This week we’re getting spooky and we’re bringing you a special Halloween episode of the Honest Designers. We dig into some of our old times worst horror stories when it comes to freelancing and clients. So, buckle up cos this episode goes flat out terrifying.

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Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] Tom opens up this special spooky Halloween episode
[2:20] Tom asks the group about their design horror stories
[3:00] Lisa shares her application crash horror story
[4:00] Tom’s reminisces about challenges during his photo manipulation days
[5:00] Phone breaking, computer head-butting reactions to application failures
[6:00] Dustin responds to his application crashes like a bad breakup
[6:30] The risky move of not saving your work
[7:00] The horrific sight of the dreaded beach ball
[8:00] Dustin deals with the Devil to save his work
[9:00] The gang banter over a devilish Illustrator crash notification
[10:40] Dustin pushes past his fears to share his most terrifying design experience
[11:30] Fearfully working from the bowels of a law firm basement
[12:20] Dustin’s told, “You have no soul!”
[13:30] Abuse of power rages as Dustin struggles to hang on
[14:00] Dustin finally closes the coffin
[15:00] Lisa questions how others dealt with the witchy boss
[16:00] Dustin is still fearful to speak about his employment there
[17:30] Designing for the Devil
[18:20] Lisa invites Tom to share his spooky design tales
[19:00] Tom opens up about his time working in restaurant design
[20:00] From the dark, windowless, catacombs of a London Italian Restaurant
[21:00] Tom describes his dank underbelly workspace
[22:00] Alone and isolated, Tom diligently works to complete a menu
[23:20] Tom’s worst nightmare is realised when he must use GIMP on a PC
[24:50] Dustin points out that both he and Tom share basement horror stories
[25:35] Escaping the basement, Tom finds better restaurant work
[26:30] Designers are often seen as bottom feeders
[27:00] Getting lured into work traps with free drinks and candy
[28:20] When clients see designers as Igor they can chain to a desk
[29:30] Dustin asks Lisa to dig deep and bare her soul crushing horror story
[30:10] The “Yes I can do that!” trap
[31:20] Tight deadlines, a foreign African language and zero food or water
[32:30] Lack of InDesign skills has Lisa running scared
[33:00] Lisa’s all-nighter with the Vampires and 600-page revamp
[34:15] Horrendous workflows are like a rite of passage
[35:00] Learning from the bad experiences
[36:00] The distorted view vs. the reality of the design world
[37:13] Design A-Listers are nobodies to clients
[38:30] Mainly family and friends are wowed by studio setups
[39:00] Dustin spots his font in the wild and feels like a rock star
[40:00] Tom font spots with his girlfriend
[41:00] Being a design celebrity is like being a celebrity plumber
[42:00] The early “No Contract” Lee days
[43:00] Dustin offers to pay to get out of a nightmare job
[45:00] Hellish client delivers crayon scrawled ideas
[46:00] Tom the devil client
[47:20] The crew discus Halloween plans and Witch Glanz
[48:45] Halloween in the UK
[49:10] Halloween in UK vs the US
[51:00] Dustin shares his Families Halloween plans
[52:30] The simple joys of Halloween
[53:30] It’s a mummy wrap!


“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!”AG_GD