Chris Do

This post turned people off.
It’s also my highest performing tweet. Ever. By a long shot.

It triggered some responses like:
Oh. This is gross. Social media flexing. I thought you grew out of that phase as a teenager? Is this a D* measuring contest?

Or, I sure hope when I’m that age I’m no longer talking about social stats.

Some of the best comments come from TikTok. Like this one… and yet no one knows who you are. Haha. Or have you made $1000 yet?

And, isn’t this just promoting hustle culture and how toxic this can be?

I think they missed the point, but maybe it wasn’t phrased correctly. And I’ll take responsibility for that. I write from a place of positivity, optimism and empowerment (mostly). I have a blind spot for negative interpretations.

I turned 51 this year. In the past I’ve been reluctant to talk about my age. Not because I’m self conscious. I could care less. It was more about keeping some mystery about myself.

Then I realized that some people thought I was too young to be talking about business. That I was just some kid offering up bad business advice (more on that on another day) with no experience.

Or I’d hear about the frustrations that social media was a young person’s game. New tech can be confusing and feel exclusive to people who didn’t grow up with a smart phone.

Let me clear this up. Or at least attempt to.

Whatever your goal in life. However you measure success, joy, connection or find meaning, I’m here to tell you it’s not too late. You can start. Today. Or tomorrow.

Just don’t let anyone tell you, you’re too young, you’re too old, it’s too late.

That’s all.

I’m slightly embarrassed that despite having a following, I barely know how to use social media. I often wind up asking my much younger staff how to do “basic” stuff. My kids often roll their eyes when I post content. They laugh and call it “boomer” posts. Whatever. I’m gonna do me. You do you I tell them.

See you at the top, friends.

Here if you need help. You know, one old timer to another.

What are your thoughts?

#goalsetting #contentmarketingtips

Warning. This post is going to be a little spicy.
Skip it if you don't like spicy. I have been described before as a charismatic razor blade. I might earn it today.

Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors and people lose their minds because they don't know what to pick. So many flavors. If the person in line picked vanilla and every other person after picked vanilla, they'd run out of vanilla. But more importantly, flavors like mint chocolate chip, rocky road, and cookie dough would go largely unappreciated.

As my design and carousels evolve, I can't help but notice how other “influencers“ are making similar changes. I even tried “ugly“ colors like pink, salmon, persimmon, hunter green and celery. Color combos I thought no one would use.

And then. copy. Paste.

It's gotten to a point that I'm feeling a little crowded like I can't breathe. I'm not telling you that I own any of this, or that it's original. It's not. But it did get me to think: being like someone else isn't good branding. It's not good business. It's not good for personal growth. Why not choose another color, typeface or illustration style?

So next time you are at the ice cream parlor, try going a little crazy. Try French Vanilla. Add some nuts. Find your own take on design. It's actually really fun.

If not, I've included every color, typeface and even the illustrator that I use. I want to make it easier to rip off. If anything, it'll force the conversation, if everyone is doing what you do, what will you do?

Better to be an imperfect you than a perfect someone else.

#branding #designprinciples #entrepreneurmindset

Good design can save lives.

Typography is thinking made visible. Before someone can understand your ideas, they must first be able to read the words.

I find this to be true with designers and non designers alike, when it comes to functional type vs display type, legibility is an after thought.

The human mind can recognize shapes before we can read the words. Experiments have been created where letters of words were scrambled and we can still decipher the meaning.

Setting type in all caps is good for some use cases like titles and headlines, but should be avoidable for body copy. Upper case is harder to read because the letterforms go from baseline to cap height line, making them harder to distinguish from one another.

Instead, use upper lower case, or all lower case for blocks of text.

Hope this helps. Let me know your thoughts below.

#graphicdesign #legibility #typesetting #typography

It’s better to fail in the pursuit of excellence than to be successful at being mediocre.

I think many of us settle for what we have because we are afraid of failure and rejection. So we choose to remain the big fish in the small pond. We are never forced to see how high we might go and therefore how far we might fall.

Be brave enough to find the edges of what you are capable of. Be the small fish in the big pond. Dream bigger. Be bold enough to think you can play at the highest levels against the very best in the world. You can.

Don’t be a settler. Be an explorer.

Tell me about how you are pushing yourself to find your edges. What are your big, hairy audacious goals? Mine is too change how people learn. I might not be successful, but the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.

#Entrepreneurial #successtips #businessquotes #mentorship

Having been in the business for 20+ years, I've had my fair share of clients from hell. Consider this a public service announcement for those of you that are still new to the game or haven't quite figured out why some relationships turn sour quickly. And, if you're a client, see if any of these rings a bell.\n\nMost of the time, if you're paying attention, you can see bad clients from a mile away, but all too often you're “temporarily blinded“ by the need to hit a sales quota, or have a stack of invoices that are unpaid. Alarm bells ring and red flags are raised, but fall on deaf ears. This is a tongue-in-cheek guide to help you quickly identify the sinners and see the light.\n\nCover image is designed by art director/concept artist james levy and used with permission. \n\n#nightmareclients #clientsfromhell #thewarningsigns #jameslevydesign #badclients #howtoavoid #entrepreneurship #clientmanagement #salestips #salesadvice #avoidatallcost #hellclients

Plan the work. Work the plan. Repeat.

Have a strategy for how you will achieve your goals. A clear goal will often reveal the steps necessary. Then, do the work. If the steps you take don’t bring you closer to your goal, adjust the plan.

It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.

Are you working your plan?

#strategy #work

Why passion and purpose are essential to your goals.

Purpose—beyond money, the reason why you exist. Purpose determines priorities. Priorities determine courses of action. Purpose without action is fantasy.

Passion—what drives you. “Passion is energy.“—Oprah Winfrey.

Purpose sets direction while passion keeps you going when you the hit the the “dip“. You will need to draw upon your passion to stay committed, to not give up, to not get distracted, and to climb the hill towards your goal.

Passion without purpose is going nowhere fast. “Passion without purpose is like a shot without a target.“—Ifeanyi Enoch. Purpose steers, passion propels. Get clear on your purpose. Find your passion.

Here’s the secret—if you want to be successful, go places, make a name for yourself, go on an adventure, all you have to do is...
Start. That’s it.
Start.

Believe it or not, the hardest part is to just start. Everything else will work itself out.

What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t? What habit can you start today?

Original tweet by @wearenotwizards. Follow @werenotwizards on IG<<.
Unsplash photo by Ian Dooley @sadswim.

Futur European Tour Posters generated by #MidJourney v.4.
Two full day workshops. Business Clinic. Personal Branding.
See event for details.

Multi-ticket discounts available for teams.

Cities/Dates:
Manchester April 12
London April 14-15
Stockholm April 17
Amsterdam April 19
Berlin April 21–22
Bucharest April 24
Lisbon April 26
Barcelona April 28–29
Dublin May 03
Stavanger May 05 ← Just added

Get your tickets here:
https://lnkd.in/g8Jix5ek

See you in April!

#personalbranding #businessdevelopment #businessfundamentals

High quality writing beats high quality design. It's odd for me to say this considering two things: 1) I'm a designer 2) I don't consider myself a writer. After creating 100+ posts on Instagram, I've come to discover that the single biggest thing that will help you to grow is to learn how to write for the platform.

Short, clear, simple and honest writing that feels conversational outperform all other types of posts. Write from the heart. Share openly. Reveal your true, vulnerable self. Share what you've learned.

You can spend time to make your writing look better, but if the idea isn't there, it's the law of diminishing returns. Start with good writing. Finish with good design. Not the other way around.

What's been your highest performing post on Linkedin or Instagram? What was the key to your success? I want to know.

For more tips on how to write better for #instagram, check out this latest video: https://lnkd.in/gNcTMum     

#instagramgrowth #contentmarketingtips

It's been 8 years and 10 months since I've used the term to describe myself.

How we describe ourselves also shapes how others see us. There we must choose our titles with great care.

Let me show you what I mean.

A graphic designer designs graphics. 
An interior designer designs interiors. 
A fashion designer designs fashion.

Is that all you do?

In servicing clients, are we not helping them to design their:

Strategy, identity, messaging, marketing, funnel, culture, products, positioning, customer journey, packaging, user experiences, etc…?

Pick a title that is more representative of what you do. 
Let me know what title you use that accurately describes all that you bring.

Friends, I'm delighted to tell you that I'll be speaking (in real life) for the first time at Adobe MAX this year. I'm one of the “luminary“ speakers that will be on the big stage.

What's cooler than cool? So many of my friends and professional acquaintances are speaking as well: Aaron James Draplin, Adam J. Kurtz, Timothy Goodman, James Barnard, Monotype, Andrew Hochradel, Eran Stern, Annie Atkins and Kyle T. Webster. Sounds like a partay!

If you've never been, Adobe puts on an amazing multi-day event. Max bash doesn't disappoint with music acts like: 21 Pilots, Beck, and Vampire Weekend (past years). There will be thousands of creative types (just like you) roaming the hallways, jamming in sessions and workshops, or just slumming it with us on the exhibit floor.

Every year, we have a 10x20' booth where I'll be doing my #whiteboard sessions each day. We'll have posters, books, and a variety of merchandise for sale… but only for the die-hard DoNuts.

Are you planning on attending?

Price plays a big role in perception of value. Here's what you can learn from how luxury brands like Gucci price their products to attract the right type of customer. We buy on emotion and use logic to justify our purchase.

Did you need to buy the fancy import car? Or did you just want it because of how it made you feel? Do you reach out for the cheapest bottle of water or do you buy the fancy one because you question the provenance of the generic label? It turns out, our imbic brain (or gut) makes all of our decisions.

Before you comment on the background pattern as being more like Louis Vuitton, I'm aware of this and yes it was deliberate.

#pricing #marketing #positioning #value #perception #thefutur #carousels #pdf

What if no one likes me? What if people think I'm stupid, a complete fraud with no talent?

The fear of being disliked, ridiculed or hated on is enough for most people to never share their ideas in public. So they keep their ideas to themselves and therefore rob others the joy of learning from their stories of triumph and tragedy.

The greatest personal and professional transformation that I've had came from letting go of this need to be loved, supported, and popular. Once I leaned into my strengths and weaknesses and stopped caring what others said, I discovered my true voice in my 40s. Learn to turn the criticism into motivation. Embrace that if you have a point of view that others will not agree with you.

A quick and easy guide on how to lose clients. Simply do one or more of the following and watch your clients disappear, bookings suddenly cancel, and account balance dwindle.

If this has happened to you, you may be guilt of committing some of these “sins“. Did I miss any? Questions? Let me know what you think. Share with a friend who needs to see this.

#1BminusOne #howtogetclients #howtoloseclients #freelance #freelancer #tips #advice #bizofdesign

I often emphasize the importance of personal branding, the art of storytelling, and the power of vulnerability.

But perhaps I'm not walking the talk.

My friends encourage me to reveal more of myself. Maybe I've been too focused on creating value for others that I've been inadvertently hiding. Let me rectify that.

Hi. My name is Chris Do. I'm a loud introvert, husband, father, serial entrepreneur, charming razor blade, caring snob, refugee, and recovering graphic designer.

I used to run a company called Blind™.
Now, I run the Futur—a content and education company with a really big mission: Teach 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love.

If you've been on this journey with me, thank you for your support, encouragement, and interaction. It would be a lot less fun for me without you.

I've shared with you my 9 lives. Having gone through so many evolutions, I think I'm going to stick with this one for a while.

What are some of your lives? How have you evolved/reinvented yourself over the years? Let me know in the comments.

ArtCenter College of Design

#selfbelief #brandmarketing #entreprenuerlife #growthmindset #beyourownboss #personalbrandingguide #personalbrand #personalbranding

You can lose yourself in the pursuit of some goals and pay too heavy a price. On social media, it’s designed to make you chase numbers: the amount of likes, followers and shares each post gets could make you happy or depressed.

It might even make you pretend to be someone who you are not. If that happens, then you need to find your way back. You do you. Cause no one else will do.

It is better to have a small following than to have a big following and lose yourself. Writing should be a process of self discovery, finding your own voice and sharing your personal stories with others as you learn.

Do you struggle with self acceptance? Do you feel like you can’t show up as yourself and be 100 percent you? Let me know.

The often quoted Jim Rohn is one of my favorite business philosophers. It's Tuesday here and if you need a push to finish the day strong, this might do it for you.

This is frustrating—to have a client that hovers, questions your creative decisions and plays pretend art director. It’s easy to hate the micromanaging client who wants to pixel push you off the design cliff.

Now if this keeps happening, it’s a sign that you are part of the problem. Here’s how to stop clients from playing the role of creative.

First, identify the problem. Then apply the appropriate solution. Let me know if this helps or if you have any suggestions.

#freelancegraphicdesigner #freelancedesigner #freelancelife #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurmindset #entrepreneurtips #micromanaging #designlife #business101

Mindset shift. Don’t sell what you do.
Sell how you think.
Because you are not what you make.
You are so much more.

When you sell what you make, you invite the world to compete with you. When you sell how you think, you only compete with yourself. Because there is no one else who thinks like you.

Today’s post is an excerpt from my book Pocket Full of Do. Bite sized pieces of things I’ve learned in my 20+ years as a creative entrepreneur.

Let me know what you think of this concept. Are you selling what you make or how you see the world?

Save this post for later.

Its jaws are menacing.
Its grip vice like.
It’s the mind killer and destroyer of dreams. It’s the perfectionism monster. Once it grabs a hold of you, it’s very hard to break free.

Perfectionism hides its true face—avoidance, and attachment. We hide behind “I want it to be perfect…“ as a way to avoid facing our biggest fear… proof that our idea either works or it doesn't.

It's more comfortable to be content with the reassuring story of “I could've…“ and not realize our goals, than to face the cold, objective reality of failure.

But the perfection monster, however formidable, has a major weakness. If you don’t believe in it, it dies. For it to live, you must want it to continue to live.

Your ally in this battle is to not run from failure, but to embrace it. Jeff Bezos said “Invention and failure are inseparable twins“. And, there's a mountain of evidence that the most innovative companies and individuals have had more failures than most people even try.

What do we say to the God of perfection?

Not today.

Tag a friend. Bookmark this post. Share it with someone who needs to reframe perfection and failure.

#perfectionism #mindsetshift #mindsetcoaching #businessadvice

Should you be alarmed of how #ai or #machinelearning will be a disruptive force to creative industries, in ways we have yet to imagine?

What you need to know to prepare for this paradigm shift:
• Machines are great at reverse engineering and pattern recognition
• Machines have access to the entirety of human knowledge. What can be seen, scraped, read, watched, listened to, referenced and synthesized can be done in mere seconds.
• Machines can analyze, review and grade creative work at velocity and scale that no human can do.
• They are getting exponentially more powerful and “human“ like in their ability to recognize natural patterns of speech and understand context.
• The machines can learn but do need to be “taught“ as to what you like/dislike.
• Machines can iterate on ideas and provide endless variations on concepts, themes, and styles.
• Machines can take boring, repetitive, labor intensive tasks from humans…freeing us up to do more creative things, like think, dream and direct.

Today, in less than 15 minutes after gaining access to #midjourney (with no help or instruction), I was able to generate over 20 “sketches“ for a cybernetic, robot, skull helmet/head. The results are included here for reference.

Are these works of art? No. But they are more than sufficient as #3d #ConceptArt for a potential character design. I can already see these crude ideas as a “Destiny“ game character or a Sith Lord in a Star Wars film. What is surprising to me is that the machine came up with concepts, in all honesty, that I would not be able to come up with.

“AI is going to change every single business and every single sector. It's going to be the most disruptive technology in the history of mankind.“ - Ginni Rometty, IBM CEO

Change is coming whether you like it or not. Progress, however, is a choice. There will be some that overhype what AI can currently do. Others will raise questions about ethics and paint a picture of a dark, dystopian future. How we use this technology will determine which future we manifest.

Here are just some of the things you can use AI/ML for today:
• Generate ideas for: headlines, book titles, taglines
• Write scripts or blog posts based on a headline or any text you feed it as a starting point
• Grade business ideas
• Evaluate open ended essays
• Automatically swap out assets in design systems
• Auto-populate websites with copy, brand elements
• Write brand manuals
• Sketch visual ideas for set designs, ad campaigns, video thumbnails, character designs, architecture, landscape paintings
• Write lyrics
• Compose songs
• Read text in any voice

The machine needs a good teacher. It works best with someone who knows how to articulate what they wants. We're heading into a future where there will certainly be fewer jobs for those in production. But there will be more opportunities for art directors.

Next post, I'll share a YouTube script that copy.AI wrote for me. You be the judge if it's any good. Questions? Comments?

I was in a mood…
Theory and action aren't enemies.
Theory and practice are two lovers.
They belong together.

One typography tip that will instantly separate you from non designers—use smart, not dumb quotes.
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​​This is an ongoing aggravation of mine when I see prime and double prime marks in lieu of the proper quote marks. My team knows this as well but these errors continue to slip through the cracks.
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​​Let me know if you want more design and typography fundamentals like this. And for goodness sake, please, please stop using the wrong mark.
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​​#typesetting #visualidentitydesign

As a full-time content creator, former designer, and director, I pay careful attention to the tools that I use in my daily life. Every piece of equipment I use is highly attuned for my specific needs and a balance of: performance, ergonomics, aesthetics, build-quality, and general ease of use. I create an insane amount of daily content, so I don’t leave anything to chance.

I get a lot of questions about what my workstation/home office setup is like. Here’s the breakdown: Apple iMac Pro, Logitech MX KEYS keyboard, MX Master 3 mouse, Zone 3 wireless headphones, Blue Baby Bottle Mic, Blackmagic ATEM mini, Rodecaster Pro, M-Audio speakers, BenQ secondary display, Sony FS5 camera, Ikan teleprompter, Intuous Pro, Elgato Stream Deck and Aputure 120d w/ Lightdome.

What is one piece of kit you can’t live without in your office setup?
https://logi.link/8fpcpw
#sponsored #Worklifeupgraded

Some people have guts. And then there is Carlos Segura the founder of type foundry T-26.
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​​In design circles, his terms sheet is legendary for its bold, honest, direct and I don’t give AF approach.
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​​If you work with him, you know what you’re signing up for. Respect.
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​​Could you be this brave? Why? Why not?