IMPOSSIBLE Graphic Design Choices You’ll Love to Make (Without Losing Your Cool)

Summary

Episode Summary: The Angry Designer - IMPOSSIBLE Graphic Design Choices You’ll Love to Make (Without Losing Your Cool)

Release Date: December 10, 2024

In this lively and engaging episode of The Angry Designer, hosts Jeff and Sean take a refreshing detour from their usual heavy topics to explore a series of challenging and amusing "Would You Rather" scenarios tailored specifically for graphic designers. This fun-filled segment delves into the everyday dilemmas and preferences that shape a designer’s career, offering both humor and insightful reflections on the creative process.

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Introduction to Fun with Design Dilemmas

Jeff (00:34):
Jeff kicks off the episode by acknowledging the recent heaviness of their discussions and proposes a lighthearted approach to balance things out. The episode centers around "Would You Rather" questions that graphic designers might face, aiming to reveal personal quirks, frustrations, and joys inherent to the profession.

“This episode is all about keeping things light and fun and a little bit ridiculous. Because we all need that sometimes.”
— Jeff (00:34)

Exploring "Would You Rather" Scenarios

The core of the episode consists of Jeff and Sean presenting and debating various "Would You Rather" questions. Each scenario is designed to provoke thought and highlight different aspects of graphic design work.

1. Limited Font Choices

Question:
Would you rather be limited to using only two fonts forever or use a different font in every single project for the rest of your career?

Sean (09:03):
Sean opts for the simplicity of using only two fonts, emphasizing the ease and consistency it brings to his workflow.

“Two fonts forever? That's all you need.”
— Sean (09:03)

Jeff (09:19):
Jeff reflects on his long-standing practice of sticking to bold, sans-serif fonts, highlighting the practicality of limiting font choices.

“I think I would limit myself to 2 fonts because apparently I already have for the past 25 years.”
— Jeff (09:57)

2. Kerning vs. Line Spacing

Question:
Would you rather have all your kerning set to zero or have all your line spacing double spaced forever?

Sean (11:07):
Sean chooses to manage double spacing, acknowledging the challenge kerning presents without proper adjustment.

“I gotta go with the double space on that.”
— Sean (11:07)

Jeff (11:24):
Jeff admits grappling with the decision but ultimately fears the amateurish look of zero kerning.

“I would actually, you know, fall victim. I would do the kerning.”
— Jeff (11:26)

3. Gradients vs. 3D Shapes in Logos

Question:
Would you rather create a logo where all the colors are gradients or all the shapes are 3D?

Sean (12:46):
Sean reluctantly agrees with Jeff’s preference for gradients, citing the difficulty of handling 3D shapes.

Jeff (13:02):
Jeff supports using gradients, appreciating their subtlety over the complexity of 3D designs.

“I think I could make it with gradients.”
— Jeff (23:39)

4. Redoing Popular Logos vs. Creating for Boring Companies

Question:
Would you rather redo a popular logo that everyone loves and recognizes or create a fresh logo for a really boring company?

Sean (13:43):
Sean prefers creating for a less exciting company, fearing the backlash from altering beloved logos.

“I wouldn't touch an official logo that everybody loves.”
— Sean (13:46)

Jeff (14:06):
Jeff finds the challenge enticing but doubts his ability to handle the ensuing criticism.

“I couldn't handle that kind of criticism. I think I would drop out of the industry if that’s the case.”
— Jeff (14:38)

5. Micromanaging Clients vs. No Direction

Question:
Would you rather have a client who micromanages every detail or one who gives you no direction at all?

Sean (15:53):
Sean leans towards dealing with micromanaging clients, appreciating the structured guidance they provide.

“I would have to go with the micromanager.”
— Sean (16:34)

Jeff (16:19):
Conversely, Jeff expresses anxiety over micromanagement, preferring the autonomy of clients who provide no direction.

“I keep thinking to have no direction at all... I get anxiety.”
— Jeff (16:28)

6. Impossible Timelines vs. Constant Delays

Question:
Would you rather take on a project with an impossible timeline but a huge budget or one with plenty of time, a little budget?

Sean (17:54):
Sean chooses the impossible timeline, invigorated by the challenge.

“I would go with the impossible timeline. Huge budget.”
— Sean (17:54)

Jeff (18:02):
Jeff agrees, finding excitement in the rush of tight deadlines.

“There's something about us that loves to get pushed.”
— Jeff (18:06)

7. Late Payments vs. Critical Clients

Question:
Would you rather have a client who loves everything but pays late or one who pays well and on time but criticizes every single detail?

Sean (18:55):
Sean favors clients who pay well and on time despite their critical nature, valuing financial stability.

“I think I could get away with waiting for the bill.”
— Sean (19:20)

Jeff (19:25):
Jeff shares similar sentiments, emphasizing the importance of timely payments.

“Bring on the big bucks for this one.”
— Jeff (47:05)

8. Comic Sans vs. All Caps Emails

Question:
Would you rather have a client who uses Comic Sans in all correspondence or one who writes emails in all caps?

Sean (19:57):
Sean opts for dealing with all caps, preferring not to feel constantly yelled at.

“I'd rather have somebody yelling at me than somebody with no taste at all.”
— Sean (20:07)

Jeff (20:38):
Jeff surprisingly chooses Comic Sans, finding it less stressful than dealing with shouting clients.

“You wouldn't want to feel like I'm constantly being shouted at.”
— Jeff (20:38)

9. Creating Something New vs. Copying Designs

Question:
Would you rather have a client who wants something they've never seen before or one who just asks you to copy a design?

Sean (21:43):
Sean is torn but leans towards the challenge of creating something new rather than replicating existing designs.

Jeff (22:15):
Jeff agrees, valuing the creative freedom over the constraints of copying.

“I think I would enjoy that one a little bit more.”
— Jeff (22:54)

10. Limited Color Palette vs. Mandatory Gradients

Question:
Would you rather only work with a limited color palette or be restricted to only using gradients forever and ever?

Sean (23:11):
Sean prefers a limited color palette, finding it more manageable than dealing with endless gradients.

Jeff (23:50):
Jeff counters by appreciating the potential of subtle gradients to enhance designs.

“I think I could do that with gradients.”
— Jeff (23:50)

11. Early Retirement vs. Designing Into Golden Years

Question:
Would you rather retire early but never design again or keep designing well into your golden years?

Sean (47:31):
Sean chooses to continue designing into his golden years, driven by passion and fulfillment.

“If I could do whatever I want, I would go with the dream job.”
— Sean (31:43)

Jeff (48:09):
Jeff echoes Sean’s choice, valuing the joy and satisfaction that designing brings over the allure of early retirement.

“I will be designing until the end.”
— Jeff (48:09)

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Insights and Reflections

Throughout the episode, Jeff and Sean offer valuable insights into the challenges faced by graphic designers. They discuss the importance of balancing creativity with practical constraints, the impact of client relationships on workflow, and the personal preferences that influence career satisfaction.

• Client Management: The hosts highlight the delicate balance between managing difficult clients and ensuring timely payments. Jeff emphasizes the anxiety associated with micromanaging clients, while Sean values the structure they provide.

• Creative Freedom vs. Constraints: There is a clear preference for creative freedom over restrictive guidelines. Both hosts appreciate the opportunity to innovate rather than merely replicate existing designs.

• Personal Fulfillment: The discussion underscores the significance of passion in sustaining a long-term career in graphic design. Both Jeff and Sean express a strong desire to continue designing for personal fulfillment rather than chasing financial gains alone.

Notable Quotes

• Jeff (00:34):
  “This episode is all about keeping things light and fun and a little bit ridiculous. Because we all need that sometimes.”

• Sean (17:54):
  “I would go with the impossible timeline. Huge budget.”

• Jeff (31:57):
  “As long as I can survive on those peanuts that I'm getting, I would much rather enjoy what I'm doing.”

• Sean (20:07):
  “I'd rather have somebody yelling at me than somebody with no taste at all.”

• Jeff (48:09):
  “I will be designing until the end.”

Conclusion

IMPOSSIBLE Graphic Design Choices You’ll Love to Make (Without Losing Your Cool) is a delightful episode that blends humor with thoughtful discussion, providing graphic designers with relatable scenarios that provoke both laughter and introspection. Jeff and Sean’s candid conversations offer valuable perspectives on navigating the complexities of creative careers, making this episode a must-listen for designers seeking both entertainment and enlightenment.

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Stay Connected:

For more insights, strategies, and stories to enhance your graphic design career, subscribe to the Anger Management for Designers newsletter. Visit the podcast’s Instagram or YouTube profile, or subscribe directly through the website.

Hosts:

• Jeff: A seasoned graphic designer passionate about bold, sans-serif designs.
• Sean: An experienced designer who values creative freedom and personal fulfillment.

Stay creative and stay angry!

Transcript

[Jeff]

Would you rather have your design software's undo function disabled?

[Sean]

Oh, God.

[Jeff]

Or your layer feature removed?

[Sean]

Why so difficult, Jeff?

[Masimo]

You're listening to the Angry Designer podcast where we help frustrated graphic designers crush the industry bowl and share what it takes to charge what you're worth and build badass, rewarding careers.

[Jeff]

All right, things have been pretty heavy lately, so I think we're going to flip the script a little bit and have some fun. In this episode, we're diving into the wildest, funniest, and most cringe worthy would you rather scenarios for graphic designers that everybody's faced or feared for that matter. You're going to have to choose between which design dilemmas are going to make you laugh or cry or question your career or even life existence for that matter. Which scenarios reveal the quirks and frustrations and joys about being a graphic designers. And of course, what your answers might actually say about who you are right now as a designer. Also, if you think this is entertaining, which hopefully you do, or amusing, or maybe even motivating guys, you're going to want to check out our newsletter, Anger Management for Designers. It's our no BS motivational packed newsletter with insights and crazy stories and strategies to keep you building your badass graphic design career. Which is what we want for you. We want to deliver it in the same, no nonsense, unapologetic, you know, way that you basically come to expect from us. You know, you can get a link for our newsletter from our Instagram or on our YouTube profile, or you can subscribe directly through our website. Trust me, this is a straightforward kick your butt to become a better designer kind of future newsletter. So you don't want to miss this. So whether you're at your desk or you're on the road or you're procrastinating on that next project, stay tuned because this episode is all about keeping things light and fun and a little bit ridiculous. Because we all need that sometimes. You're not going to want to miss it.

[Sean]

Wow.

[Jeff]

So we're doing this late. Hey. On a Friday.

[Sean]

Late. Yeah.

[Jeff]

What, what, what do we have to drink? We have something really weird.

[Sean]

I. I'm going to guess it dove dovetails into what we're going to talk about.

[Jeff]

It absolutely does not. That's the best part. Oh, right. That's the cool thing. But I mean, again, you know what? You, you, you had us try some cool Scott stuff. Scotland. And then I was at the store and I just like, I saw this awesome bottle with this awesome character. You guys got to check this out. It's like this wolf or this fox and it's like, you know, 3D. It's. It's in Bev.

[Sean]

It's.

[Jeff]

It's embossed. Right. It's called Wolfies, you know, and it's just, look, even here it says rascal of a thing. Like, how fun is that?

[Sean]

Great.

[Jeff]

So that, that's how it's going to dovetail, as in how fun is.

[Sean]

This is.

[Jeff]

This is just like. I look at that and I'm just like, yes, yes. I want to try that. It. It looks like it should be like candy.

[Sean]

It totally should be. Yeah.

[Jeff]

Right, right, right.

[Sean]

It looks fun. It looks like he's got a wolf.

[Jeff]

He's got some poker cards coming out of his hat. I'm digging it.

[Sean]

He could be trouble. You never know. You got that awesome script font.

[Jeff]

Yeah. I mean, again. So I thought, I thought, why not? Let's try. Because it's. It actually doesn't look like a high end scotch. It looks like a fun scotch.

[Sean]

It does.

[Jeff]

So let's hope it's something fun and trendy and let's hope it doesn't taste like a wolf's ass.

[Sean]

It smells really good.

[Jeff]

It does smell nice. Oh, that's pretty strong.

[Sean]

That is strong.

[Jeff]

I'm trying to figure out what I'm feeling here. It's. It's bold. It's nice.

[Sean]

There's not much sweetness in there, is there?

[Jeff]

There's not much sweetness. So it does taste a little wolfy.

[Sean]

It's very. Whiskey. Yeah, very. Like, I wouldn't you. If that was. If you told me that was on a blind taste test. That was scotch.

[Jeff]

Yeah. No, I'd be like. And it is. It's not. But you know what? At the same. All fairness, it's a blended scotch whiskey, which is a little different. So although it does come from Scotland. It's. But I mean, again, you know, look at him. I would expect it to taste like this.

[Sean]

Totally. Yes.

[Jeff]

And he's got like all these stars around. Oh, my God. I just love it. Anyway, he just. It's a fun looking bottle and I wish the glass was a little fun to drink, but not as much as I hope.

[Sean]

I think this is pretty good.

[Jeff]

Speaking of wolves.

[Sean]

Oh, the wolf's at the door.

[Jeff]

No, well, no, but I mean, Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift played last night.

[Sean]

Right.

[Jeff]

In Toronto.

[Sean]

You know, Chaos. Yes. Are your kids into that?

[Jeff]

Yeah, well, yeah. Yeah.

[Sean]

Oh, they are. Oh, are they going?

[Jeff]

No, because, I mean, the tickets were impossible to try to get.

[Sean]

Yep.

[Jeff]

And then. And then the top. It Up. Sorry, that was bothering. Yeah, I'm weird that way. And then, you know, and then the resale and it was lottery and it's like six sold out shows. They actually had to like stop, close the Gardner Expressway, which is like the, the highway to get in there. Just, just for her. Her parade, I guess, to be safe and this and that. And there was like 12 black SUVs, so you didn't know which one she was in. It was pretty intense to say the least.

[Sean]

She's like, you know, they do that at the Chiefs games. When she shows up, she's.

[Jeff]

Oh, really? Yeah.

[Sean]

Travis Chelsea or Travis Kelsey. And it's, it's like a royal visit, you know what I mean? Like, there's so much security. There is so much like literally royalty. This girl, she's awesome. And apparently wherever she goes, she is a huge bump to the economy. To the economy of wherever that's.

[Jeff]

They said they were expecting like a 300 million dollar boost to the Toronto. 300 million. Like that's just. Now, again, granted, that is six concerts which are all sold out.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

I think the cheapest ticket that you can get right now on that resale market is 2500 bucks. It's ridiculous. But everybody loves her.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

To the point. Yeah, okay. Where my youngest daughter loves, loves Taylor Swift. Okay. And. And again, she's eight, right. And she came up to me and she's got this game, right. And she's like, dad, would you rather she. Would you rather, you know, stay married to mom or marry Taylor Swift? Of course I laughed. And then she goes. Before you answer, Taylor Swift could be my mom. Just like, wow. I think she was just excited to the idea. She's already given. She's already said goodbye and hello to Taylor being her mom.

[Sean]

Oh, poor Jed. That's got a big ear. Feel bad.

[Jeff]

That's amazing.

[Sean]

Sorry.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. She got so excited by this. Right. So, so hilarious. So. And then. And again, this is something. I was too busy laughing, but I'm not an idiot, Sean, come on. And depending on who's listening to this, I'm just gonna leave it there.

[Sean]

That's why you're still married.

[Jeff]

Oh, I'm talking about. I better jump ship and go on the Taylor. Never mind. What are you talking. Chen would understand.

[Sean]

Yeah, she would totally get it. She's like, I would too keep her on the side.

[Jeff]

So. So needless to say, I, I get this. She, she always throws these stupid questions, these would you rather Questions. And I was thinking, wow, we've been pretty heavy lately. With topics. Okay, so let's lighten it up a bit, Sean. And let's have a Angry designers.

[Sean]

Would you.

[Jeff]

Would you rather. Sean.

[Sean]

This is great.

[Jeff]

And the rest of you can play along with this one, so.

[Sean]

I love it.

[Jeff]

Right? I mean, you know, it's been some pretty big lately.

[Sean]

You should have told me, and I could have. We could have. I could have done some.

[Jeff]

Oh, you could do this in the future.

[Sean]

Again, we'll do a part two.

[Jeff]

Sure. We can have lots of fun with this one. But, I mean, again, I figured, you know, it's been heavy lately, and oddly, these. As funny as these are, they really make you think.

[Sean]

Oh, no.

[Jeff]

Yes, they do. Yes, they will make you think, and they'll make you question your existence as graphic designers. So I figured, why not? Let's have 25 graphic design. Would you rather questions. Okay, you guys feel free to answer from home, you know, wherever you're listening to. Okay. Shut them out in the car. All right. All right. Okay, you're ready, Sean? All right, I'm ready. All right, ready, graphic designers.

[Sean]

Yes. Here we go.

[Jeff]

All right, graphic designers, would you rather be limited to using only two fonts forever or using a different font in every single project for the rest of your career?

[Sean]

Two fonts forever?

[Jeff]

Oh, you just didn't just. You just jumped that runner out.

[Sean]

Yes. Two fonts. That's all you need.

[Jeff]

What? Really kind of feel like it would simplify a lot of things, wouldn't it?

[Sean]

Certainly would. If I could just work in Helvetica and say, impact.

[Jeff]

For the rest, Sean, you can just take Helvetica and just stretch that bad boy and.

[Sean]

Yeah, you're right. No, I think. I think. Yeah, I think I would go with the two.

[Jeff]

It's a tricky one, you know? Well, you know, I. I thought about it a lot, and I didn't. As I was going with these questions and this one in specific, I was like, you know, it would be very exciting to just jump from font to font to font to font. But then you'd be that font guy. Yes, I'm not that font guy. I'm not.

[Sean]

You're not.

[Jeff]

And for the past 25 years, my style has been bold in your face. So. Yes, Sean, I agree with you. I think I would. I would limit myself to 2 font.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

Because apparently I already have for the past 25 years.

[Sean]

You've done that already. What would your second font be?

[Jeff]

I'm kind of blanking that one. I don't know. I don't know. Like, do you. Do you throw Into Sarah.

[Sean]

Would you have a Sarah? You kind of have to. Maybe.

[Jeff]

Maybe. Unless you just say, forget it. I'm never going to do another wedding invitation for the rest of my life. I might not need one, so. All right, so that was the.

[Sean]

Do you have. Do you have a favorite seraph font?

[Jeff]

No, I don't. I don't have one. It's funny, I. My, My serif fonts are more. The trendier ones. Like, I'll see something cool like that Abril Fe Re. And, you know, like, oh, that's cool. Let's go to me right now. They're the trendy fonts. Yeah. Where the sun serif. They're just classic.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

I just. It's like. And I feel like you can never go wrong with that. You can class that up. You can play it down.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

You know, it's just. It's just. Yeah. I think I would easily be able to do two fonts if I had to.

[Sean]

Yes. And both sans serif.

[Jeff]

And both probably sans serif. I'll have to agree to that one. All right, ready? Would you rather have all your kerning set to zero or have all your line spacing double spaced forever?

[Sean]

Holy.

[Jeff]

It's a lot harder than you think. Don't you.

[Sean]

I can't not. I can't not turn, so I gotta go double space on that. Oh.

[Jeff]

You know, and I just. I struggled with this one.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

I don't know what I could. I don't know how I could make this choice.

[Sean]

That's.

[Jeff]

I really don't.

[Sean]

That's like choosing one of your children, you know?

[Jeff]

It is, it is. But you know what? The thing is, I kind of. I got. I know, I know. See, I kind of, you know, went back to which one looks more amateurish and. And, you know, not kerning. Even though I admittedly, every single font I choose, I automatically minus 20 for instantly, always, if not minus 40, which is usually my preference. So I would actually, you know, fall victim. I would. I would do the kerning.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

Because that double space, there's just no way to make that good. It's awful.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

But you chose it.

[Sean]

No, no, no. See, I. I didn't. You put the amateur right. That totally.

[Jeff]

A lot of people won't pick up the. The kerning as they would that double space.

[Sean]

That's true. Yeah. Yeah, I could. Yeah. That goes against everything that I.

[Jeff]

That's so fucking. That is so Microsoft Word. Single space, double space. That's all the option you get. All right. All right.

[Sean]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Ready?

[Sean]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Would you rather Create a logo where all the colors are gradients or all the shapes are 3D going to be easy.

[Sean]

Just kill me now. Holy.

[Jeff]

Yes. I got my 8 year old daughter to help with these questions.

[Sean]

Oh, the gradients. Because they'll come back again. Yeah.

[Jeff]

I'm going to have to lean towards you on this. I'm going to have to agree because I don't know if I could actually do 3D, mind you. There is some great graphic artist out there that. That's all they do.

[Sean]

This is true. This is true.

[Jeff]

Everything's a 3D logo. All right.

[Sean]

That's hard. Holy.

[Jeff]

All right. All right.

[Sean]

Ready? Okay.

[Jeff]

All right, graphic designers, would you rather redo a popular logo that everyone loves and recognizes or create a fresh logo for a really boring company?

[Sean]

Can you do both? Like Alan Peters?

[Jeff]

He's really good, isn't he?

[Sean]

That's awesome. Yes. Hands down, that I wouldn't, I wouldn't touch an official logo that everybody loves. That everybody loves for. For no money in the world. I would. I do that. I'm not strong enough for that. So. Yeah, I would do.

[Jeff]

I, I would love the challenge.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

For trying to do that.

[Sean]

It would be fun.

[Jeff]

I, I just don't know if I could handle all the insane criticism that comes.

[Sean]

Exactly.

[Jeff]

God knows we see what that shit's like.

[Sean]

Have you, have you ever spent time in brand.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Brain consideration.

[Sean]

Brand consideration.

[Jeff]

Oh, people are just. I mean, it's a great logo and they make sense.

[Sean]

Like there's a lot of stuff. But yeah. Like imagine if you did the calendly logo.

[Jeff]

Well, I kind of feel like they bombed that one regardless.

[Sean]

Big time. Big time. Yes. So what about you?

[Jeff]

What do you think? You know what? I couldn't handle that kind of. That. No, no, no, no. That would. I. I don't know. I think I would drop out of the industry if that's the case.

[Sean]

But you're, you're right. You know, it would be fun. Like you see with the shell logo and it's like. Yeah, that's.

[Jeff]

And again, he did, he did it. He amped that thing up. That like, honestly, I'm like, he doesn't send it to shell for God's. Exactly.

[Sean]

You got a winner here.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sean]

But you' on him for being able to do that. Kind of.

[Jeff]

For being able to do that.

[Sean]

I'm. I'm not that guy.

[Jeff]

I think because. I think because I am not. I'm still a little bit more of a. A generalist, like, for the, you know, broader spectrum of design. You know, brand identity and stuff like this. I wouldn't have his kind of expertise, skill, you know, like, just because he can pinpoint it where, you know, I mean, I think we're just nipping at his heels.

[Sean]

Yes. Oh, yeah.

[Jeff]

And not only because the guy's like, 6ft 10, but, you know, because, again, skill wise, we're only nipping at his heels.

[Sean]

Yes, that's right.

[Jeff]

All right, all right.

[Sean]

Wow. Good question.

[Jeff]

Ready? Would you rather have a client who micromanages every detail or one who gives you no direction at all? Really makes you think, doesn't it?

[Sean]

Can we have a medium option.

[Jeff]

And we have some that micromanage every detail?

[Sean]

That's difficult because on the one hand, it would be. You're. You could work inside the box, which we. We enjoy doing. Right. We love those parameters. I love having, you know, the restrictions or the guardrails of the. Of the brain.

[Jeff]

Agreed.

[Sean]

So having no direction or anything like that from the client would be awesome and terrible all at the same time.

[Jeff]

Exactly. It would.

[Sean]

So I would have to. I would have to go with the first one, really. The guidelines, the nitpicky.

[Jeff]

You know, so I respect that. No, I do. But, you know, I keep thinking to. We know one customer that, you know, has kind of re. Micromanage, and there is that customer's picture right beside that specific account manager. And the anxiety I get from doing work for that person. No, you know what? I. I realize I like taking things to 80%, hands down, and then passing it off and moving to the next project. So let me have the other. And I'll. And I'll take no direction at all. So I'm going on the other side with that one, because I get anxiety.

[Sean]

You're right.

[Jeff]

You do. Holy cow.

[Sean]

And there's a challenge inside of that too, because then you have to kind of be your own boss, so to speak.

[Jeff]

Absolutely. Absolutely. And maybe that's why I'm used to that and I am my own boss.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

All right. And this is all I know. So I think maybe that's where it's like, why I think we would differ on this one. All right, all right.

[Sean]

Jesus.

[Jeff]

All right.

[Sean]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Would you rather take on a project with an impossible timeline but a huge budget or one with plenty of time, a little budget?

[Sean]

I would go with the impossible timeline. Huge budget.

[Jeff]

I'm gonna have to agree with you on that one, man. I would.

[Sean]

There's something. Again. There's something about us, our nature.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Sean]

That loves to fucking get pushed.

[Jeff]

Right.

[Sean]

You know what I mean? Like to be up against the wall and fucking going, oh, my God, yes, this is going to kill me.

[Jeff]

Kind of exciting it is hearing that. I'm like, damn it, I'm going to work my ass off in a short amount of time and make a buttload of money. Yeah, bring it on. Yeah, that one gets me excited. Not going to lie.

[Sean]

That's awesome.

[Jeff]

Right? All right.

[Sean]

Absolutely.

[Jeff]

Okay.

[Sean]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Would you rather. Would you rather have a client who loves everything but pays late or one who pays well and on time but criticizes every single detail?

[Sean]

Oh.

[Jeff]

True stories, people. True stories.

[Sean]

I guess if you're an established, you know, designer, you could maybe get away with. With waiting for that bill. Yeah, I think I could get away with waiting for the bill. Really? Yes, I think I could. I think I'd rather have somebody who goes, that's great. Just let me scrape together the cash that I can. I think I'd rather have that. I don't know.

[Jeff]

Yeah, sadly, you know what? Because I'm so used to that just being the way it is.

[Sean]

Well, there you go.

[Jeff]

I feel like that's actually what we've been doing the past 25 years. So what? There's another option.

[Sean]

Wait, a client like that exists, Somebody.

[Jeff]

Who pays, someone who. Oh, all right, all right, all right.

[Sean]

Okay, okay.

[Jeff]

Would you rather work with a client who uses Comic sans on in all correspondence. Okay. Or one who writes emails in all caps?

[Sean]

Oh, jeez.

[Jeff]

Why? This is so hard.

[Sean]

I. Yes. I gotta go with the all caps. I gotta go with the all caps. I'd rather have somebody yelling at me than somebody with no taste at all.

[Jeff]

Imagine if I was to read a client request in common sense. I'd have this song and I would picture them in a clown nose all day long. I couldn't take them serious.

[Sean]

You couldn't.

[Jeff]

The customer would be shouting at me all the time.

[Sean]

But then you get the yelling. Yes.

[Jeff]

Yeah, I, I, I would actually go with the Comic sans.

[Sean]

Oh, really?

[Jeff]

I would. I would. Because I wouldn't want to feel like I'm constantly being shouted at. Can you imagine? You get your email, sean, I need to have a talk with you.

[Sean]

Need to discuss the like, oh, Jesus, that would be hard. But then every email you read with Comic Sans, you'd be laughing your ass.

[Jeff]

You wouldn't take it seriously when they're like, to talk, you're like, we have to talk.

[Sean]

You can see them all unloading out of the clown car, you know?

[Jeff]

Oh, my God. All right, all right, all right.

[Sean]

Oh, that's great.

[Jeff]

All right, all right. All right. Would you rather have a client who wants something they've never seen before or one who just asks you to copy this design? Just copy this design.

[Sean]

Something they've never seen before.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Sean]

Something they never see before.

[Jeff]

That's tricky, right?

[Sean]

That's very tricky.

[Jeff]

We hear this one a lot. And I've. And. And I've experienced both.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

I've experienced people who try to, like, you know, wow me, you know, think outside the box, you know, and this and that. But then I also get the ones that kind of. They show me what they like. Right. So they're not, you know, when they say copy, they're not. I guess they're not exactly meaning photo copy.

[Sean]

Okay.

[Jeff]

I guess.

[Sean]

Okay. If. If you're saying, like, give me this vibe, then I could see that. Yeah, yeah.

[Jeff]

But that'd be too easy. So let's say just copy this design. No, you're right.

[Sean]

You're right. Copy this design. Hey, no, you can't do that. Yeah, that's bad.

[Jeff]

It is, right. And then God knows customers have got absolutely no taste. And this is right. Yes, yes, that's true. So I guess you are right. I'm gonna agree with you on this one. Something that they've never seen before, something that.

[Sean]

That's. That in itself has its difficulties.

[Jeff]

Oh, my God. Yes. Like.

[Sean]

Like, Jesus. Where do you nail it down?

[Jeff]

Where do you start? With this?

[Sean]

Yes, exactly. Yeah. Like, how many versions in it. Considerations are going to be with this client that you're. And, you know.

[Jeff]

Classic. Classic. Though there's something I don't. I've never seen before. You give it to him, they're like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I wasn't expecting that. So we would never go there.

[Sean]

Yeah, you just said.

[Jeff]

I've had that served to us so many times. Needless to say, though, I think I would enjoy that one a little bit more to be. I think so, too.

[Sean]

Yeah, I think you're right.

[Jeff]

All right. All right.

[Sean]

Jesus.

[Jeff]

All right. Would you rather only work with a limited color palette or be restricted to only using gradients forever and ever.

[Sean]

Again with a gradient? Oh, geez. Limited color palette. Limited color palette.

[Jeff]

Right, but that's.

[Sean]

So. Can you imagine a limited time.

[Jeff]

I know.

[Sean]

So everything. But everything else is gradient.

[Jeff]

Gradients, you know, so light green to dark green.

[Sean]

Oh, so you use colors.

[Jeff]

Green to. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yo colors. But it always has to be a gradient.

[Sean]

It can't be tints.

[Jeff]

No dents. No dents, buddy.

[Sean]

Oh, geez. Okay. Limited color palette, then.

[Jeff]

Oh, wow. I would actually go to the gradients, to be honest.

[Sean]

Would you.

[Jeff]

I would go to the gradient. I would try that one. Because, you know, you can get some nice subtle gradients that kind of make things. It's, you know, we always think of the gaudy gradients, you know, like the. Yeah, like the original Mac gradient, the full entire spectrum. But I'm thinking, you know, you get some good tone and tones in there. I think you could probably make it. I think I would enjoy that. I think I could do that.

[Sean]

I see what you're saying.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah. Tricky though. I think this one is like, because gradients makes you cringe. That's for sure. And now a word from our sponsor.

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[Jeff]

Would you rather, rather take feedback from 10 different stakeholders or get feedback from one person with no design experience? Oh, we had them both.

[Sean]

Oh.

[Jeff]

Oh, wow. A little introspect into Z factors history.

[Sean]

Ah, geez. What would be. Oh, man. Oh, the 10 shareholders would be hell. But they know what they're doing.

[Jeff]

Designed by committee. Yeah. Yeah. Or at least they all think they know what they're doing.

[Sean]

Or they think they know what they're doing. I gotta, I gotta go with the one on that one.

[Jeff]

With the one on that one.

[Sean]

He doesn't know, because maybe you could. Maybe you could snow him on that. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. You can explain to them why you did what you did, and then they would kind of get it. Maybe.

[Jeff]

Yep. You know what design. What is it designed by committee?

[Sean]

Yep. Yep.

[Jeff]

Just doesn't work.

[Sean]

It doesn't. No, you're right.

[Jeff]

You know, and if they would follow a process and, you know, you're like, listen, guys, I'm gonna have you these revisions. We all have to be together. But that's not how it works. What happens is then only six people of the 10 are there. And then, you know, when those designs and they'll. They'll agree to something, but when they send it to those other four. Yeah, well, don't they have to just throw a wrench into that whole thing?

[Sean]

Right.

[Jeff]

Throw a spanner in it all and everything. Goods out of. So from experience. Design from. If they're not going to follow a process and commit to that process, I will gladly take the inexperienced person. Because you're right, you can. You can educate, you can, you know, and.

[Sean]

Yeah, you can.

[Jeff]

Although, you know, it gets cringey. The recommendations get cringey. But from experience, there's. There's potential to have them sell that white space for I. We need to put something there in that corner.

[Sean]

Can we fill it up?

[Jeff]

It looks too empty.

[Sean]

Yeah, see, I don't know. That's hard too. Right. You'd have to go all the way back to basics.

[Jeff]

All the way back to basics, baby.

[Sean]

Wow.

[Jeff]

Yes.

[Sean]

Okay. That's way better than committee.

[Jeff]

All right, all right. Would you rather be forced to use outdated design trends or to have to adopt every new trend immediately?

[Sean]

Outdated? Ooh, outdated. Like, are we talking Massimo Vignelli outdated?

[Jeff]

Yeah. He never followed any design trends, did he?

[Sean]

No, he didn't.

[Jeff]

And I think that goes back to just like, how do you feel about trends in general?

[Sean]

In trend.

[Jeff]

Yes, you're right. The way I see it is, you know, the way that we've run this company is, you know, we're not that we even follow trends, but if we do, we're years behind because we serve a B2B client. Right, right. Our clientele is B2B and General. They don't want the hip. And now that you see in the. In the B2C space. So I. I agree with you. I would go with the past ones because although there's shit in design trends. Right. You might be able to pick the elements that work for you in that case.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

And then you're not Stressed to use them. Can you imagine if you had to use bubble fonts? If you had to use, you know, not just bubble fonts, but like the balloon animal bubble fonts. Okay. With like the little. Where can I. How do you make that work?

[Sean]

You don't.

[Jeff]

Where do you make that work? Balloon font yet my clients are contraceptive. All right, all right, all right. Would you rather have to Design under a 24 hour deadline or have a project stretched out with constant delays over a year?

[Sean]

Again, I gotta go with the letter RIP for 24 hours.

[Jeff]

Let her rip for 24 hours. Yeah.

[Sean]

Kill it and bill it. Yeah, no, not, not that, I don't mean that, but you know what I mean. Like.

[Jeff]

Yes, he does.

[Sean]

Hit it hard and get it, get it done. Nobody, nobody wants to work on something for longer than a year, buddy.

[Jeff]

We've had those. We've had those. We have this saying here at the office, unfortunately. And if a website, if we can't finish a website in three months, it'll take 12.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

And it just never fails if that site doesn't launch within reason, of course, if it's a giant corp, but again, then it's a phased approach. Right. Because we would never waterfall a giant, you know, web project. But if it doesn't get out in three months, always, always takes 12 and oh, by the time that's done, you just hate it. There isn't even enough money to make it worthwhile. So I have to agree with you. I, I get off on the rush of the 24 hour, you know, so. Yeah, I'm right there with you, man. I'm right.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

All right, nice. Would you rather only work on projects that you're not passionate about, but pay really well, or on dream projects that pay? At least they pay. At least.

[Sean]

It's not for exposure. At least they pay. Yeah. No one can feed their kids with exposure. Right. Oh, man. The golden noose.

[Jeff]

Yeah. Golden handcuffs or.

[Sean]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jeff]

Or that you can sleep at night.

[Sean]

Oh, yeah. Or they could sleep at night. Oh, on a, on a cardboard box. I. Oh, this. I don't know. I don't know. I like both ideas.

[Jeff]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sean]

I like the middle row.

[Jeff]

Yeah. Not an option on this one.

[Sean]

If given. If I, you know, if I could do whatever I want, I would go with the dream job.

[Jeff]

With the dream job. Right.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

No, I. You know what, Sean? I actually agree with you.

[Sean]

Really.

[Jeff]

I really. Even though I am, you know, like a total capitalist pig, and I love money and I love my toys.

[Sean]

Me too.

[Jeff]

You know, above all that I love what I do for a living. And as long as peanuts, as long as I can survive on those peanuts that I'm getting, I would much rather enjoy what I'm doing. You know? And then again, not to get philosophical, but then the long term ramifications of this is then you're more fulfilled. You'll have, you know, richer life, richer, richer journey, you know? But again, my. Although I love everything else about this space, and I do love my toys. Okay. I do love my toys. I love doing this even more. I love being a designer more. So I think that would trump it.

[Sean]

All in a pure form. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That would be intense.

[Jeff]

Absolutely.

[Sean]

Wonderful.

[Jeff]

Absolutely.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

All right, all right. Okay. Would you rather work on a project with a computer that crashes every hour or one that constantly lags?

[Sean]

Oh, well, I have to go to the bathroom a lot, so I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go with the computer that crashes every hour.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Sean]

You know what?

[Jeff]

I agree with you. Right. The pomodoro technique, right? You work for 55 minutes and then it crashes and you take a little break, do your stretch. I would, but. But if. If he could give me the reliability that I could just go, you know, 100 miles an hour for 50 minutes.

[Sean]

Imagine.

[Jeff]

It'S. Damn it, I forgot to save.

[Sean]

So close. Oh, my God. Yes. All right, what did you call that? The pompadoro.

[Jeff]

No, the pomodoro type. Right, yeah, like the little tomato timer.

[Sean]

And it's. Timer. Yes, yes.

[Jeff]

Right. And it actually looks pretty good, but I think that's more of a 40, 20, or 50 something, 10 type thing. But yeah. Yeah, why not? Right, Right.

[Sean]

That's the leg. Yeah, it just. If you experience any kind of leg, it sends me into a rage. Right.

[Jeff]

So you know when you click on it and it's like, wait, I got to think about it.

[Sean]

Click again.

[Jeff]

I got to think about it. And you put up with it for, like, two hours before you decide to restart the damn computer to fix it. Sometimes I'll go, for days. You're just like, come on in, misery. And all it takes is a restart. Then, you know, my 50 tabs would disappear.

[Sean]

That always sucks too.

[Jeff]

All right, would you rather have your design software's undo function disabled?

[Sean]

Oh, God.

[Jeff]

Or your layer feature removed? Why so difficult?

[Sean]

I get a third option. Death. Holy. I'm dead without either.

[Jeff]

Yes. Yes.

[Sean]

Although I think if I had to choose, I could go without the layers because I'm old school. I could. I could do that because I started doing that. No layers.

[Jeff]

Well, you'd think. You'd think. But if you remember Super Paint, okay. The layers feature was incredible when Illustrator came out because everything was put on its own layer. But prior to that was Super Paint, there was no layers. You design a circle on top of a square.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

And you've got a circle on top of a square.

[Sean]

Right.

[Jeff]

It's like designing in Photoshop on one layer. So.

[Sean]

Wow.

[Jeff]

You really got to make sure that what you're doing is legit.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

But you can undo. So you're okay.

[Sean]

Yeah. You've got undo.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would do the undo. I. I could go with the layers if I had to. Yeah, I would. As long as I got my. My trusty, you know, control Z, Apple Z. I'm good. I'm good. All right. We're in the home stretch, everybody. We're in the home stretch. All right. Okay. Would you rather work in a super messy studio with tons of creative inspiration or a sterile, clean office but with zero design inspiration? This is a personality.

[Sean]

This totally is. And it's absolutely the messy place.

[Jeff]

Yeah. With all the design stuff, I would.

[Sean]

Much rather do that.

[Jeff]

You know, as cool as those Max setups and people's office. You see people's desks and there's nothing on. Max is like that. Go look at Max.

[Sean]

Really.

[Jeff]

Hers is like that. It's so clean and sterile and beautiful. It looks like, you know, it. It's picture perfect. But, I mean, I couldn't. If I. If I couldn't have my knickknacks and.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

Crack, you know, visual crack all over the place. I don't know how I could enjoy this.

[Sean]

Yeah, it's. Well, it's yours. It's all about your surroundings, too.

[Jeff]

Yeah. I agreed.

[Sean]

You got to be in a kind of a cool vibe.

[Jeff]

It's true.

[Sean]

To get into a cool.

[Jeff]

Absolutely. Yeah. I think I'd have to do that.

[Sean]

Think. You know what I think when I think of that, like, the ultimate creative is like Tinker Hadfield's ad. You know what I mean? I'm like that guy. I mean, there's all kinds of around there that'd be so distracting, but that's just got such a vibe for him. You know what I mean?

[Jeff]

It does.

[Sean]

Is it work feeding that, or is it him feeding his. His aesthetic?

[Jeff]

Fair enough.

[Sean]

I don't know, but it just works together.

[Jeff]

I can one up that one.

[Sean]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Do you remember Aaron Draplin's place?

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

Like, I mean, I think. I think his work surface was only like 12 inches by 12 inches. Everything else was records and guitars and all kinds of. And, you know, collectibles and stuff. Right. And again, it's. I'm a very big believer.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

That you need the creative environment around you to stay inspired. Fired.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

I'm huge believer of environment, so. Okay. I agree with you, 100 that. Yeah. Just I won't be posting it on. On YouTube, being like, look at my desktop space. That always is a J.

[Sean]

Three things. Although James Bernard has a very clean workspace.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Except, you know, that's. That's only when the camera's on. When it's off, he picks everything up off the floor, puts it back on there, including, you know, the old beer bottles and. And food plates and, you know.

[Sean]

Right.

[Jeff]

We're on to you. Yes.

[Sean]

Yes. Please post us what your desk really looks like, bud.

[Jeff]

All right, all right. Would you rather work in a trendy cafe with crappy coffee or a silent office but with great coffee Chase. Oh.

[Sean]

Yeah, I know. The big dead space. I guess Joe could get rid of that. I'd have to go. I'd have to go with quiet and good coffee.

[Jeff]

You're right. You do drink a lot of coffee.

[Sean]

I do. I love coffee. I love coffee. But then, you know, you have the awesome workspace again. Back to that.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Sean]

There's something cool about, you know, like a. Like a coffee shop where you have to go and just kind of do whatever.

[Jeff]

You know what I mean? Like.

[Sean]

Oh, that. That's tough. That's a tough one.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Sean]

I'm gonna have to go with real coffee. You are. You're gonna.

[Jeff]

You're gonna go with a good coffee over the environment?

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

Okay. Okay. I. I was. I thought that would have been my choice.

[Sean]

Oh.

[Jeff]

But like, three or four weeks ago, Italian. I. I know.

[Sean]

I know coffee is very important.

[Jeff]

Espresso is important. But I ended up. I ended up at Midnight Run, you know, uptown, Waterloo. I forgot that place existed. And. And, you know, they had this single little table in the corner that was, like, covered in just. There was just plants all over the place. There was an old piano there, and I sat in there, and let me tell you, I worked quietly for, like, three hours, and it was glorious. The coffee was okay.

[Sean]

It was just okay.

[Jeff]

It was okay. I mean, I'm not. I'm not recommending people for the coffee, but that environment just. It reminded me of early days.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

Of, you know, starting early when you'd be working in coffee shops or. Or, you know, just to get, you know, away from it all. And I'd have to Go with the coffee shop. I. I would have to go with the environment on this one. Yeah. Even though I do. I really love my coffee. Yeah, yeah, I really do.

[Sean]

But that's saying something.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sean]

Good for you.

[Jeff]

All right, all right, ready? Would you rather share your workspace with a messy co worker who occasionally spills over into your area or an overly neat freak who's constantly adjusts your things? I kind of feel like that already exists here in both forms.

[Sean]

Okay, I guess I gotta go. I gotta go with working with the neat freak because I'm the slob. I lived that life.

[Jeff]

This was an intervention. Sean, I've come here to talk to you. Oh, my God, that's amazing.

[Sean]

Oh, my God. You.

[Jeff]

No, you know what? I'll take the overly neat freak in that case.

[Sean]

Okay. Yeah, you're pretty neat.

[Jeff]

Well, I don't think I'm as neat as some people here, but.

[Sean]

Oh, but not neat as Mac, but.

[Jeff]

Oh, wait, you know what, though? No, you know what? I consider myself a slob at times because my desk has all my. My little fun things on it and sometimes I'll have. All right, I'll take the slob. I'll take the slob. Damn it. They're better people.

[Sean]

Okay, because maybe because it's the opportunity to learn. Right. You know, I can learn.

[Jeff]

And to build up a very strong immune system.

[Sean]

Exactly.

[Jeff]

All right, all right, all right. Would you rather have a windowless office or an office with a great view but constant glare on your screen?

[Sean]

That's a no brainer. You gotta go with no windows. It should be horrible too.

[Jeff]

I might be able to live with the glare as long as I'm not color correcting.

[Sean]

No, wait. Now my head's big enough that I could probably block the sun, but no, I'm gonna go with windows. Windowless.

[Jeff]

Windowless.

[Sean]

I hate glare.

[Jeff]

Do you. I hate glare because it's like you're constantly moving around. Depend on.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

You know, I think I've just gotten so used to glare because at my house I have glare in the tv and I'm just. I've just finally come to terms with. This is my life. And so I've adapted. I think I've adapted to the seeing only two thirds of a screen at one time. So I. I'll just find the spots without the glare.

[Sean]

Whatever the glare is, you're. You got to work around it. Oh, my God, that's funny.

[Jeff]

All right, all right, all right. Ready? Would you rather have to print out every draft for feedback or only be able to share your work through a fax machine. I think these still exist in some places. The bank still has them.

[Sean]

I would have to do the printouts, even though that's pretty archaic too, right?

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah, printouts are.

[Sean]

And you know, I was gonna say there's something classic about a printout. Yeah, it's kind of. It's kind of cool to see, you know.

[Jeff]

Well, you know, we have a beautiful, you know, printer here and it is. You're right. Like, even though we're used to seeing things on screen, it is nice to print.

[Sean]

Yeah, exactly.

[Jeff]

Joking or not.

[Sean]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Like fax machines. God knows how bad that technology.

[Sean]

Well, that's. That's hideous. We used to do that at the Record Facts. An ad proof. Yeah. Like a. And they'd go, can you imagine?

[Jeff]

Hey, yeah. Why did my ad look like. Dude, you approved it. I thought that was a fax machine.

[Sean]

Yeah. What's all this color business?

[Jeff]

All right, all right. Would you rather design on an old CRT monitor with low resolution or work on a brand new computer with a 12 inch screen?

[Sean]

Wow. Having done both.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Sean]

I'd have to say the 12 inch screen is probably. Probably better. Although. Although my back would just be suffering like right in there, you know, like. Yeah.

[Jeff]

Do you know near, near the end of my. Near the end of the CRT screen. Right. I had.

[Sean]

Those are the big box ones.

[Jeff]

I had the lacy blue, remember?

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

I had the, the kick ass lacy blue. It was dark blue. It was like you would see this thing a mile. Like a Ferrari coming down, you know, amidst a bunch of Volkswagen Beetles. Right. And it had a hood.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

And it was a whopping 21 inches wide, which was incredible. But man, did I love that lacy.

[Sean]

It was a great screen. It was a great screen. So that was like a low res kind of.

[Jeff]

That would have been. Well, I mean, compared to now would be. Right. So I would go back to. I, I would choose the. I would go for size over. Over. I, I personally would. I remember that screen and I guess because, you know, I mean, again, I didn't, I didn't see the benefit of zooming in and seeing that. That kind of detail that you'd need to.

[Sean]

Well, yeah, like for, for what I was using it for at the record. It was.

[Jeff]

Right. Well, that was like what, 72dpi.

[Sean]

Zoom in.

[Jeff]

And I remember we were doing print back then, which 300 dpi. We were doing print on the. That's why it was the lacy blue. That was highest resolution that you could get. Best it was. Screen wasn't even nothing compared to these days, but. Right.

[Sean]

Funny. How many years ago was that?

[Jeff]

Oh, geez. I think I got rid of my lacy at least, like, 15 years ago, sadly.

[Sean]

Wow.

[Jeff]

And that thing was. It was a workhorse. It was. It weighed more than a desk.

[Sean]

Oh, God. It's like a small tv.

[Jeff]

Yeah. Right. You take a mortgage out on that stupid thing. But. But it was good. He was a lazy blue.

[Sean]

Yeah. 12. 12 inch screen. I go.

[Jeff]

12 inch screen. I go with.

[Sean]

And glasses.

[Jeff]

Okay. Would you rather work with your dream client for free or work with a difficult client for big money?

[Sean]

I, too, love my toys. So I'm. I'm going to go with the. I'm going to suck up to the man on this one.

[Jeff]

On that one.

[Sean]

Yeah, yeah. I'm going. I'm going with the client.

[Jeff]

See, the difference here, right, is like the peanut before was, you know, ideally enough to survive.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

Right. This is a case where it's like, no, no, no. This is that whole work for, you know, exposure. That's okay. So. No, I have to agree with you in this. I would be like, no, screw you. Bring on the big bucks for this one. Because obviously I. I'm not here to lose money.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

Okay. I don't have to always make a ton of money.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

But I'm not here to lose money.

[Sean]

But you're not here to lose.

[Jeff]

Right. So the hell with that. So I'll have to agree.

[Sean]

If I'm going to give any kind of charity to anybody, it's going to be me. I'm going to work on my personal brand.

[Jeff]

Exactly.

[Sean]

So much better than Exactly. From that client.

[Jeff]

Exactly.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

Not a boy. All right, all right. Okay. Last.

[Sean]

Oh, but not least. This is probably the worst one.

[Jeff]

Nah, this one's a great one. Ready?

[Sean]

Ready.

[Jeff]

We're. We're gonna end off soft here. Ready?

[Sean]

Oh, good.

[Jeff]

Would you rather retire early but never design again or keep designing well into your golden years?

[Sean]

Please define golden years, because I think I'm there.

[Jeff]

I think golden years are like your 80s. And it's. It's. It's like when you wake up in the morning and your pants are golden in color because you peed yourself in bed. I don't know.

[Sean]

Freaking prune juice, you know? Yeah, I'm. I'm going with into the golden years, baby. I don't think you ever stop.

[Jeff]

Yeah. You know, I think it's funny. It's like depending on, you know, if. Depending on the kind of lifestyle you choose. Retirement is not that, you know, crazy or. Or out to lunch for a lot of people. I. I know somebody who's my age, and he's retiring. They're. They're selling everything. They're moving on to Portugal. They're. They're retiring and they're downsizing. Retiring. And he's my age. But, dude, I couldn't imagine at my age. Stop design. And even if, heaven forbid, my life is only another, you know, like. Like, you know, two, three days after what I thought it would have been, you know, I. I will be designing until the end. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think that's a true testament to, you know, how passionate you are and. And what you really want out of this, you know, so if you do just want the money.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

A lot of these decisions will be already made for you. But again, I think.

[Sean]

Well, you know, the funny thing is, is, like, you could see yourself. I don't know whether I would be. I had a friend who said, you never see any old graphic designers. Designers, which struck me, and it was like, no, that's not true. Because I think there's a lot of older designers, because there's that experience that comes with.

[Jeff]

Absolutely. There.

[Sean]

You know what I mean? And that's kind of something that you can. You could pass on. Yep.

[Jeff]

To students or to, I think, a lot of older graphic designers. You may not see them in young, trendy, hip place environments, you know, active in the work world, but oftentimes you'll see them as freelancers. Oftentimes, you'll see them at art galleries being done. They're complete. They're just doing their own thing. They're just kind of designing now for them. Designing just for pleasures. And there is nothing wrong with that. Like, imagine if you finally set yourself up.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

Financially.

[Sean]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jeff]

Wouldn't you just love to just be able to just, you know, just go on design explorations, you know, visit all the museums, you know, get more inspiration, create more. Start developing your own. Post it out there. Who cares how fun that would be? Right? So I do think they exist, just maybe not in the professional environments, you know, keeping up with all the day to day. Because they don't have to anymore.

[Sean]

You don't have to.

[Jeff]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Sean]

I. I think Golden Years sounds awesome.

[Jeff]

I think so, too. And, you know, the thing is, it's.

[Sean]

Like, this is the best. This is the best part of my career right now.

[Jeff]

So I want.

[Sean]

I would. I would like to keep this going.

[Jeff]

Got many years ahead of us, buddy. We got many years. And this podcast has got many years ahead. Ahead of us, too. So.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

Yeah, I think we're good with it.

[Sean]

But these questions are killing me.

[Jeff]

I hope you guys got some fun out of this one because I'm glad it was fun.

[Sean]

We.

[Jeff]

It's been a little while since we had a fun episode.

[Sean]

It was fun.

[Jeff]

And I think this is one of those. So many of these are like brain wrackers.

[Sean]

They really are.

[Jeff]

Well, you know, if everybody really enjoys this, maybe we'll do a round two, you know, in the new year or something. These are kind of fun.

[Sean]

Yes. This is good. And I'm gonna surprise you. Oh, yeah.

[Jeff]

All right, bring it on here. Bring it on. All right, everybody, if that's the case, please drop us a line. Hit us up with your comments. Hit us up with other would you rathers. Let's get a part two going because I think this is actually fun and it actually makes you think about what you really want.

[Sean]

Totally. Right?

[Jeff]

You know, these are kind of things.

[Sean]

Where you're like, oh, my God. Yeah. If I had to make a tough decision in this field.

[Jeff]

Yeah, yeah, right?

[Sean]

Yes.

[Jeff]

That would be it. Perfect comic songs. We're always yelling.

[Sean]

All right, that's good.

[Jeff]

Well, I think that's it, guys.

[Sean]

All right.

[Jeff]

I hope you guys enjoy this. You know, hit us up on our instagram, hit us up on YouTube, drop us a line, share us with everybody. And don't forget, we do have a kick ass newsletter that you all need to be a part of. So get on our site or get on our profiles and sign up for that bad boy. All right? My name is Masimo.

[Sean]

My name is Sean.

[Jeff]

Stay creative and stay angry.

[Sean]

Peace.

[D]

I want to be the greatest everybody on their face. I look around I feel like everybody is the fakers. I make this every day and I'm impatient hoping one day I blow up from the basement statement the top is so vacant I don't need shit that I think is amazing. Waiting for my day when I'm playing sold out shows for a thousand faces hey, give me that crown get in my way and you'll be put down it ain't your place all this my town if I want that shit then I'll get it right now I'm losing it the noose it fits some loosey the stupid myth you choose to live or choose to dip you choose to fight or lose your grip and lose a gift.

[Jeff]

Losing my mind everybody in the world d please lord, give me.

[Sean]

A sign a sign.