Why Creative Freedom is a Graphic Designers Kryptonite—And How to Actually Unlock Your Design Genius

Summary

Summary of Podcast Episode: "Why Creative Freedom is a Graphic Designer's Kryptonite—And How to Actually Unlock Your Design Genius"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Angry Designer - Graphic Design, Branding, Marketing, & Creative Business Operations to Get Paid What Your Worth and Avoid Burnout
• Host/Authors: Massimo and Sean
• Episode Title: Why Creative Freedom is a Graphic Designer's Kryptonite—And How to Actually Unlock Your Design Genius
• Release Date: February 25, 2025

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Introduction: The Paradox of Creative Freedom

In this episode, Massimo and Sean delve into the counterintuitive idea that creative freedom can actually stifle a graphic designer’s creativity. They argue that constraints—whether imposed by clients, budgets, or personal limits—are essential for unlocking a designer’s full creative potential.

Massimo [00:00]: "Turns out constraints aren't necessarily the enemy of creativity. They might actually be a designer's secret weapon."

The Deep Seek vs. OpenAI Analogy

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the recent emergence of Deep Seek, an AI application developed with minimal resources compared to OpenAI. Massimo uses this comparison to illustrate how constraints can drive innovation.

Massimo [05:14]: "OpenAI has, to date, gotten about $18 billion worth of investment... Deep Seek was developed with a $6 million budget and a team of 20 people."

Despite having limited financial resources and substandard chips, Deep Seek managed to create a competitive AI product in just six months, challenging the notion that more resources always lead to better outcomes.

Massimo [07:34]: "With the constraints it had forced them to be innovative... It's just the most brilliant idea."

Designers’ Resistance to Constraints

Massimo and Sean explore why designers often resist constraints, despite evidence showing that limitations can enhance creativity. They suggest that the fear of reduced options leads designers to believe that their work will suffer without ample freedom.

Massimo [10:33]: "Designers hate limitations... There's this fear that fewer options lead to less creativity."

Historical Design Styles as Constraints

The hosts discuss how historical design movements like Bauhaus exemplify the power of constraints. By adhering to specific design principles and limitations, these movements produced iconic and enduring designs.

Sean [21:27]: "A detailed brief is king."

Massimo [22:39]: "With constraints like the golden ratio or grid systems, designers are forced to think more strategically."

Practical Strategies to Impose Constraints

Massimo and Sean provide eight actionable methods for designers to impose artificial constraints to boost their creativity:

1. Limited Color Palette

   • Restricting the number of colors can lead to more cohesive and impactful designs.

   • Massimo [36:39]: "Give yourself a limited color palette... see what you can do with that."

2. Limited Typefaces

   • Using one to three typefaces encourages consistency and clarity.

   • Sean [37:22]: "Apple used to be classic for using one typeface in some of their ads."

3. Artificial Deadlines

   • Setting shorter deadlines can enhance focus and creativity under pressure.

   • Massimo [38:11]: "Give yourself a deadline of two, three, five days before it's due and treat that as gold."

4. Historical Design Styles

   • Adopting styles like Art Deco or Swiss design can provide a structured framework for creativity.

   • Massimo [40:48]: "Give yourself a historical design style... work within that constraint."

5. Decade-Based Constraints

   • Designing within the aesthetic of a particular decade (e.g., 70s, 80s) can spark unique creative approaches.

   • Massimo [41:45]: "Choose a decade style to go by and work within those constraints."

6. Budget Constraints

   • Working within financial limits can drive innovative use of resources.

   • Massimo [43:08]: "A $1,500 budget forced us to create a banner that served multiple purposes."

7. Mimicking Specific Brands

   • Emulating the style of established brands can help refine design skills within set parameters.

   • Massimo [44:10]: "Mimic a specific brand's style to enhance your own creativity."

8. Following Famous Designers’ Styles

   • Adhering to the principles of renowned designers like Paul Rand or David Carson can inspire disciplined creativity.

   • Sean [44:46]: "Follow a famous designer's style and make it your own."

Psychological Insights: Parkinson’s, Hick’s, and Jacob’s Laws

The episode highlights how psychological principles apply to design:

• Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to fill the time available.

  • Massimo [24:05]: "If you give someone two weeks to finish, it will take two weeks."

• Hick’s Law: More choices lead to slower decision-making.

  • Massimo [25:03]: "The more decisions you have to make, the slower the process."

• Jacob’s Law: Familiarity makes designs user-friendly.

  • Massimo [26:33]: "Customers expect menus in the top-left corner based on prior experiences."

Conclusion: Embracing Constraints for Greater Creativity

Massimo and Sean conclude by reinforcing that constraints don't hinder creativity; they channel it. By embracing limitations, designers can produce more focused, innovative, and high-quality work.

Massimo [34:18]: "Constraints in no way kill creativity. They fuel it because they force us to think outside the box within limitations."

They encourage designers to experiment with imposing various constraints to discover new creative heights and enhance their problem-solving abilities.

Sean [35:26]: "We unknowingly impose constraints on ourselves... but recognizing and utilizing them can lead to better outcomes."

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Key Takeaways:

• Constraints Enhance Creativity: Limiting resources, time, or design elements can lead to more innovative and focused work.
• Historical and Psychological Frameworks: Understanding design movements and psychological laws can inform better design practices.
• Practical Application: Implementing artificial constraints can be a valuable exercise for personal and professional growth in design.

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Quotes:

• Massimo [00:00]: "Constraints aren't necessarily the enemy of creativity. They might actually be a designer's secret weapon."
• Massimo [07:34]: "With the constraints it had forced them to be innovative."
• Sean [21:27]: "A detailed brief is king."
• Massimo [34:18]: "Constraints in no way kill creativity. They fuel it because they force us to think outside the box within limitations."

---

This episode serves as a compelling argument for designers to reframe their perception of constraints, viewing them not as obstacles but as catalysts for creative excellence.

Transcript

[A]

In this episode, we're unlocking a designer's ultimate creative tool constraints. You're listening to the Angry Designer podcast, where we help frustrated graphic designers crush the industry bull. And share what it takes to charge what you're worth and build badass, rewarding careers. Have you ever dreaded working on a project because it had so many damn limitations that it only ended up some of the best work that you've ever freaking created? Turns out constraints aren't necessarily the enemy of creativity. They might actually be a designer secret weapon. In this episode, we're unlocking one of the biggest secrets to better design constraints. That's right, the thing that designers love to hate. On tight budgets, limited tools, limited colors, brand guidelines. This stuff might actually be your best friend. We're going to talk about why too many choices are actually killing your creativity, not necessarily. Necessarily helping it. And how the best designers and best agencies use limitations to create their most iconic work. And we're going to leave you off with eight powerful ways that you can apply artificial constraints to push your creativity further than ever before. Oh, and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter, Anger Management for Designers. It's in a profile. It's in our website. And every week we send you stories, we talk about strategies, and we send you no BS advice without trying to sell you anything. Okay? So it's this. This newsletter is your guide to thriving in the design world and getting paid with your worth. So whether you're sipping on coffee, stuck in traffic, or knee deep in a project, strap in, because we're about to prove why less is actually more.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

Hi.

[B]

A good day, Massimo.

[A]

Good day, sir. How are you?

[B]

What are we drinking today, Monsieur Long Branch?

[A]

I don't know. What if I like this smell? This is a.

[B]

This sounds like something like Kevin Costner would drink, right?

[A]

Well, there's. There's somebody else here. Who's this? Eddie Russell. I really should have looked into who?

[B]

Eddie Russell.

[A]

Eddie. I'm sorry, man. I'll get you next time. But this is from our awesome Wild Turkey brand. This is Long Branch.

[B]

Wild Turkey.

[A]

This is Wild Turkey, right? Which I know, right? And so now this is, I guess, Long Branch. This is something special. I haven't seen it before, but it does say it's expertly crafted. So, I mean, hey, let's. We'll expertly smell it, won't we?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay, let's do it.

[A]

Smells good.

[B]

Looks good.

[A]

Oh. Whoa.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

That's a tasty. It's. Is it sweet? Okay. That's my. My first Sip sweet. My first. I didn't get over sweet. No, I can definitely taste the oak first sip.

[B]

Yep, Yep.

[A]

It's very smooth. Again, not surprised. Wild Turkey. And I'm. I'm feeling a nice warm.

[B]

Yeah, it feels nice going down.

[A]

It's not. It's not rough. Okay. I'm scared that the second sip might be a little sweet, but let' try this again. That was. That was a nice treat, though.

[B]

It is sweet. Yeah, but it's not bad.

[A]

Oh, that's nice. I can taste that oak. It's not sweet like the last stuff. We.

[B]

No, no, no, no, no.

[A]

That stuff. Sweet.

[B]

There's. There's a bite to it.

[A]

There's.

[B]

There's body.

[A]

This is. This is. It is. You know what? And it's just. Just enough of this American oak flavor. Honestly, it's. This is delicious.

[B]

Yes. I like.

[A]

Yeah. I was trying to finish off, you know that. Remember that gold bar stuff?

[B]

Yes. Yep.

[A]

Gold. And then we had the black, and I thought the black was, like, the best gold bar tasting thing I've ever had. Well, by the time I finished the bottle, it was too sweet.

[B]

Oh, yes.

[A]

It just really kind of, you know, glass after glass, you know, like after having a little bit every night, you know. Here. There.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's. It's. I'm wondering if I might have that effect with this. I'm glad. That one was, like, a limited edition, but this one is actually taste.

[B]

Well, I don't think you're supposed to have five or six.

[A]

A night, Sean. You don't have four kids.

[B]

That's a good point. Yes. Yes. This is true. You've heard it.

[A]

That's right. So lots of exciting crazy happened this week.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. Just in the world. I don't know if anybody heard about, you know, obviously, this. This new AI app. Out of nowhere, Deep seek. Boom. Popped out like that.

[B]

Now all those reels and memes make sense.

[A]

Seriously?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

The whole world's gone crazy over this. And, I mean, it tanked. You know, the. The stock market, Right. Jumped. There was just news out. Everybody was scared. And. And it's just like, well, what the hell is the big deal about it, right? Because is it. Wouldn't it just be another competing AI?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And, guys, trust me. I'm going somewhere with this, okay? I am.

[B]

I really am. Competition is good, you know?

[A]

Competition, sure. That's fine. Right. But. Okay. Deep seek versus AI. Okay. Or, sorry, deep seq versus open air. Okay.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So OpenAI has, I think, to date, gotten about $18 billion worth of investment, okay?

[B]

Billion.

[A]

18. Okay. To build a fucking product. Like we're talking like, you know, Facebook and Instagram and all those combined in their early round stages had nowhere near even, even a fraction of this, okay? So they had this, okay? They had unlimited resources, open AI did, right? It was like hot shots. And they got the smartest people all over the place come together, okay? Cost billions. They had to use the top industry chips, right? And they built a really good product. Okay. Again, chat gbt. Amazing when that came out, right? It was, it was unreal what it could do and how many. And it really did put the scare in everybody about AI and it changed the world, right? And cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, but think about it. $18 billion. They had an open Runway, they had little to no competition, right? Fucking no big deal.

[B]

Right?

[A]

It was just like, you know, like. Well, I'm not gonna even put an analogy here. Okay. The reason why there's a lot of piss off lately.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is out comes Deep Seek out of fucking nowhere, right? Okay.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

They used open source material that they found online.

[B]

Oh, you mean this is not billions and billions of dollars?

[A]

Oh, this gets worse. Okay? Their budget was $6 million, okay. They were only a side project within a company. Okay. Okay. So again, Deep sea, and it is a China company, it came from China, right? So because of that there was regulations, so they couldn't use the top of the line chips, right? Because they're not allowed in China because there's, there's sanctions and I guess, you know, Nvidia is not allowed to sell this top of the line chip that AI uses, right, In China. So, you know, they had to use these substandard chips, you know, in comparison, Right? Okay. A team of 20 people, okay? I think it was like 20 people, right? And so they had all these limitations, okay?

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And they were able to in six fucking months put together Deep Seek, which, okay, you can argue is it as good, is it not as good? Let's just say it's on par for 95, 5, 98% of how everybody uses AI. Okay. Some people say it's even surpassed CHAT when it came out. And which is the big scare.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But they did this with a fraction of what Open air. And so this is what all the craziness has been about all week, right? Like, it's just, it's, it's, it's just unbelievable. Because again, OpenAI had unlimited budgets. There was no reason for them to.

[B]

Find guardrails, no nothing, Right? Yeah.

[A]

And so they were like, hey, you know what? This is the way we're going to do it. And we're just going to, you know, we're just going to throw. Throw more fire on this. Right. We're just going to keep going, you know, And. And that's all they did. They didn't look to innovate. They were already innovating, in their opinion, because they created this. Right? Right. There was no reason for them to look for more efficient ways to run it.

[B]

Yeah, I'm gonna say it's probably they're going back and forth all over the map kind of thing. There's no straight line, direct path.

[A]

And again. Right. And it was a pig to operate, which has been the challenge for this company, which is why they're building these disgustingly large data centers. And now here you have this company that has constraints, okay. And they had to get crafty, they had to get innovative. They had to. So again, where open AI was just throwing more horsepower, added more money. We need more billions of dollars to get this going. This other company was being more efficient.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Okay. And working with less. Working with less. And I think that's the scare right now because again, the big discussion is, you know, did. Is this is Nvidia over, you know, over overpriced, you know, is do we really need this much horsepower? Do we really. And it's true, right? I mean, again, the moral of the story here is that this company, Deep Seek, okay. With the constraints it had forced them to be innovative. Okay. It forced them to go to a whole new level and think outside the box, but inside of the constraints that they have. Exactly. Right. And that's what happened. Right. It forced them to get creative. And I was like, dude, this is. This is just the most brilliant fucking idea. Because you know, how this, you know, let's put it this way. Without limitations, there's no reason for you to explore better ways of doing things.

[B]

Okay? Yeah.

[A]

OpenAI, for all we know, and I'm not a tech guy, but it's big, it's bloated, it's. It's like a pig on wheels. And all they're doing is, is they're trying to force more people to push that pig and they're giving it more money and more, but it's still a pig on wheels because there is no reason for them to try to innovate and. And fix. And this. That. Because they had $18 billion given to CARES.

[B]

You're never gonna. You could never run out of money with that.

[A]

Well, well, apparently they do because this. That's not the first time they got investment. This is like the third or fourth round. So this is the ridiculous part about this. Right. So it's like, you know, without these kind of limitations, there's no reason for companies like this to explore new ways of doing things, better ways of doing things. Right. Which is why this shocked the whole world. And I think that this translates perfectly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To design.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Okay. And I can't stress this enough. Okay. Because design works in the exact same way as this did.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Like, again, you know. Okay. So it seems like designers, and I don't know if it's just because designers, by nature, we complain a lot over everything. What? Right. I don't know. But I mean, the reality is designers hate limitations.

[B]

Do they?

[A]

Well, you know, they complain about it, you know. Oh, did you see the brand standards guide that they gave us?

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Oh, my God. They're telling us that they want us to use people in a 55 to 65 demographic. Holy.

[B]

Has to be this font and this funnel, these three colors.

[A]

Oh, no, but that's exactly it.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Okay. Designers, you know, their minds tend to go to this. Right. There is this illusion that, you know, if we had more resources, you know, more, More available to us, it automatically goes to a better end result.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And we've often realized that's completely the opposite. Totally. It's completely people, they're scared. Designers are scared that if they have fewer options, it basically reduces the creativity.

[B]

They're constricted.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes. Right. Which means. Oh, my God, the designs are going to definitely be worse because I can only use people between the 55 to 65 or 70 demographic.

[B]

Right.

[A]

What could I possibly do with that?

[B]

I can't work with this.

[A]

I, I, I don't know why I chose 55% of year olds. I'm sorry, guys.

[B]

He's looking right at me saying, that, too.

[A]

You whipper snapper. But it's.

[B]

No, I see what you're saying. Yeah.

[A]

It's like, it seems like there's this, this fear, this innate fear that it's like the fewer options leads to, you know, a less result.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Do you think it's because they think that they're going to struggle to adapt to, like, this new way of thinking? Like, I mean, you know, how can I put this? It's like all of a sudden, I have all these constraints put on me, and now I got to adapt my way of design, my way of thinking to these limits.

[B]

Right? Yes. It's. Somebody else came up with this. They're, you know, they kind of rail against that. It's not their idea. Maybe. I don't know.

[A]

It's, it's, it's like, I mean, there's a fear. Right. And then again, it's like when you have to work on somebody else's brand guy. Like, everybody always compl about that. Right. But there is a. I mean, again, it's like, it's, it's because you feel like you can't express your own creative freedom. Do you know, I had a kid and, and, and I'm still going to meet with this guy, but like, he's a first year college kid and he's switching degrees from architecture to graphic design. And he told me that the reason why he wanted to switch from architecture to graphic design. Okay. Is because the architecture course didn't allow him to express his creativity as he.

[B]

Would the architecture course didn't.

[A]

So I'm like, dude, you have no idea what the graphic design course is going to, you know, this world. Yeah. You're not going to be able to express your own creativity the way you want. Yeah. But again, this kind of, you know, dovetails back into this idea that there is this perception that, you know, you need a world of options and you need like limited freedom and limited constraints in order to design.

[B]

Yeah, that's, that seems kind of odd to me. I mean, I've seen people like Christy Campbell, she's amazing with her brand guidelines. They look as creative as hell. Like you could. There's, there's, there's rules in there.

[A]

Of course there's rules in there.

[B]

It's also, she's just done such a amazing job at the creativity that within these boundaries.

[A]

Absolutely. And it has to be, though, in my opinion, in my opinion, you can't.

[B]

Just go all wild because then there's no cohesive look.

[A]

Well, exactly. Right. Brands. Right. But so, but I mean, again, is it, is it with experience, is it with age or being naive that, that it's like if you had these guardrails, they're actually limitations for this kind of thing. And I think that's, that's the worry that I'm getting from a lot of creatives when they think this way. Right. Where, you know, in, in all honesty, it's like where designers think that limitations, you know, are obstacles. Okay. You know, instead of obstacles, they're just like in this situation with deep seek.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's more like, it's more like an opportunity. Not an obstacle. Okay. But an opportunity for innovation. Innovative thinking.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

For new opportunities, for, for being creative. Right. Like you know, instead of sitting there thinking, oh, if I only had more budget, I could do this. Right. Or if I only had more time, I could do that. Right. If I only had. If the client would only lay off, I should do more creative freedom.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But, you know, I kind of find that that's actually has the reverse effect.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In our space, in my personal opinion.

[B]

Yeah, that makes sense. I, I, I could. I would agree with that.

[A]

It's like a paradox.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

It's like a paradox choice. Right, right, right. Because although you'd think that having a world of option, a world agreement is the best thing. You'd think so.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. But honestly, it's like that's, that's like a client saying, you know, I'm sorry, his brief is, you're the boss, whatever. You're the creative, you come up with the idea. And again, it's like, you're the expert. You're the creative guy here. I don't have any suggestions.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I just need to get more customers in the door, and I need an ad.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Go to it.

[B]

Exactly. That is terrifying. Who wants that? No one wants that.

[A]

Exactly. So. So, and this is why I go back to saying that designers are, you know, we just complain for the sake of complaining, because oftentimes that's the worst thing that could, you know, you got more options. It doesn't lead to better decisions. It leads to worse decisions. Right. And exactly. To the point about OpenAI. Right. They probably didn't think through, how can we make this more efficient. They're all they were thinking is one thing better AI better chat bot better this. But nobody was thinking about efficiency. Do you know, and not to totally get off topic, but okay, you hear these cars, right? Like, you know, V8s with a five liter engine, 5.7 liter Hemi. Right. And everybody's like, you know, big, big motors. Do you know Formula One cars?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Have a 1.6 liter engine. No way. They do.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

And I know. Hope I didn't lose anybody on that one, but, I mean, it's true. And so, because, again, there was limitations.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Into what they could do, what they could build, how these engines work. And so they make them so efficient, pushing out like a thousand horsepower with something a fraction of that. Where, you know, you get these other cars that have these giant engines, and it's just like, again, it's like that whole pig idea just throwing.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Or behind it.

[B]

Yes. There you go. That is a great analogy.

[A]

I honestly, I think if designers have a world of freedom yeah, to them. Right. It starts creating this whole decision. Fatigue.

[B]

Fatigue.

[A]

You know, you start getting tired. You're like. Because you start. This is where you start running into. I have too many ideas. I have too many concepts. I, you know, I like this idea, but. I like this idea, but none of them are the right idea.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And I think it's because there's not enough constraints on the project brief.

[B]

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. This. This is true. And. And so do you think that that Deepseek kind of used chat as their brand guideline?

[A]

Oh, like, maybe. Maybe in the sense of what to do. What?

[B]

Yeah, they. They did this. So we're going to avoid that by doing this kind of narrow.

[A]

I mean, possibly in the sense of how they win it, but, I mean, they did. There's no secret that they used open source. Right. And. Yeah. You know, maybe. And there's some. You know, they could have saved millions of dollars by finding stuff already online, but $17.8 billion savings. Yeah. That's a whole other thing altogether. Right? Yeah.

[B]

That's a big deal of savings. Oh, my God.

[A]

But again, it's like, you know, this kind of goes back to the whole idea that I think designers need to come to terms with the fact that they need constraints to get to their best work.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's. And that's kind of what I think I'm learning through all this whole. What happened this week to Deep Seek, and I realized it myself.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Right. Perfect example was, is the project you were. You know, I came, I saw you working on that logo, and I was like, hey, guess what, dude? That's due tomorrow, actually.

[B]

Yes. And after I panicked, right after you.

[A]

Panicked, you cranked it out 90 minutes, you made the right changes, and I was like, done. Good. But if I would have gave you an extra more time or whatever, you would have took that.

[B]

Absolutely. You. I think you even joke like that is if this was due Friday, you just put it away.

[A]

True.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, it's true.

[A]

So. So, you know, I think. I think this is where I think, you know, designers actually need to live within constraints a little bit better. Right. Fewer choices. Right. Fewer choices lead to more innovative problem solving. And again, designers thrive on that. So if you have an open market and everything is the way you want it to. Right. I can't imagine that that leads to a better end product ever, in my opinion.

[B]

Yeah. Wow. Yeah. That's funny. Yeah, you're right in that kind of. This. That's a time constraint. That's not budgetary or anything.

[A]

Fair enough. But It's a constraint.

[B]

It's still a constraint. And that is definitely crucial to what we do.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You can't have. And I don't know what. Open.

[A]

You can't have it all.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know. OpenAI's timeline was whether it was, you know, open or whether they had a certain timeline to. To. To achieve. Right. Yeah, We. We definitely need that. And like. Like you said with that. With that story about the logo.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Once I found out all the other that I was supposed I was thinking I was going to do out the window. I'm going to focus on what this. This logo is and. And I'm gonna tweak what I have and then.

[A]

And then get it off as you needed to. Right? Yeah. And it still worked? Oh, it absolutely did. Right. And again, it was just. But it was. It was a time constraint when that. And there were so many other constraints, which we'll talk about a little. But, you know, I think, you know, when you look at how designers function. Right. The worst thing you can do is give a designer a blank slate.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. We're not artists. Okay. And that's what people have to understand. We kind of need a direction to lead towards and things. We need guidance, whether we're getting it from a creative director, an art director, whether we're getting it, you know, from the market, whether we're getting it from the client. Like, we do need some sort of direction, because I do firmly believe that the best creative comes from some sort of limitations, Guidance. Okay. And again, the worst thing I think a designer can get is an open brief. That's just. Basically, that's why it's like the more the brief, the better.

[B]

Yeah. Yes, yes. A detailed brief is king.

[A]

It's. Right.

[B]

Whatever.

[A]

But people don't realize. So we always joke about clients giving shitty briefs because they're using these big general terms. But on the flip side, if. If we get a brief that's very detailed, you know, we tend to first balk at it, but the reality is we appreciate that brief, and that brief does end up in better results, dude. Like, even history. Okay. You look at some, like the. The movements. Bauhaus.

[B]

Yeah, okay, right.

[A]

Bauhaus just came. Great example in existence. Because at that time, there was what, like, there's art bow. There was some sort of Gothic revival or whatever, where everything was so intricate and everything busy, detailed and like that. Yeah, right. It's too much.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Let's clean it all up. Let's remove this.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Yes. And just keep everything within these Limits within these guardrails. Yes, Right.

[B]

And what, if anything, we want to do is simplify stuff.

[A]

Oh, my God. You know what I mean? Right?

[B]

Like this is, this is the old, the, the essence of our, our core.

[A]

You know, of what we do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Another crazy example is the golden ratio. Ratio. Was it the Fabonacci circle? The Fabonacci. Anyway, that. Okay. The golden ratio.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Is constraints. It says if you create, you know, using this ratio, you will always get a great design. And I mean, it's, it's kind of overkill when you look at the Fibonacci, the symbol. Right? Yeah, but the Fibonacci. But, you know, the reality is it came out of, you know, this need for constraints. Work within this system, you will end up with this result.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Look at grids.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Designers should live high grids. Massimo Vignelli.

[B]

Vignelli was the king of that.

[A]

Exactly. And again, it was all about, you know, it was the grid that was like, was like the underwear of the paint and it held everything in place.

[B]

Yeah, Right.

[A]

So I think that, you know, designers don't realize the importance of these limitations in designing, you know, and, and I mean, I always go back to UX design laws. Okay. Everybody knows, okay. I, I firmly believe ux. Well, UX did stem from graphic design. I don't give a what anybody says. 100 stem from graphic design. And graphic designers now should use UX principles. Because on a good Note, what, what UX's did is they put all this out there, they claimed it their own, and sure enough, up some of it's pretty good. But like, some of my favorite UX design principles are about constraints, are about designers constraints. Right. You've got Parkinson's Law, okay, Which is exactly what happened to, to your example about the logo, right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Parkinson's law says the work expands to fit the timeline available. So if you give somebody two weeks to finish a project, well, you know that that project is going to get done in two weeks and one minute. Okay? That's, that's just what we are, Right. You know, where if you take those deadlines and you make them shorter and you focus, right? What happens is you gets done faster.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That same project could be done in one week. It could be done in two days if we had to. Right.

[B]

And this is why we're the get shit done agency.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Because we always, we are the go to. We are generally under strict timelines.

[A]

Right. Because I recognize this. Right? So it's like, I know that you are good Enough. Enough that you could get this done in this time.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So it's not like we under. But if I. If I'm like, sean can crank this out in four hours. I know he can. Yeah, well, I'm not gonna be a dick and give you three hours. Right. I mean, if I'm like, sean, get this in four, then, you know, we'll give you six.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, or five. So you can kind of like have some breather space. Just a little bit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which still is. Is, you know, for the client. That's like, they're in heaven. They're like, holy cow. I tell the client 10 then. But just regardless, right? So needless to say, right, that law, okay, they have hick law. No, Hicks law. That's Parkinson's law.

[B]

That was Parkinson's law.

[A]

Then there's hick law. Hicks law says the more decisions you have to make, the slower the decision making process is. Right. So it's like when you have all the fonts in the world, it takes you forever to find a font. But again, Vignelli was like, six, seven fonts. No designers ever have that. And so, so what happens? All of a sudden, he now has to choose between six to seven fonts. Yeah, that's it.

[B]

That's it.

[A]

How much easier would that make your life?

[B]

So much easier.

[A]

Okay, I. I'm hungry and I go to the world's largest mall, you know, food court. And there's like 50 different places for me to eat. You know what happens?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I leave hungry because I can't choose.

[B]

You can't decide. Yes.

[A]

But if I go to a small mall or something and there's like six options. You're damn straight. Yeah, I can pick one. You're going there, and I'll be satisfied and I'm going to leave happy. Like, more choices. Okay. I mean, so again, so that's, That's Hicks law. And then there's Jacob's law. Okay. Which, you know, and I've talked about this one a lot, but it's like, familiarity makes things easier for people. Right? So the example is, you know, you know, on a website, customers are used to seeing a logo top left.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And menu on the right. You know. Hey, hey. Power to you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I saw a website today while we were doing a discovery session, a creative discovery session, and the menu was at the bottom. And you know what happened?

[B]

What?

[A]

I was like, yeah, I don't know why these guys don't have a menu, because it's not. And I'm looking at the top of the page. Right.

[B]

I goes there naturally.

[A]

Naturally.

[B]

Yep. Yep.

[A]

That's where. Because I spend 99.9 of my time on other people's websites.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And that's where they have the menu.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So instead of trying to.

[B]

You're getting creative and funky. Like, why do we have it up at the top?

[A]

Exactly, exactly. That's somewhere they shouldn't have spent any effort in trying to be great. Right. Again, that's something that is, like, you know, it should be, you know, good ux. Good, good design needs to be predictable.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, so again, in. Not experimental about that. Kind of.

[B]

Nothing like that.

[A]

There's other places to be experimental.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Not there.

[B]

That is a. That is a constraint. That's there for a reason.

[A]

Exactly. So you give yourselves. UX has recognized these constraints. Okay. We're talking fabinachi. We're talking grids. That. There's design. There's all these tools and examples out there that just point to the fact that designers work better under constraints. And that's when you dig deep and you get creative. That's. That's when really happens, because it forces you now to actually think about being creative.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Okay. And I think that's. That's. How many times have you been like, you've. You've had a task in front of you and you're like, I don't know how I'm gonna do it. I can only do this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, you've got. I can only do, like, these five different things. How the am I gonna make this work? And you kill it. You know, you knock it out and you're like, check this out afterwards.

[B]

But see, are we. Are we the freaks? Because I like that.

[A]

I love.

[B]

I love that. That is the. That is the best part. We talk about the challenges.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, and the problem solving all the time. But these are kind of. Of. These are the fun things. It's like. It's like, give me a hammer and a nail and I'll build some crazy thing.

[A]

Right, right. Well, no, I see what you're saying.

[B]

It's these kind of constraints that are important.

[A]

So I think the more. The more experience designers have, I think the more designers will agree that, you know, number one, that's the best rush.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

When you're given your limited palette and you're able to kill it.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Okay. You know, and. And again, think about. Think of it this way. And I mean, from a software standpoint, you know, I've played in Canva. Canva is like one tenth of what Adobe Illustrator is.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

However, you can do it. You can do it and I'm able to create in Canva and make it look great because, yes, 90% of what I use is there.

[B]

He's right.

[A]

And that 10%. Yes, that, that, that 10 in. In Adobe Illustrator that consumes 99 of the crazy, you know, possibilities out there.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I never even see.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I won't.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I don't know if that is the right example I just gave.

[B]

No, that is good. No, that is good. Because you, what you saying is you don't need all those bells and whistles in Adobe to do this stuff with constraints. If you had to work in Canva, you could do that.

[A]

Well, because again, Canva and they do look good. The main five or six. I need to get done and get a job done.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And guess what? I can get it done in that.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I don't need all the extra, you know, all the extras, the bells and whistles and shit.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

You know, software wise, that might confuse a little bit, but, you know, the reality is, I think, you know, when designers are given a little bit more strict guidelines, strict, you know, limitations on what they can use, what they don't, what it does is it starts digging deeper in what, you know, we do as a living, which is problem solve.

[B]

Y.

[A]

Okay. We have to use our minds. We have to start thinking a little bit more strategically, right? And the ideas that we come up with are actually genuine, new, innovative ideas that we probably haven't explored with because we've never had to work within those kind of limitations.

[B]

Exactly. Yeah.

[A]

Agencies do this all the time, if you think about it, right? Agencies have budget restrictions, okay? They're like, this is the job and this is the fucking budget, okay? These are the hours. Don't you fucking dare go over this. Right? So for an agency perspective, this, this obviously maintains the profitability for the agency, which is important, right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You know, they put challenges in place because they know that the challenges put in place push for greater originality.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. And that's huge, right? This, this is when you start getting better, more innovative ideas. Okay? So think about this. Imagine if you had a fried chicken company.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And the owner's like, you know what? I need you to come up with a whole campaign. Okay. But you can't use the chicken. You can't use a chicken. You can't mention a chicken. You know, but you know, we're like Southern fried, you know, chicken place. And well, that's probably what the whole idea about Chick Fil a came from love them are made of. They use a cow, eat more chicken. It. Right. And exactly correct.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And again, funny the whole. So again, again, love or hate the company, it's pretty controversial, but very much idea is, you know, you want to talk about limitations.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's the kind of originality.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You would come up with.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Well, you know, it's a chicken company. The. Everything about this company is about chickens. But we're not allowed to use chickens. So let's use a cow.

[B]

Let's use a cow.

[A]

That makes fun of chickens and tells you to eat more chicken.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So they. Brilliant again. Right. But that wouldn't have worked if all of a sudden somebody would have been like, no, man, I I want use a chicken, you know, or sky's the limit. Right.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

You wouldn't start thinking that way. So again, when you have those limitations, it pushes for that creativity. Right. Obviously, you know, agencies, they, they put really, really tight client, you know, brand guidelines in place. Right. Really tight briefs in place. And what that does is that helps build bigger, stronger, better brands. Okay. Hey, love it or hate it, the biggest brands in the world have got very, very strict brand guidelines. Dude. I remember we did work for Disney and the. That brand Guideline was over 400 pages down to the size, how Mickey had to be represented, the minimum size the logo was in relation to everything else. But I mean, again, we still cranked it out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We still created some really cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Who cares if it was limited? It forced us to be like, well, what? This is all we have.

[B]

This is what we got.

[A]

What can we do with it?

[B]

Let's work with it.

[A]

Right. And that was exactly it. Right. And in all fairness, the less, the less, the more, the better limits you have. The less choices you have, the less.

[B]

Choices you have, the focus, more focused you are. Yeah.

[A]

And the faster decisions get made and the faster decisions. Because again, let's face it, if you can only use six fonts, I'm not going to spend a week choosing the perfect font.

[B]

How many times have you sat there and just kind of scrolled through your font and like. Yes, exactly. You know, you try it and it's just like that.

[A]

It's so true.

[B]

I don't do that anymore.

[A]

Well, it's true. Right. And that's what. And honestly, that's how people. That's why Massimo Vignoli was so on to something.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This was limited. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. So faster decision making, you have fewer choices to make. Right. You, you again. And you're Confident. Because you're like, well, I can only make six choices here.

[B]

Yes. That's. Yeah.

[A]

I chose spot number four.

[B]

Let's go with this one today. Yeah.

[A]

Nobody can say you're right. Wrong.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because again, you've got, like, a 15 to 18% chance that it's the right one.

[B]

Yes. Unless it's impact.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. God, Sean. And impact. You'll get it one day, I swear. Honestly, I think that, that, you know, the true secret to a designer's ultimate creativity. Okay. Isn't, you know, thinking outside the box. No, it's thinking outside the box, but within the brief.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. If. If designers have constraints around what they can do, the time frame they have, you know, the, the colors. This. Like, if, If. Kai. If, if designers dig deep and, you know, they're within these confines, it forces us.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To think outside the box.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To be more innovative with the way we think. To start exploring new things. Not safe things.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Ironically, it's more creative inside of that.

[A]

It absolutely. You know, it's the paradox.

[B]

Yeah, There you go. You're right. It is. It totally is a paradox.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's because you can really let go when you know what you have to work with.

[A]

Okay, so. Because, Because I strongly believe, and I think anybody who disagrees is dumb. No, you're all intended with your own ways of thinking. But I mean, again, I, I'm. I guarantee that all designers would come up with better end products if they have some sort of constraints. And like I said, even if they're artificial constraints. Okay.

[B]

Which I think we unknowingly impose on yourself.

[A]

Exactly. Because how many times. And again, I've, I've gone public saying this, you know, I hope no customer hears this. But it's like, you know, it's like, I, I, I, I will have a project due at 11:00. O'clock.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

You know, Thursday morning. And it's like, I show up, okay, at 6:00 knowing, yeah, I have five hours. I have to do it. And I know because I know myself. I have five hours. I crank on my music, I close my door. Nobody bothers me. And in those five hours, I create awesomeness. Right. Because again, it's all worth. And again, these are things I impose on myself. Pretty sick. It's a sick, sick thing I do. No, no, no. But I do think that, you know, we can even impose some artificial constraints to test the. This theory. Okay. So I got eight ways to artificially constrain yourself, which I feel will boost your creativity. Okay. And I guarantee this with work. Okay. Like, you know, and again, this is just to intentionally boost your own creativity, Right? Like, you know, number one, right. Give yourself a limited color palette. Okay? You got a project. Okay. And you, you got the theme. You figured it out, the direction, the brand, the voice of tone. 1. Choose your colors. Okay? Choose 1, 2, 4, max. Give yourself a limited color palette.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And see what you can do with that. Okay. Some of the biggest brands in the world only have one or two iconic, like Coca Cola.

[B]

There's red, right?

[A]

BMW, Blue.

[B]

Blue.

[A]

Blue and gray or blue and white, right. Apple, God knows nobody knows what apples is because it's basically silver.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's what I mean, it's crazy, right? You don't need. Need all these colors. Okay. And again, so artificial. So give yourself that constraint. Be like, you know what? I'm going to do this project and I'm going to only try to use these colors. That's it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Number one, nice. Number two, okay. Try to limit your typefaces. Okay? So again, Apple used to be classic for using one typeface in some of their ads. Okay, the classic ones.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Maybe lately they went with a serif and a sans serif for some big things. Right. But again, they're, they're really known and a lot of brands are known for start limiting their typefaces. You know, some people argue that you only need like one to two typefaces. No more. Right. Give yourself two.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Three, max. If you had to. Okay.

[B]

You gotta have a favorite, right?

[A]

Well, exactly. Right.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Find the complimentary one and see if you can do that. Because God knows when we do web mock ups, when we do brochure mockups and we're like two fonts. That's it.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Well, it eliminates any sort of choice. And it's like, I gotta make these two look good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And if something, something doesn't look right in a page, you're not going to fix it by adding a third font in there. You're going to fix it with space, with maybe white space around it, maybe with size, contrast, hierarchy. So again, limit yourself to fonts.

[B]

Yes. Okay. Yes.

[A]

Number three.

[B]

Beautiful.

[A]

I said this one before. Give yourself an artificial deadline. Now, by no means do I, you know, do. Would I ever recommend any non psychopathic person to freaking come in five hours before a deadline presentation and do this? Okay, but I mean, give yourself a deadline of, you know, two, three, five days before it's due and treat that as gold.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. Because again, creativity loves that pressure. Okay. It forces you. It's like a diamond. You know, beauty comes out of that pressure.

[B]

You know, working at the newspaper, the daily newspaper. God, it, I know it's, it's terrible. The, the, the work was terrible. But talk about time constraints. Everything was a day. Everything, everything was done in a day.

[A]

You're right.

[B]

These are kind of things that laser focus you into that sort of thing.

[A]

I never thought about that.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Everything was.

[B]

Even if it wasn't, I constantly lived for 12 years under pressure.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Now the work suffered, but again, it was limited. I had limited. Limited fonts. I had limited.

[A]

You could only use color.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Either one colorful color.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Or the spot color.

[B]

Or the spot colors. Yeah. But you're right. This is things like. These are. And these are kind of one of those things where I, I look back on that and I'm like, I'm glad I had that. I'm glad I had that kind of pressure.

[A]

That's actually good for you.

[B]

It's true.

[A]

It's true. I remember, you know, when I was working, believe it or not, I did work for an agency before Zed Factor for a very short period.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I remember one of the projects we had to do do was. It was this crunch and we had. Similar to your newsprint.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Had to create 40 ads in one night. Oh, okay. And it was, it was, it was supposed to be a fun night. And it was time crunch. And. Yeah, we did an all nighter and they had pizza and it was not, it was not exciting to do here. Just for the record, they thought they were cool. That taught me what not was cool.

[B]

What not to do.

[A]

But the idea was they were black and white.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, they could, they could. I could only had this one font. And it was kind of fun because then it was just like, I was like, resize this, resize that. And it was like I was pulling back from like a lot of the stuff that we would learn, like, you know, bajo styles, but only in black and white could I do that. And it was. Right, so. And it was a fun project.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was able to crank out 40 of these freaking things in one night.

[B]

I know, I know it's challenging. And that's, that's the beauty of that.

[A]

It is.

[B]

It's not always about unlimited limited.

[A]

No, no, not at all.

[B]

Constraints are good.

[A]

Okay, so number four. Okay. Try. Give yourself a historical design style. Okay.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Be like, I'm gonna do this project, but I'm gonna try to do this project following Bauhaus rules, Right. I'm gonna do Swiss style. I'm gonna do art deco. I'm gonna choose punk zine. Right. Try. As far as the customer is concerned, they. They probably wouldn't know the end result. Right. They wouldn't know was Bauhaus inspired. Right. But again, we're talking about constraints. If you want to see what you're capable of, okay. Pick out a historical design style, work within that, and work within those constraints. I know that one's a fun one, Right. That would. That would really kind of test you. And I love that. I love that I'm doing that one for our new website. So. So I'm going to push. Push into like a. A design style factor website. Yeah, I think. Oh, nobody go check our site.

[B]

It's.

[A]

But I mean. Yeah, for sure. Okay. In line with that. Okay. Another constraint. Maybe give yourself a decade restraint. Okay? Take something that. That is 70s looking.

[B]

Okay. A decade to do this. Come on, Ma. Your timeline.

[A]

No, no, but like, choose a decade decade. 70s groove, 80s pop, bright colors, you know, Memphis style, 90s grungy, you know, dirty, you know, David Carson. Like, literally it. Give yourself, you know, maybe a specific decade style to go by. That's a different constraint.

[B]

Right. I like that.

[A]

There's a world of constraints.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

If you're willing to give these to you.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. And work within them. Right? Yeah. If you have to actually create something like that actually has to get printed in the real world or has other. Maybe give yourself a budget constraint. Okay. Maybe you can't use a paid font. You can't use a paid image. Okay. You. You have to actually, you know, yourself, force yourself, do it yourself. Maybe you have to use just boring stock photography. Maybe you. To make boring stock photography unique in one way. Right. But no, you know, no paid fonts, no stock photos, you know, minimal print costs. Sometimes I remember once we had a customer who had a very, very limited budget, and they needed a banner stand for a trade show, but that's all they could afford is. Well, you know what they could afford? No. One and a half banner stands. That was their budget. Right. I know, which is stupid. And they said that as a joke. One and a half. And, you know, we gave them one and a half banner stands. What we did is we created them a banner.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. A static banner, 90% of the material. That banner never changes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then using a half banner worth of material, okay, we created magnets, okay? Flat vinyl magnets, big ones that went onto this banner sedan, the original one, and it actually created Three banners in one. And because of the material that we actually were able to use with like the, the subject matter, it looked like three different banish dance for one price. Okay, so, and again, budget constraint is thinking out of the box. Because they were like, dude, I only have a fifteen hundred dollar budget. What can I do?

[B]

Can I do?

[A]

I was like, this is what you can do. Talk to the sign company. We tried to get. It forced us to get creative. Sign company said, that's a fucking great idea. They started doing it themselves and using it like their own ideas of their people. But again, it was those constraints that made us think outside the box. So, so highly recommend that. Yes. So, okay. Budget. Right. How about mimic a specific brand's style? Okay, so again, you want to do a constraint. Has to be Applesque.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Has to be Nike esque. Has to, has to feel like something that Google created, right?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Go look at those. This helps you guys with your own creativity, your own research, discovery, but then try to build your own within that. Okay. And follow that. Right? Or last but not least, least follow a famous designer's style and then make it your own. Okay. And what I mean by that is, you know, look at Paul Rand's minimalism, right? And be like, so I'm gonna make this logo very minimal bass, bold pop. You know, I'm gonna follow this solid, big colors. Right. David Carson.

[B]

David Carson. Yeah.

[A]

I'm gonna make something chaotic.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And look like it's about to explode. And it was a mess, but it was perfectly done together.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

This is the, that, you know, you can give yourself these kind of constraints.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. And again, it's sky's the limit. But these are just eight, eight ways to give yourself artificial constraints.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I guarantee you if you take these constraints as, as legit as real, you will see your creativity push, unlike to the other level that you never have even experienced. Guarantee it. Right.

[B]

And the best part of it is, is you'll enjoy it.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Because. Or you'll get to like it or I don't know, like be freaks like us.

[A]

But you're right though, dude. The thing is, you' I mean, if you're just sitting there making things look pretty every single day. Right. Everybody likes a challenge if they come out on the other side ahead.

[B]

Yes. Okay.

[A]

And that's, that's, that's what drives designers. Okay. Is we get a challenge and we find a unique way to get to the other side. And God, God knows you feel like you feel like you just want a marathon.

[B]

Totally. Yeah.

[A]

Holy I created something out of that. You know, I was only given those three fonts, one color, and one really bad stock photo. And I created winning. I did it. It's true though, right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Just like, okay. Just like this whole Deep Seeks company, you know, they were forced with these crazy limitations. You know, small team, very little budget, 20 people. 20 people, like six million dollar team. Right. And substandard chipset. And they were like, well, these are the limitations we have to work with. And look what they were able to create. Which then makes you wonder if the other side was just so big and bloated again, there was no reason for them to look for another way of doing things, because they didn't have to. They had no constraints. Where these guys had all the constraints of the world and, and, and created something that has been talked. I mean, again, that app is the most downloaded app on the Apple Store right now.

[B]

Is it really?

[A]

Because everybody's so, so shocked. And I don't think they're shocked about the product because the product is still. It's like on par with. Yeah, I think it's just the buzz around it is just like they were able to do so much with so little.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's what designers should do, right? You can come up with more ideas if you have less things to work with.

[B]

It's true.

[A]

Sounds crazy, but it's the truth.

[B]

That's the paradox.

[A]

Constraints in no way kills creativity. Designers have to remember that. It doesn't kill it, it fuels it because it forces us to think outside the box, you know, within limitations, within that brief. But then it does. It pushes us to a new level of creativity that we probably don't even realize that we have within us. Yeah, that's, that's, I think, one of my favorite parts about doing what we do. Yes. I talked to a girl today, an awesome girl, you know, college student. We had a great chat about, you know, her course in life. And I'm glad that, you know. No, we're not, we're not offending anybody at that. In her school, in that ring.

[B]

I know, right?

[A]

But I mean, she's like, you know, what is the favorite parts of your job? And, you know, and it wasn't designing cool. It wasn't, you know, you know, like, oh, well, I guess designing cool, it wasn't. No, no, it wasn't. Right. And I said straight up, I said it was. When you figure out that aha moment. Okay. And you're like, holy, I found the answer. You had a problem. And I found you the Solution. But it's cool.

[B]

Is the end result.

[A]

Cool Is the end result.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Through that.

[B]

Through that process.

[A]

Right. And that's what makes it cool.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Is because it's not just looks good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It is. So function.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Right. Problem solved to a whole new other level. Right. So. And I think she. She was kind of taken by. She's like. Like, the look on her face was, like, cool. I get it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it is because it digs. That's what we're here for. We're here to design problems. Let's just make things look pretty. It's almost insulting, to be honest.

[B]

It totally is.

[A]

So honestly, it's like I. If I have to recommend you guys do anything. Okay. Try designing something today, tomorrow, this week. Okay. But give yourself one limitation.

[B]

1.

[A]

Just start with one. Just give yourself one strict limitation. See what happens if it's a font limitation, if it's a color limitations. See how, you know, force yourself to stick within that and. And actually follow the whole process through. Yeah. And see what comes out of the other end. I guarantee you. I guarantee you that limitation will lead to something. Something more creative and probably faster and more rewarding than if you did it with, you know, a world of options.

[B]

With nothing.

[A]

With. No.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, Go nuts. Yeah, says the client.

[A]

You don't want to go to. Because if the client says go nuts, you will go.

[B]

You will go nuts.

[A]

So true.

[B]

Ah, nice.

[A]

Well, I think that's it. I think that's it for this one.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I think the point got across. I think so.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think true. True designers create designers. True creativity.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Okay. Comes through the limitations. The limitations that you have. Not through, you know, a world of options.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

God, no. That up so many generations. I hope you guys like what you heard today. Please, by all means, let us know what you think. You know, participate in our socials, say hi, say, you know, drop us a line on Instagram, on our website, you know, and. And. And don't forget about our newsletter at the Anger Management for Designers. You know, we're dropping a lot more of this shit on there on a weekly basis and setting you guys up for a better, more successful, more enjoyable and more profitable future.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

All right.

[B]

All right.

[A]

With that being said, everybody, my name is Massimo.

[B]

My name is Sean. Stay creative and stay angry.

[A]

I feel like I'm losing my mind. Everybody in the world give me a. 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?

[B]

Statement?

[A]

The top is so vacant? I don't hear that I think is amazing? Waiting for my day? When I'm playing sold out shows were a thousand faces? Hey, give me that crown? Get in my way, you'll be put down? It ain't your place called this my town? If I want that, then I'll get it? Right now I'm losing it? The noose, it fits the moon, a stupid myth? You choose to live? Or choose to dip? You choose to fight? Or lose your grip? And lose a gift? Oh, I feel like I'm losing my mind? Everybody in the world, please, Lord, give me.