Today we talk about the danger of blending in as a designer. Your four hosts take an in-depth look at the best ways to stand out and get your work noticed more. Without further ado, let’s get into the show.

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Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] “’Wait we don’t all have to be just sheep!” – listen to find out what we’re talking about
[2:00] The danger of blending in as a designer
[2:45] The fear of not following the sheep heard and being left behind
[3:45] The hosts debate Lisa’s new cool and edgy look
[4:40] Standing out even in a niche like lettering
[5:00] “To stand out as a designer, you either have to be better or different” – Ian Barnard
[5:30] It’s hard to be the best in your industry, so the alternative is to be different
[6:00] When someone is different that you recognise their style immediately
[6:40] Incorporating your experiences and your personality into your work
[7:20] Dustin shares Jon Burgerman’s quote: “If you can’t be good be different…”
[7:50] “Being different is scary, but being authentic is hard” – Tom Ross
[8:40] The constant struggle with being authentic in both design and your life
[9:50] The filters we all apply before we put ourselves out there
[10:30] Putting things out and worrying about how it can be interpreted and if you’ll be punished for it
[11:10] Integrity (authenticity) is when your thoughts, your actions and your words are all aligned
[11:50] Tom aims to have a different take on the topic in this episode compared to Episode 9 – Standing Out as a Designer
[12:20] ’Authenticity is the new currency and it will help propel your career more than anything’ – Tom Ross
[12:50] Tom asked his followers to list three random things about themselves
[13:30] He suggests every designer should do this and list as many things as they can
[15:00] Tom used to play competitive chess when he was 8-9 years old
[16:00] This is part of Tom’s history and personality and defines him as a designer
[16:30] Lisa used to be teased when she was younger for being a ‘dorky extrovert’
[17:15] She knew that one day this will be useful and now she gets to apply this in her illustrations
[18:10] Schools should encourage students to be different and stand out
[18:40] The fear of standing out when you’re not a confident person
[19:40] Everyone suffers from the same insecurities
[21:00] Creating a paragraph about you and including what makes you special
[21:40] Tom asks the hosts what makes them stand out
[22:00] Dustin: ‘Ian for me will always be 30% the vegetable guy’
[22:40] Tom thinks that Ian’s work is always innovative and different, and Ian is a trend setter not a trend follower
[23:20] Ian style has developed and doesn’t feel comfortable trying out old styles
[23:35 ‘Ian is an inventive letterer’ (Lisa) and ‘pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with lettering’ (Tom)
[24:30] Ian takes longer to release products because he wants something to stand out
[26:20] He has a lot of posts he never shared because they didn’t result in what he wanted
[27:20] Ideas can sometimes simmer for a long time
[28:20] Tom’s take on how you compare yourself with competition based on how many authentic traits you can add to your design work
[29:20] The more traits you add, the more you will differentiate from your competition and stand out
[30:00] Ian suggestion is to also focus on consistency and style
[30:30] ‘Designers will grow quicker when they are not following the same mould’ – Ian Barnard
[31:00] He made a whole year’s income of something he found in a tutorial
[31:50] Waste a day playing and discovering new things
[32:30] Ian got an idea for a product from playing around with a pen
[34:30] Dustin’s authenticity comes from the skill of being able to identify what others might like in an artist and translating it into a product
[35:15] His work also stands out in the product previews, the quality of design and the way the product is presented as a whole
[36:30] The initial gold rush and making better products to be ahead of designers just for financial gain
[37:00] Dustin’s latest product cost $4,000 to make
[37:50] ‘The sustainability of your products will come from being more authentic’ – Lisa Glanz
[38:15] Standing out by putting more of yourself into the product
[39:15] Making a steady income and fearing you might lose clients if you bring too much of your personality in the products
[39:40] Feed your personality into a side project
[40:10] Meg’s example of how she started doing illustration on the side and now she is creating a product based on this work
[41:20] Lisa explains the meaning of the phrase: ‘in the pound seats’
[42:00] The importance of being authentic and true to yourself
[42:30] Humans are notorious bad at knowing what makes them happy
[43:15] For Dustin the best thing in life is sharing a meal with his family
[44:00] Ask yourself what really makes you happy
[44:50] Authenticity is important in your life, but don’t over invest in it in your business
[46:00] Ian’s more happy in his life because now he is most comfortable in his work
[46:50] Making sure that your 100% authentic in your work and client relationships and you don’t hold anything back
[47:20] Most designers won’t reach the goal of being the next Aaron Draplin and they shouldn’t beat themselves up for it
[47:50] Think of the small wins and see how you can change something everyday
[48:20] When working for a corporate business, Lisa injected her authenticity in the way she dealt with clients
[49:00] Inject authenticity in places where there is leeway to be yourself
[50:00] The hosts are very excited to mention the new Honest Designers Show social media profiles
[51:00] Tom suggests the hosts should all do an Instagram takeover
[51:40] Please go and check the new social media profiles Facebook Instagram Twitter
[52:20] The hosts are looking forward to being in touch and replying to your comments
[52:50] Thanks so much for listening to this week’s episode


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