Brewing Up Creativity
Brewing Up Creativity, hosted by award-winning graphic designer Danielle LaBonté, is a creatively inspiring podcast series that revolves around talking to creatives, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and mentors around the world to promote creativity and create an engaging and inspiring community. Discussion topics vary from discovering passions, creative exploration and journeys, freelancing, running a creative business/studio, talent discovery, creative inspiration, and much more.
Brewing Up Creativity
A Day in the Life of a Graphic Designer Running a Full-Time Studio with Host and Founder, Danielle LaBonté
In Episode 89 of Brewing Up Creativity, Danielle joins on a solo-recorded episode to discuss what a day in the life looks like as a full-time business owner and graphic designer. She walks through her time-blocking strategies, importance of taking breaks, creative inspiration, managing a team, and much more!
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INTRO:
Creativity is contagious. Pass it on it any way possible. Albert Einstein. Hi, Creatives. I am so happy you're joining us on this new episode of Season 4 of Brewing of Creativity. If you're new here, I'm your host, Danielle LaBonte, and I'm a full -time business owner of my graphic design studio, Danielle LaBonte Designs. I'm on a mission to inspire creators like yourself to pursue your dreams. creative dreams one podcast episode at a time. So go get your cup of coffee and let's dive into today's all new episode.
EPISODE PT 1:
Welcome creatives to another episode of Bring a Creativity. It's lovely to have you here joining me. I am going to be bringing you all more solo episodes in 2024 to get on a more personal level with all of you.
I appreciate those who sent in feedback so we can better serve you in our episodes. In particular, some of you asked for more episodes solely focused on story times and behind the scenes.
So I thought, why not right now at the beginning of season four to bring you just that? As some of you may or may not know, I am Daniela Bonte as you heard in the intro and I am a graphic designer and business owner located just outside of the Toronto area.
I work with ambitious entrepreneurs, leaders, and scaling companies who seek impactful and refined branding built upon strategy and storytelling. My services include branding design, website design and development, packaging design, as well as editorial and book design. I run my studio on a full -time basis, meaning it is my full -time job and income, although I do have a lot of side hustles as well, and I'm currently working on creating more. Stay tuned for that.
Graphic design is just one of my top passions, and I am truly thankful that I get to work in this industry alongside the amazing community and clients that it comes with. So, in today's episode, we're going to talk about some of the most common daily functions habits and responsibilities I have as a graphic designer and business owner.
I'm going to try and cover everything, but realistically, 30 to 40 minute episodes are a little hard to do that. So I might leave some things out or just try to summarize in the best way possible so I can cover as much as I can.
I'm sure I have some aspiring graphic designers tuning in, as well as graphic designers well into their career, or even just just creatives who are interested in learning more about this field. So I'll try to make sure this is super simple and super easy to follow. Let's jump in.
Quickly, I would like to mention that graphic designers work with a wide range of media predominantly in the digital world, but it really does depend on the specialization. We work with type, imagery, video, and custom graphics to be able to communicate through visuals. We often are needed for successful marketing and advertising campaigns.
But this field has a wide range of specialties and functions, so I'm going to focus solely on what I do. Let's start with my work environment and schedule. My current work environment is an at -home studio that I've built up over the years to feel exactly as to how I feel. wanted it. I have a lot of tools that need organizing, so it is necessary for me to have lots of storage, like filing cabinets, rolling storage tables, a decently sized desk, so I can fit both my iMac and my MacBook and more. But on a side note, I actually really do find lighting to be crucial. I used to be in a space in a previous place that I used to live at, where my office had no window. So I really had a lot of, it felt like a closed space. I didn't have any natural sunlight coming in. But in my current space, I have a vast amount of natural light that helps me with my creative inspiration. So if you are in my shoes where I was back in that old space, and you don't have as much natural light, I think there's actually one of the, I don't know if I'm calling it the right thing, but it's like called vitamin D lights. And the light mimics sunlight,
and it helps your body to produce vitamin D, which I think is really interesting. And I'm sure those who are tuning in will probably know the proper name and maybe will comment it. But I always recommend that I wish I had done that back then, but it really does help with creative inspiration when it comes to my work environment. I also find on days where it's not heavy on my client work, maybe on my seat. CEO days where like I'm just solely working on business backends to enjoy my time working in cafes or smaller coffee shops just to get out and afford to get a change of scenery really helps with inspiration as well.
If we're going to talk about my schedule, my schedule changes on a daily basis as to what I am working on in a day, but I do set schedule boundaries so my client clients know when they can reach me. For instance, my office hours are from 9am to 5pm. My clients know that within those hours, they'll be hearing from me to send deliverables, coordinate meetings, and chat through ideas and proposals.
I love being a graphic designer for the reason that every day truly does look different. I take on a few clients at once so that that each day I'm working on different projects that allow my mind to refresh and it challenges my creative problem solving skills since I am having to adapt to different projects each day.
So if you are someone who enjoys a challenge and working on different things on a daily basis, I think you would find being a graphic designer extremely fulfilling. I do typically coordinate my time very strategically between those hours of 9am to 5pm.
I have actually never provided specific details on how I schedule my days and weeks. I think I've just provided like little snippets here and there, but I actually think I'm going to go over what has worked best for me over the past few years in business as to how I structure my day.
You do eventually learn through trial and error, but this method that I'm about to talk to you about has just pretty... to have worked best for me. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are heavier days of the week for me. What I mean by this is I coordinate my meetings on these days and allow myself on Thursdays and Fridays to take time off of calls to focus solely on client work or my business backends like I kind of mentioned about how I structure my Fridays.
I strategically coordinate meetings. So, in terms of the time so that they're committed to and done before I jump into work so I'm not interrupting my creative flow and that process or at the end of the day. So what I kind of mentioned was Fridays are what I call CEO days. I've seen creatives utilize Mondays for their CEO days but I haven't found that to be as great for myself.
This has been because Mondays are when I need to touch base with clients. I need to make those follow -ups. I often have to do those calls because people feel more inspired. I think people are on their emails more often and more frequently on Mondays. They're refreshed from coming out of the weekend. While as on Fridays, I find because my clients have now hit the end of the week, they're a little more tired and they're not as interested in emailing me and communicating.
So that's not to say I'm going to send. Some people deliver deliverables that are due for Fridays. I just know that I'm going to be putting more time on this day while my clients are kind of taking more time for themselves or elsewhere to devote to my business to ensure that I'm setting myself up for success.
What even is a CEO day? I feel like I've been using this word and you're probably thinking, Danielle, what are you talking about? CEO days entail going over my social media plans, planning out my next week through utilizing my planner, and as well, Google Calendar, listing out my priority items for the following week, going over my email marketing, just my marketing in general, I will say, but emails are huge, and as well as sometimes even making time on Fridays to meet up with clients, colleagues, or friends for coffee. I do like to stay in a loop with a few people in my life just so that they can see that I care and I want to be present in their lives. If you are at a place where you can start delegating tasks, I do recommend it.
Having an administrative assistant really has helped me out to ensure I am putting time into my client projects rather than projects that someone else could do better than myself in. And for instance, this is most likely admin. So my admin would help out with onboarding client projects, off-boarding when projects are done, invoicing general inquiries and obtaining reviews for our services,
super crucial. And in general, just some healthy checkups to see how projects are going. I also have onboarded a few other positions on contractual levels to help me out with other tasks, like helping to run my podcast, or just getting in touch just to see if they have any questions or need me regarding anything.
So that is part of my day -to -day as well. But now that we kind of tackled through how I communicate when I coordinate meetings, so those kind of weekly tasks or how I delegate my tasks so I can focus on being creative,
let's talk about the creative aspect about the job because it really is huge. Graphic design is a very creative field to be in. However, strategy... is a huge component as well. Understanding consumer psychology is crucial if you decide to go into really any sector and specialization in graphic design. I find it especially important in branding, packaging, and website design. I not only need to offer designs that are luxurious, intricately designed, and impactful, but they need to be able to sell, convert, and convey successful messages. messages to buyers and consumers alike. Being a perfectionist is often considered a bad trait, but it's actually one of those common traits I find a lot of graphic designers have in common.
We just want to ensure we're providing something that feels and looks perfect, and we hold ourselves up to a really high standard. If someone asked me what my favorite projects are to work on, I would say branding is my favorite. Being able to tell a story through a logo and brand identity elements like typography, illustration, design, and color, it's so satisfying to create and bring these things to life.
Especially if a client has invested in an all -encompassing project where we work on everything from the ground up, like we might work on their branding first, and then it leads into ensuring that we're setting up a really successful website design that has really great flows. And if they're a product -based brand, often they'll say, "Hey, can you design my packaging as well?" So ground up all -encompassing projects. The storytelling aspect is huge in this state.
I also find that my clients that do invest in this have a higher return on investment rate because they're standing out against their competitors and in turn showing up as an expert in their field. Consumers just want to feel like they can trust the brand and that they'll receive a personal and reliable experience because branding is what attracts and secures clients, customers, consumers, you get the deal. So our roles as graphic designers may seem solely creative because of what we're displaying on our portfolio, but a whole lot of strategy, thought planning and project management goes into every proposal I develop for my clients.
I currently work with a lot of people in the health and wellness field. I would say right now it would include a lot of dentist practices, health clinics, skincare lines,
and in a similar way like general service providers, therapists, psychologists, product -based wellness companies and more. I also do work with a lot of professionals in creative sectors as well. So this could be an event planning company or just a planner on their own. Photographers, interior designers, you get the gist. I think that's why I say graphic design is a really versatile job.
Since I am working with a wide range of companies and professionals all at once, I work in a lot of different programs as well throughout the day and the week,
depending on the type of project. project that a client has booked with me. So this makes your job and my job as a graphic designer a bit more challenging since I need to be well -adversed in quite a few different programs in order to offer services that accommodate to my client's needs.
For instance, for all of my branding work, I utilize Adobe Creative Cloud programs, mainly Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, but for my website work, I work in platforms and programs like Squarespace, WordPress, Shopify, ShowIt, which is a new and upcoming platform, and Wix. I try to keep it versatile, but this also means that I have to take some classes and attend virtual events when I see that they're doing some updates to the platform so I can ensure that I'm up to date as well with the information I am providing to my clients and also when I am designing in the platform. platform.
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EPISODE PT 2:
I continuously also need to stay alert on social media as well, so I feel like graphic designers wear a lot of hats, but people also confuse what we do. So, I am not a social media manager. And I know it's confusing to some people because truly social media is a whole other ballgame. And the only thing I focus on if we're going to talk social media is like I create posts for my clients and styling.
So the creative aspect as to how your posts are showing up. But I am not focusing on engagement or management. Just a full disclosure. But I do know to stay up to date on marketing trends that reflect and amplify my clients brand message and tone for those that have invested in those services with me. I also need to know this stuff for my own brand as well, because a good chunk of my clients find me through social media.
And now that we're on that topic, let's talk about where my clients come from, because obviously that's what makes up my whole business. And as I work with different clients. I would say about 30 to 40 % of my clients find me through social media, whether it be Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, I would say mainly Instagram though right now. The other, I wanna say about 20 to 30 % is through Google search. Yes, SEO (search engine optimization) is crucial and works people. You gotta look into it for your website. And lastly, but definitely not. not least, word of mouth.
A really good chunk of clients come through word of mouth from my past, ongoing, and future clients too. I mean, like the word of mouth is so huge. If someone likes the work and experience that you provide, word of mouth becomes your best friend in the industry. In the beginning though, it wasn't always like that.
And although we're talking about the word of mouth, about the day in the life as a graphic designer and business owner presently, I just want to say that it just wasn't always like this. When I was living in the heart of downtown Toronto when I first started, I was promoting my services everywhere and anywhere to get my name out there. I was saying yes to projects to gain experience and build up my portfolio. I was so uncomfortable in the beginning stages telling people what I do.
Awkward elevator pitches are just not for me. I'm an awkward human. So trying to explain to people what I do in the very beginning is awkward, right?
Like it's hard to just sell yourself, but also not sound too salesy at the same time. And I was, I also needed to direct them to my website back then, which geez, that was brutal. I wasn't offering website design services at the time for that reason, but I needed to have something to direct people to. So I would often direct people even to my Instagram page 'cause I was posting a lot of my work on there, but this really did pay off in the end for that word of mouth chunk of where I find and have clients now.
To get back into my day -to -day life, I am a huge lover of routine. So I do keep my routines fairly simple. So we'll talk about the daily routines. I just think that's the easiest way to go. So let's start with the morning routine, I guess. So with my mornings, I always just want to ensure that I am making myself a good breakfast,
even if I'm not that hungry. So if I'm not hungry, like obviously I'm just going to make a lighter meal, but I do find that I need fuel. fuel to get me through the day, especially when I'm telling you guys that I coordinate meetings first thing in the morning before I jump into work, or if I'm finishing up the day and that means like scheduling meetings like 3 :30-5PM, I can't last without a good breakfast. So I make sure to devote some time to ensure that I'm eating something good and of course having my coffee need that.
I then then work steadily from that 9-5. But I mean, sometimes you can wrap up a little sooner, other days, you might be working later. Actually, when this episode's going live, I probably worked late almost every single day. But it's just because it's the time of year where people want launches or they're inspired to work on their businesses further. So gotta launch a lot of launches coming up.
I'm working with a lot more clients currently. So I've been working late a lot. So I'm talking to you as well if the nine to five has been something that was, I don't know, a part of my usual routine this week, but it definitely wasn't. That's why I say sometimes you're working later, but it's just the deal of the game when you run a business and you don't work for a company.
But now that I'm saying that I have seen, you know, graphic designers who work the corporate life work later to ensure that they meet the company's project deadlines 'cause you have to work on a fast turnaround. But no matter where you are, hours tend to fluctuate.
But on a routine basis, I really do try to work between the normal hours of a 9 to 5. And I should mention that even if I'm working late, I'm working on client projects. I am not emailing because I want people to understand that I do have boundaries where they can reach me because I think a 9 to 5 is fairly normal for that.
I also feel a lot more creatively inspired in the morning and early afternoon. afternoon. I am not a night owl, so I do tend to prioritize big projects and work in those hours to ensure that I feel energized and inspired. So between the hours of nine to five, I take at least an hour break around lunchtime to be able to feel myself again, get some yummy food in my system, and get out of the house to get some fresh air.
And to anyone in Toronto... Toronto right now you know that it is terribly cold we are in the dead of winter so it's not enjoyable to be doing this in the afternoon.
However I do have a dog that loves to go on walks even if it's just like tiny ones because he hates the cold just as much as me so he gets me to prioritize that form of movement in the afternoon and it helps me to break up my day get back into work once I'm done and feel a little more inspired that at least I got out and had some movement.
After work, I always try to fit in some low -intensity workouts. I've talked about this before, even in the season intro for season four. This includes my online Pilates classes. I have really enjoyed doing this. I look forward to it after work. It's the time I devote to just myself and to show up and be present for myself only.
I love the classes that I'm a part of. My instructor Sami Clark on the app called Form has classes for different intensity levels. I mean, sometimes I just really don't have energy after a busy day at work. So I tend to, you know, do the classes that perhaps are more focused on balance, meditation and stretching.
Whereas most of my days and other days, I know I just want to be challenged. And so weights are involved and you're lifting heavier or you're doing just more intermediate workouts. I find my evening routine to be crucial. I spend time with my family and of course my pup, his name is Monet. And that time I spend cooking meals, which I put my creativity into because I love food and I want to eat good food. food so I do enjoy having those moments of silence and just cooking up something good and enjoying it and after that I really do love a good thriller or horror TV show so I often binge a couple of episodes of my favorite show as well so I'm just really decompressing in this time of my let's just call it the five to nine where I'm done work and I'm doing all of this for myself I need these wind down my because I often lead and coordinate meetings throughout the day, as mentioned earlier in the episode.
I naturally am an introvert, so I need to wind down in the evening in order to show up as the best version of myself the next day for my clients. And I would say like that really is my routine and day in the life.
It really is that simple. I don't like to over complicate things. I like to simplify my routines and find optimal versions of getting things done so I can reserve my energy and give the most to my clients. I hope that this does paint a picture for you all of what it's like to be a graphic designer who runs a full -time graphic design studio at home.
If you ever have questions about the industry, I am always open to chatting on my actual graphic design page. So that is @DanielleLaBnteDesigns, which is linked below in the show notes for you all.
On there, if you don't feel like shooting me a message, you'll find tips, client work, so my portfolio, and more behind the scenes of my business.
Thank you for tuning in, and I hope you all have a creatively inspiring day or evening whenever you're tuning in to this, and I'll see you all in the next video. next episode.
OUTRO:
Thank you for tuning in to today's episode. We're always bringing out something new for all of you to tune into and love hearing from you. Our team over here on Bring Out Creativity would love it if you joined our community in any capacity. Whether it be checking us out on Instagram at Bring Out Creativity or leaving a review to help us better serve you as listeners. If you're looking to join or sponsor an episode, reach out to us through email which is linked in our episodes show notes below. Thanks creatives.