The Angry Designer Graphic Design, Freelancing, Branding & Creative Business Podcast

Most Graphic Designers think the way to get noticed is by chasing likes, posting tutorials, or following design formulas. But James Barnard has lived both sides...the viral design influencer and the working designer. And he’s here to tell you the hard truth: clout doesn’t pay your bills, legacy client work does.

In this Live from Creative South episode of The Angry Designer Podcast, we sit down with James Barnard to talk about the f...

Graphic design is only projected to grow 3% over the next decade. AI is churning out logos in seconds. Bootcamps and Canva “designers” are flooding the industry. If you think that means graphic design is dead, you’re missing the bigger problem. The real threat isn’t AI or oversupply, it’s the way designers think about their future.

Here’s the part no one wants to admit: future graphic designers may be walking straight into...

Most Graphic Designers think success comes from creating the perfect logo, expensive gear, or waiting to be discovered. Wrong.

The real killers of Graphic Design careers are perfectionism, overthinking, and flexing for likes instead of creating real value. With over 5 million subscribers and 1,000+ Photoshop tutorials, Unmesh Dinda, the face of Piximperfect, proves that consistency and process beat “perfect” every single t...

Lettering Artist Dan Lee proves that graphic design careers aren’t built on safe degrees or raw talent...they’re built on obsession and the courage to ditch the rules.

This week on a special episode of The Angry Designer Podcast LIVE at Crop Con, we sit down with Lettering Artist Dan Lee, who walked away from chemical engineering to chase design, and built a thriving career without a design degree. His story destroys the s...

Every designer has heard it: “Pick a niche. Specialize. Focus.” Even on THIS podcast! But here’s the uncomfortable truth... niching alone is a trap. The wrong kind of niche doesn’t just slow your career, it cages you, makes you replaceable, and puts your future in the hands of clients, tech, or the economy.

This should sting: most of you are doing it wrong. You’re either chaining yourself to one fragile industry or boxing yourself i...

Every designer chases originality like it’s the holy grail. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: originality doesn’t exist. Nothing you’ve designed is original, and believing otherwise is killing creativity faster than bad clients ever could.

Graphic designers hate to hear this, but most of you are guilty. You worship originality, terrified that influence makes your work invalid. The few designers who thrive know the opposite is true...

Graphic Design isn’t about chasing trends or giving your work away for “exposure.” Scott Fuller, founder of Studio Temporary reveals the lessons he learned the hard way from turning down unpaid internships to creating logos that stand the test of time.

Scott’s story is as raw as it gets. From graduating as a valedictorian with an engineering scholarship, to walking away from stability for a future in graphic design, to nearly losing...

Cracker Barrel spent $700 million on a rebrand… and within a week, they had to run back to their old logo. Designers, this isn’t just a logo fail, it’s a brand disaster! It proves how dangerous it is when companies confuse modernization with progress.

Here’s the part that should sting: most graphic designers would have made the exact same mistake. Why? Because too many of us still think rebrands are about logos, not the bigger story...

Bad logo design is everywhere. From stretched fonts to unreadable colors, from stolen stock icons to AI disasters, the world is flooded with logos that should never have seen the light of day.

But here’s the kicker: these aren’t accidents. They follow patterns. And if you’re not careful, you could be making the exact same mistakes without realizing it.

In this episode of The Angry Designer Podcast, we flip the script with a sarcastic...

Most graphic designers think their biggest challenge is competition, AI, or not getting enough exposure. The truth? Many designers are sabotaging themselves every time they open their mouths.

From vague feedback requests to filler phrases that kill confidence, these everyday habits destroy trust, weaken authority, and make even talented designers look like amateurs.

But here’s the good news...once you recognize these self-sabotaging ...

Most graphic designers think being “just” a designer is safe. But when a Reddit thread exploded over whether it’s actually risky, we didn’t just scroll past. We tore it apart!

Some takes were spot on. Others completely missed the mark and sounded like entitled designers crying because they didn't get their way (and we’re not shy about saying which is which).

In this episode of The Angry Designer, we break dow...

Most graphic designers think they understand logo design trends. But after reviewing nearly a million logos, Bill Gardner knows otherwise.

As the creator of LogoLounge, the most iconic logo archive in the design world, Bill has seen the good, the bad, and the painfully average. He’s judged tens of thousands of marks, built trend reports that define the industry, and helped shape what logo design looks like on a global scal...

Graphic designers have mastered the art of making things look good, but the future of design demands more than pretty pixels.

The world is shifting faster than most creatives can keep up, and the biggest threat to your career isn’t AI. It’s you:
- clinging to outdated tools
- static portfolios
- a visual-only mindset 

The truth? Design is evolving beyond what you see, and those who don’t evolve with it...

Most graphic designers think their biggest threat is AI, bad clients, or lack of exposure. But the real problem? They don’t think like designers at all.

Instead, they’re still stuck in the artist mindset—chasing aesthetics, taking feedback personally, and wondering why they’re underpaid, overworked, and overlooked.

But what if one mindset shift could flip your entire career?

In this episode of The Angry D...

Graphic designers have been fighting the wrong battle.

While the design world panics about AI taking jobs, a more dangerous threat has already arrived — Graphic Designers who know how to use AI better than you. They’re faster, sharper, and landing the work while you’re still debating whether it’s “ethical” to use the tools.

This isn’t a future problem. It’s happening right now.

This week on The Angry Desi...

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. t...

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 Design...

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 episo...

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...