The Designers Lunch Break - by Designer Duo

Welcome to our sixteenth podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business.Kiya and Rach discuss their working environment and the mammoth to-do lists that they are often faced with 😆 (despite their family members not being convinced that they are very busy 😂). Rach recognises how much is asked of Kiya as a Junior, as she doesn’t have any time to collect her thoughts 💕Both girls discuss Rach’s unlimited holiday policy. Kiya notes that people are often surprised when she tells them its unlimited 🙊. They discuss larger corporations that might find it difficult to manage, but they find it works for them as they work around each others time off.Both talk about how lucky they are that they feel as though they are on the same wavelength, which makes working together easier for each other. The girls tribute their favourite person P - who is a creative director and a solid port-of-call for overflow and help - they love her lots!! 🥰Kiya chats around her process of overcoming a creative block and how to navigate it, as well as the art of learning from others that are well established in the design industry.They talk about their triage system and how to prioritise work around deadlines that are often fluffed out by clients. The girls open up the conversation about charging per project vs. per hour - which is your preference?Learn why Rach strongly stands by working per hour. They recognise value based pricing and where this might be more relevant depending on clients and projects.If you relate to any of this, or need any advice or support Rach and Kiya are very open to chatting! Drop us a note in the DM's and they would love to help you were they can https://www.instagram.com/designerduo.studio/ 📱✨

Welcome to our fourteenth podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business.Kiya has been busy learning at University this week, she speaks around they sustainability conversations they had around MAC cosmetics and Air BnB. Meanwhile Rach had a crazy day full of calls! The girls agree the workload always seems to mount when one of them is out 🏔😂 Rach’s client changed the storyboard project she was working on so it’s going to be a crazy week of getting that over the line for the girls! 😵‍💫Both discuss how working from home impacts day-to-day working life. Rach dreads needing to go into the city a couple of times this week and wonders how she ever did it every.single.day!!! 😴 🚇Kiya asks Rach what the future plans are for RN Design ahead of the new office build - exciting times! With new space comes new people and co working opportunities for fellow friends/creatives ✨ they discuss the contrast of the new office, compared the current set up they are used to in Rach’s dining room 😆Stay tuned for new office updates on our Instagram📱 Kiya discuss how she isn't fond of WFH and enjoys the process of her commute (despite it being short as she lives super close to Rach 😂) They discuss WFH and working from bed becoming a dangerous habit. Rach speaks about lockdown and the effect she believes it had on her (including her hair washing schedule and her new fave hair dryer - HINT, it's a game changer 😉) As much as Rach supports WFH, she discusses the ease of learning and working collaboratively when you are in the same room. If you relate to any of this, or need any advice or support Rach and Kiya are very open to chatting! Drop us a note in the DM's and they would love to help you were they can https://www.instagram.com/designerduo.studio/ 📱✨

Welcome to our thirteenth (our - well Rach’s - lucky number) podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business.The girls open with Kiya talking about her initial fear to start a Podcast 😳 Rach is surprised as Kiya generally loves to talk 😂 they both discuss the idea of mental blocks and how this can impact your confidence around certain things 🙅🏽‍♀️Kiya and Rach appreciate the listeners we have had so far and how much it means to them - they hope they are helping make a difference in your life some way 💕 (let us know!). Both discuss the personable element to Podcasts and how this relates a little to Reality TV.Rach confesses her love and adoration for the Kardashians 🍑 they discuss the relationship between money and being passionate about what you do. They both commend Kim’s level of influence and how this extends to even the president of the United States, as well as having a say on how their show is edited to the public and fundamentally how their image is presented 💁🏻‍♀️.How well thought out are the Kardashian’s business moves? Rach highlights how well they spin a bad PR moment into something great. Both speak about their work ethic and how this mentality filters through to where they are today. They briefly touch on how well she did being married to Kanye West #nothanks ⛔️The girls discuss how confidence and how Rach would also never see herself doing a Podcast - she’s not a big talker 😆 (thankfully Kiya gets a reply from Rach now 😂). Rach speaks to her hyper-focus and how they both establish a ‘zone’ when they are enjoying their work.Kiya and Rach talk about handling brain fog first thing in the morning and how certain industries need to navigate through this (in the medical industry specifically!) They reminisce about the recent deadline that a client landed on them (a 60 min print-ready job!! 😰) Rach publicly announces how well Kiya handled herself in this stressful situation, whilst Kiya appreciates how far she has come as a junior 🤗.They compare the difference between humble confidence and arrogance and how there is nothing wrong with knowing you are really really great at your job! ✨If you relate to any of this, or need any advice or support Rach and Kiya are very open to chatting! Drop us a note in the DM's and they would love to help you were they can https://www.instagram.com/designerduo.studio/ 📱✨

Welcome to our twelfth podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business.Today was the day Scotland experienced storm Dudley 🌪 the girls discuss this as a name and normal sounding pet names - do you have a dog named Derek? 🤣 🐶They were fresh from an early morning CrossFit session - Kiya’s new love ❤️🏋️‍♀️ (she’s officially part of the cult). Learn why Rach isn’t a fan of Yoga and how bad she is at running 😆 The girls discuss the importance of community and how this environment is conducive to bettering yourself 💪🏻This week Kiya completed her first ever Infographic 🙏🏻 Rach commends Kiya on how she established a great journey and flow to her design. Kiya discusses her process of where she started (hint, we L❤️VE Pinterest/Moodboards).They talk about the beauty of simplicity and how sometimes the most simple things can be the more challenging ones. An analogy is drawn between CrossFit and Design in respect to assuming some things look much easier than they end up being 🤭. The girls discuss the mindset of pushing yourself everyday and being the best version of yourself.Kiya and Rach discuss the podcast they listened to with Steven Bartlett and Ben Francis (CEO and Founder of Gymshark). They talk around Ben’s self reflection and his ability to look inward and improve as a person. Both talk around Ben stepping down as a CEO and how his process of continuous development and what Gymshark as a company are REALLY good at (amongst most things as they are very successful haha 😆)The girls were astonished at Ben still working in Pizza Hut whilst he was running Gymshark in the early days and earning 100’s of thousands 😳 what would you do? Both discuss the roles of leadership and how this impacts a business and how they run their company.If you relate to any of this, or need any advice or support Rach and Kiya are very open to chatting! Drop us a note in the DM's and they would love to help you were they can www.instagram.com/designerduo.studio/ 📱✨

Welcome to our tenth podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business.Do you consistently daydream about going freelance? Are you feeling frustrated in your current full-time role as a designer or creative? The girls hear you! Kiya is picking Rach's brains about her journey into this new world 🌎Rach talks about her last full-time role and what led her to taking the leap into the world of freelance (hint, it might not be what you expect!) 👩‍🚒🔥Rach digs deep about her mental state in her last role and how this led to her nearly quitting design 😮She discusses her tips and advice about how to approach going freelance and where to start. If you relate to any of this, or need any advice or support Rach and Kiya are very open to chatting! Drop us a note in the DM's and they would love to help you were they can https://www.instagram.com/designerduo.studio/ 📱✨

Welcome to our eighth podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business.Today (at the time of recording - 13th January) is Kiya’s first day at her University Degree Apprenticeship 🎉 In this episode you'll hear Kiya explain why she chose a Marketing Degree over Design 🤔 and some insight into the process of enrolment for both the Apprentice and the hiring company. The girls touch on funding on the opportunities the UK government provide for both parties (hint, it’s pretty mind-blowing! 🤯) and discuss the lack of awareness around this in schools and for business owners in general. They weigh up University from a traditional route, discussing the process most people would follow after sixth form (A-Levels). Kiya describes the pressure she felt to know what she wanted to do at an early age and her thought process of not committing anything until she was ready.

Welcome to our sixth podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business. In this episode you'll hear their take on the interview with Molly-Mae Hague and Steven Bartlett, on his podcast 'Diary of a CEO'. They discuss how the media has blown her comments out of proportion and her comments were not intended to be harmful to anyone else. Kiya & Rach discuss her age and how easy it is to make an off-hand comment that could be perceived wrongly. They weigh up privilege, diversity issues, successful women & other Love Island celebs. The girls talk about her collaboration with Pretty Little Thing and her new role as a Creative Director, as well as the role money and wealth plays, how to determine success and monetising the assets and skills you have. Rach outlines how uncomfortable she is with brands terming celebrities as 'Creative Directors' when they are often so young, with little creative experience. They discuss messaging and how you present yourself to the media whilst being empathetic to people in different situations. They talk around the subject of how much is enough and finding joy in the process of what you do, and how this relates back to your values. Kiya and Rach commend Steven Barlett's guests on his podcast. We strongly discourage any online trolling. Whilst we might all have a particular opinion on a situation, please remember to #bekind 💕

Welcome to our fifth podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business. In this episode you'll hear when the girls experience mental blocks and how this differs with different types of projects. They breakdown how to recognise blocks as opposed to being overwhelmed. Rach discusses how she would approach an intense deck project and Kiya talks on tight deadlines and how they motivate them to make informed decisions, whilst being accountable to client promises. They discuss how distraction can creep in with multiple apps and platforms being available on your computer, how to manage big projects and the output of these visually when presenting back to a client. Rach highlights the importance of research and discovery, and the pair discuss what concepts are. They reflect on a past moodboard project and discuss how they would encourage a client to say they HATED something 🤷🏽 Kiya questions a branding process and what it involves, including the difference between a brand vs. a logo and copywriting vs. tone of voice. Rach touches on a brand that that has developed what she regards as a 'movement' (future episode to come where they discuss this in wayyyy more detail).

Welcome to our third podcast episode! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business. In this episode you'll hear us celebrating Kiya's 20th birthday the weekend before 🥳 whilst Rach had a busy weekend working before she turns 30 (ahhh!) 💁🏻‍♀️ The pair discuss the learnings Kiya has picked up in her first few months as a Junior Designer and how she juggles multiple aspects of her role, including, client and project management, designing and admin 🤯 whilst still learning design best practices (busy bee!) Both discuss how important these elements are when running a design business and how we perceive client requests.They reflect on Kiya's first day and how she was introduced (and grew to love) Adobe Illustrator. In contrast, they discuss designing decks/PowerPoints and vital they are to the business financially, and how in-demand they are for clients. Rach describes her theory on finding the best creative solution for every project. Kiya outlines her process of overcoming procrastination, Rach gives some insight into the creative process and what it takes to get into a flow and how this impacts people differently.

Welcome to our first ever podcast! We're so happy you're here ✨This is a podcast from the perspective of two designers, Kiya and Rach 👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻 Kiya is a Junior Designer and Rach is a Senior Designer/Art Director running her own business. In this episode you'll hear questions directly from Rach on her journey to becoming a business owner, why she didn't rate Uni, what working in an agency in Essex was like compared to a London PR agency, where clients included the likes of PlayStation®, Sky, EE and more 🕹📱 Rach outlines how her role changed, what her promotion looked like and her understanding of the ranks of design. She gives insight into how she transitioned into freelance design, and the comparison of agency vs. in-house life. She talks about her client relationships and how these have built over time, what her development from freelancer to business owner looked like, and how she got to the position where she was lucky enough to find Kiya.