Sexism in Graphic Design: Why are women still fighting to be heard? with Liz Mosley | EP009

You started a business to do the work you love, but does that mean you now have to become a content creator too? And how much of yourself are you actually expected to share? This week I’m chatting with Hannah Seycell, founder of creative marketing agency Social Folk, about building a personal brand when being visible doesn’t always come naturally. If you’ve ever thought, “Can I just get on with my work without having to put myself out there?”, there’s plenty in this conversation you’ll recognise. Connect with Hannah Instagram and TikTok: @hannahsocialfolk LinkedIn: Hannah Seycell Website: socialfolkdigital.com Chapters 00:11 Meet Hannah and how Social Folk began 01:30 How COVID changed our career paths 02:54 How influencer marketing has changed 06:12 Do businesses need a personal brand? 08:51 Moving away from perfect content 15:30 What makes people connect with you? 17:30 Showing more of yourself online 22:52 Juggling client work and your own content 28:34 Sharing your journey without sharing everything 34:45 Deciding what you’re comfortable talking about 35:56 Grief and keeping a business going 38:38 What people don’t see behind the content 40:54 Sharing the good things when life is difficult 44:56 Dealing with criticism and trolls 48:20 Getting started with your personal brand

You share your knowledge, help people find work and put time into building something useful, but the minute you charge for it, suddenly you’re a gatekeeper. When did helping other creatives mean you had to do it all for nothing? This week I’m chatting with live event illustrator Katie Chappell, who created a jobs board to share the client enquiries she couldn’t take on herself. People were getting work through it, but alongside the lovely feedback came accusations and personal attacks. And when she made it free, the complaints didn’t stop. Katie also talks about the difficult start to her design career, finding her way into live illustration and changing how she works to fit around life with her daughter. If you’ve ever felt guilty for charging for your knowledge, or found yourself dreading the notifications on your phone, there’s plenty in this chat you might recognise. Find Katie: @katiedraws on Instagram I’d love to hear what you think. Have you felt pressure to keep giving more for free? Leave a comment or come and chat with me on Instagram: instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe on YouTube or follow The Honest Designer Diaries wherever you listen. A five-star rating or a wee review would be very much appreciated too.

You can go to an event knowing exactly who you want to meet, but sometimes the conversation that leads to something brilliant is with the person you hadn’t expected to speak to at all. This week I’m chatting with graphic designer, instructor, speaker and author of 'How do I do that in InDesign' Dave Clayton about the creative connections that have shaped his career, including an awkward moment at Adobe MAX that eventually led to him creating tutorials for Adobe Learn. Dave says his last ten years, between 50 and 60, have been the most exciting of his career, and he’s now gone freelance for the first time. We chat about finding your people, getting work through relationships and why being an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t make those connections. Have you ever had a chance conversation that led to work or something completely unexpected? I’d love to hear about it in the comments or send me a DM on Insta. Instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries Connect with Dave: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsdaveclayton/ Website: https://www.itsdaveclayton.com/ And if you’re enjoying The Honest Designer Diaries, please leave a rating and review on your podcast app, or subscribe on YouTube so you can join me for the next chat. Juls x

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just not creative”? In this episode, I’m chatting with Scott Gordon, a brand designer who also teaches in secondary school, about whether creativity is something you’re born with or something you can learn. We talk about what happens when a student is convinced they can’t come up with ideas, why being brilliant with design software doesn’t necessarily mean the ideas will follow, and how much of brand design starts with being curious enough to really listen to a client. Scott also shares what it’s been like building Pure Good Graphics alongside teaching. If you’ve ever wondered where other designers get their ideas, or worried that yours aren’t coming quickly enough, come and join us for this one. Find Scott and his work at Pure Good Graphics or search for Scott Gordon on LinkedIn. If you enjoy the episode, I’d love to hear what you think, you can drop me a message on IG - instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries And if you have a moment to leave a rating or review on your podcast app, it really helps more designers find The Honest Designer Diaries. Juls

Courtney started designing £5 logos on her phone during lockdown, while still thinking graphic design would probably remain something she did at weekends alongside her retail job.