This Mindset Is Limiting Your Graphic Design Career

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Angry Designer – "This Mindset Is Limiting Your Graphic Design Career"

Release Date: June 24, 2025

---

Introduction

In the episode titled "This Mindset Is Limiting Your Graphic Design Career," hosted by The Angry Designer podcast, the discussion centers around the contrasting mindsets of artists and designers. The hosts delve deep into how adopting an artist's mentality can hinder a graphic designer's professional growth, affecting aspects such as pricing, client interactions, and adaptability in an evolving industry influenced by technologies like AI.

---

1. The Artist vs. Designer Mindset

The core of the episode revolves around distinguishing between an artist's and a designer's approach to work. The conversation begins with a personal anecdote where one of the hosts recounts an emotional outburst with a client, leading to introspection about underlying mindset differences.

• Artist Mindset Characteristics:

  • Self-Expression: "Artists create for self-expression. It's very personal." ([08:12])
  • Subjectivity: "For artists, everything has a subjective meaning to it." ([08:31])
  • Emotional Attachment: "They take feedback personally because art is from within." ([08:43])
  • Valuing Aesthetics Over Function: "Originality over clarity." ([14:17])

• Designer Mindset Characteristics:

  • Client-Centric: "Designers create for client goals." ([08:18])
  • Objective Outcomes: "It's all about objective outcomes." ([08:31])
  • Strategic Thinking: "Designers address business outcomes, not just aesthetics." ([07:01])
  • Professional Detachment: "Treat things professionally, not personally." ([22:33])

Notable Quote:

"Artists create for themselves first, designer creates for others first." – Unknown Speaker ([09:28])

---

2. Impact on Pricing and Valuation

One significant consequence of the artist mindset is its effect on how designers price their work. The belief that creativity cannot be quantified leads to underpricing and undervaluation of services.

• Challenges Discussed:
  • Pricing Creativity: "We always think, oh, we can't price creativity." ([10:05])
  • Value Over Effort: "It should be about the value that it provides to the customer." ([10:05])
  • Excuses for Underpricing: "It's a little bit of the artist mindset that's creeping in." ([13:54])

Notable Quote:

"Customers don't pay you for your feelings." – Unknown Speaker ([12:07])

---

3. Handling Feedback and Client Revisions

The conversation highlights how an artist's sensitivity makes handling constructive criticism challenging, often leading to personal attacks rather than viewing feedback as a tool for improvement.

• Key Points:
  • Personal vs. Product Feedback: "Feedback should never be a personal attack. It's about the product." ([16:42])
  • Emotional Reactions: "If you get personally offended by client revisions, that's a red flag." ([13:19])
  • Professional Growth: Learning to use feedback for data, not as a reflection of self-worth. ([09:04])

Notable Quote:

"Feedback is generally about the product, not personal." – Unknown Speaker ([16:52])

---

4. Transitioning from Artistic to Design Thinking

The hosts emphasize the necessity for designers to shift their mindset from purely aesthetic-focused to strategic problem-solving to thrive in the competitive and ever-evolving design industry.

• Strategies Suggested:
  • Ask Why: "Leverage strategy over mood boards." ([15:08])
  • Think in Systems: "Designers need to think in systems, not in canvases." ([23:10])
  • Lead with Questions: "Lead the project, give recommendations." ([23:06])

Notable Quote:

"Designers solve problems; they don't style them." – Unknown Speaker ([22:20])

---

5. Adapting to Technological Changes and AI

Addressing concerns about AI's role in design, the episode advocates for embracing a designer mindset to remain relevant and leverage AI as a tool rather than viewing it as a threat.

• Insights Shared:
  • AI as a Tool: "AI doesn't care about your feelings; it helps solve problems for customers." ([26:12])
  • Designer Adaptability: "Embracing a designer mindset makes you AI-proof." ([32:50])

Notable Quote:

"AI is my tool to help me solve those problems, and this is a shift in my mindset." – Unknown Speaker ([26:39])

---

6. Practical Shifts to Adopt a Designer Mindset

The hosts outline actionable steps designers can take to transition from an artist to a designer mindset, fostering professional growth and better client relationships.

• Actionable Steps:
  1. Sell Outcomes, Not Aesthetics: "Pitch in outcomes, not aesthetics." ([27:38])
  2. Lead with Strategy: "Talk strategy, not swatches." ([23:47])
  3. Act as an Expert: "Designers need to act like experts, not vendors." ([23:11])
  4. Think Systematically: "Build systems, not just assets." ([24:35])
  5. Focus on Business Goals: "Solve business problems, not just create beautiful designs." ([22:33])

Notable Quote:

"Design is an art, which is why it pays." – Unknown Speaker ([27:54])

---

7. Personal Reflections and Moving Forward

Towards the end, the hosts reflect on personal experiences and the emotional journey of shifting mindsets. They acknowledge the challenges but remain optimistic about the positive changes this shift can bring to their careers and the broader design community.

• Key Takeaways:
  • Self-Awareness: Recognizing the influence of an artist mindset is the first step towards change.
  • Professional Detachment: Learning to detach personal feelings from professional work fosters better client relations.
  • Continuous Learning: Embracing strategic thinking and staying updated with industry trends ensures longevity in the design field.

Notable Quote:

"We're chasing an outcome for the customer... solving their problems." – Unknown Speaker ([29:35])

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Angry Designer podcast serves as a wake-up call for graphic designers entrenched in an artist's mindset. By distinguishing between the emotional, subjective nature of art and the strategic, objective focus of design, designers are encouraged to adopt practices that enhance their professional value, client relationships, and adaptability in the face of technological advancements. The hosts provide both introspective insights and practical steps, making it a valuable listen for designers at any stage of their career.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

1. "Artists create for themselves first, designer creates for others first." – Unknown Speaker ([09:28])
2. "Customers don't pay you for your feelings." – Unknown Speaker ([12:07])
3. "Feedback is generally about the product, not personal." – Unknown Speaker ([16:52])
4. "Designers solve problems; they don't style them." – Unknown Speaker ([22:20])
5. "AI is my tool to help me solve those problems, and this is a shift in my mindset." – Unknown Speaker ([26:39])
6. "Design is an art, which is why it pays." – Unknown Speaker ([27:54])
7. "We're chasing an outcome for the customer... solving their problems." – Unknown Speaker ([29:35])

---

Connect with The Angry Designer:

Stay updated with future episodes and connect with the community through YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

---

Note: Time stamps are based on the provided transcript and correspond to the duration of the podcast episode.

Transcript

[Massimo]

Foreign.

[Sean]

You're listening to the Angry Designer podcast.

[Unknown]

Where we help frustrated graphic designers crush.

[Sean]

The industry chaos, ditch the social BS.

[Unknown]

And build badass, rewarding careers that actually pay now. Powered by WIX Studio. Well, let me tell you, sir, I was. I've actually been. As you can tell, I've enjoyed some of this.

[Massimo]

We did have a little bit for Friday. Whiskey Friday.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Massimo]

Yeah. That was kind of quite nice.

[Unknown]

Well, I think as we had a really nice whiskey in order to have that, so.

[Massimo]

So salut.

[Unknown]

Salute my friend. To Sun World Whiskey.

[Massimo]

The smell is pungent.

[Unknown]

This stuff is great, though.

[Massimo]

So good. I. It does not smell like. It tastes. No.

[Unknown]

Oh, my God.

[Massimo]

Smells so good. Yeah, it smells pungent, but it tastes awesome.

[Unknown]

In case you guys didn't catch us last week, we are drinking Suntour World whiskey, which is like, from Japan. And they took five of the best types of whiskeys. Irish, Scotch, American, Canadian and Japanese whiskeys. Put them together, took the best parts of them, put them together, and created this gift in Japan. You know, this is one of those Japanese secrets.

[Massimo]

Yes. I would have a whole mess of sushi with this. I would be just like tribute all the way. Yeah, it's good stuff.

[Unknown]

All right, so.

[Massimo]

Okay. So I was reading this.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Massimo]

And I am very curious at that very first statement. I. Yeah, I can't wait to hear this.

[Unknown]

I. I kind of. I kind of.

[Massimo]

What happened?

[Unknown]

I kind of had an old school hissy fit on a customer yesterday.

[Massimo]

Oh, my God.

[Unknown]

It was. It was totally out of character because I've generally been trying to keep myself contained, you know, quite a bit. I've gotten pretty good at keeping, you know, my responses to myself. I don't know, maybe I was menstruating or something yesterday, but they said something to me.

[Massimo]

Can you talk about your feelings?

[Unknown]

Yeah, they said something. And for whatever reason, you know, I took it personal and I shouldn't take it personal. And it wasn't even personal. And it could have been a combination of just being frustrated that it was just. It was a silly comment. It was dumb. The project was so old and outdated and the re. And they just. They're so blind to it. So I kind of lost my shit a little bit. And I was like, you know what? I don't really care. These are trivial things you guys are saying. We just need to focus on getting this out there. And it was just one of. And you could tell by my tone, cuz like even then the mood kind of went.

[Massimo]

Shifted a lot. Yeah.

[Unknown]

Well, as it should have. They were a little Spanked. And. And then afterwards, you know, like, I didn't say to them, but I didn't feel bad. I was talking to Mac and I was like, was I a little rough there? I felt. And she's like, well, you know, she's so used to hearing that off camera.

[Massimo]

Ah, exactly.

[Unknown]

And so, you know, and so I was. I was trying to figure out, like, what the right. You know, like, really what was up. Why, you know, why did I take it so personal? Because. And, you know, and then it was. Because the personal attack I felt, and it probably wasn't right. And then I just, you know, my mind started kind of, you know, ruminating, and then it was just like, well, you know, what else? And why do I constantly in, you know, with this, with these guys, or in other situations, feel like you're defending your work, you know, and you shouldn't have to feel like you're defending, you know, and then why do you sometimes feel underpaid? And. And it just started kind of, you know, where this whole idea for this episode came from. Because it was just like my mind was racing, like, all these things that designers feel. Right. Why. Why do we feel this way? Why do we feel stuck? Why do we feel customers don't take us serious? Right, Right. And. And so it started, you know, and my mind started going kind of everywhere with this one. And I'm serious, I was in an emotional, weird place yesterday.

[Massimo]

I know.

[Unknown]

And. And so I was. I was exploring this, and I was. I was trying to dig deep, and then I came to this idea that it's like, you know, as kids, most people in our space, most graphic design. And this also. Wait, back it up.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

We had a post last week.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Okay. That had a whole slew of comments, and it had a whole bunch of like. Like people. Negative comments, like, pitching. It was about the whole. There's two types of creatives. You know, the creative divide idea. Right. That, hey, creativity isn't what it used to be. People took it down this, well, art is subjective. And I'm like. And I just started listening all these people. Oh, I'm glad you said it. These two design bros. And I'm like, well, this is a graphic design. Yeah.

[Massimo]

It's not an art.

[Unknown]

Art podcast. Right. And so. And because they were all taking it personal, and I chimed in on them, and I'm like, dudes, this is a graphic design podcast.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

What we're talking about here is directly in. Relate to. So I. I forgot to mention that. Right. So this was also, in part of all this. So maybe that was what. Because that was in the back of my mind, these sensitive artists. And then I had this day yesterday where I had a hissy fit, blah, blah, blah. And so I started thinking, you know, where did this all come from? And then, so then I came to the conclusion that, you know, generally most of us are artistic. When we were young.

[Massimo]

Yes. Okay.

[Unknown]

We were brought up in this artistic world. You know, we would play with crayons, we would, you know, Legos. Right. We would paint, we would, you know, enjoy art class at school. Right?

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

We were very much brought up as artists first. Right, Right. Because that's. Why would a 6 year old be a designer? Right.

[Massimo]

I want to do strategy, dad.

[Unknown]

It's, it's not to say that, you know, young kids don't enjoy problem solving, which I did.

[Massimo]

But that's Lego. Yes, exactly. But if you're pen and paper, pen, paper, that's all free flow and letting her rip. Yeah.

[Unknown]

So, so again, we're, so then we're, we're trained by doing this to, to value beauty, to value aesthetics. Right? And so then, then we find an interest and realize, hey, we might be able to make a career out of this. Right? Graphic design is quite artistic, or at least we think it is. Right, right. And so we get into this space, right, as, as designers. Okay? And we're artists as kids. Then we go into design. Okay. But college never really teaches you the difference between the two. Okay? And, and again, we're artists thrown into design and oftentimes we think it's the same, but it's not. Okay. And, and then again, you know, when you start backing it up then, right, where artists playing as designers and as a design for hire. Right. Well, why do we take feedback personally then? Right. And, and why do we always feel like we have to defend our work? And, and why, you know, don't people see the same value in things as we do? And it's because we are applying an artist mindset, okay, to, to a world that doesn't value art. Our world values, you know, business outcomes.

[Massimo]

Yeah, yeah, you're right.

[Unknown]

It values strategy. It doesn't, you know, it's not saying that they don't care about how we can make things aesthetic, like aesthetically pleasing, make things look good. Right. But what we're doing is we're applying this artist mindset to the real world, the business world, where unless you know, you, you know, Andy Warhol and figured out how to turn art into business, right? They don't. They don't. There Isn't a place for art. Right, Right. So I think that's where the fuck up was. Okay. Because there is a huge difference between an artist mindset and a designer mindset. Right. Being an artist and being a designer are very, very different things.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

Okay. And so this is where. And this is what I wanted to talk about today. Because I think. I think a lot of designers struggle with this.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

Okay. And. And again, unknowingly, just simply because, you know, we deal with it so much and. And there's never really been a transition period. Right. But there are such huge differences that we need to be aware of and we need to be able to distinguish between the two. Okay. Otherwise we will continually. We will continue to suffer.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

On this. Right. And I'm unknowing to anybody.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Like, again, like artists versus designers. Okay. Artists, they. They create for self expression.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

Okay. And it's. It's very personal, okay. Where designers create for client goals. Okay. It's very, very different our outcomes there. Right. For. For artists, everything has a subjective meaning to it. Okay. Where, you know, designers, it's all about objective outcomes. Okay. So again, it is polar opposites.

[Massimo]

Okay.

[Unknown]

One is emotional, one is strategic. Okay. One takes feed back personally because art is from within. Right, Right. And you haven't forbid. You. You. You speak down to an artist about their work. Right? Where, you know, the other one ideally uses feedback for data.

[Massimo]

Yes. Okay.

[Unknown]

You're supposed to. Okay. You're supposed to. Okay. One is personal, one is purposeful. One is. This is my style. Where one is, you know, what fits your strategy. Okay. One seeks validations where the other one speaks, results. There are huge differences between those two worlds. Right. One. One ultimately creates for themselves.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Where the other one. Designers always create for others first. Right. So artist creates for themselves first, designer creates for others, people first. Right. Ultimate. Ultimately, art asks questions. Okay. Where design answers them.

[Massimo]

Okay.

[Unknown]

And. And we are never taught this difference.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

And the more I was thinking this way, it answers all those questions, right? Like, designers struggle, you know, with pricing.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Right. But why? Because, you know, we always think, oh, we can't price creativity. It comes from within.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

I used to think that. I remember thinking that. And that is the wrong way because it shouldn't be about you and what you're creating and how happy it makes you feel. Okay. It should be about the value that it provides to the customer. And for that, you should be able to put a price on it.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

So there are these huge differences that I really think, you know, designers Over.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And they don't even realize going through it on a regular basis.

[Massimo]

Yeah. So this is why you would have kind of a meltdown in a situation where it's something that you're very personal over, but it goes back to kind of being the artist or the artist inside you.

[Unknown]

Absolutely.

[Massimo]

Creeping out, poking his head out a little bit.

[Unknown]

And again, because, you know, we always were artists and we all totally. I think. Yeah.

[Massimo]

This is how you start.

[Unknown]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So it's funny that it's just that transition has never been clear black and white.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

And. And I think it's the cause of a lot of designer problems. You know, and so, you know, between this episode and the next, we're gonna. We're. We're gon, you know, talk about make everybody aware of this and then the next one, kind of really dig deep into the designer mindset because I think it's really important for people to. To be self aware, because I think this will help a lot of people step out of their comfort zone.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

You know, or step out of this. This whole world that they've created.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Maybe even fool themselves and now actually allow us to take a step forward into a more positive direction, thinking as a designer as opposed to, you know, unbeknownst to them, feeling like an artist thrown into a designer world.

[Massimo]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Unknown]

So, you know, there's a whole bunch of red flags. Okay. That I think. And again, between yesterday, today, it was kind of like jotting down a lot of this. Right. But it's like, you know, there's all these red flags happen that you don't even realize. Okay. So let's start off by making people a little bit more aware of this. Right. How many times have you defended your designs by saying, you know, well, it just feels right. I did it because it feels right. Right. And ultimately, we've said this. You know, customers don't pay you for your feelings.

[Massimo]

Exactly.

[Unknown]

Okay. And again, that's. That's more from the artist within.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

Not from a designer mindset. Right. And I get it. Designer intuition is massive.

[Massimo]

But we go, I feel this is what your brand requires. Really, you know, you're. This is the feeling. This.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Massimo]

It's a. It's a feeling based on experience and what we're doing. Inside of your brand guidelines.

[Unknown]

Yeah, within the brand guidelines.

[Massimo]

That's your gut. That's your gut instinct in there. It's trained inside of this, this. This where you're working.

[Unknown]

Well, because designer intuition is a real thing.

[Massimo]

It is.

[Unknown]

It's you know, and whether that comes from experience. But again, it's, you know, it's. It's. They're. They're ultimately not paying for our feelings, our personal feelings on the subject.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

You know.

[Massimo]

Yeah. I'm using a different color because I feel it works here. Well, right.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Massimo]

That's not the way it works.

[Unknown]

I'm choosing blue. I like it. It's my favorite. That's not what this is about.

[Massimo]

Our grand dick. Our brand dictates that we use green.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Right, Right.

[Massimo]

Well, fuck your brand.

[Unknown]

But, I mean, you know, that's a red flag. Right. You know, a big red flag that I know everybody feels at some point is, again, just like me. Right. You get offended by client revisions.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

Okay. And again, sometimes it's like, you know, they're ridiculous. Okay. But if you get personally offended by them. Right. That's kind of a red flag. Like, why are you. Is it because you missed the mark, because they missed the mark, or because you feel like they're not accepting what you put out there as being perfection? Right. You know, you can't. You know, you're. You're pricing based on efforts, not necessarily on outcome or the. Or. Or the value that you've given to customers. Okay. Again, I joked about this before, but it's like we've all talked about. It's. I can't put a price on something because, you know, it just is. I don't know, how do you put a price on creativity?

[Massimo]

Yeah, yeah, it's.

[Unknown]

You actually can. But if you stop it and use that as an excuse, that's a little bit of the artist mindset that's creeping in. Right. You know, so again, you find it hard to put a price on Creativ. You prioritize originality over clarity. Okay. Paul Ran said, don't worry about making it original. Just. Just worry about making it good.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

Okay. And it's, you know, where a lot of times people don't strive to. To. To get that, you know, clear vision, clear outcome, clear. They want it to be unlike anything that anybody's ever seen.

[Massimo]

My thing. I'm going to do it my way.

[Unknown]

Exactly. Right. More of an artist mindset. Right, Right. You know, you jump. Jump into visuals or mood boards instead of asking why first.

[Massimo]

Oh, God.

[Unknown]

Okay. And again, that's a huge red flag for something like this artist mindset. You know, you just want to jump to creativity because it. It fulfills you. But that's not what a designer does. What a designer does is ask why to their customer, you Know and poke and dig before they even pull up any sort of mood boards or start looking for, you know, anything aesthetic.

[Massimo]

What that says to be is like, you're eager to get into the design work. You're not listening to what they're saying.

[Unknown]

No, you're right.

[Massimo]

You're just like, oh, I got an idea. And it's like.

[Unknown]

And you want to clutch that.

[Massimo]

Wait a minute. We have some. We still.

[Unknown]

Yeah, we still do something.

[Massimo]

Yeah. You should hear what we're having, what we have to say here.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Another red flag that you have. Artist. Artist mindset. Okay. Is if you think selling is sleazy. Oh, okay.

[Massimo]

That's huge.

[Unknown]

Tell me how many of you feel that way at one point or another in your career? Okay. If you think selling is sleazy, you're totally embracing an artist mindset, not a designer mindset. Because, again, that is. Selling is a whole part of our world.

[Massimo]

Is. Yeah, it's a big part.

[Unknown]

Art. I get it. You can't put a price on art. I get that. Okay. But that's not what we're doing, because what we're doing is essentially changing the outcome of a business. Okay. You know, it's helping them solve a specific problem that they will get customers for, they'll make money from.

[Massimo]

Yep.

[Unknown]

Selling has everything to do with it.

[Massimo]

A lot to do with it.

[Unknown]

This is business to business.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

Now, the sign that you have an artist mindset is you completely ignore business goals in your pitch to them. Oh, right. Because oftentimes when you're pitching customers, you're just going in there for flash. You're showing them the results, what you've created, but you're not talking about why you created, who it affects, you know, like, the reasons behind it. You're just pitching based on the aesthetics of what you've created. Right. And why it looks so cool. Right, Right. So that's another one. You know, you treat feedback like it's a personal attack. That is 100% an artist mindset.

[Massimo]

Big time.

[Unknown]

Okay. Because again, you know, feedback should never be a personal attack. Don't worry about my man eating incident, okay? Feedback is generally about the product, not personal.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Care about what you're delivering, the job at hand. It's nothing personal. Right. And now a word from our sponsor.

[Sean]

All right, designers, let's cut the bull. How many times have you had a killer website designed only to watch it fall apart because of code or developer telling you no, no, no. Or maybe you've held back from web design altogether, thinking it's just too complicated and too technical or totally out of your wheelhouse. Either way, it's time for a change. Wix Studio is designed for design designers, removing the barriers that limits your designs. Whether you're tired of developers watering down your ideas or too intimidated by the technical side of web, wix Studio puts the creative power back in your hands. No code required. With a drag and drop interface that feels designer intuitive. Plus no code, animations and even AI powered tools, you can create fully custom websites that match your vision. Every pixel, every detail. And if you're worried about the learning curve, don't be. Wix Studio is designed to feel as intuitive as your favorite design tools. Some designers here even say more. So that means you can jump right in and focus on what you do best. Designing badass brand aligned websites that allow take your business to the next level. So whether you've had enough of developers holding you back or you're ready to finally step into web design, check out wix studio.com and take control. That's wix studio.com go and take back web design for graphic designers.

[Unknown]

You know, artist mindset. You know, one of the biggest red flags is that good design will sell itself. Okay. And again, we know that this is, this, this just isn't the case across the board. Yeah. Okay. Good design. It takes so much more than just good design to sell itself. I think that, you know, you know, artist mindset over so many designers unknowingly.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

And it affects so many parts of their job. You know, from pricing jobs to burnout to everything else.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And by any means, this isn't a diss, okay? This definitely isn't a diss to artists because I love art. Art is, I pay absurd amounts of money for it. But this isn't a diss. This is more of a wake up call.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

For us or to designers. Okay. It's a wake up call to say, look, you know, if this is the mindset that you carry and you don't even realize that you have, okay, this could be causing so many problems that you're not even aware of right now. Okay. And then, okay, just to add fuel to the fire, okay, now we're dealing with AI. Oh, okay. If you were to, you know, throw AI into the mix, this whole, this whole experience gets even worse. Especially if you have an artist mindset.

[Massimo]

Okay.

[Unknown]

Because again, AI doesn't care what you're feeling. AI doesn't care if it, if it's asked for 30, 40, 50 revisions, it'll gladly do it. And I Love you. You're right. Every single time. That's a great suggestion. How did I miss that? Like, it's so blind, right? It doesn't burn out, you know, it doesn't get tired.

[Massimo]

Oh my God.

[Unknown]

It's an outputs. So again, if your whole edge to who you are as a designer is just aesthetics, well, it's already eating your lunch. It's already just like, you know, out working you without even trying. Ok? If your process is emotional, okay. And it's all like, it's just gonna, just run circles because it doesn't care.

[Massimo]

About any, no emotions there.

[Unknown]

It gets, it gets rid of that altogether, right? It just straighten the facts, right. And again, all feedback, right. You know, you resist feedback, you don't like it. It just thrives off of it. Okay. Like the market doesn't care at all that you know, if you're emotional. So imagine what AI would do with that. Okay. Because again, businesses don't care. Oh, you know, Sean didn't personally like, our feedback guy is going to be like, Sean what?

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Who?

[Massimo]

I don't know who that is. Here's. I'll take your feedback and I'll help you with.

[Unknown]

Right? Like a. Doesn't even care if you're a human.

[Massimo]

Okay, Exactly.

[Unknown]

So this is, this is where it's like we need to be aware that the artist mindset in a graphic designer's world is, is the worst thing that, you know, we could be unaware of. Okay. And we do need to become more self aware of that. Right? Think.

[Massimo]

Yeah, I think that's your key, right? There is. I think a lot of times we're unaware of that. And I think that's why this is such a powerful kind of awakening, if you will. You know, like sometimes you think, why am I flipping out over this kind.

[Unknown]

Yes, yes.

[Massimo]

And there it is. This is kind of some, some sort of thing based on what we, what we used to be. Exactly.

[Unknown]

So deep rooted. Yeah, like totally. Probably from her childhood. Right?

[Massimo]

Yes, exactly.

[Unknown]

So, you know, again, like I said, we're going to tackle, we're going to have a whole next episode strictly on, you know, the designer mindset. Okay. But just some key high level points here. Differences that we need to, you know, pay attention. Right. Like number one, you know, designers, they solve problems, they don't style them. Okay. And that's a big difference, Right. Design isn't, you know, it's a tool. It's, it's, it's a weapon of ours. It's not decoration. That's not what we do. And Again, we don't make things just look good. We make things work.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Okay. Where, you know, and this is what you have to keep in mind as you think as a designer, you change your mindset to a designer mindset. Right. If it doesn't solve anything, then it doesn't matter. Then it's just pure artist.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Okay. Number two, designer mindset. Right. We need to treat things professionally, not personally. Exactly. Right. And that's a big one. Right. It's not about what you like. Okay. It's what works for the customer. And this goes to being aesthetically pleasing. This goes originality.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

We have to put that outcome always first and then back it up into decoration and making it look good, making aesthetic after, afterwards. Okay. It doesn't mean that the two can't coexist together. They absolutely.

[Massimo]

They can.

[Unknown]

They can, but it's like what goes ahead of the other. Yes. Right.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

We need to. Number three, designer mindset. We need to act like an expert. Okay. Not like a vendor. And we've talked about this all the time. Okay. We're not here to get customer approval on anything. Okay. We're here to lead the project, to give our recommendations. Because they don't know what the recommendations are, we have to give it to them. That's why we're here. We're not. We're not being paid to be a service provider. We're here to be a leader in this project and provide the solutions that the customer doesn't have answers to or provide the answer that customers doesn't have. You know?

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Thank you. You know what I'm trying to say?

[Massimo]

I know you're saying yes.

[Unknown]

Number four. Okay. We need to talk strategy, not swatches. Okay. And again, if we don't learn to speak the client's language, we're never going to be heard by the customer. They're not going to want to hear if we don't know their industry, their lingo, their speak. If we can't talk about roi, you know, long term return, you know, they're not interested about this. They're not buying design, they're buying outcomes. Remember what that analogy was, right? They don't care about the drill bit. They want a hole in the wood. Right. So, you know, that's. That's what they're looking for is the hole in the wood. They don't want to buy the drill bit.

[Massimo]

Yeah. Because they don't know how to do the. The hole in the wood.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Number five. Okay. You need to. Designers need to think in systems, not in canvases. Okay? So again, design isn't just a one visual solution, right? It's how everything connects to one another. It's a much bigger program. It's not just a single deliverable on a piece of canvas. Okay? One graphic doesn't change the brand. The whole system together does. Okay? So this is part of the designer mindset. Okay? And then we always have to sell the why, not the what. Okay? So pixels don't sell, but what we do, the purpose of what we do, that does. Okay? And again, this is where the people don't want to buy the drill bit. They want the hole in the wood, okay? And so that's what the push has to be. So these are just slightly different shifts in our mindset that have to take us to that next level. Okay? I'm totally embracing this mindset. And I think what, what this will do is it'll take, take all of us way into the future, okay? Because again, this will help us adapt to new technology. Think about it, right? As an artist mindset, so many people or with an artist mindset, so many people are, you know, upset with A.I. well, why? Yeah, because A.I. absolutely can out create, you know, a person. Okay? I, I, it could take me 12, 14, 16 hours to draw a really good anime figure. Yeah, it'll take A.I. nothing like five seconds, maybe 10. Okay? So, yeah, it will upset me if I embrace an artist mentality.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

But if I embrace a designer mindset, I can easily see that AI is a tool to help me solve problems for my customers, and that anime is just the end result that, sure, I might get AI to do it. I might do it myself. Heck, my daughter's a really good designer. Maybe I'll pay her to do it. Okay? But the thing is, AI is my tool to help me solve those problems, and this is a shift in my mindset. This is the designer mindset.

[Massimo]

Yeah, totally.

[Unknown]

So as designers, okay, the we have to stop doing is we have to stop designing to impress other designers, okay? We have to stop defending our work with emotion, okay. Not logic, okay? We have to do. We have to stop that, okay? We have to stop waiting, waiting for clients to get it, okay? And we have to stop letting our personal style dictate every freaking project that we do, okay? And what we do have to start doing to get into the right frames at the right mindset of a designer mindset, okay? We need to lead with questions, not mood boards, okay? We need to lead, you know, in speaking in goals, not, you know, gradients. Okay? We need to Pitch in outcomes, not aesthetics. Okay. We need to learn the business behind the brand, not the brand guide. Okay. And we need to learn how to build systems, not assets.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

Okay. This is a huge shift for us. And I think. I really do think as we start fleshing this out, this mindset change will help designers across the board. Because honestly, I'm not. I'm not saying, you know, design is not art, because I love art. Okay.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

But, okay, design is an art, which is why it pays.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

And that's the difference. Okay. That's the huge difference. It's because it's not art. It pays. But again, it is a completely different set of skill set that designers have to understand.

[Massimo]

Right.

[Unknown]

It's just different. I love art. I'm passionate about art, you know, and. And. And it's fun to do. It's fun to absorb, it's fun to learn. It's incredible to see my kids evolve in that. Okay, so I'm not. I'm not downplaying art in any which way shape.

[Massimo]

No, no, not at all. There's a place for that.

[Unknown]

There's a huge place.

[Massimo]

Everybody likes to doodle, and I love doodling and trying to do things for my band and stuff like that. I know that's a different angle than from what I'm doing. I'm not going to take our major. Our major client and say, look, I put some skulls and shit in here. Right. Just because that looks badass. No, that doesn't work. That works for me.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Massimo]

On my side.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Massimo]

But the client has a certain look, and I have to kind of bend.

[Unknown]

And you have to bend for that. Right. And you have to create for that.

[Massimo]

And that's the challenge, and that's what I think we really should embrace with this kind of stuff. It's like, I like having those handcuffs on. I like getting out of my comfort zone thinking, okay, let me try and peel back the layers of what you're trying to say.

[Unknown]

Exactly.

[Massimo]

Figure out what it is to. To get to the goal that you have.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And to figure out what it is to get exactly right. But we. There's. We're not. We're not chasing this. This final self fulfillment.

[Massimo]

We're.

[Unknown]

We're chasing an outcome for the customer.

[Massimo]

For the customer. We're working together.

[Unknown]

Exactly right.

[Massimo]

Customer. To get. To achieve a goal.

[Unknown]

We. We have to stop looking for. For praise.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

From our peers and from customers and being like, it's beautiful. I love it. And. And start looking at that end result. Holy. You know, they got new clients from this. This worked like crazy, Right? Let's do that again. Again, that's what we need. Because, honestly, that's why designers get paid.

[Massimo]

This is. And that's. That's the. That's the cheese right there. That's the cheese. This is what gets you out of bed in the morning.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Massimo]

Is solving those problems.

[Unknown]

Absolutely. Dude.

[Massimo]

Wow.

[Unknown]

Yeah. It's huge. It's huge. So, yeah, So I do. Again, this is weird how this came together. And again, I think I realized that now. And. And I think this all, like, you know, really kind of helped me kind of, you know, suss out what happened to me yesterday and why I had a hissy fit.

[Massimo]

So it was client out of line or. Or were you just kind of in a weakened state? I'm curious.

[Unknown]

I don't think it was either.

[Massimo]

Oh, okay.

[Unknown]

I don't think I was in a weakened state. I think I was irritated that, you know, this same customer, you know, like, we finished another job that had, like, 16 rounds of revisions, and the revisions. Just ridiculous. It was trivial. It is. It's. It's almost to the point where it's like, we almost gave up.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And then. Then kind of felt like, you know, here this is a stalled project for six months that I wanted to be like, guys, can we finish this and move to the next state? And the comments were silly. They were just ridiculous. And then somebody said, well, I don't think it adds any value to it. And I was like, well, for Fox sakes, you don't think it adds any value, but it adds this. It needs this, you know, and this. And, you know, why are you even talking?

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And. And. And ultimately, I was like, you know what? I'll get rid of it. I just want to see this project move to the next.

[Massimo]

Kill it and build it.

[Unknown]

Like. And. And so that's what it was. It wasn't a. It was. It was a long time coming. And. And again, I think I have to take a little step back and let somebody else step in for a little bit and manage some of these interactions. Because, again, it's. You know, it's these.

[Massimo]

These are. These are the. The. The. You know, the ups and downs of the business, dude.

[Unknown]

Right?

[Massimo]

These things happen, you know.

[Unknown]

Well, especially. Especially when they ask you for your opinion and then they throw something total.

[Massimo]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

[Unknown]

You know, it's.

[Massimo]

It's.

[Unknown]

It goes back to the what? The duck purple fidget. You know what that is? I mean, again, it's. They're asking for a duck. Why? Way has nothing to do with it.

[Massimo]

It's.

[Unknown]

They threw in a what? The duck. Okay. Oh, what the.

[Massimo]

I love it. Yeah. All right, well, that's. That's sad. But, yeah, it's. This is. This is a great way to kind of unpack back that. That feeling that we get when. When.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Massimo]

Something like that happens and you. You feel yourself kind of losing control.

[Unknown]

Absolutely. Right. But now if. I know why.

[Massimo]

But this is a good. Yeah.

[Unknown]

I can step aside, be detached by this. Right. I get why. And so now it's just really. It's that whole kill it and bill it mentality. Right. It's like, it's. It's. It's a product. We'll just get it out and let's move on. Let's embrace a new kind of thinking and. And let's take it to that next level. Yeah. And then again, you know, taking a designer mindset, like I said, you're going proof. You're going to be AI proof. You're going to be whatever the hell the future gives you.

[Massimo]

Proof.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Massimo]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Cool.

[Massimo]

Nice.

[Unknown]

All right, so you guys got to come back next week, because next week we are going to tackle part two of this, which is going to be, you know, embracing the designer mindset. And. And because I got a head start, I'm going to research what some of the greats used to do and things. I love that. Okay. And I, you know, and. And I'm going to bring a little bit of that into this. I think this is. This is. This is what's going to take all of us into the future.

[Massimo]

So big time.

[Unknown]

Cool.

[Massimo]

Yes.

[Unknown]

All right, everybody. Hope you got something out of this. You know where to find us. YouTube, Instagram. Now on TikTok, Sean's dancing. Gotta check that shit out. Good job, buddy.

[Massimo]

That's just the top.

[Unknown]

My name is Massimo.

[Massimo]

My name is Sean. Stay creative and stay angry.

[Unknown]

Peace.