AMA ☞ Founder of a design studio based out of Bangalore
Really excited to do this! Here's a little bit about my career: - I dropped out of college to build a design studio with 20+ people for 4 years before leaving that to start another studio. - I’ve worked across most major startups in Bangalore (not including brand names here for anonymity) - I’ve worked across brand identity design, UX/UI, social media marketing, ad films, animation/motion graphics, and 3D Happy to answer questions about design, freelancing, starting an agency/studio, the design industry, etc.
I took the safe way, and recommend this to everyone.
I had a stable job and started my agency on the side.
This meant working very late into the night for months.
Only once we had two retainer clients, did I feel safe enough to quit my job.
So sustenance wasn't really an issue.
Thanks for replying. It must've been hard to do a full time job with less sleep alongside this. How did you deal with burnouts?
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What was the road to get to working with large startups? Did you start off with Upwork/Fiverr? Or ever have to rely on them during your journey?
I worked at a great startup before starting my studio.
Most of the people who worked there ended up moving to much bigger companies. Most of them were happy to introduce me since they liked my work. That's how I got to work with large startups.
I have tried Upwork and Fiverr, but much later into my career. It was so late that I couldn't justify the time and effort that it would require to land a client there (you need testimonials/reviews to build a strong profile, might have to take on lesser paying jobs just to get those ratings).
If I had to start all over again, I would definitely give fiverr/upwork a proper shot. But it doesn't make sense today.
(Also, I read somewhere that platfoms like fiverr/upwork is a race to the bottom where clients filter based on lowest price. If that really is the truth, I don't want to compete there either)
Very cool
I think this journey from building credibility to then going agency route makes most sense
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1. Thoughts on courses like 10kDesigners.
2. Courses v/s Traditional education(NID/NIFT)
3. What would you tell a kid who just got out of school who wants to learn design?
4. CTC?
1. I've never taken that course, however, some really good designers seem to endorse it. Might be good?
2. On-the-job experience beats most of the courses/traditional education. However, it's hard to find someone who will trust you at first, so taking a course might help you open doors. College in my opinion is good for the network you get out of it. So, before joining one, try and figure out where the alumni from the college are working right now. College might help get a job at "big" firms, which might filter candidates based on that.
3. Design is a painful job tbh. I doubt if any other profession sees so much failure (rejected concepts, hurtful feedback etc) so often. So just ask yourself if you really want to go through all of that? If you still want to learn, find out agencies who excel at what you want to do, and read through their case studies.
4. I own the studio, so don't really have a CTC
All answers were really excellent. Will forward most of it to nephews and nieces who want to go into design.
Point 4. CTC is essentially what is your net take home.
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Hi, thanks for doing this
Wanted to ask, what led you to create your own studio vs. being a design lead at a startup/company? What was the thought process when you made the switch?
TIA!
I worked as a graphic designer at a startup before starting a studio. Even though I had a great boss and a stellar team, most "good" work would get outsourced to agencies even though we had the skillset to do it.
While I saw growth in terms of money working at another company, growth in terms of good projects was missing. That's why I decided to switch.
Hope this helps!
Great answer.
I have no questions here but I'm loving the answers you're providing here. Cheers! 🥂
Hope you’re having a good weekend!
Always been curious about how one manages clients and ensures retainer payments on time, especially when the agency scale is small to medium. Do you have interesting experiences/advices to share?
In my experience, relationships compound over time. Try to work with people who trust you and think you are valuable. They will ensure you get paid on time because they don't want to lose you.
If you have to constantly chase after payments, you might want to either drop the client OR hire someone whose job would be to send reminders/calls etc. I prefer the former.
Who's making sure your contracts are iron clad and you're protected on all legal fronts? ;)
One of my first projects was for an accounting firm. We had a great relationship with them, and as of today, they handle all the legal contracts.
Fortunately haven't needed any lawyers yet, but I think we might need them soon!
Ouu, a lot of people make the mistake of opting to have all their legalities drafted by accountants/CA firms
It's the same as having a lawyer file your taxes - manageable up to a certain extent but you should really let a specialist take a look at it, especially if you can afford to!
Shameless and selfish promotion, I'm always available :P
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Do you ever take equity instead of cash while working with early stage startups? Is it common in the industry?
I would LOVE to take equity instead of cash.
I have tried negotiating this deal once, they laughed at my face (this is before ESOPs were as popular as it is today).
I also tried working with a startup that helped business take services in exchange for equity. But it never materialized.
So, probably not the right person to ask this question to.
But I know atleast one person who does take equity for the work he does (brand consulting).
Super interesting! How would you go about negotiating usually? Let’s say a startup is in pre-seed stage and there is no clarity on any valuation so far. I just want to know how these conversations start and how they work out eventually
KindCob85
Stealth
a year ago
Hi thanks for doing this.
I am starting with ux ui, studying in an bootcamp (not mentioning name due to anonymity). I have been working on a project/ app idea (ios android web design). I don't have a proper degree(4 yrs completed, completing papers) to start with, so I am 12th pass as for now.
I have queries about
1)best way for approaching companies/studios for job.
2) not having degree will be big barrier?
3) Your experience in year.
Like a timeline how/where you started..
4)your list of must follow designers in social(yt,twitter)
Thanks.
1. Let's step into the shoes of someone hiring. They need someone who will either save them time or make them money. If they have to train you, you aren't going to save time or make money. So, if you can showcase a good project which can tell them that you can save time/make them money, they'll definitely consider you.
2. It hasn't been in my case, BUT, there's a catch. Most people I know end up doing a post grad from abroad (especially if their career isn't going well). So if in case your career doesn't work out they way you wanted (for any reason), you suddenly don't have the post-grad from abroad option.
3. I've been designing informally for close to 15 years now. Formally for at least 10. Here's a rough timeline, it's not accurate:
~2008: First paid project, was probably 15 years old
~ 2010: Took over the entire design for a school event, from website to printed collaterals
~2013: Dropped out of college. Worked as a party photographer, got first job for 15k where I worked for a month or two, but they didn't pay. Changed two jobs in quick succession. Until I found a great startup to work at.
~2014: Quit and started a design studio
~2019: Quit my first studio and started my second studio
4. I don't follow a lot of designers on social media, but there are too many to name. Here are some top of mind names in no particular order:
https://www.amazon.in/graphic-design-things-explain-better-ebook/dp/B015QBHLPO/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
https://www.pentagram.com/about/paula-scher
https://www.wearecollins.com/
https://landorandfitch.com/en
https://sawariasanchit.com/
https://khyatitrehan.com/
https://djr.com/
http://www.juankafka.com/
https://sankhalina.com/
AGI
Stealth
a year ago
How do you view AI in your field?
Is it an opportunity, or a threat or you feel it’s not going to impact at all
I think it makes a designer's life easier. It's way easier to get to a decent first cut without any external help (photographers, copywriters etc).
Definitely an opportunity, but again, if you needed 5 designers earlier, you might just need one who knows how to work with AI.
So definitely adopt AI as soon as you can (unless we start some kind of a design union like Hollywood does)
What do you do for business development? What channels do you find the most effective?
Referrals work the best. If you aim to do the best work for any client, it's highly likely they'll refer you to someone else. They also pay the most.
I can't really pinpoint one channel that is effective, but a combination of posting on linkedin/insta, sending email newsletters, and updating your website/Behance all contributes to business development.
I sent an email to our subscribers 4 months ago, and a week back one of them called for a project. So really hard to figure out what's most effective. Something you did ages ago could contribute to growing your business today.
How do you feel on
1. Working on a single project and making it big, probably something used by millions of users vs. working on lots of different project (probability of making something big becomes really small)
2. How do you spot good talent? (Do you look for tags like NIFT or do you feel tags are not important and self taught designers can do the tasks well)
1. I work on big projects only to show off and impress new clients. Otherwise, I prefer small projects, they almost always have more freedom to explore & feel more creatively satisfying (Read rule #7 here: https://www.figma.com/blog/paula-scher-10-rules-for-play/)
2. Good portfolio + attitude, nothing else matters
Thanks for doing this, what's your advice for people starting out on UI design?
Try and complete a project. Which means seeing it live somewhere (app or website). Many solutions which work at UI design stage don't necessarily work at the development stage.
Understanding the process will help you know the nuances of UI design, how to hand things to developers, how to iterate, how to take feedback, how to organize files/components etc.
This doesn't mean that you shouldn't push the envelope or not try new things, but gaining a good understanding of what is easy to develop vs hard to develop would make you a valuable person.
I am a second engineering student, I have started pursuing Design as my career option.
What are the areas I have to learn and how should I plan my learning, to be industry ready in 3 years?
UX Design specifically. User experience, product design and related areas.
I have started with using Figma and learning design principles, beginning with Photoshop usage too.
How could I learn better, especially now with AI entering the arena?
What are your favourite brands or companies that have the best design language/brand identity?
Anything that you personally take inspiration from?
Also if any Indian ones that you like too :)
Too many to name, but here are four:
https://jkrglobal.com/case-studies/burger-king/
https://arnabworks.myportfolio.com/curefit
https://studiodumbar.com/work/imagine-everything-d-ad
https://sankhalina.medium.com/branding-a-brewery-in-bangalore-part-1-dbff26f1a621
SteveJobs
Stealth
a year ago
Hello @Shroom, How can I become good at product designing (currently I'm at a beginner level)? Any YouTube videos, resources, tutorials, blogs, books, etc.
While product design is a broad field, I'll try to be helpful:
UI: Follow the work of people like Nathan Curtis, Mizko, am design, Jacob Ouriach, and Jesse Showalter
UX: Look up the double diamond approach put forth by the British design council.
Product design also includes disciplines like planning, research, testing etc, which makes it harder to answer this question.
Broadly speaking you can only use frameworks/approaches up until a point, but ultimately one needs to take a personal call. Even things like intuition can make a product better!
Hi! you've answered really well, thanks for doing this.
- How do you charge for projects? (Hourly basis+ retainer or project basis)
- How do you charge for extra hours? Since it's highly likely that client will want revisions/ give extreme feedbacks
- How do you deal with opinionated clients? You know something is right, but then they start forcing you or your team to do things in a certain way
- I have an hourly rate but never charge based on that. In design, when you are starting out, it takes way longer to do projects, and as you grow it becomes way easier. So, charging by the hour penalizes expertise in my opinion.
I charge retainers & on a project basis.
- Extra hours are charged at hourly rates. It's written on our contracts. But I don't charge extra. Might be a wrong business decision but all I really want is my clients to be extremely happy when I wrap up the project. And I don't want one extra bill spoiling their experience. (I don't recommend this to everyone)
Unless if they change the entire brief at the last minute, then we renegotiate the deal.
- I used to fight back a lot in my early days. Even when I was right, I was proven wrong by clients. Sometimes, the more I sell a particular idea/concept/method the more they seem to resent it. Now I don't anymore. I do what they want, but try to not work with them again.
My first customer was way back in school, friend's brother (referral).
My friend had seen my work and told his brother about it. It was a basic website project.
My first "real" customer was the company I quit to start my studio.
They had seen my work and really liked it.
Thanks for doing this
I'm curious what rough margins for a design studio look like?
What % is typically people costs, and what are some of the major expenses apart from it?
I'm not an expert at this, but do have some opinions/experience to share:
When you start out, the margins are insane (small team + big clients), I remember having 70% margins in the early days.
At a team of 20, it had dropped to 16-20%. Might drop more as you scale.
Apart from people, software subscriptions are expensive. Figma, Adobe, and C4D all cost a bomb. Multiply that with no. of people and suddenly it becomes a huge cost.
Then the usual costs, office rentals, equipment, those kind of things.
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