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Design Life is a podcast about design and side projects for motivated creators. It was born after your hosts, two serial side project addicts, saw a gap in the podcast market for a conversational show about design and the issues young creatives face, that was hosted by two females. This show aims to tackle the big issues designers face like getting paid, overcoming a creative block or managing time, to name a few. We want to open up discussion about things we wish we heard people talk about ...
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311: Hot takes on Config 2025 and new Figma features
37:56
37:56
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Thank you to our sponsor, Workflow. As a listener, you can experience the Workflow too with an exclusive 30-day trial (instead of the usual 14) — so you can see the magic for yourself. Head to workflow.design/designlife to start your extended trial today. Femke and Charli reflect on the Figma Config event, exploring exciting new features like Figma…
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310: Going back to work after an extended break
31:55
31:55
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This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke shares her experience returning to work, exploring team dynamics, personal impacts, surpri…
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309: Become a design manager or stay an IC? How to make the choice.
29:53
29:53
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29:53
This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke and Charli respond to a listener's question about how to choose between pursuing a career …
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This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke and Charli explore the transition from mid-level to senior roles and touch upon the change…
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307: Will AI take your design job? (Hot takes from later adopters)
30:20
30:20
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This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke and Charli explore effective ways for designers to incorporate AI into their everyday work…
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306: Building a team for your side projects
31:11
31:11
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This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! Femke and Charl share their insights gained from their experiences with outsourcing for their si…
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305: If we started our side projects all over again...
31:08
31:08
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31:08
This episode is sponsored by Mobbin, which is the largest design reference library for mobile and web, offering practical inspiration from real apps that address diverse design challenges. Don’t forget to mention Design Life when you register at Mobbin! In this episode, Femke and Charli discuss the evolution of their side projects and reflect on wh…
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304: Setting our goals and intentions for 2025
36:08
36:08
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This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative …
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303: Changes in the design industry (specialists vs generalists?)
29:23
29:23
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29:23
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative …
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302: Design maturity and culture in a company (and how to influence it)
27:57
27:57
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27:57
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative …
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301: Learning management skills as a design manager
30:13
30:13
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30:13
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative …
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300: Live Q&A - Answering Your Top Design Questions on Air
43:07
43:07
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43:07
This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative …
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299: How to get better at collaborating with cross-functional partners
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30:13
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This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative …
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298: Behind the scenes of launching ConvertKit's rebrand to Kit
27:36
27:36
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Femke and Charli dive into the experience of rebranding ConvertKit into Kit. Charli shares a behind-the-scenes look at launch day and the rebranding process, including what didn’t make it into the final launch but is on the roadmap, as well as key lessons learned and what could have been done differently. Timestamps: 0:33 - Intro & Life Update 3:32…
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297: What it's really like to go on parental leave as a designer
27:16
27:16
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Femke shares her experience navigating the challenges of parental leave, including her decision to take extended time off supported by her employer and Canadian government benefits. She reflects on the challenges of staying connected with the design industry while on parental leave and the potential motivations for returning to work earlier than pl…
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Charli and Femke talk about Charli’s recent promotion and how she approached this process. They explore the importance of taking ownership of your professional growth, including how proactively seeking feedback and showing initiative can help advance your career. They also cover important questions like when to bring up a promotion, what the promot…
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295: The perks and pitfalls of working with a freelancer
30:03
30:03
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Charli and Femke dive into their experiences working with freelancers and agencies in their side projects and day jobs. Charli shares the decision-making process behind choosing an agency for a recent rebrand at Convert Kit, the challenges they encountered, and how involved they were in the collaboration. The hosts also offer practical advice for a…
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294: Behind the scenes of a company rebrand
30:37
30:37
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Femke and Charli dive into the exciting world of rebranding Convert Kit. We explore the origins of the rebrand, discussing whether it began with a name change or a complete repositioning. Charli explains why they decided to make the rebranding process public instead of opting for a big splashy launch. Given the scale of the project, we delve into t…
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293: Why you need to understand the impact of your work
25:38
25:38
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Femke and Charli dive deep into the topic of the business impact of design decisions. We discuss whether impact is expected in the product design world and if it is an integral part of the design process. We also cover how to measure success and incorporate metrics into the design process. Additionally, we highlight the importance of sharing real e…
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In today’s episode, we are gonna discuss and break down the recent announcements from Figma Config 2024 conference that took place on June 26-27 in San Francisco, California. We are going to talk about Figma's UI3 redesign, new features such as Figma Slides, Code Connect, new AI features, project transfers, connected workspaces, and many more. Show…
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Femke and Charli delve into the difficulties of managing a side project that isn't going well. Charli shares her personal experience of trying to organize a live workshop in New Zealand and not managing to attract enough participants. The hosts discuss what Charli learned from this experience and how the situation could have been handled better. Sh…
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Femke and Charli share their insights on how to approach the application process in the 2024 design job market. The hosts share strategies on how to optimize your application, stand out from the crowd, and increase your chances of securing your desired position. As competition intensifies and hiring standards rise, it is important to excel in every…
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289: How to know when it's time to move on from a job
30:15
30:15
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Charli reflects on her 7-year journey at her current workplace, emphasizing the importance of difficult conversations in clarifying issues such as salary and job satisfaction. Femke talks about the struggles she experienced of leaving behind internal reputation and connections when transitioning roles, highlighting the value of established relation…
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288: Making the most of team retreats and offsites
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29:08
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Charli and Femke talk about their experience of having retreats with their teams, how retreats should be structured, what is their purpose and how to make the best out of in-person time with your teammates. As remote work becomes increasingly prevalent and we usually do not get the chance to see our co-workers’ faces outside of video-calls, team of…
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Femke and Charli delve into the concept of personal branding. They discuss whether personal branding requires strategic planning and the level of intentionality one should have regarding their personal brand. Femke and Charli explore the distinction between personal and company brands, the objectives personal branding can help achieve and whether i…
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