This week, the ridiculously talented brand designer Jacob Cass joined us. Jacob is a friend and one of the most respected designers and content creators in the industry and we are super excited to pick his brain today. So without further ado, let’s get into the show!
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Show Notes for This Episode:
[1:00] Tom and the gang welcome Jacob to the show.
[1:40] Jacob Cass shares a little about who he is as a designer.
[2:30] Tom asks Jacob how he got his foot in the door early in his career.
[3:00] Is it as simple as a lot of hard work and a dash of luck?
[4:00] JackCass Productions.
[5:20] Jacob drops everything and heads to the US, but it’s short lived.
[6:00] Hustling back to New York pays off with Seinfeld, Powerade & Nintendo.
[7:30] Ian remembers finding Jacob’s blog, Just Creative.
[8:00] Education drives Jacob to write.
[9:00] Tom has a similar experience with demand on his first design blog.
[10:00] Blogging is a game where the best content wins.
[11:00] Where 99% of Jacobs’s blog visits come. Shocker!
[12:00] Just Creative was initially design basics.
[13:00] From design principles to logo design to a wide array of blog topics.
[14:00] A blog needs to pivot around where you are in your design career.
[15:00] Sharing benefits more than your audience. Don’t hold your secrets.
[16:00] Seeing behind the curtain makes people want to get involved with you.
[17:00] Trust wins jobs.
[18:00] Jacob markets as a personal brand.
[19:00] There is still room for designers to start a blog.
[20:00] What you need to do to get your first blog up and running.
[21:00] Discover your goals.
[22:00] The New Blog – Low Engagement struggle.
[23:00] Give yourself 6 months to get your blog off the ground.
[24:00] Links back to your site = Trust in the search engines eyes.
[25:00] Link building strategy in a nutshell.
[26:10] Google link building tips to get rolling.
[27:20] How to stop sucking at Marketing.
[28:00] Investing the time to build the skills to win the views.
[29:10] Jacobs drops a crash course on SEO marketing.
[30:00] 80% of SEO is Title Tags and Links.
[31:00] Jacob doesn’t write for humans not search engines.
[32:00] Write about your topic and edit for keywords afterwards.
[33:00] Ian’s metaphor for search engine optimization.
[34:00] The ebbs and flows of running your own business.
[35:00] Comparison – Highlight Reels – Real World.
[36:00] Jacob shares some cuteness about his new family addition.
[37:00] Balance is always a work in progress.
[38:00] Tom asks if Jacob is as chill in life and work as he appears.
[39:00] Overcoming challenges is part of the game.
[40:00] Routines make the day move smoother.
[41:00] A typical work day in Jacob’s world.
[42:00] 7 hour work day with a Netflix and chill ending.
[43:00] Jacob has worked the long 12-14 hour days.
[44:20] Tom crushes on Jacob’s logo design.
[45:00] Principles of Great Logo Design.
[46:00] Don’t fall into this logo design pit.
[47:00] Jacob talks about the next logo challenge he wants to tackle.
[48:00] Where you can find Jacob Cass online.
[49:00] Grab the best design goodies and lots of freebies.
[50:00] And that’s a wrap!
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“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
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