The Design Diaries
Episodes
Ep 39: How to Start Offering Web Design with Olive St. Studio
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you're a brand designer that wants to start offering web design but doesn't know where to start, just press play—we got you! I sat down w...
Ep 38: How to Use Instagram to Book More Design Clients in 2025
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Instagram is always changing, and it feels like as soon as we figure it out, it's been updatedagain. But fear not —I’ve got you covered! The D...
Ep 37: 3 Ways I Started Booking Clients Again
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Brand designer Alyssa Nguyen shares 3 strategies for booking clients after a slow period in your business that helped her go from slow quarters to boo...
Ep 36: Business Insurance for Designers
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Brand design studio owner & designer Alyssa Nguyen shares why professional liability insurance is essential for creatives and some tips on how to ...
Ep 35: How to Consistently Grow Your Business (Without Burnout)
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Brand designer Alyssa Nguyen talks 3 key things to consider when approaching growth strategies for any part of your design or creative business. These...
Ep 34: Avoiding Legal Issues & Hiring a Lawyer with Guest Attorney Ivy McNeill
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Guest speaker and Business & IP Lawyer Ivy McNeill joins us to discuss legal strategies for assessing legal risk and avoiding legal issues. We dis...
Ep 33: Design Portfolio Tips (What to Include)
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What types of projects should I put in my portfolio? How many? What do I put on my about page? What do I put in the case studies? I'll answer all ...
Ep 32: Red Flags in Clients, Coaches & Contractors
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Figuring out if a client will be hard to work wit, if a contractor will be reliable, and if a coach will be worth it is hard! Here are 3 red flags tha...
Ep 31: How I Found my Design Style
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's talk about finding a design style! In this episode, I break down the difference between a design style and a design aesthetic and then share...
Ep 30: Finding Community & Fighting Loneliness
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's talk about how lonely it is to be a self-employed creative...and then let me give some tips for finding community when you work by yourself!...
Ep 29: The End-of-Year Checklist for Creatives
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"What am I missing???" I know it's stressful leaving for the holidays not knowing if you've done *everything* you were supposed to, so here's a checkl...
Ep 28: My Annual Budget as a Creative
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I spent HOW MUCH?? I spent almost 40k this year, and in this episode, I break down all the categories for my expenses and tell you exactly how much I ...
Diary Entry: My 2023 Business Goals
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's a little early, but I'm sharing some of the goals that I have for the new year!
Ep 27: TikTok for Creatives
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I'm giving you my top 5 tips for optimizing your content for TikTok because YES it's completely different from Instagram.
Ep 26: Avoiding Burnout (Especially During Q4)
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I'm sharing my best 3 tips for avoiding burnout to plan your year more intuitively and give yourself a break.
Ep 25: Budgeting 101 - Self Employed Edition
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm covering my tips for figuring out how to budget yourself as a self-employed freelancer or creative! I discuss tracking expenses and income and fig...
Ep 24: Courses & Coaching: Are They Worth It & How to Pick the Right One for You
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I cover how to decide if a course is going to be worth your time and money and how to go about deciding if one is right for you!
Ep 23: Dear Diary... (Declining Work with Family, Feeling Unprepared for Business, and Work-Life Balance)
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I asked you, my listeners, to submit some struggles that you need help with for this new advice column-style episode "Dear Diary." I'...
Ep 22: Contract Must-Haves for Creatives
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm listing the top 5 sections that I always look for in a contract that I highly recommend you have in yours!
Ep 21: Legal Mistakes that Freelancers Make!
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking through 4 major legal mistakes I've made in my business and giving you the tips and honesty to help you avoid making the same ones!
Diary Entry - Healing my Relationship to Productivity & Success
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking about the progress I've made with self-perception, productivity, self-worth, and achievement as someone who struggles with feeling satisfi...
Ep 20: The Process of Rebranding My Studio & Things I Would Do Differently
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking all about the steps I took to rebrand my studio and tips for making it *easier* for you!
Ep 19: 3 Tips for Making Big Business Changes
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm sharing my biggest 3 tips for how to approach large business changes like restructuring, scaling, etc! We're talking figuring out what to change, ...
Ep 18: Taking Mental Health Breaks & What Comes After
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking all about what it's been like taking a mental health break from the business and how I'm approaching getting back into the swing of things...
Diary Entry - Am I Sharing Too Much?
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With all the content I've been putting out recently over Instagram, Close Friends, TikTok, this Podcast, and now my YouTube, I've been struggling with...
Ep 17: 3 Things I Regret in my Business
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I give a lot of advice on what to DO, but now I'm trying to show you what NOT to do through sharing my regrets and things I wish I knew when I was gro...
Ep 16: How to End a Project Early
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I'm covering early termination as both a client and a creative: when to know, how to do it, and how to cope!
Ep 15: Designer Talk — Juicy Q&A with Matthew, Wilda, and Mackenzie
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What brands do you hate? Do you have anything cringey to admit? I ask my friends @bymatthewmiller, @helloimwilda, and @m.b.i.r.d some juicy questions ...
Diary Entry: Imposter Syndrome & How I Deal
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I'm talking Imposter Syndrome and some tips on how I've dealt with it over the years!
Ep 14: Tips for Raising Your Prices
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode covers some tips for what to do once you've decided to increase your rates!
Diary Entry: We're Back + An Update!
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for season 2! We're officially back and ready for a whole ton of exciting episodes!
Ep 13: Let's Talk Passive Income Streams
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I cover key things you need to consider when starting to develop passive income streams and how to make them with minimal extra effor...
Diary Entry: Toxic Trends I'm Over
03 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I'm getting a lil juicy today and talking about 4 trends that I think are TOXIC in the creative community!
Ep 12: Client Red Flags to Avoid
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I cover my top 5 things that I keep on the lookout for when meeting potential clients to avoid possible nightmare situations!
Ep 11: How I Handle Client Feedback
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I share my best tips for managing client feedback like how to disagree with feedback & how to get the best feedback possible!
Ep 10: Handling Difficult Clients and Situations
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I cover my best advice for approaching tense or awkward client situations and I go through 5 client scenarios, talking you through my ...
Diary Entry: Copying Designs vs. Being Inspired
20 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
WTF do you do when you feel like someone has copied your designs? In this diary entry I tell you about my experience with people taking my work and ho...
Ep 9: Instagram Marketing 101
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I share my tips and methods for using Instagram in a sustainable and natural way to grow your business! Instead of giving you the classic algorithm ti...
Ep 8: The Essentials for a Great Client Experience
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I'm sharing my top 5 things to consider and implement into your project experience to maximize client satisfaction and get you some good reviews! I ta...
Ep 7: Finding Clients & Attracting Your Target Audience
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're talking strategies and methods for attracting clients that align with your business! I'm sharing some tips and things to consider that will help...
Diary Entry: Marketing Anxiety & Putting Yourself Out There
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I talk about the scary moment when you decide to start being the spokesperson for your business on social media and how it's not all r...
Ep 6: All About Pricing & Charging What's Right for You
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're talking about how to price yourself in a way that's right for you and what's comfortable! I discuss how I go about pricing my services and sugge...
Ep 5: My Best Advice for New Creatives
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I cover my best advice, like real advice!, that I wish I had been told when I first starting out. I cover a variety of topics like pri...
Ep 4: Balancing Mental Health & Running a Biz
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I share realistic and simple steps to improve your rest-work balance! Instead of just telling you to rest and practice self-care (like...
Ep 3: Finding your Niche & Target Audience
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Your niche and target audience are one of the main pillars of your business' foundation! In this episode I cover ways to thoughtfully find your niche ...
Diary Entry: Breaking Up with a Client & Being Talked Down to...
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I get vulnerable and talk about an unpleasant but real experience that I had in my week...breaking up with a client and getting talked...
Ep 1: Who I Am & My Story
13 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome! Get to know me, your humble host, by learning about my unconventional journey into design and how I started freelancing, designing, and openi...
Ep 2: How to Start Freelancing or Your Own Biz
13 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I outline my best tips for starting a creative freelancing career or business! I include tips for laying the foundation of your busine...