The Angry Designer Graphic Design, Freelancing, Branding & Creative Business Podcast
A Graphic Design Podcast that cuts through the industry bull to help frustrated Designers charge what they're worth and build rewarding creative careers
Designers Who Ignore Brand Strategy Are Getting Replaced with Dan Janssen
Designers are freaking out about AI, and for good reason. Clients are skipping strategy, bringing AI-generated logos to the table, and treating designers like disposable decorators.But while most designers are still obsessing over execution, the smart ones are building brands, owning strategy, evolving and becoming irreplaceable.This week on The Angry Designer podcast, we sit down with our friend Dan Janssen of Lincoln Design Co. to unpack the real shift happening in the creative world and why most Graphic Designers are totally unprepared for it.Recorded live at CropCon 2025 in Austin Texas, Dan lays downWhy ignoring brand strategy is the fastest way to get replacedHow to build a personal brand that clients actually valueWhat clients really think when they hand you AI-generated workBy the end of this episode, you’ll know why brand strategy is your new superpower in this AI powered world, and how to use it to stay relevant, respected, and paid.Stay Angry our Friends –––––––––––Join Anger Management for Designers Newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/mr4bb4j3Want to see more? See uncut episodes on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/theangrydesigner Read our blog posts on our website TheAngryDesigner.comJoin in the conversation on our Instagram Instagram.com/TheAngryDesignerPodcast
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AI Isn’t Replacing Graphic Designers. Your Client Is
Graphic Designers aren’t being replaced by AI.They’re being replaced by their own clients using AI.The real threat to a Graphic Designer isn’t AI. It’s lazy marketers, overconfident interns, and clueless execs showing up with AI-generated briefs, Frankensteined logos, and bloated brand docs pulled straight from a bot. And they expect you to clean it all up like a design janitor.This week on The Angry Designer podcast, we expose the uncomfortable truth about the actual enemy designers are facing, and it’s not the tech. It’s the people using it wrong.In this episode, we break down:Why Grpahic Designers are being reduced to decorators (and how to stop it)The rise of “confident garbage” and the illusion of qualityHow to push back, simplify chaos, and reclaim your authorityIf you’ve ever been handed a “professional” AI brief that made zero sense… or had your strategy questioned because “AI said so”, this one’s going to hit hard.This isn’t just a rant. It’s a damn wake-up call.Because AI won’t replace you.But your client, who THINKS they know how to use AI absolutely will.Stay Angry our Friends –––––––––––Join Anger Management for Designers Newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/mr4bb4j3Want to see more? See uncut episodes on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/theangrydesigner Read our blog posts on our website TheAngryDesigner.comJoin in the conversation on our Instagram Instagram.com/TheAngryDesignerPodcast
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This Mindset Is Limiting Your Graphic Design Career
Many graphic designers are stuck and they don’t even know it.They price based on feelings, take feedback like a punch to the gut, and chase originality over clarity…all because they’re thinking like artists, not designers.This mindset starts early with crayons, sketchbooks, praise for creativity and it feels right. But in the real world? That same mindset is quietly sabotaging your career.In this episode of The Angry Designer podcast, we’re exposing the artist mentality that’s quietly sabotaging graphic designers keeping them broke, burned out, and overlooked. You’ll learn how to spot the subtle red flags, shift your mindset, and start thinking like a designer – strategic, purposeful, and unshakeably valuable.By the end, you’ll know:- The real difference between artists and designers- How the artist mindset is ruining your reputation and pricing- What to do instead—so you get paid, respected, and future-proofedWhether it’s pricing your work, dealing with client feedback, or trying to stay relevant in the age of AI, this episode delivers the straight-up truth that most design schools never teach. Let go of the starving artist myth. Start thinking like a designer. Your career depends on it.Stay Angry our Friends –––––––––––Join Anger Management for Designers Newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/mr4bb4j3Want to see more? See uncut episodes on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/theangrydesigner Read our blog posts on our website TheAngryDesigner.comJoin in the conversation on our Instagram Instagram.com/TheAngryDesignerPodcast
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Why Good Design is Losing to Fast Design and How Graphic Designers Can Change Their Fate
Good design is losing.Not by better design — but by faster, cheaper, half-assed garbage.And the worst part? Clients are eating it up.Welcome to the new reality where timelines matter more than talent, and “good enough” is winning over great. Designers are watching their best work get ignored while AI bots, Canva templates, and $5 Fiverr hacks get the green light.And yeah, we might have been the ones to let this happen.This week on The Angry Designer podcast, we rip into the real reason good design is losing to fast design and what graphic designers need to do to stay relevant in a world that values speed over skill.In this episode we discuss:- Why clients think fast = progress (and how to flip that on them)- How designers became their own worst enemy- A better way to deliver work without compromising quality- The process tweak that keeps clients off Canva and on your sideIf you're sick of watching garbage design win just because it's quick, this episode gives you the tools to fight back and win the long game.Stay Angry our Friends –––––––––––Join Anger Management for Designers Newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/mr4bb4j3Want to see more? See uncut episodes on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/theangrydesigner Read our blog posts on our website TheAngryDesigner.comJoin in the conversation on our Instagram Instagram.com/TheAngryDesignerPodcast
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Stop Designing for Your Client. Start Designing for the End User.
Too many Graphic Designers forget one brutal truth. Design is NOT for you, your portfolio, or even your client. It’s for their audience. Period. The client pays the bill, sure. But they’re not the one your work is for. And every time you forget that, your design gets weaker. Less effective. Easier to ignore.This week on The Angry Designer podcast, we’re calling out one of the biggest blind spots in design: the end user. We break down why obsessing over client approval is killing your impact, your confidence, and your portfolio! And how to flip that mindset before it wrecks your career.From billion-dollar branding flops to ego-driven design disasters, we expose how even the biggest companies forget who they’re actually designing for and why smart designers never make that mistake twice.In this episode, you’ll learn:- Why pleasing your client doesn’t mean serving their goals- How to shift from design decorator to design translator- The red flags that prove you’re designing for approval, not impactIf you’re tired of chasing trends, bending to bad client opinions, or wondering why your work isn’t landing, this is your wake-up call.If you’re designing to impress other designers, or to stay on your client’s good side, this episode is the slap you need.Because at the end of the day, design starts and ends with the end user.Ignore that, and you're just making things pretty.Stay Angry our Friends –––––––––––Join Anger Management for Designers Newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/mr4bb4j3Want to see more? See uncut episodes on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/theangrydesigner Read our blog posts on our website TheAngryDesigner.comJoin in the conversation on our Instagram Instagram.com/TheAngryDesignerPodcast
About The Angry Designer Graphic Design, Freelancing, Branding & Creative Business Podcast
The Angry Designer is an entertaining No-Bull unapologetic design podcast for Graphic Designers, Freelancers, and In-house Creative Pros ready to take their careers to the next level. Hosted by a Creative Director who built and sold a 7-figure Creative agency, this design podcast breaks down the business of design, branding, freelancing, logos, UX, strategy, AI, and more—without the industry fluff and pointless jargon. The Angry Designer tackles the topics other Graphic Design podcasts avoid: burnout, ageism, toxic clients, pricing, imposter syndrome, with an unapologetic take on what it really takes to build a creative career that lasts.Whether you’ve been a Graphic Designer for decades or just starting out, get ready to feel vindicated because this podcast will challenge how you think, push you to grow, and give you the tools to design a life on your terms.
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