How can you get ahead and become a powerful self-learner in this industry? How do you stay motivated? Is it all worth it?

Tom tries to answer the question “should I work for myself” and gets to the heart of the differences between running a business and working in an agency.

Resources;

• Peter Cook - New Rules of Management
• David Allen - Getting Things Done
• Email Charter

We come back to one of the founding ideas of devign - the more we learn about each other’s profession, the better we become at our own.

Do you know what focus indicators are used for? Tom didn’t up until a few weeks ago, but realised he was deleting some important base styles and in doing so excluding people from accessing the website. Focus indicators are an important navigational tool.

Sometimes interactions are fun and lure us in, but other times they are annoying and drive us away. Join us in breaking down why.

Some argue it has become entirely redundant. Prototyping tools like figma have helped to reduce the barriers for designing experiences which are closer to the end product. But are wireframes a necessary evil for gaining client approval, and for designers and developers to align? Or do wireframes leave too much to the imagination and set unrealistic expectations? Or is it that wireframing becomes subconscious as we advance as designers and developers?

Episode resources:

Ian Spalter Product Designer - Netflix the art of design
https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80057883

How do you use data and industry insights to create and then focus your social marketing efforts? Terri explains strategic audience targeting and using your point of difference to start the conversation with customers.

The industry is changing to a more conversational tone and a more collaborative process. Understanding the client, their customers, and people in general is a requirement when trying to engage them in the ever increasing volume of advertising.

We explore the main differences between a university education and the requirements of an agency job. What can you expect when you get your first agency role?

Lil nugs:

• Backend is business logic interacting with a database
• Frontend is the visual presentation of data
• Learning php can be a great way to build on front end knowledge and start to understand back end

Episode resources:

• The 8 point grid - Using multiples of 8 to define dimensions, padding, and margin of elements
• Design systems - A Figma publication for design systems creators, designers, developers, and managers
• Flexbox froggy - fun game for learning css flexbox

Lil nugs:

• Calculate minimum fees before going into a conversation with a potential client. Always discuss price during the first conversation.
• It’s okay to not work on every project opportunity that comes through. The budget isn’t always available. Sometimes the fit just isn’t there. It is better to identify this early.
• If putting together a fixed bid based on hours, consider all of the factors that go into executing the project, like communications, project management, revisions, etc.
• Say a price before showing a price. Price should be spoken about with a prospect before a number appears in a proposal

Episode resources:

• Win Without Pitching - Blair Enns
• Price anchoring
• Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss
• Ditching Hourly - Johnathan Stark
• 2Bobs - Conversations on the art of creative entrepreneurship

Lil nugs:

• External accountability can be the most powerful factor when it comes to achieving a goal. If you work on your own, find a person to partner up with for goal setting
• A good way to test the clarity of a project - can it be explained to a 5 year old and, can they determine whether or not it succeeded?
• Goals need to align with our own values. If they are based on what someone else wants, chances are we won’t be as passionate about achieving them

Episode resources:

• New Rules of Management - Peter Cook
• Scrum - The Art of Doing Twice The Work in Half The Time
• Creative Strategy and the Business of Design - Douglas David

Some of Sharnee’s best ideas hit just before falling asleep. It’s fascinating - often when we switch off from a particular project, the best ideas start to flow. While scrolling through the internet can be a good starting point for awakening the imagination, too much of it can leave us frazzled.

Lil nugs:

• Get away from the computer if you feel you have hit a creative block. Sometimes just moving to another part of your workspace can help.
• It can be really helpful to organise sources of inspiration into folders so that they are easy to sift through next time you have a similar project.
• Make your own references of things where possible. For example, take your own photo or do your own sketch rather than saving a google image.
• Having a wide range of sources of inspiration will lead to more unique and interesting work.

Episode resources:

• Sharnee Taylor
• Stripe - source of technical inspiration, using CSS grid and transforms in innovative way
• Siteinspire - website design inspiration

Lil Nugs;

• Immerse yourself in inspiring environments. Where people are implementing. It fuels creativity. It can help to break through limiting beliefs.
• Fly the plane while you build it - document projects as they are being executed. It makes developing case studies much easier. By the end of the project most of the story has already been told.
• Mix things you are passionate about into your projects. The chance of you seeing it through is infinitely higher.
• It’s easy to get tunnel vision. Take time out to reflect on progress and celebrate wins.

Episode resources;

• Richard Branson quote - “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”
• Build the plane while you fly it - How to learn more while innovating

This week we discuss content strategy with Scott Williams - content marketer, SEO specialist and co-founder of Child In Me, a creative studio helping good people do good things in digital design and branding.

We explore how to effectively diagnose business problems, by asking the right questions to reveal the biggest challenges faced. Only then can solutions begin to be considered.

On this episode, we are joined by Lauren Simpson, founder of brand consulting and creative agency Cureative.

Why begin with the challenges of the end user? How can this help achieve business goals?

In order to create a meaningful experience, it’s critical to understand the person we are designing and developing something for.

Joining us is the legendary Caroline Lam, a digital designer and strategist driven by a fascination with human behaviour.

We all make them, they are a natural part of being human. But what do you do when the poo poo hits the fan? Run and hide, or take ownership and help solve the problem?

On this episode, we are joined by special guest Kody Deretic, co-founder of boutique agency Child In Me and drinking card game Cup of Kings.

Content warning: this episode is peppered with a few expletives.

For those playing the DEVIGN drinking game, make sure you take a sip every time Nick says the word; semantics…

Finally, special attention is paid to creating contrast in visual hierarchy by using multiples of 8 pixels when determining the size of elements.

In this episode we explore the vital role grid systems play in effective communication. Whether that be from coding a website to deliver consistent messaging across various device displays. Or adjusting your design in order to improve readability from your chosen typeface.

We take a look at when and how animation can be used to make visual communication clearer, as well as what tools to use as an animation increases in complexity. Ultimately, we aim to identify how to achieve clarity and consistency when delivering our messaging.

Special attention is given to positioning in our industry, and the role messaging plays in rising above the noise. At the end of the day, you want to be known for creating something valuable for a distinct audience.

In focusing on your area of expertise, you may need to reject projects to provide room for the right opportunities. We discuss when to say that scary, but often empowering, response to job requests: “No”.

Nick provides an introduction to additive vs subtractive color outlining the differences between each. In each case anticipating where colour will appear (in both digital and physical environments) is important for a cohesive brand experience.

Tom touches on how colour is part of a larger design system. Colour is a cog in the engine. Alone it is meaningless. But when partnered with other components of a design system, it makes a brand’s motor roar.

• Template based solutions tend to be cheaper but more limiting.
• Custom solutions are more expensive but have the ability to solve more complex problems.

Tom emphasises establishing the clients budget up front – managing expectations for what is achievable before beginning the design and development process.

Nick mounts a defense for Wordpress which he feels has unfairly become the “Nickleback of the CMS world.”

Nick describes the relationship developers must have with typography in order to keep interfaces both beautiful and functional. He outlines considerations for characters used, font file types, and page layout.

Tom highlights issues a designer might run into if they fail to consider typography licensing early in their process.

Nick gives insights on how to avoid drowning in the deep end when first exploring the world of development.

And we analyse how developers who flirt with design gain considerable advantage in enhancing the user experience (by grouping elements semantically).

Tom explains that great design does not happen by chance.

It is deliberate in its approach. At the end of a project there should be no grand reveal, no surprise, but rather the utterance… “Of course.”