styles, whether they’re carefully cultivated or not
We all have go to typefaces, or colour combinations that we like
We all have styles of photos that we like and layouts that we think work best
All this stuff builds up a style
And at first, this style is an unconscious thing for most people
Eventually though, a designer twigs on and starts to make more work like their other work
And this is where things get weird for me
Because I genuinely don’t understand this bit
Why, as a designer, would you ever want to suddenly start making the same work using the same methods, over and over?
I understand the idea of niches, and how you can make a lot of money if you stick to a niche
I get all the commercial reasons
I just don’t get the personal reasons
To me, once you’ve settled on a style, that’s it
You’re developing a designer as far and wide as you could be any more
You’ve decided you’re going to sit in a very particular box
And you’ll continue to do your work from inside that box
For me, I love making all sorts of things in all different styles
I relish the challenge of producing a brand for something I’ve never done before
Or designing something in a style I’ve never even considered
They’re all interesting challenges to me
And as I take on things like that I become a better designer
But if you suddenly develop your style, you don’t really get any of that opportunity anymore
To some extent, the people commissioning the work are to blame
They’ll go hunting on behance and pinterest and look for things that fit their new ad campaign
Then they’ll find something, go to the original designer, and ask them to do the same thing again but for their campaign
“In their style"
This usually happens when somebody becomes known for a particular piece of work
And they’ll find themselves—if they’re not careful—recreating the same piece of work over and over again
In different scenarios for different people
Some designers embrace that challenge
And I guess on some level, restricting yourself to one style presents a different kind of design challenge to being able to do what you want
But at its very core
The idea of designers have a particular style
And developing that style
And then reproducing that style over and over for different clients
I don’t understand on a human level
We all have an innate design to keep improving, to keep getting better at things
And working as a designer producing work of a particular style makes it harder to improve all the time
It’s a bit like being a football goalkeeper with a hand tied behind your back
It’s possible, but it’ll be twice as hard to get good at it
I don’t intend this to be an episode of me bashing designers who have a style
Some of my favourite designers have styles
People like James White of Signalnoise and The Designers Republic to name just two
But I wanted to question the value of having a style as a designer
And why I don’t think it’s the best way to go if you hunt for continued improvement like I do
And if you’re curious as a designer, and like trying new things out a lot
Having a style just doesn’t work
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Trampled by P C III
2. Waitng by Ars Sonor
3. In curtains by J Hacha de Zola
For a line by line run down of this episode go over to askadesigneranythingdotcom/ep124
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123 - The Art Of Video Games

Craig Burgess — Tue, 02 May 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Yes, video games are an art form. Today I give some love for the video games.

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Videogames have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember
I don’t remember much of my youth
Because I have a terrible memory for important things like that
But I do remember pretty much all of my video game consoles
And boy, did I have a lot of them
Atari, Commodore 64, NES, SNES, Dreamcast, Mastersystem, N64, Playstation, XBOX… I’ll stop there
Today I want to talk about design in a different medium
The video game
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
Video games are dismissed
And they’re dismissed a lot
They’re dismissed because they’re dangerous,
they’re silly,
they rot your brain
they make you fat
oh yeah, and they inspire you to kill people, rape people, or generally do harm you wouldn’t normally do to people
And finally, Games are for kids, right?
Wrong
Despite making a cool $91 billion per year globally
And that’s more than Hollywood by the way
Video games still aren’t taken seriously
They’re not considered a serious medium
And they’re still seen by lots of people as something for kids
People don’t say this about music, or books or films
But they do still say it about video games
And if I was to tell you that video games are art
I’d be laughed out of at least 50% of the rooms I walked into
But, they ARE art
And they’re more engrossing than every other artistic medium that exists today
Games have made me laugh, made me sad, made me scared, and made me question my entire existence
Sometimes they’re throwaway experiences and sometimes they’re serious
Every single one of them have affected me in a way no other traditional art form could do
And it’s all because video games have a secret trick up their sleeve
It’s because they're interactive
And this is the power that video games has over any other medium
Sure, some pieces of art can be interactive
But a lot of it isn’t
And most pieces of music you listen to you can’t affect with your actions
And most movies you watch don’t change depending on what button you press
This is the power of video games
And it turns it into a completely different art form
Just that one simple thing—interactivity—pulls you in to it SO much
The fact that it’s me controlling my character walking down a corridor
And I’m not just watching passively somebody walk down a corridor
Enhances the experience ten fold
And then when we extrapolate that out to experiencing different things
Driving a car I could never afford to buy
Or running around in an action game doing things I could never dream of doing
Games become much more than what they appear to be on the surface
Not only are they easy ways to escape from the humdrum of normal life
They’re easy ways to experience things you’d never hope to experience
Games allow you to live your dreams, quite literally
People who make video games are making dreams
And then unleashing them on the public to let these dreams by experienced by lots of people
I’m not trying to use hyperbole here, I’m being genuine
If you don’t like playing video games
Or you’ve never got into them
I urge you to go give them another chance
Start with something like Unchartered, an absolute modern day masterpiece
And come back in 2 months time and tell me you didn’t experience something really special
Games are an art form, no matter what anybody says
They’re a very special art form unlike anything else
And they’ll always have a special place in my heart
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. To run in an elevator in a dream in a fiction in space by Monplaisir
2. Simplify and Black Riders Anthem by Little Glass Men
3. YFMIFY by Alpha Hydrae
For a line by line run down, go over to askadesigneranythingdotcom/ep123
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122 - My Favourite Kind Of Design - Part 1 - Graphic Design

Craig Burgess — Mon, 01 May 2017 11:54:10 -0500

Ian Moss asked me a question I just had to answer: what's your favourite kind of design?

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I was asked by Ian Moss
Quite a long time ago now
Sorry Ian
What my favourite piece of design is
And what areas, such as communication, graphic design, architecture
This is new for this format of AADA
Because I’ve never answered somebody’s question before
But Ian is a good friend, and it’s a good question
So I’m going to do my best to answer it
Let’s give it a try.
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
There’s two things I remember distinctly when I first started realising I was into design
One of them I only realised retrospectively
And the second one was my first love of graphic design
The retrospective one is something I’ve spoken about way back in episode 81, the design disease
I mentioned the WWF logo, the World Wrestling Federation
At the time in my teens, I was mega into wrestling
And I used to love reproducing their logo with a marker pen over and over
It was the only logo I could draw, so I went nuts with it
I got pretty good at drawing it too actually
Looking back at this now, I wonder if the WWF—now WWE made their logo like that on purpose
The two things I’ve long since had in my head about logo design
Is it should be simple enough so anybody can draw it
And it should be able to fit on a postage stamp
The WWF logo did both of those things
And it was accessible
It wasn’t a great logo from any technical standpoint
But it fit the bill, it fit the kind of audience they wanted to attract
And it meant young teenagers like me could draw it easily and spread their message
Logos have long since been a favourite part of design for me
They are the perfect distilled version of graphic design
It takes so much skill to create something that looks so simple
And it’s why I’m constantly fascinated with logos
It’s my favourite part of design to produce, and admire
And as for my favourite logos
I’m probably a bit predictable here
I love Coca Cola’s logo, not just because it looks nice, but because they’ve had the balls to stick with it
And whilst I’m not a big fan of Apple as a business or company anymore, their logo through the ages and today is just perfect
I also have a soft spot for the new Juventus FC logo, but that’s probably because I’m not a football fan and I like that it looks different to every other football logo
The second thing I adored then I first started in design
Was everything that The Designers Republic did
As a kid, I got the original Playstation with Wipeout for christmas
And back then I used to love looking through the manuals after I got the game
Some game companies put effort into these manuals
And this was a game that put a lot of effort into the manual
Not only that, the case was so nice
All the graphics and artwork was—to my young eyes—just so cool
Even looking back at it now
Some 22 years later
It still looks so cool
In their hey day, that’s what The Designers Republic were really good at
Making things just look so damn cool
Designers are usually pretty good at making stuff look cool
But The Designers Republic went a step further than that
Everything they touched, from video games to coke bottles to record sleeves
All just looked so cool
It’s a style these days that has been emulated endlessly
But some of the originals who worked there
Like Michael C Place
Still create really cool looking stuff to this day
I’m nearly out of time for this episode
And I have to put a time limit on this because I could gush for days about my favourite design
But I just quickly wanted to mention one final thing I love
Wit
Wit in any form of design, and here I mean clever design
I just love in any medium
Maybe I’ll expand on this on a future episode
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was all by Fields Ohio
1. Follow An Ar Christ Rabbit by Fields Ohio
2. Neon Hippies by Fields Ohio
3. Wolf Dunes by Fields Ohio
For a line by line run down of this episode, go over to askadesigneranythingdotcom/ep122
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121 - The Process

Craig Burgess — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

No matter what you're designing, designers have a special code we all follow. It's called The Process.

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Buildings
Bridges
Roads
Websites
Restaurant menus
They’ll all made by following a set process
This process, whilst usually similar for every designer
Allows designers all over the world to make very special things
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
A problem
Every design process
Whether you’re designing a city or designing a business card
Begins with a problem
Design only really has one purpose: to solve problems
And if there’s no problem to solve, there’s no point designing anything
These problems range from simple stuff like a problem of a business not looking professional enough
To complicated problems like too many traffic jams on a particular road
You can’t find a solution, until you’ve identified the problem
And the design process is the only one that can solve such a problem
After that, designers start to collect information to understand the problem
This step is a mix of research and finding inspiration
By seeing what others have done before, you can analyse what went wrong
And of course, what went right and what you may want to emulate
I’ve been pretty vocal in some past episodes about the inspiration gathering step
And being very careful not to cross the line of inspiration to downright copying other’s work
Now comes the fun part, ideas generation
This is my favourite part of any design project
Being alone with a sketchbook and working on ideas
Younger designers too often skip this step, or go about it in the wrong way
The point of the ideas step is to indiscriminately create ideas
That is, to create ideas without thinking they’re good, bad, or anything else
At this step, it doesn’t matter if your idea is bad
Or if you think you’ve found a solution to the design problem
That is not the point here, it’s just to let your brain be free
And make ideas
And then take those ideas, and turn them into solutions
This is a really difficult step, because now you’ve got so many ideas
You need to analyse them, and work out which ones are good
Or appropriate solutions
Lots of designers like to leave this step to their clients
They’ll create quite a few ideas, and ask their clients to pick which is their favourite
I prefer to be much more critical at this stage
And I normally only present one solution to a client
If we give the client the choice, we’ll either end up with a frankestein’s monster of a design with lots of solutions turned into one
Or we’ll end up with the solution we like the least
It isn’t the client’s place to do our job for use at this stage
And we need to be ruthless and pick the best solution for the job
This slots neatly into feedback
This is the stage which can cause the most problems in the design process if not handled properly
A client isn’t usually experienced in the design process
And we ask them which one they like the most
This is not the correct question to ask them
We should be asking them which is most appropriate
The one that is the best solution to the design problem is the best
And we need to make sure we tell our clients that too
The final step
Is improve
In lots of design projects, we may go back and forth between feedback and improve
Before we get the best solution
And that’s OK
So long as we’re working towards the same goal
To make the best solution for the design problem we’ve set
It’s amazing when you think about it
That no matter what you’re designing
This process is largely similar across any medium
It’s really special
And also quite humbling
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
The music featured in this episode was
1. Gorgon by Jesse Spillane
2. No sudden movements by rui
3. Interstate 70 Rain Chants by Fields Ohio
For a line by line rundown of this episode go over to askadesigneranything dot com/ep121
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120 - Ideas Are Infinite

Craig Burgess — Sat, 29 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

It's not useful to think about originality. It is useful to think about infinity though.

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Music and links from this episode

Man Alone Chimes the Hour by Nihilore
Pineal Gland's Goodbye by Sro
And the track playing right now, my new favourite track: Invisible by Camilla North x Jens East

Line-by-line notes

In episode 118
I spoke about the idea that ideas are infinite
That, given enough pressure, we can squeeze out ideas forever
We shouldn’t believe the mantra that everything has already been done
And nothing is original anymore
Because that’s just not true
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
MUSIC
In design, we’re already setting ourselves up for a fall
Most people on this planet today believe the mantra
“It’s all been done before”
“Nothing is original anymore”
I hate that mindset with every bone in my body
It’s destructive and just plain unhelpful
It just sets your mind up for defeat before you’ve even tried
Why bother trying hard, if everything you’re about to make has been done before?
Why bother trying at all?
Why don’t I just copy somebody else?
After all, it’s all been done before right?
This is not the attitude to take when it comes to idea generation
It’s a deeply destructive train of thought
And just to confuse you more
I don’t think the direct opposite is a helpful stance either
Trying to be original with everything you do is unhelpful too
Thinking the complete opposite sets you up for equal failure
If you’re trying so hard to be original, you’ll forget the original purpose of any design
To communicate something effectively and efficiently
I’ve been there myself
And this is why generally designers are so bad at doing things for themselves like their own portfolios
Because they want it to be so original, and so perfect, it creates inaction
I prefer to believe a much simpler thought
That ideas are infinite
Your mind and everybody else’s mind are so full of ideas, you can never run out of them
There might be days when you struggle to come up with a single one
Those days where nothing works
And they’ll be lots of bad ideas
Yes, LOTS of bad ideas
But that doesn’t matter
Because ideas are infinite, you’ll eventually, no, inevitably get to a good one
This removes the idea of originality completely
Originality is important
Just as important as it is to develop your own designer’s eye
And your own unique way of looking at the world
I won’t say a style, because I think designers developing a style just paints you into a corner
And that’s a topic for another day...
Rather than believing everybody has done everything
Or that you need to be a christopher columbus and discover the next big trend
Just think about the idea that ideas themselves are infinite
It shifts your thinking completely
You don’t need to worry about originality anymore
Because you know you’ll get there eventually anyway
You don’t have to worry about your ideas being rubbish
Because the next hour or the next day is full of more ideas
Everybody is capable of an infinite amount of ideas
You’ve just got to believe it
MUSIC
This was AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Man Alone Chimes the Hour by Nihilore
2. Pineal Gland's Goodbye by Sro
3. And the track playing right now, my new favourite track: Invisible by Camilla North x Jens East
For a line by line rundown of this episode, go over to askadesigneranything dot com/ ep 120
I’m back tomorrow

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119 - Everything Isn't Great

Craig Burgess — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 23:14:41 -0500

Everything isn't always great, and it's OK to admit that. Sometimes.

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Being British has its advantages
We don't have the endless optimism of the Americans
We're definitely more realists than optimists
I think it's the dour weather
That sours our mood
Today's episode has a very melancholy mood
And not because I'm in a melancholy mood either
Everything isn't great all of the time
And it's OK to admit that
This AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess.
MUSIC
I will be honest though
I really couldn't be bothered with this podcast today
I spent all last night making a business idea, writing and building a website in 3 hours
That's online now by the way if you want to check it out
It's at whyismywebsiteslow.co.uk
After last night's late night
The last thing I want to do tonight is more things that require me to think hard
But here I am
Recording this podcast
And speaking to you now
Things aren't always perfect
And I think it's OK to admit that
It's more than OK to admit that
Social media is definitely skewing this opinion that we always have to be great
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram especially is a carefully edited edition of somebody's life
It all looks good when somebody's life is reduced down to a couple of photos on the internet
But when we sit flicking through that kind of thing
And everybody else's life looks more perfect than ours
It's hard not to feel a little bit ungrateful about your own life
Why is my life not perfect like their perfect life on Instagram?
The thing is though, it is
Your life is just as perfect as theirs
No matter how happy they look in that photo they just took when they got out of bed
Five minutes before they were as miserable as sin and didn't want to get out of bed
We all suffer from the same things
The same highs and the same lows
And today, I'm here to tell you that's OK
This applies to everything in life, but especially with design
When you're designer, you're constantly looking at other designer's work
And it's hard to look at their work
And not feel inferior to all the better designers out there
I feel like this all of the time
I wish I could be more like Michael Beirut
And I wish I could draw properly like all the amazing illustrators on the internet
But the same thing applies
You're looking at a carefully crafted portfolio designed to make you think that designer is amazing
It doesn't show behind the scenes at the work that we've all done
Those design jobs that we don't put in our portfolios because they're absolutely terrible
It's OK to feel inferior to them, but remember that you're not
Every designer has their off days, their off weeks, even their off years
Every designer goes through a period of not feeling inspired anymore
And questioning whether they're past it, or not good enough, or never going to be as good as insert any famous designer
If you think like that, you'll never be good enough
As long as you pursue a life long mission to be better than you was yesterday
That's good enough
Everything isn't always great
And that's good enough too
Perfection sounds nice
But it just doesn't exist
MUSIC
This was AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was:
1. Lunar Dunes by Spinning Clocks
2. Anti-Saloon League Midnight Mystery by Fields Ohio
3. Nothing Like Captain Crunch by Broke For Free
For a line by line run down of this episode, go over to askadesigneranything.com/ep119
Thanks for listening
I'm back tomorrow

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118 - Under Pressure

Craig Burgess — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Pressure is the secret to good ideas.

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If you're a regular listener of this podcast
You'll know I like setting stupid challenges
I like testing the theory
That ideas are infinite
And if we put ourselves under enough pressure
Ideas can pop out of anywhere.
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
MUSIC
This podcast is a little bit different today
Because I've got something else at the back of my mind
Tonight, in a meeting, I accidentally set myself a challenge
Yeah, that's on top of this daily challenge of a podcast a day
I set myself a challenge to make a business by midnight
As I record this podcast, it's now 8:15pm
And after I've recorded this podcast
I need to then edit it
So easily, it'll be 9pm before I'm done with my podcast
Which gives me 3 hours
To invent a business where I can sell my skills through
And be taking money by midnight
It isn't an easy challenge
But I set it up for 2 reasons
Reason 1: I wanted to prove that it's possible with as little time as humanly possible to set up a business
So nobody has an excuse for not doing something
And 2: the idea that ideas themselves are infinite
Ideas are a little bit like diamonds
They start out as boring bits of earth that nobody cares about
But as you add pressure to them
And the more ridiculous the pressure
The better the idea crystallises into a diamond of an idea
That way of working definitely works for me
The more pressure I put myself under
The the more ideas flood out of my brain into a useful format
The longer you have to think about an idea
Not matter what it is
That idea goes from an amazing one, to a good one, to a rubbish one
And if you're lucky, back to an amazing one
Our brains are fascinating pieces of kit
They have an amazing ability to convince themselves
Of anything
No matter how ridiculous or otherwise it is
And when you leave brains to ponder things
They tend to get all realistic about stuff and a little bit more boring
I try my best to seize ideas when they strike
And ride that idea and find out where it takes me
Sometimes, they end in a blaze of glory
In fact most of them do
But every single time I've decided to make some stupid idea
That didn't go anywhere
I've learned things larger than the idea
I've learnt a new skill, a new piece of knowledge, or just become a better person
You can't put a price on that
And the only way you test yourself with those kinds of things
Is by putting pressure on yourself
And trying new ideas
MUSIC
This was AADA, I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. The Ocean by MindsEye
2. Post Yes by Soft and Furious
3. in the garden of swine by alpha jaguar
For a line by line rundown of this episode, go over to askadesigneranything.com/ep118
I'm back tomorrow with another episode of AADA

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117 - The Grind

Craig Burgess — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Every day is made up of choices.

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Music and links from this episode

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Every minute of every hour of every day
Is made up of choices
Do this
Don’t do this
Do that
Don’t do that
Your biggest opponent in life is yourself
And every minute is a battle against yourself
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY WELCOME TO THE GRIND
That’s a clip from Welcome to the Grind, and amazing motivational speech
I couldn’t find the original author so I’m sorry
But It sums up the grind entirely
And leaves me with little else to say
Let’s get back to choices
Every day, we get to make a choice to do the work
Or not do the work
We get to choose to do that thing we don’t want to do to reach that goal we really want
Or we choose to put it off for another day and delay that goal we really want
The people who are 60 years old and didn’t do the work
Look back, and wish they’d made the better daily choices
Grinding is not just for World of Warcraft
It’s a way to make yourself better every day of your life
5 times a week, I lift weights
Some days, I look at that workout I have to do
And I can’t be bothered
I’d prefer to do anything other than lift a couple of weights
But then I catch myself
And break the task down
It’s just 45 minutes
I tell myself
It’s 45 minutes today to make my life better for the rest of my life
To make sure I have a strong body, strong bones, and a strong mind
45 minutes to give me a better life
I enjoy lifting weights
But sometimes I don’t
And I’d say it’s split 50/50 between
But I know if I stay consistent
And I keep grinding out session after session
I get better
I don’t have to do anything else
But just turn up, and be willing to put in the work
It’s automatic
It’s why I do daily 365 day challenges
It removes my ability to make a decision to do something or not
If I’ve said
Very publicly by the way
That I’m gonna do this thing every day for 365 days
I have to
I’m stubborn like that
Our brains are powerful, complex things
And it’s amazing what we can do with them when we give them a task
It’s even more amazing how good we can get at stuff if we just stick at it
And apply some consistency to our actions
In life, we can’t rely on motivation or inspiration
Motivation is fleeting, inspiration strikes every now and again
To be good at anything
We need to get used to the grind
We need to embrace the grind
And be willing to turn up every day
Whether you want to or not
Whether you’re tired, bored, or sick of everything
You turn up
And do the work
That’s what the grind means
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Welcome to the Grid, author unknown, YouTube link in the show notes
2. Egg Zit Pay Pairs by Captive Portal
3. Don't Tickle Me (feat. Benadiction) by Captive Portal
4. Bruntleek by Myriadar
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to a skadesignernaything.com/ep117
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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116 - Another World

Craig Burgess — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Creativity. It's like another world.

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INTRO
When you’re making things
Designing things
Drawing things
Or just creating things
Is a really special thing
It’s not like anything else on this planet
When you get into the zone...
It’s like stepping into another world
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
Jazz music is the ultimate place of stepping into another world for me
Jazz musicians are some of the most creative people on the planet
And once they’ve found their flow
Their improvisations are otherworldly
When their improvising, they’re in a flow and in another world
The idea of flow is not an idea that’s unique to creativity
It’s talked about in sports and lots of other places
The idea is sometimes referred to as being in the zone
It’s a special place where nothing else matters around you
You’re completely and utterly immersed in your activity
I get like this when I’m designing things
And also when I’m coding
Once I’m 100% focused on the activity
Everything else around me fades away
Being in a creative flow is a lot like meditating
You’re completely and utterly focused on nothing else
In my day to day life
Of phone calls, emails and office conversation
I don’t get much of a chance to get into this zone
It’s hard in a busy lifestyle with lots to do
To get focused
And to find room inside your busy brain
But to produce our best work
And to be at our best creatively
We need to find ways to achieve it
Everybody’s different
And part of the challenge of harnessing your other world
Is to find when it’s easiest to access for you
For some people it’s a morning
And there’s been lots of studies to say that mornings are the most productive for a lot of people
For me, I love my sleep
So mornings aren’t good for me
But I really kick into overdrive on an evening
Unfortunately the later the better for me
I love the feeling of night time peace
And that really feels like another world to me
I record my podcasts pretty late at night
The night time has a different mood for me
Everything is at peace
And everything is quiet
There’s no fast moving people needing to get somewhere
And there’s no cars flying around desperate to get to their final destination
Everybody is just…relaxed
And enjoying themselves
And whilst this time is going on
I feel at my most creative and productive
To succeed as a designer or any creative
You’ve got to learn about your other world
And how to get into it
Savour it
And create stuff in it
Not only will you become a better creative
You’ll enjoy yourself too
A win win creative situation
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Inner Mental Cage (Bitmap Remix) by Controlled Insanity
2. Freejazz by The Unknown Trio
3. Hola Hola Bossa Nova by Juanitos
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep116
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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115 - The Art Of The Idea

Craig Burgess — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Ideas. I love ideas. It's the core of any creative endeavour.

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Music and links from this episode

All tracks from Captive Portal's new album, Having A VHS For A Leg
Choir Librarian by Captive Portal
When We Were Once by Captive Portal
Equestrian Encryption by Captive Portal

Line-by-line notes

INTRO
There’s one thing that is common across any type of creative activity
Whether you’re a designer, artist, singer, rapper, whatever
It’s all about ideas
Big ideas
Small ideas
Rubbish ideas
Good ideas
It’s all ideas
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
When people say that thing I hate hearing
“I’m not creative”
What they’re really saying
Is that they don’t think they can think of ideas
And even that’s not true either
They think that can’t come up with ideas
But that’s just a story that they tell themselves
Because over the years
People get creativity and idea-making hammered out of them
As they get older, they think they can’t think of ideas anymore
And actually, coming up with ideas isn’t actually that difficult
You’ve just got to be fearless
Actually, maybe fearless is a bit strong
We’re not talking about going to battle here
Or a duel to the death
But you do have to let go of your inhibitions a bit
And inhibitions, fear and doubts become more deep-rooted as we get older
The biggest inhibitor to coming up with an idea
Is the belief that an idea has to be good
But actually
The only way to get to the good ideas is to get past the bad ones first
Seasoned creative people are good at this
Because they come up with ideas all day long
They can actually run through a whole boat load of ideas in their head
And analyse them in an instant
Then pick out the good ones
That’s a skill that’s developed through years of training and practice
But when they first started
And when I first started
All my ideas were crap
And then when I came up with a good idea
It had either already been done
Or I didn’t have the skills to execute it
Coming up with the ideas is only one side of the coin
It’s an important side of the coin sure
But a good idea
The BEST idea in the world
Is nothing without execution
And good execution at that
I’ve seen many designers over the years with a great idea for a logo
Then I see the final result
And I look at it and think
“ehhh, that could have been a little bit better with some more work”
The way I see it, the creative process involves two parts
And both require lots of effort and perspiration
The first phase
Is the ability to empty your brain out onto a piece of paper
Every last idea, no matter how good or how bad
Straight down into a sketchbook
Then you leave it for a few hours or days
And try all over again to empty your brain out again
Coming up with ideas at this stage is equal parts hard work and enjoyable
The second stage
Is picking the best of those ideas
Which in itself is a gargantuan task
Then taking that idea
And executing on it
And executing really well
Ideas are weird
They’re everywhere
And all around us all the time
They accompany us in the shower, when we’re washing up or when we’re walking around
And then when you really need them
They’re nowhere
They can’t be commanded or asked to appear when you want them to
You just have to wait
And relish the opportunity when an idea arrives
And grab the idea with both hands
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
All three tracks in today’s episode are from Captive Portal’s new album, Having a VHS For A Leg
Love the name by the way...
The tracks were
1. Choir Librarian by Captive Portal
2. When We Were Once by Captive Portal
3. Equestrian Encryption by Captive Portal
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep115
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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114 - What Happened To Design?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

What happened to design? When did it get overtaken by the researchers and the bean-counters?

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

When graphic design first became a profession, things were simpler
Classic design used to be much simpler to understand
Dieter Rams 10 principles for good design are just as relevant today as they were in the 1970s
He said
Good design is innovative
Good design makes a product useful
Good design is aesthetic
Good design makes a product understable
Good design is unobtrusive
Good design is honest
Good design is long lasting
Good design is thorough to the last detail
Good design is environmental friendly
Good design is as little design as possible
Why do I feel like—in the pursuit of more and better design—we've forgotten quite a few of these?
Where did it all go wrong?
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
I'm going to get a little bit controversial in this episode
And try and get you to think outside your comfort zone
Especially if you're a jobbing designer right now
Controversy point one:
Designers aren't trusted to do their own jobs anymore
And designers are becoming less respected at their craft
Before a designer gets involved, often there's lots of research
Or testing
Or focus groups
Or marketing people writing lengthy documents
Then making design suggestions before the designer has even started
It seems There needs to be a focus group or a large scale research project to back up your design choices for almost anything these days
And if a designer isn't sure
They'll be asked to test two versions of a design to see which performs best
All this stuff erodes the soul of a design
Design isn't as simple as that
Simply doing the research doesn't automatically create a good design
And the research can be, you know, wrong
Design needs to be left to the designers
Design is as much of a science as it is an art
Getting it right isn't as simple as doing the research and saying 'so and so looks like this so we need to look like this'
Design is so much more subtle than that
In the hands of a good designer, a good marketing strategy can turn into something amazing
But in the hands of a poor designer, a good marketing strategy amounts to nothing
And there's also the other side of this
The side that designers often don't get a say in
BAD marketing strategies
The research or the strategy is never said to be wrong, it's always the designers fault
Strategy and planning can sometimes directly interfere with the end design product
Many people are trying to make design a science
And design to some extent can be quantified
There's rules of design that when followed can produce passable work
But this is why I said design is as much of a science as it is an art
The science part gets you to a certain point with a design
It makes it usable, presentable, workable, and consumable by the masses
But the art part, that's why the magic lies
That's where something turns from a good design into something amazing
Something timeless
And something people talk about for years and even decades
To finish this rant up, I'm going to let you in on a little secret
Sometimes when I'm working on a piece of design
The first idea I come up with
In the first 20 minutes
Is the best idea I'll have
And sometimes, that idea is the perfect one
Sometimes I can create an entire new brand in 20 minutes
And I shouldn't be embarrassed by that
That's just design
It can't be quantified or put into a neat box
Sometimes it works in mysterious ways
And you just have to ride out the journey
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik allegro by Advent Chamber Orchestra
2. Quasi Motion by Kevin MacLeod
3. Walk That Dog by U.S. Army Blues
4. ACOUSTIC BLUES by Jason Shaw
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep114
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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113 - The Space Between The Objects

Craig Burgess — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

I talk about a hidden part of the creative pursuit that most people aren't aware of.

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

Hello. It’s me, Craig.
Before we get into today’s show, I wanted to quickly talk about something new I’m working on
I’m starting a new podcast soon
There’s lots of things I don’t know about it yet
Like the name, the final format, when it’ll be released
But I’m really excited by it
Because I’ll be interviewing designers and creatives that I love
We’ll be talking about geeky stuff from the design and creative worlds
And I’m really looking forward to it
The reason I’m telling you about this so early is because I need your help
If you know of a designer or a creative that you’d love to hear have a chat with me
OR, you are a designer or a creative and you’d love to have a chat with me
Ping me on twitter at craigburgess or email me at craig@askadesigneranything.com and we’ll go from there
Promo, done.
INTRO
There’s a thing in any creative endeavour
That’s actually more important than the work itself
It’s older than time, and it’s a concept that’s been around forever
It’s older than this song
And some might say that to become a great designer, your understanding of it has to be absolute
And most of all, it’s something you’ve probably never considered and even known it’s a thing
I’m talking about space
No, not the kind of space in Star Trek
The other kind
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
Negative Space
White Space
Leave some room to breathe
It’s called different things by different people
Negative space as a concept is pretty simple
All it refers to is the space around or between the main subject of an image
In visual mediums, it’s the space where nothing is in the piece
It’ll be the spare space that’s left blank around something
To an untrained eye, it doesn’t look like an intentional thing
When you’re reading a book, the words don’t go to the very edge of the page
And that’s intentional, to aid your reading consumption and make it as comfortable as possible
But not only did somebody design where the words will go
And how much space is between them and what size the letters should be
Somebody also designed the space, the area where nothing is
It’s often an alien concept to some clients too
Who are always keen to see it as wasted space
Space that should be filled with something else
But once the negative space is filled up
It doesn’t have any power anymore, it’s not negative space now
It’s one of the rare areas of life where nothing is more powerful than something
It’s a concept that’s important in any artistic composition
Across “proper art”, photography, design, even music and writing
There’s a famous quote about it by Artur Schnabel
the pauses between the notes – ah, that is where the art resides
The concept of the pause shows up in lots of areas of life
Pausing to reflect
Pausing to catch your breath
Space to breathe
Clearing your mind to create space
Space is seen as the holy grail of calm and peacefulness
It’s seen as a way to true enlightenment
And this also makes sense in graphic design
It’s often said that you’re not a proper designer until you can fully command negative space
Until you fully understand what to leave out, rather than what to add in
I like the Japanese phrase ma, which is roughly translated as gap, space or pause
Even better, I love the description of it from wikipedia
It is best described as a consciousness of place,
not in the sense of an enclosed three-dimensional entity,
but rather the simultaneous awareness of form and non-form deriving from an intensification of vision.
Ma is not something that is created by compositional elements;
it is the thing that takes place in the imagination of the human who experiences these elements.
Therefore, ma can be defined as an experiential place understood with emphasis on interval
Deep, right?
You see this spiritual link to negative space popping up over and over again
No matter what creative craft you subscribe to
A command of negative space is seen as a badge of honour that shows you understand your craft
That you've reached a higher level of consciousness
And if we want to get even deeper with this, which of course we do
There’s even rules to achieve the perfect negative space
It’s called the Golden Ratio
This is a mathematical formula that dictates a perfect beauty that pops up in lots of different areas of design
The egyptian pyramids were created to the formula
The perfect examples of a human face, what we call beautiful, follows the golden ratio
And our brains are hard-wired to prefer objects and images that use the Golden Ratio
Whether you like the complicated japanese description of negative space
Or preferred my more simple one
It can’t be denied that space in any composition is the single most important thing to master
So the next time you see something
Instead of looking at the object
Look at the space around it
And consider how well designed it is
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. The Entertainer (1902, piano roll) by Scott Joplin
2. Belview by C. Scott
3. Knuckle Up by C. Scott
4. En Croisiere by Juanitos
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep113
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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112 - Two Parts Work, One Part Happiness

Craig Burgess — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Let's talk a little bit about happiness.

Music and links from this episode

Travelling between the Ancient Empires by Ars Sonor & Sean Derrick Cooper Marquardt
Park Bench Afternoons by MindsEye
Tides by MindsEye
A curious thing by J Hacha de Zola

Line-by-line notes

INTRO
In our work focused culture
And because work is all about, well working
We often forget that work could be fun, if we wanted it to be
Because work is driven by profits, timesheets and getting paid
We sometimes forget one of the most important parts of our life
Happiness
Let’s talk a bit about happiness
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
James Deb
It’s probably not a name your familiar with
If you you are
Congratulations, you read Wikipedia like me
James Deb is often cited as one of the inventors of the 8 hour work day
Or the 40 hour work movement, that its apparently known as
Previous to this idea, 10-16 hour work days 6 days a week were common
It was actually Robert Owen though
A Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of the utopian socialism movement
That really branded the 8 hour work day well
He came up with the slogan
8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest
This was seen as revolutionary at the time
That suddenly were going to start working less hours
And looking after our health
And it’s funny, now, we live in a freer society than ever
One that, with the help of the internet pretty much lets you do whatever you want
Whenever you want
And we voluntarily choose to work longer hours
Do more things for our bosses
And put our happiness on hold for the sake of the corporation
In the design industry, we value worker heroes
The people who turn up an hour before everybody else
And leave an hour after everybody else
It’s common in the design industry to work long hours
And work weekends, and in your spare time
Because we enjoy our jobs so much
It’s not like this feels like work, and we might still think we feel happy
Those worker heroes, the people who work the longest?
They’re not heroes
It’s not big or clever working ridiculous hours
It grates on your happiness
Slowly and methodically
And it's something you don't even realise
Trust me, I’ve been there and worn out the t-shirt
I realised, years ago now, that working the longest doesn’t make you the best
It just becomes habit, then you expand every task to fill the available time
You become less efficient, because you’ve got more hours available to you
Then that means you end up working longer hours, because things are taking you longer to do
Then the cycle repeats all over again
And, it just doesn’t make you happy
Design makes me happy
I love it
But I don’t love doing it for 16 hours a day
That’s not an efficient use of my design brain
I can’t come up with good ideas for that long during the day
And I shouldn’t try, but some people do
I’m at my happiest when I’m designing things
But that doesn’t mean I stay happy for very long when I’ve been doing it for too long
Even the things you love make you less happy when you do them for too long
And if you’re not even in a job that makes you happy
Quit tomorrow
It’s just not worth it
There’s no point wasting your life being unhappy
I know not every part of every job makes you happy, I’m not naive
But you can work your damnedest to make the happiness balance tip in your favour
If you’ve got a job that makes you happy, well done
To make sure you keep it that way, make sure you don’t do it too much
Instead of 2 parts work, 1 part happiness
Flip it on its head
Go for 2 parts happiness, 1 part work
Or even better
3 parts happiness, no work
After all, if you do something you enjoy, you’ll never work a day in your life
Right?
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Travelling between the Ancient Empires by Ars Sonor & Sean Derrick Cooper Marquardt
2. Park Bench Afternoons by MindsEye
3. Tides by MindsEye
4. A curious thing by J Hacha de Zola
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep112
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of Ask a Designer Anything

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111 - Be Good At Lots of Things

Craig Burgess — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 23:14:00 -0500

Should you be a specialist, or a generalist?

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

INTRO
Over the years, the design industry has flicked between different trends
The gradient and bevel era where designers were first starting to work out how to use the new features that Photoshop allowed
The skeuomorphic design trend, that saw every designer making things look real life things
And the current design trends: very simple and clean design that some people think has gotten too simple
There's even been trends that have dictated what a designer should be, or should do
There's been the traditional graphic designer, who mostly designs print work
There's the hybrid designer, who designs web and print stuff
And there's the more granular type of designer that's become popular in recent years, the UI or UX design, or interaction designers. They've got different names every week
The current trend is to tell designers that we should focus on one area of expertise. That we should be specialists and not generalists
I disagree. And in this episode, I'll tell you why.
This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
In the past 12 years, I've designed lots of different stuff, and worked on lots of different projects
I've even built apps and web systems, and dabbled with programming
On top of that, I've even looked into video game design, and started trying to learn how to make games
I didn't get very far with learning how to make games by the way
But it's something I definitely want to return to learning about
I truly do consider myself to be a hybrid designer
I'm just as interested in getting my hands dirty in the technical side as I am the creative side
I get equal parts enjoyment from right brain activities and left brain activities
As a young designer, this kind of difference confused me
I enjoyed developing stuff, so did that mean I should be a developer?
But I'm a pretty good designer too, so should that mean I should be a designer?
I was truly confused, and early in my career I nearly took a job as a developer
Now, I'm glad I didn't
I don't ever see my interest in lots of different topics as a designer as a bad thing at all
In fact, I believe It's only turned me into a better designer over the years
Because I can understand things from technical viewpoints
As well as the creative side
When I'm designing something new, I fully understand what can be achieved technically, so I can push the boundaries and not hold back
I think any development activities I do as well help me with my problem solving abilities
Development, coding, whatever you want to call it
Is a creative endeavour
You are creating something
And you're solving problems
And you're communicating
Anybody who tells you otherwise is just wrong
To me, a good graphic designer should be able to turn their hand to designing almost anything and be able to do a good job of it
It's trendy right now to specialise
To call yourself something like an interaction designer
Or a UI designer
But to me, all designers should be interaction designers
Or UI designers
Specialising as a designer in interaction is a tautology
Shouldn't everything you make be designed to be interacted with?
And what about when the trend veers back away from UI or UX design?
Where does that leave your very specific skills, honed so narrowly that they can only be applied to one area of design?
Specialising as a designer doesn't take into account the true makeup of the design industry
Most agencies are small, and when you're a small team you need to be multi-disciplined, and willing to work across lots of different mediums
Specialising as a UI or UX designer limits your true potential to large agencies, which might not be where the most rewarding work is
I don't mean to keep bashing on UI and UX designers
There are other examples of very specific designers out there
But those kinds of terms are the current trends
And I think these kinds of terms have developed out of a lack of standards overall in the design industry
Because anybody can become a graphic designer with a copy of photoshop
We feel like more specific job roles need to be developed that sound more specialist or professional
That somebody can't just wander into straight from the street
But in doing so, you lose a lot of the power of actually just being a designer
Deisgners have an eye and a way of thinking that can be turned to lots of mediums
And designers can provide value and real business value in lots of different ways
But by narrowing the role of a designer down
And narrowing it very specifically to say "I just do this"
Designers risk the potential of not being respected again in the real world
And most importantly
Who can remember all these job roles?
UI, UX, interaction, usability...
What's wrong with just calling yourself a graphic designer?
I believe we should challenge ourselves to not think a jack of all trades as being a bad thing
Instead of being a jack of all trades and master of none
Why can't we be a jack of all trades, and master of them all?
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Break by Little Glass Men
2. Poolside by Little Glass Men
3. Spray Paint It Gold by Little Glass Men
askadesignernaything.com/ep111
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110 - Patience

Craig Burgess — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

How do you get what you want in life? Hard work, and lots of patience.

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INTRO
When Stephen HawkingStephen h began studying physics, he was rubbish at it
When Louis Hamilton first started driving, he couldn’t even start the car
When Robert De Niro started acting, he couldn’t even land a job in a commercial
By default, when you start something, you’re rubbish at it
Now, collectively, they’re world renowned physicists, multi million pound racing drivers and some of the best actors of all time
You want to know why?
Because they had patience
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
I still vividly remember the first ever piece of design work I made
It was in the first few weeks of official design education
And I designed a website for William Wallace
It was terrible
I mean, absolutely terrible
It’d offend you if you saw it, seriously
In week 1 of a 2 year course, I was a terrible designer
But I had the passion and the willingness to become better at being a designer
So I put in the work
And started designing everything and anything
I made up projects
I designed fake logos for fake companies
I started projects where I designed stuff for fun
All of this on top of the work I had to do for my design course
It meant I rapidly became a better designer
I still wasn’t an amazing one, by any means
I was still a design student after all
But I knew that if I followed the process
And continued to make new design work
And continued to keep putting in the work
I’d automatically become better
I knew this because I had patience
Gary Vaynerchuk says lots of good things about patience too
I’ll let him tell it for you
PLAY GARY VEE CLIP
Because of the internet, we expect results fast
Because everything can be downloaded, purchased instantly or delivered the next day
We expect everything to be so easy to acquire
But a craft like design doesn’t work like that
It’ll never work like that, because design is a craft
A craft takes time to learn
It takes patience to learn
You have to learn the ins and outs of it
And be able to do things backwards and forwards
The epiphany I had about this whole patience thing came a few years ago
When somebody said to me
Even Jimi Hendrix had to learn guitar once
Even he used to be rubbish at playing guitar
Everybody, no matter how talented they are
Has been where you are right now, no matter what level of your craft you’re at
If you’re just starting out, everybody has taken that first step at least once in their career
Once somebody told me that, I became enlightened
It’s something so obvious, but something you just don’t think about
We put talented people on pedestals
And attribute everything they do to natural talent
Or luck
Or something else that makes that talented person seem like they haven’t worked for it
When in truth
Any talented person has just worked hard
And they’ve worked endlessly at their craft
Of course luck comes into it
And being in the right place at the right time
But if you’re working hard at your craft non stop
The law of averages says you’re going to get a hit eventually
Unfortunately people usually stop before they get that hit
Because that one thing more people need
Is patienc
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Golem by Pas Dans Le Cul Aujourd'Hui
2. Dub Steps by Dub Terminator
3. Octopussy by Juanitos
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep110
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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109 - And Be Nice To People

Craig Burgess — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

Be nice to people. It's the single most important thing.

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INTRO
I like to give out lots of tips to designers
And generally
They just apply to being a good human as well
Today's episode definitely falls into this category
Ever since we started Genius Division
The design agency I run with a few other conspirators
We've tried to live by one mantra
Work hard and be nice to people
Yesterday was work hard
Today is be nice to people
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
Manners cost nothing
Good manners are your beauty
Your mood shouldn't dictate your manners
I tried to find quote about being nice too
But they were all negative
And paranoid
Nice guys always finish last
Even the nicest people have their limits
Quotes like that
There's an inherent distrust of nice people
Especially in Britain, where nobody can take a compliment
People constantly that that if you're being nice, you want something
Or there's a reason for being nice
Beyond just being nice
I absolutely don't believe nice guys finish last at all
And you shouldn't either
The whole idea of finishing last
Suggests there's an idea of success that everybody buys into
Which is just not true
Being nice is the cornerstone of everything I do
I hate it when somebody thinks otherwise of me
I hate it when I've hurt somebody or somebody is annoyed at me
In an ideal world I'd love everybody to like me
And I'm not saying that I'm an egotistical way
I mean everybody should just like everybody
There's no need for backhanded compliments
Or silly games behind people's backs
Let's just all be nice
And let's get it out of the way now
Being nice doesn't mean you're weak
Or you're a pushover
Or you let others get their own way all the time
Despite what Hollywood and TV shoves down all our throats
You can politely decline
And you don't need an argument to solve a difference of opinion
I think in the design world, being nice is especially important
The design world is still pretty small
And most people know each other
It's quite incestuous that way
So you never know when you might stumble across somebody again in a different job
I don't believe in burning bridges no matter how hard the other side might try to set it on fire
Being nice isn't trendy anymore I guess
The corporate mentality is to drop things on everybody below you and throw stones at people above you
Everybody is a target and somebody to be stepped on
But in a meritocracy
Where everybody is out to get on the next rung of the ladder
It forgets about the people
Design is all about people
It's about the people you share a studio with
It's about your clients you help create amazing work for
And it's about your peers and other people who you ask for advice from
You have to be nice to all of those people, all the time
In fact, just be nice to people
It just feels
Well
Nice
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Cylinder Nine by Chris Zabriskie
2. The Life and Death of a Certain K. Zabriskie, Patriarch by Chris Zabriskie
3. Sphere by Creo
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep109
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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108 - Work Hard

Craig Burgess — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 23:14:00 -0500

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INTRO
I love shortcuts
All kinds of shortcuts actually
I love keyboard shortcuts, because they speed things up when I’m working
I love productivity shortcuts, that make me more efficient
I even love shortcuts in Mario Kart, because they make sure I don’t come last
Sometimes though, shortcuts just don’t work
Sometimes, you’ve just got to knuckle down
And just work hard
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
If there’s something I see more and more of as I get older
And I guess you could say more experienced
Is that people become more entitled
Because anybody can get a YouTube channel or a blog set up in 5 minutes
They expect the results to come equally as quickly
Because when we forget something or don’t know something
And we can just google for any answer in 5 seconds flat
People expect everything else to be as easy to achieve
People like to talk about overnight success
As if that’s an excuse for the fact that somebody has achieved something
There’s no such thing as an overnight success
It’s a lie
The only way an overnight success is achieved
Is through hard work, and years of it
No matter how old somebody might be
Take a talented 17 year old footballer for example who’s just broken into the professional leagues
That 17 year old kid has been playing football their life
Probably not far enough since they started walking
What’s overnight about that success?
There’s a thing that occurs over and over when people talk about success
And it doesn’t even matter what kind of definition of it you have
This thing comes up over and over
And it’s working hard
Nothing worth achieving comes without hard work
Otherwise everybody would be doing it
The same couldn’t be more true of being a designer
There’s so many designers out there now
You just need a computer and a copy of Photoshop and you can call yourself a designer
There’s no regulation
Increasingly people are turning away from traditional design education too
Which I don’t agree with by the way
So the only differentiator
In a stupidly crowded market
Is your work
And the only way to make your work get better
And stand out from anybody else's
Is to do lots of it, and work hard
The design world is no different from many other industries these days
And I predict with the rise of the internet, competition for any job will only get bigger
And the only way to make sure you’re the best is to work harder thane everybody else
Designers have to know so many things these days
And have to be good at so many different crafts
That the only way to get good at them all is to knuckle down
And get working hard
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating working yourself to the bone
In a traditional sense
I don’t mean work hard and burn yourself out
I mean work hard at your craft
And work hard to be the very best at what you do
No matter what that is
Because if you’re not working hard
There’s somebody else just behind you waiting to take over
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. This Minus Five by Captive Portal
2. Day Bird by Broke for Free
3. Exotic2 by Andrew Pekler
4. Tonight, By The Moonlight by James Pants
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep108
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of Ask a Designer Anything

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107 - The Perfectionist's Illusion

Craig Burgess — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 20:04:51 -0500

Is striving for perfection actually a good thing, or is a fool's game?

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INTRO
Hi
My name’s Craig
And I’ve got a problem
It’s a problem that plagues in my professional life
And my every day life
Every time I try and do something
This problem rears it’s head
Over and over
It gnaws at my psyche
And grinds at my creations
My problem is perfection
Or rather, the relentless pursuit of it
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
I can hear you laughing
I sound like those people in job interviews
Who admit their biggest weakness is being a perfectionist
That perfection, or striving to be perfect
Is not a problem at all
It doesn’t do you any harm
Or cause you any ill will
But that’s just not true
As anybody will tell you in the creative game
Striving for perfection is the fastest way to ruin
Or the slowest way, depending on how you look at it
Seeking perfection is a fool’s game
It’s an impossible errand that can never be completed
But nobody tells you that
When you first start out
I think there’s 2 people in this world
The people who are happy with their lot and happy to accept things
And the other people, the people who constantly strive for perfect
You often see CEOs of large organisations fall into the second category
They’re classic type A personalities
The kind of people you don’t like
And the type of people that are often called Sociopaths
Most creatives pursue perfection
Especially on personal projects
This is the exact reason why I’ve never managed to make myself a design portfolio
Because I want it to be perfect
And I can’t figure out what perfect looks like
Because it doesn’t exist
I see this same kind of thinking in designs students
And young people
They want to keep tweaking things, and changing things
Because they’re never happy with how it looks
The thing they produce never looks like the thing they imagined in their brain
And then perfection gets mistaken for indecisiveness
Perfection is an illusion
When you make something
And you look back at it the week after
You always see ways you could have improved it
And you’re never happy with the previous things you’ve made
But actually, that’s a REALLY GOOD THING
It means you’ve improved
It means you’ve got better, even within a week
And it means you didn’t try to perfect it endlessly, until you went in a gigantic circle
The truth about perfection is this
Perfection isn’t real
It isn’t possible by anybody
Perfection is an abstract noun
One person’s definition of perfection directly contradicts somebody else's
Anything you create can never be perfect
And the second you start trying to make it perfect
Is when it never gets made or finished
Perfection is all ego
And actually getting stuff done is what really matters
Let me leave you with a quote from Salvador Dali
Have no fear of perfection
Because you’ll never achieve it.
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Dark Hearted by White Visor
2. The queen rat. by Coin Locker Kid
3. We Waste Time by Ugh God
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep107
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of Ask a Designer Anything

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106 - Never Stop

Craig Burgess — Sat, 15 Apr 2017 21:43:34 -0500

Making stuff automatically makes you better.

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INTRO
You've probably heard of Jerry Seinfeld before
If not though, he's an actor, comedian, and a writer
He made the sitcom Seinfeld, with Larry David
The reason I mention him
Is because he once told his method for becoming a better comedian
It was simple really
Write something every single day
And write a cross on a calander for every day you do it
You've got one goal
Don't break the chain
And never stop
This is Ask a Designer Anything, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
I absolutely adore Seinfeld idea
And it's something I've long since subscribed to myself
I'm not as prescriptive as seinfeld
I don't do something every day
Unless I'm doing a silly 365 day challenge that is
But the idea of doing things regularly for yourself in your spare time is something I'm mega passionate about
You've probably noticed
It's a running theme through my podcasts
Because I think, especially for designers, designing something every day is a really easy way to get better without even trying
When I look back at my first ever 365 day challenge
When I designed a poster a day for 365 days
I did it because I wanted to get better at making vector graphics and using illustrator
It automatically worked, because of the volume of work I was producing
The same idea applies to these podcasts
Because I'm making one every day
I'm automatically getting better at audio production, writing scripts, talking into a mic, reading scripts, the list goes on
This is the very thing Seinfeld was getting at
Just by writing every day, he got a little bit better every day
By the end of 365 days, he was a lot better
The reason most peope don't do this
Is 2 reasons
1, it's hard to stay consistent and to not just come home from work and watch TV
And 2, most people don't like making rubbish stuff
Because when you're never stopping, and making something every day, most of what you make will be rubbish
And that's part of the reason for doing it too, to start to accept that sometimes your ideas aren't good, but you have to try them anyway
It stops self limiting beliefs
This is why Michael Beirut promotes this idea too, in a smaller way, for the students he teaches at university
He gets students to perform a design operation every day for 100 days
One that you can complete every day so you don't give up
It teaches you to work faster
It teaches you to come up with ideas faster
And it teaches you to never stop
If I could get every design student in the world to make something every day for 365 days
I would
Because I know from personal experience that they'll be so much better of a designer when they're finished
Even Gary Vaynerchuk talks about a similar concept
Of never stopping, and doing something every day
So, there's 3 successful people here who have all discovered something that definitely works to make you a better designer
Jerry Seinfeld, a very successful comedian
Michael Beirut, a very successful designer
And Gary Vaynerchuk, a very successful businessman
Do I need to carry on?
Is that enough convincing for you to wake up tomorrow and start plotting your 365 day challenge?
The concept of never stopping is so simple
And so powerful at the same time
But it's a concept and ideology that so few people bother to even attempt
If you want to be the best in the world
A genuine world beater at your craft
You need to work
And work hard
So if that's you
Prove it
And start now
And never stop again
OUTRO
This was AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess
Music featured in this episode was
1. Sofia 30 by Nuno Adelaida
2. Internally Grateful (feat. Josh Büche & Jonee Whatley) by Captive Portal
3. The Pet by Sebon
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep106
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of Ask a Designer Anything

105 - The Maker's Manifesto

Craig Burgess — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 21:25:40 -0500

Making stuff automatically makes you better.

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INTRO
No matter what you do as a job
I think you should be doing this thing in your spare time
Whether you're an accountant, a developer, a designer or a lawyer, doing this thing makes you automatically better at your job
That thing is stuff
And the thing you should be doing with it is making it
Because making stuff makes you better
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
By the way, I’m feeling in a bit of a Friday mood today
So today’s music is quite weekendy...
PLAY MID SONG
After recording another episode of AADA a few days ago, I started to think about what I could tell my younger 18 year old self
That if I could go back in time, what is the one most important thing that's turned me into the human I am today?
Im too humble to call myself successful, but I'm happy, and I lead a life I enjoy with no limitations.
I got to thinking about what makes a good designer, and what one thing you could teach a young designer that could potentially turn that young designer into a great one
When I sit down and really think about the things I've learnt in my short career of 11 years so far
There's lots of things I could mention
Creative ability
Curiosity
A passion for learning
Networking
Being friendly
Helping others
Having a vision
And never giving up
Yes, they're all important
And really, it's impossible or not really that important to pick one
But if I think about one thing specifically
It's the simple act of making things
And making things often
Let me explain
Making things can be anything, and I think that's why it's such a powerful concept to any industry
In my world, making things meant designing stuff
Even before I got my first design job, I've always just designed stuff
Ever since I started my design education
I became obsessed
And started just making stuff all the time
Because I was constantly making stuff
I was constantly getting better
I was getting 10000 hours of practice in just by designing stuff all the time
And at the time when I first started out
Almost 99 percent of it was for myself
Just making stuff completely for the fun of it
Some people would call this pointless
But for me
It was and still is some of the best work I do
Because you get to explore things
And learn new things
And you're doing it for yourself and for nobody else
I live for making work like this
And making things
At the minute I'm spending 2 hours a day making a podcast
And some people might think that's quite a lot of time
And it is
But I do it because I just love the act of making things
I'd prefer to spend 2 hours learning and making
Than 2 hours vegetating
Watching crap television
The simple and sometimes complex act of making
Has a deeper meaning for me
It's like my daily meditation
Or my daily exercise for my brain
Im a maker at heart
And if I'm not making things, I'm getting twitchy and not feeling myself
Making stuff makes me a better human in so many ways
So if there's one thing young designers should do
Is make more stuff
And keep making more stuff
Because making more stuff than everybody else
Automatically makes you better
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Venga Bus by Pierlo
2. Walking Alone by Telegraphy
3. Barbarian by Pierlo
4. Do the Pump by MrJuan
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep105
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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104 - A Lifetime of Learning

Craig Burgess — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 17:51:11 -0500

What's that one thing that turns a bad designer into a good one?

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INTRO
When you talk about what separates a great designer from a bad one
There’s lots of things that tend to come up
Passion
Intelligence
Talent
Location
Desire
But the biggest thing I think
And one that some people don’t appreciate
Is learning
And committing to a lifetime of learning
This is AADA and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
Being a designer isn’t easy
It’s so important to keep up with so many things, and lots of these change A LOT
You’ve got to keep up with culture, to make sure the work you’re doing is relevant
You’ve got to keep up with the news and current events, to make sure you can ground your work in reality
And you’ve got to keep up with trends
Trends can be one the hardest to keep up with, and one of the most time consuming
Because trends are fickle
I’m not saying that designers should make trendy design
I’m the last person on earth to suggest that
But it’s important to understand current trends
To either implement them in your work
Or completely avoid them
So you can make your work look timeless but not old fashioned
There’s something else though that’s really important to a designer
And that’s technology
Technology changes so quickly
And designers need to keep up with it
It’s revolutionised and some may say democratised the world of design once before
With the introduction of the Macintosh
And I think we’re currently experiencing a similar thing again
With the rise of tablet devices
And the potential that a tablet device opens up for all kinds of design work
And rapid prototyping, just all sorts
But to make sure we keep up with all this stuff
We have to make sure we’re always learning
In another way, you could call it curiosity
Curiosity feeds a lot into this
And to be an amazing designer
Curiosity is really important
The best designers I know are perpetually curious about the world they live in
They don’t take anything at face value
They don’t see a news story and think that’s the full story
I think this is a thing of—and as much as I hate to say the term—being in marketing
Because we’re used to working for companies and—let’s face it—manipulating the public image of companies
We know and understand how easy it is to manipulate the public image of everything
That leads most designers to be generally cynical of most things they see
And that leads them to being curious to find out the truth
Also, when designers see a new style of work or a new website or a new thing they’ve never seen before
They want to know how to create it, and replicate it
Staying curious is so important, because if you don’t, you fall behind, and slowly become a worse designer
A designer’s journey is one that never ends
Because a designer is always trying to improve
And a designer is always trying to fill up their bank of ideas, and inspiration, and ways to solve problems
Part of a designer’s curiosity and passion for learning
Comes from this
They know they need to keep seeking, keep learning, and keep wondering how things work
Because it’ll make them a better designer.
If you as a designer stay the same as the day you came out of college
Over the years, you’ll just slowly shrivel up and die as a designer
Staying curious
And committing to a lifetime of learning
Is the only way to stay relevant
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. No More Truth by ROZKOL
2. Sacred Motion by star pause
3. End of the Line by H-LR
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep104
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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103 - Things change

Craig Burgess — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 20:52:08 -0500

Things change, and you've got to make sure you change with them.

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INTRO
A few months ago
I went to a restaurant
I’ve been to other restaurants since, but I remember this one vividly
We sat down to eat food
Tapas food actually
And there was a group of 18-20 year olds sat down in a group
They were all communicating through their phones
But to each other
And occasionally, one of them showed the other their phone
They were all talking to each other
But they were communicating with each other in a way I didn’t recognise
Communication is changing
Or you could say
It’s already changed
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
Every couple of years
A new form of technology comes around
That people start outrageously claiming it’ll be the death of something
The radio
The TV
The compact disc player
The mini disk player
The iPod
The iPhone
And now, the internet
The internet has changed our consumption habits FOREVER
The internet has changed our attention spans forever
And the internet has changed how we communicate forever
Everybody in any kind of media position are struggling to understand it too
TV execs are struggling to catch up with it
Traditional marketers are struggling to catch up
We all talk about the golden days of communication
When we all sat down and talked to each other
And young people could actually talk to people
And we all lived in this nice bubble of talking to each other all of the time
The truth is, that golden age never existed
Teenagers have never been able to talk to each other
But it can’t be denied that the communication methods have changed
Things like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Instagram and everything else
Has changed the way we communicate and keep in touch with our friends
We’re often constantly in contact with our “friends” now
We’re light touch with lots of people
Noseying about their perfect side of their lives they showcase on social media
And staying friends with all our high school enemies on Facebook
Just to see how rubbish their lives are
The point I’m getting to
Is things have changed
And every day, especially on the internet
Things change again, and faster than last time
Change happens every day
An we need to learn to embrace it, and not fight it
Not talk about the good old days that were worse than now
And not misremember a golden age that never existed
We need to appreciate that things change
And just because things aren’t how you remembered them
It doesn’t make them any less valid, or wrong in some way
It’s just new
You change every day too
And if you want to hold on to the past
And stay the same as you’ve always been
That’s got a name too
It’s called stagnating
OUTRO
This was AADA. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Beaches by Alex Vaan
2. Someone Else's Memories by Revolution Void
3. Warm Up Suit by Broke For Free
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep103
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of AADA

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102 - Making something that you believe in

Craig Burgess — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

To find a purpose in life, or a reason for a living, you've got to make something that you believe in.

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As designers and creators
We make things every day
Design, artwork, videos, podcasts, writing, anything
Whatever creative pursuit we follow
Whatever our medium is
It’s 10 times more powerful
100 times more powerful
If what you’re making, you believe in.
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
When I started this podcast
On January 1st 2017
I started it for the wrong reasons
I’d long since wanted to make a podcast
As I’ve been interested in the medium for a long time
But I chose the wrong style of podcast to make
I was making a podcast because I wanted to market my business
I wanted to market myself
And I wanted to increase my profile in the marketing world
But, that was wrong on so many levels
Because I’d set my podcast up to talk about design, marketing and business
I mainly focused on marketing and business
As I knew that was what most of my clients would find most useful…
For me to give information about
I had a massive problem though
It was a huge elephant in the room that I chose to ignore
That all this marketing and business talk
Just wasn’t me
And I didn’t believe in it
I’m a designer at heart, and I love, eat and breathe design
I’m interested in other stuff too like human performance
And psychology
But none of that straight forward business stuff I really believed in
Or was interested by
Straight out of the blocks, my podcast was doomed from episode one
There was no way I was ever going to make a success of something I didn’t believe in
Some people might categorise success by the download numbers, and they were strong and getting stronger
But I didn’t feel successful, I felt trapped in something I didn’t enjoy
I didn’t believe in my podcast, or my content
And I didn’t have the passion or drive to carry it on
I figured it out late in the game that I needed to make something that I WANTED to make
Not what I thought would make me successful, whatever that even means
I was making something that I didn’t really dare share on my personal Facebook timeline
Because I knew most of my friends wouldn’t enjoy it
And I never listened back to any of my episodes after I’d produced them
Because I didn’t enjoy listening back to them either
Everything was wrong
Just, so wrong
Now, looking back at it, I can’t believe how stupid or tunnel visioned I’d become with it
But hindsight always has perfect vision
With my new style of podcast? I guess it’s not so new now…
It might sound a bit weird, but I actually enjoy listening back to my episodes now
I make something that I enjoy producing, and that I enjoy listening to
I make something that I think is good, and I make it for myself and nobody else
I make it because I enjoy making things, and because of that, I’m always trying to make it better
I make a product that I believe in 100%, and I believe you should be doing the same too
After all, what is success, really?
What does success really mean?
Lots of people like to categorise success as fancy cars
And big houses
But as a creator, and a maker
I categorise success as making stuff that I believe in
That I can look back at
And think:
Yeah, that was pretty good actually.
This was Ask a Designer Anything. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Action Decisive Move by Komiku
2. This or That by MindsEye
3. good looking instrumental by Yshwa
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep102
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of Ask a Designer Anything

Support Ask a Designer Anything

101 - Finding Creativity

Craig Burgess — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 23:15:27 -0500

Finding creativity can sometimes be hard, and sometimes be easy.

Music and links from this episode

Line-by-line notes

INTRO
Creativity can sometimes be like a rare jewel
Everybody knows the power of it
And how beautiful it is
But it can be really difficult to find
Other times, creativity is like a cheap £2 jewel
It’s everywhere
And anybody can find it
And buy it for cheap
This is AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess
PLAY MID SONG
Creativity is weird that way
That it can sometimes be readily available
And other times
Absolutely impossible to find
Creativity can’t be controlled
It can’t be summoned on command like the other skills you already possess
If somebody says
What’s 2 plus 2
You immediately work out the answer is 4
But if somebody says to you
I want you to create a piece of artwork
About the number 4
The answer either immediately popped into your head
Or you wouldn’t even know where to begin
Imagine selling your creativity professionally
It can sometimes be a difficult skill to harness on command
Some days I’ll turn up creatively
And some days I know my creativity has gone for a walk
But I still need to summon up the ideas
The thing that usually separates a seasoned creative
From a young inexperienced one
Is the ability to use techniques to summon the mysterious power of creativity
When it isn’t readily available
It might sound easy
The job of a designer
Just sitting drawing stuff all day
But the pressure is actually much greater than that
Most people get to enjoy their creativity when the mood strikes
But professional creatives, people like designers
Have to learn to turn it on like a tap when it’s necessary
So because of that the pressure is quite high to perform
When you tell people you’re a designer
Or a member of any other creative pursuit
They expect you to be creative
To be different to them in some way
I guess in a way that might be true
That we’re wired up different, and think slightly differently
I think it’s possible that creatives might think slightly differently
But I don’t buy the right brain, left brain paradigm
I believe anybody can learn to become more systems focused
Or anybody can learn to become more creative
I think the environment that you put a human being in
Largely dictates their level of creativity
Children are by default creative
And as creativity is often seen as a childish concept
As we get older and older
We get more of the child pushed out of us, and forced way
Creative people are the people who fought back against that push
And survived out of the other side to continue their childish pursuit of creativity
Being creative is an act to be admired, not vilified or devalued
Having said all that, I don’t want to put creativity on too high of a pedestal
I do genuinely believe creativity is a skill that can be learned
Sure, some people might be more naturally adept at being creative
But anybody can be taught to be creative
Just by being exposed to the act of being creative
Maybe I’ll talk about that one day soon
OUTRO
This was Ask a Designer Anything. I’m Craig Burgess.
Music featured in this episode was
1. Ambiant Point Of No Return by Komiku
2. Pinçon by Comme Jospin
3. Feet Gone Wild by Alpha Hydrae
For a line-by-line run down of this episode, go to askadesignernaything.com/ep101
I’m back tomorrow for another episode of Ask a Designer Anything

Support Ask a Designer Anything

100 - Music (Extended Episode)

Craig Burgess — Sun, 09 Apr 2017 23:15:47 -0500

This is my very special extended episode about music, curated for my 100th episode. Music and links from this episode BugaBlue by US Army Blues Deltas for Corridors by Cosmic Analog Ensemble The Mood by Chris Andrews Railroad’s Whiskey Company by Jahzaar Usurper by Coin Locker Kid A Street Legacy by Cosmic Analog Ensemble (There’s […]

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099 - Design is not a democracy

Craig Burgess — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 23:15:36 -0500

Only valid feedback will be accepted. Music and links from this episode Stargazer by Monplaisir I will by Yshwa Everything is True by Monsplasir Pizza by U-Man Line-by-line notes INTRO Even though the democratic process works for lots of things The idea of getting lots of people involved in the process Just doesn’t work for design Design […]

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098 - Stay humble

Craig Burgess — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 23:15:55 -0500

Staying humble is important, especially when you’re a designer. Music and links from this episode Stellar by MindsEye Jubilee Blues by Belle Baker Snake Charms by Jesse Spillane Rewire your Cables by Little Glass Men Line-by-line notes INTRO We live in a world Full of phrases like “fake it till you make it” and “flaunt […]

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097 - In it for the long haul

Craig Burgess — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 23:15:50 -0500

What happens when you shift your thinking from thinking short term, to being in it for the long haul? Music and links from this episode L’acrobate by Monplaisir feat Southman I Knew a Guy by Kevin MacLeod Dances and Dames also by Kevin MacLeod Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon Line-by-line notes INTRO I started lifting weights […]

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096 - Designing bad things for good reasons

Craig Burgess — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 23:15:00 -0500

When is bad design used intentionally? And when can bad design be better than good design? Music and links from this episode Night Owl by Broke for Free Steppin by Wake How Exciting by Revolution Void Line-by-line notes INTRO Design is used for lots of things But when it’s used intentionally It’s used to communicate […]

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095 - Inspiration

Craig Burgess — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 23:15:02 -0500

Inspiration. It’s both a thing to acquire and a state of mind. Or is it just a load of rubbish? Music and links from this episode Chance by Kai Engel Tumult by Kai Engel Hello Friend by The Birth and Death of Silence Outro by The Birth and Death of Silence Line-by-line notes INTRO In […]

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094 - Amazing design

Craig Burgess — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 23:15:02 -0500

Amazing design doesn’t come around very often, but today I try to distil down what amazing design is. Music and links from this episode Three kites circling by Axletree The Execution of a Liar by Steve Combs Three Generations by Greg Atkinson Line-by-line notes INTRO Everywhere you turn, Our world is full of design It’s […]

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093 - The graphic designer is dead

Craig Burgess — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 23:15:52 -0500

The pace of technological advancements is changing the role of a graphic designer. Today I consider what that means. Music and links from this episode Phase Three by Fatal Injection The Path by Syntactic The Army Of You by Soft and Furious Ride Home by Sro Line-by-line notes INTRO Technology is amazing The IBM System/360 A […]

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092 - Here's to the dreamers

Craig Burgess — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 23:15:52 -0500

Nothing gets made without dreamers. This episode is all about the dreamers. Music and links from this episode NASA sound clips from NASA’s website Words Or Silence 2 by P C III Meadow by Little Glass Men Introduction beats by Itsensäsyöjät Line-by-line notes INTRO Imagine you’ve been tasked to achieve something that’s never been achieved […]

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091 - You never know it all

Craig Burgess — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 23:15:40 -0500

Young designers don’t know the power of the sketchbook. Let me schools ya. Music and links from this episode PHX by JCM Vimaana Praacheen (Flight Of The Ancients) by Munenushi Demi Gi by JCM Line-by-line notes INTRO When you start to get older People think that you know better That you know more And that […]

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090 - A sketchbook and some hard thinking

Craig Burgess — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 23:15:37 -0500

Young designers don’t know the power of the sketchbook. Let me schools ya. Music and links from this episode Five Minutes at the Rainforest Cafe by Macaw Flying pea v.1 by Daddy_Scrabble Backed Vibes Clean by Kevin MacLeod Line-by-line notes INTRO The barrier to becoming a designer Has never been lower You need to buy […]

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089 - The need to be creative

Craig Burgess — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 23:15:06 -0500

People have a raw, instinctual need to be creative. Music and links from this episode Death Valley by Shadows On The Snow small window shows so many delight by masato abe Dream Seekers Perfection by Night Haze Line-by-line notes INTRO The need to be creative Is much more than a job It’s much more than […]

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088 - All websites now look boring

Craig Burgess — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 23:15:48 -0500

When the world wide web was first invented, websites were simple. Now, websites are getting simple again. But are they all just boring? Music and links from this episode Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone Anchialine Pool by Jack Anderson Transcend by c4 Gone by Theredhead76 Line-by-line notes PLAY INTRO Simplicity looks easy When somebody sees […]

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087 - Can design save the world?

Craig Burgess — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 23:15:29 -0500

Does humble graphic design have the power to change the world? And what about other forms of design? Music and links from this episode The Passive Vaccine Storage Device Chantiers Navals 412 by LJ Kruger Led by the dress colored in red by Augustus Bro & Gallery Six Midori by Beat Culture Line-by-line notes PLAY […]

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086 - Work

Craig Burgess — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 23:15:59 -0500

Let’s talk about work. Music and links from this episode The full Steve Harvey YouTube video Zapomnieç by Nonima Viscous by FRAIL Perfect Match by Kilyo Line-by-line notes PLAY STEVE HARVEY INTRO PLAY Nonima I love that video, where Steve Harvey dresses up the idea of taking a risk to do something meaningful with your life. I […]

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085 - Subverting expectations

Craig Burgess — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 00:15:28 -0500

What makes a good logo, and what makes a great one? Music from this episode Introspección by Downbeat мастэрпис by Kosta T Elements (Psychadelik Pedestrian chillout edit) by Marc Burt Super String Theory (ID 474) by Lobo Loco Line-by-line notes PLAY DOWNBEAT I was having a walk with a good friend yesterday And an idle […]

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084 - I'm Not Creative

Craig Burgess — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 00:15:30 -0500

I hear the words “I’m not creative” so much. Here’s why you’re wrong when you think you’re not creative. Music from this episode Moon Walk by Jii-Music Readers! Do You Read? by Chris Zabriskie Manchester A666 by simon_mathewson Line-by-line notes PLAY MOON WALK The word creativity is a confused word A creative accountant is a […]

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083 - Passion

Craig Burgess — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 00:15:07 -0500

Here’s my story about passion. Music from this episode her’s by Graffiti Mechanism Golden by Little Glass Men The Renaissance Man by Little Glass Men Line-by-line notes PLAY HER’S It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind Doing the same thing Day After Day After Day We’re human. We love […]

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082 - The Invisible Influencers

Craig Burgess — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:15:01 -0500

What if I told you you’re surrounded by invisible influencers every day of your life? Music from this episode 69° 36′ 0″ N, 37° 34′ 0″ E by ASOTWL wave wash by Ketsa End Titles by Itsensäsyöjät Line-by-line notes PLAY ASOTWL What if I told you you’re surrounded by invisible influences every day of your life? Would […]

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081 - The Design Disease

Craig Burgess — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 00:15:44 -0500

In what’s effectively Episode One all over again, I talk about The Design Disease. Line-by-line notes (sometimes these are neat, sometimes they’re hard to read) PLAY INTRO MUSIC Picture the scene. I’m 14, sat in my bedroom doodling the WWF logo over and over. I was interested in wrestling, it was called the WWF back […]

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080 - Episode Zero

Craig Burgess — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:15:31 -0500

This is my new podcast. This is Episode Zero. Find me online Ask a Designer Anything Website Twitter (@craigburgess) Ask a Designer Anything on Facebook Leave me a review on iTunes Buy me a cup of tea on Patreon

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079 - Why 5000 word blog posts are a good idea

Craig Burgess — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 00:15:34 -0500

Ever thought about writing 5000 word blog posts? Today, I talk about the advantages of doing them, and how they might be a good idea for you too. Timestamps 1:48 – The reason for producing 5000 word blog posts 2:32 – Thinking about creating useful articles 3:20 – There’s less people out there writing 5000 […]

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078 - Creating content that's got personality

Craig Burgess — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 00:15:27 -0500

Creating content with personality isn’t easy, but I try to distill some of the tips to do exactly that in today’s episode. Timestamps 1:22 – Quality over quantity 2:41 – People can get information from anywhere these days, so why you? 3:35 – Getting people to come to you for your information 4:47 – Don’t […]

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077 - A (quick) review of Adobe Experience Design CC

Craig Burgess — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 00:15:33 -0500

Today’s episode is a little different as I’m doing a review of a product I used for a few hours today, Adobe Experience Design CC. I really liked what I found and wanted to share with you what I think of it. Find me online Ask a Designer Anything Website Twitter (@craigburgess) Ask a Designer […]

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076 - What makes a website BAD?

Craig Burgess — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 00:15:49 -0500

How can you tell if your website is just not up to scratch? This is a topic that I try and address today, by talking about all the components of your website. Useful Links 0:30 – The design of your website 2:52 – The coding of your website – try and use GT Metrix 4:37 […]

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075 - Maximising your social media content so it doesn't go to waste

Craig Burgess — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 00:15:04 -0500

How can you use your social media content to make sure you don’t waste any of it? That’s today’s topic. Useful Links 0:40 – Different social media platforms show content at different times 1:40 – Using Twitter 2:25 – Using Facebook 3:00 – You don’t need to post things every day 3:51 – Peak times […]

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074 - How to reuse your blog posts to create new content

Craig Burgess — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:15:13 -0500

I’m switching it up today and just talking quite simply about some book recommendations that I think you should read. Useful Links 0:53 – Turn it into a series of blog posts 2:42 – Upload your blog post to other sources such as Medium 4:37 – Turn it into an email newsletter 5:48 – Revisit […]

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073 - My favourite books I think you should read

Craig Burgess — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:15:30 -0500

I’m switching it up today and just talking quite simply about some book recommendations that I think you should read. Useful Links 80/20 Sales and Marketing by Perry Marshall Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss The One Thing by Gary Keller Brad Burton books (he’s actually written four books, not three) The E Myth of Michael E. Gerber The […]

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072 - The things you need before you can start a web project

Craig Burgess — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:15:29 -0500

When you’re looking to start a web project, what are the things you need? In this episode, I explain exactly this. Timestamps 0:41 – Budget 2:30 – Content 3:38 – A design brief 4:41 – Have a very specific idea of what you want your website to do Find me online Ask a Designer Anything […]

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071 - Does the quality of your website images matter?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 00:15:03 -0500

How important is it that the images on your website are of a really high quality? Quick answer: really important. Useful links istockphoto.com shutterstock.com Dollar Photo Club (I called it “one dollar photo” in the episode) is now closed. Sorry! Pixlr Timestamps 1:55 – Low quality images 4:11 – High quality images 6:10 – Resizing your […]

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070 - Finding your voice and personality in your marketing

Craig Burgess — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 00:15:07 -0500

Making content that’s unique to your personality should be your number one goal. To do that, I talk about discovering your personality in your medium. Timestamps 1:37 – Sharing yourself in your marketing 3:04 – Connecting to your audience by sharing yourself 3:55 – Sharing yourself to make your content unique 5:36 – How to […]

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069 - The best questions to ask when you're shown new design work

Craig Burgess — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:15:36 -0500

Today I’m talking about how to approach a design meeting, and the best questions to ask a designer when you’ve been asked to feedback on work. Timestamps 1:00 – Don’t ask silly things 1:33 – Ask the designer to explain how they arrived at this solution 2:25 – Why is this the most appropriate solution? […]

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068 - Why you haven't started yet

Craig Burgess — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:15:18 -0500

Boy, did I really get into this topic today. Slightly inspired by some conversations I’ve been having over the last couple of days, and also by episode 66, I spoke a bit more in depth about the struggle of starting things. I think it’s the longest episode I’ve ever recorded too… Timestamps I just ranted […]

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067 - How to create the perfect blog post

Craig Burgess — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 00:15:44 -0500

How do you create a good blog post? How about, how to create the perfect blog post? Timestamps 0:36 – Find your voice 2:10 – Try to find topics that are interesting 4:12 – Writing at a decent length 5:40 – Schedule Find me online Ask a Designer Anything Website Twitter (@craigburgess) Ask a Designer Anything […]

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066 - What stops entrepreneurs from taking action?

Craig Burgess — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 00:15:41 -0500

Today is a bumper episode after I’ve spent a week talking to somebody else, I’ve been keen to get back to talking about other stuff. I’m tackling some of the reasons why you might be struggling to take action. Timestamps 1:21 – Fear 3:09 – Fear of failure 4:10 – Lack of time 7:55 – Too […]

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065 - Conversations with…Ian Meade (5 of 5)

Craig Burgess — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 00:15:04 -0500

I’m trying something different this week—really different. I’m speaking to Ian Meade all week (a design consultant with over 30 years of experience) about everything to do with design, marketing, and some other random topics in between. This is the final part in a series of 5 that I’m releasing during the next 5 days. […]

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064 - Conversations with...Ian Meade (4 of 5)

Craig Burgess — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 00:15:41 -0500

I’m trying something different this week—really different. I’m speaking to Ian Meade all week (a design consultant with over 30 years of experience) about everything to do with design, marketing, and some other random topics in between. This is the fourth in a series of 5 that I’m releasing during the next 5 days. Find […]

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063 - Conversations with...Ian Meade (3 of 5)

Craig Burgess — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 00:15:06 -0500

I’m trying something different this week—really different. I’m speaking to Ian Meade all week (a design consultant with over 30 years of experience) about everything to do with design, marketing, and some other random topics in between. This is the third in a series of 5 that I’m releasing during the next 5 days. Find […]

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062 - Conversations with...Ian Meade (2 of 5)

Craig Burgess — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 00:15:59 -0500

I’m trying something different this week—really different. I’m speaking to Ian Meade all week (a design consultant with over 30 years of experience) about everything to do with design, marketing, and some other random topics in between. This is the second in a series of 5 that I’m releasing during the next 5 days. Find […]

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061 - Conversations with...Ian Meade (1 of 5)

Craig Burgess — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 00:15:59 -0500

I’m trying something different this week—really different. I’m speaking to Ian Meade all week (a design consultant with over 30 years of experience) about everything to do with design, marketing, and some other random topics in between. This is the first in a series of 5 that I’m releasing during the next 5 days. Find […]

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060 - Designing it yourself vs using a professional

Craig Burgess — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:15:12 -0500

What’s the advantages of designing something yourself vs using a professional? Today I try to answer exactly that. Timestamps 0:53 – Doing it yourself 3:43 – Hiring a professional Find me online Ask a Designer Anything Website Twitter (@craigburgess) Ask a Designer Anything on Facebook Leave me a review on iTunes Buy me a cup […]

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059 - How to work out if a design is good

Craig Burgess — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:15:32 -0500

Have you just got new design work done and you’re not sure if it’s any good or not? Today, I talk about some things to watch out for. Timestamps 0:53 – Does it look professional? 2:02 – Fonts and overall design 2:47 – Too much information/crammed in 3:53 – It’s hard to work out if […]

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058 - The secret to a good rebrand

Craig Burgess — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 00:15:43 -0500

Today I’m offering my best tips to make sure the next rebrand in your business is a good one, and one that’s going to stand the test of time. Timestamps 0:45 – Finding a good agency 1:40 – You can’t do all this yourself 2:41 – Timeless design 4:09 – Create something that looks good 5:31 […]

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057 - Getting over yourself and putting yourself on the line

Craig Burgess — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 00:15:37 -0500

It’s scary making something and putting yourself in the firing line in your marketing. I’m talking about writing blog posts, making podcasts, or making videos. Sometimes though, you’ve just got to get over yourself. Timestamps 1:36 – It’s scary 3:48 – People want you to succeed 5:23 – People who don’t care 6:52 – People […]

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056 - Why is my website not showing up in Google?

Craig Burgess — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 00:15:24 -0500

Occasionally your website won’t appear in Google as soon as you’d expect, and in even rarer instances, not at all. Today I’m telling you how to solve this, and some things to watch out for. Use this method to find out if your site is indexed in google: site:geniusdivision.com Timestamps 0:40 – Your website is new […]

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055 - How to perform at 100% all of the time

Craig Burgess — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 00:15:34 -0500

This episode is a bit of an unusual one, because I’m not talking about design, marketing or business. I’m actually talking about how to keep yourself in top condition so you can work at 100% all of the time. Timestamps 1:55 – My story 5:45 – Losing weight 8:19 – Getting more sleep 11:17 – […]

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054 - Stop chasing new customers and start selling new stuff to the ones you've already got

Craig Burgess — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 00:15:40 -0500

Today I’m talking about an idea that’s nearly as old as business itself, but it’s easily forgotten. Timestamps 0:46 – In an ideal world 4:14 – Providing a balance Find me online Ask a Designer Anything Website Twitter (@craigburgess) Ask a Designer Anything on Facebook Leave me a review on iTunes Buy me a cup […]

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053 - 5 things to think about before setting up an e-commerce store

Craig Burgess — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:15:52 -0500

Let’s talk about e-commerce stores, and 5 things you need to know before you set one up. Useful links from the episode PayPal Stripe Sage Pay Shopify Squarespace WooCommerce and WordPress Timestamps 2:21 – Payment gateways 5:10 – What system will you use? 7:42 – What will you sell? 8:50 – Shipping and the costs […]

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052 - How to use Quora and Reddit to find hundreds of topic ideas

Craig Burgess — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:15:13 -0500

Struggling to find content ideas? Today I tell you how to use Reddit and other websites to find hundreds of topic ideas for your blog, your videos, or whatever other content marketing you’re doing. Useful links from the episode Reddit searchreddit.com Quora Uber Suggest Answer The Public Timestamps 0:35 – Reddit 3:49 – Quora 6:05 – […]

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051 - The best form of marketing that's ever been invented

Craig Burgess — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:15:39 -0500

In this episode I answer the question you’ve been waiting for your entire life: what’s the best form of marketing that’s ever been invented? Timestamps 2:17 – The best form of marketing 3:10 – Certain forms of marketing is better than others 4:24 – Chasing the new thing 6:39 – Doing it because you enjoy […]

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050 - Why did WordPress miss my scheduled post?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 00:15:27 -0500

This episode might go a little bit over your head if you’re not very technical, but it’s an important topic to talk about. Sometimes when using WordPress your scheduled posts might not actually go live when you want to, and here I explain why. Timestamps 0:30 – How the WordPress scheduled posts functionality works 2:13 […]

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049 - 7 basic graphic design principles you can apply in your business right now

Craig Burgess — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 00:15:21 -0500

What have I learned from being a graphic designer that can help you become better at what you do? In this bumper episode, I answer that exact question. I also share some information about something that’s coming up in the next couple of weeks I’m really excited about. Timestamps 1:37 – KISS 2:31 – Make sure […]

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048 - How to never run out of ideas for your blog

Craig Burgess — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:15:01 -0500

Writing and maintaining a blog is difficult. There’s no two ways about it. Today I try and teach you some simple techniques to make it less difficult. Timestamps 0:44 – The wrong way to approach a blog 1:56 – A content calendar 2:50 – Staying ahead 4:03 – Finding content Find me online Ask a Designer Anything […]

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047 - How to know when it's time to redesign your website

Craig Burgess — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 00:15:55 -0500

Websites are funny old things. Some last for years, and others aren’t fit for purpose after six months. In this episode, I try to steer you on whether you need to start considering a website redesign, or if it’s still OK. Timestamps 0:32 – Are you embarrassed about your website? 1:23 – Is your website slow or […]

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046 - Why you should focus on increasing your Facebook page likes

Craig Burgess — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:15:25 -0500

Today I’m talking about why you should be focusing on increasing your Facebook page likes first before any other kind of Facebook advertising. Timestamps 0:33 – If you have 100 likes 1:44 – Why you should be focussing on promoting your page and not boosting posts 2:31 – If you have 1000 likes 3:32 – Spending […]

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045 - What you need to know about copyright in the UK

Craig Burgess — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:15:43 -0500

Copyright, particularly in the UK, can be a confusing subject to navigate at first. The surprising fact of it is though is that it’s fairly easy to understand once you’ve got the basics, so in the episode I try to break it down for you and help you understand the basics of copyright and intellectual […]

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044 - What you can learn from David Hockney's The Sun logo

Craig Burgess — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 00:15:50 -0500

If you missed what happened when David Hockney redesigned The Sun’s masthead on their newspaper last week, well, you’re in for a treat when you listen to this. Useful links from the show Creative Review’s thoughts on David Hockney’s The Sun logo The Guardian’s piece The Sun’s piece on the collaboration Timestamps 0:53 – Exactly […]

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043 - Using your website to generate leads for your business

Craig Burgess — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 00:15:32 -0500

I’ve spoken a bit about generating leads with a website before, but I wanted to cover some more of the tactics today about it. Specifically the mindset you need to get yourself into to achieve it, and some of the theory you need to know. Useful links from the show Digital Marketer Customer Avatar Worksheet Timestamps 1:00 […]

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042 - Why is my website slow?

Craig Burgess — Sat, 11 Feb 2017 00:15:07 -0500

I get asked this question quite a lot about other people’s websites (not by websites we make, obviously). Today I try to explain why your website might be slow, and what you can do to speed it up easily. Useful links from today’s show GTmetrix Timestamps 0:31 – Checking your hosting 1:49 – Checking your […]

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041 - How to choose the best agency to work with

Craig Burgess — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:15:53 -0500

There are lots of different types of “agencies” in the marketing sphere, and navigating those isn’t easy at all. Today, I try to guide you down the right path. Clue: there’s no talk of detective agencies today. Timestamps 0:27 – Navigating the marketing landscape 1:18 – What do you want? 2:05 – Full-service agencies vs specialist […]

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040 - Getting started with email marketing and Mailchimp

Craig Burgess — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 00:15:08 -0500

Email marketing isn’t dead. In fact, it’s seeing a resurgence in marketing automation and a new wave of people using it for service companies. In this episode I talk about how you can use it in service companies, and how to setup a free Mailchimp account. Timestamps 0:29 – Is email marketing dead? 1:39 – […]

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039 - Warning: why you need to stop using popup ads on your website right now

Craig Burgess — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:15:45 -0500

Let’s face it, popup ads are annoying and Google should be banning them. Luckily, since January 10th, that’s exactly what Google have been doing. Timestamps 0:31 – The reason I’m being alarmist 2:05 – The 3 types of popup Google are targeting 3:45 – If you’re using these techniques… Find me online Ask a Designer Anything Website […]

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038 - The 5 best blogging platforms for 2017

Craig Burgess — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:15:59 -0500

I’ve spoken about value a lot over the past 37 episodes, but in this episode I actually talk specifically about it. I’m talking about how to do it, and some tactics and websites you can make use of. Useful links from this episode Tumblr Ghost Medium Pagekit WordPress.com WordPress.org Timestamps 0:39 – Tumblr 1:26 – Ghost 2:45 […]

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037 - How do I provide value in my marketing?

Craig Burgess — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 00:15:36 -0500

I’ve spoken about value a lot over the past 37 episodes, but in this episode I actually talk specifically about it. I’m talking about how to do it, and some tactics and websites you can make use of. Useful links from this episode Answer the Public Reddit Quora Timestamps 0:31 – Provide the best value 1:14 – […]

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036 - Should I buy cheap likes or follows from Fiverr?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 00:15:14 -0500

They certainly look tempting: buying cheap likes or follows from Fiverr don’t cost much after all, and what harm could they do? In this episode I share an experiment I did to investigate this exact thing, and whether you should consider buying likes or not. Useful links from this episode Fiverr Timestamps 0:33 – How we […]

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035 - How important is good design to my business?

Craig Burgess — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 00:15:45 -0500

When you think of good design, you probably think of companies like Apple, Google, and other companies that put good design at the centre of their business models. But how important is it to your business? Useful links from this episode Ling’s Cars Timestamps 0:29 – How important is good design? 1:11 – Rubbish design 1:30 – […]

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034 - Why does education struggle to get creative and digital courses right?

Craig Burgess — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 00:15:56 -0500

Steve gave me a rather spiky question to answer today, which is why this episode is a little bit longer than normal. He wanted to know why education struggles to get courses for the creative and digital sector right, so I try to navigate this massive topic in 15 minutes. Timestamps 0:46 – The background to all this 3:52 […]

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033 - What's a website domain, and what's web hosting?

Craig Burgess — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 00:15:16 -0500

Domains and web hosting are, let’s face it, confusing. The only reason I know anything about them is because it’s sort of my job. Today, in the simplest words possible, I try to explain them. Useful Links Blue Host Digital Ocean UK Fast Timestamps 0:46 – The difference between a domain and hosting 3:06 – Website […]

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032 - How do I use Facebook advertising to increase my page likes?

Craig Burgess — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:15:20 -0500

I spoke a little bit about Facebook Advertising a couple of episodes ago, but I wanted to cover this again in more detail. Today I talk about why you should be using Facebook Advertising to promote your page and increase page likes. Useful Links Facebook Business Manager Timestamps 0:34 – A Facebook Business Manager account 1:33 […]

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031 - How do you stay motivated to do a podcast a day?

Craig Burgess — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:15:45 -0500

To some people, it might seem like a gargantuan feat that I’m writing, recording and editing a podcast a day. Today, I’m going to explain some of my methods for staying motivated that might help you too. Timestamps 0:29 – My method of motivation 1:04 – My daily schedule 2:37 – Batching 3:41 – What a day […]

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030 - Should I start selling my products online?

Craig Burgess — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:15:04 -0500

To some people, selling online still seems like a massive hurdle. The truth of it is a lot more positive: right now, it’s easier than ever to start selling online. Today, I talk about how you start doing it, and whether you should be doing it at all. Useful links Etsy eBay WordPress WooCommerce Squarespace Shopify Timestamps […]

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029 - I've got a new website. What's next?

Craig Burgess — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 00:15:45 -0500

You’ve done the hard part: you’ve gone out, found the best agency for the job, and you’ve got yourself a new website. Now comes an even harder part. Now you have to put the work in to make your website work for you. Today, I talk about what’s next after you’ve got a new website. Timestamps […]

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028 - How do I find the time to do social media?

Craig Burgess — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 00:15:03 -0500

I hear it a lot: “I haven’t got time to do that”. Let’s talk about how you can make time to do social media, and do it properly. Useful Links Hootsuite Buffer Later Timestamps 0:19 – Doing social media quickly and properly 1:41 – How important is social media to you? 3:26 – Batching 5:14 – Think […]

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027 - How do you deal with conflict in a design project?

Craig Burgess — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 00:15:33 -0500

Shaun asked me a series of questions about conflict in design projects, and I decided to answer them all together in 1 episode. Today I speak about handling relationships with design relationships, and how to avoid conflict. Timestamps 1:21 – Creating an open and honest relationship 3:41 – Being unreasonable 5:44 – Everybody is right […]

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026 - What to consider when commissioning a new website

Craig Burgess — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 00:15:06 -0500

So it’s the new year and you’re thinking about getting a new website. What should you be thinking about first, and what should be looking for in an agency? Timestamps 0:36 – Why do you want a new website? 1:52 – Let’s talk about budgets 3:06 – Producing content and getting professionals to do it […]

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025 - How do you measure the success of a design?

Craig Burgess — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 00:15:51 -0500

In today’s episode I’m answering the question: “How do you measure the success of a design?”. Thanks for the question Ian! Timestamps 0:48 – What is success? 2:03 – Communication is important 4:40 – Google Analytics 6:04 – Qualitative success 7:06 – It’s hard Find me online Ask a Designer Anything Website Twitter (@craigburgess) Ask a Designer […]

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024 - What you can learn from the new Juventus logo - the good stuff

Craig Burgess — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:15:25 -0500

Today (and yesterday) I’m talking about what you can learn from the new Juventus FC logo, designed by Interbrand. It’s causing quite a stir in the design community, and lots of football fans just straight up don’t like it. Why is it that? And what did Interbrand get wrong, and what did they get right? Useful […]

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023 - What you can learn from the new Juventus logo - the bad stuff

Craig Burgess — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:15:47 -0500

Today (and tomorrow) I’m talking about what you can learn from the new Juventus FC logo, designed by Interbrand. It’s causing quite a stir in the design community, and lots of football fans just straight up don’t like it. Why is it that? And what did Interbrand get wrong, and what did they get right? Useful […]

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022 - How to write better website content

Craig Burgess — Sun, 22 Jan 2017 00:15:20 -0500

People often struggle with writing content for the web as they’ve either never done it before or treat it like writing a book. In this episode I talk about how to approach writing website content, and how to make sure it’s better than most of the other boring stuff you’ll read on the internet. Timestamps […]

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021 - How do you find new work?

Craig Burgess — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 00:15:29 -0500

I was asked by Andy: “Where does most of your work come from and what do you do, and how much time do you spend doing whatever it is you do, to help generate awareness and business?” I shortened it to a more simplistic title, but in this episode I discuss finding new work, what […]

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020 - How do I become a designer?

Craig Burgess — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:15:23 -0500

I was asked by Shaun to answer “what’s the best route into industry for noobies?”. I decided to formalise that question a little bit into “How do I become a designer?”. In it, I talk about the attitude you’ll need to become a designer. Timestamps 0:55 – Learning how to learn 1:58 – Stay curious 3:30 […]

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