James Martin

This is the mindset shift.
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Showing up is all you need to do my friends.
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If you are reading this… you are winning today.
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Have a great week.
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#designer #design #graphicdesign

Remember that logo design and brand identity is already a niche!
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I personally believe that is can be detrimental to your business if you focus your skills in to only one industry.
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Don’t niche yourself into a corner.
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#logodesign #brand #business #logodesign #logodesigner #logoprocess #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #design

Emotional trigger warning.

My wife and I had a tough journey to parenthood.

For eight long years, we faced multiple miscarriages and even an ectopic pregnancy.

The odds weren’t in our favor—only a 5% chance of success, they said. But we didn’t give up.

We went through several rounds of IVF.

Each attempt was a rollercoaster of hope and heartbreak. The emotional toll was immense, and the physical strain on my wife was exhausting.

Yet…Through every setback, We found a way to keep going.

Doubt crept in often, But our desire to become parents kept us moving forward.

We leaned on each other for strength and held onto the sliver of hope that one day, Our persistence would pay off.

And then, it happened.

In January last year, our son, Rocco, was born.

Holding him for the first time, I felt an overwhelming sense of pure happiness…Against all odds, we had done it.

Our resilience had brought us the greatest joy we could ever imagine.

Why am I telling you this?

The power of persistence and resilience as a designer…It’s crucial.

In your projects, You will face repeated failures or challenges.

It's easy to feel discouraged when things don’t go as planned.

You might even feel like giving up at times.

But remember, Breakthrough designs and successful outcomes often come from relentless determination and trying new approaches.

This is your moment to dig deep. To push past the frustration and keep experimenting.

Your next big success might be just around the corner. It’s about staying resilient.

And believing that every setback… Is a setup for a comeback.

Keep believing.

P.s If you are having struggles with building a family please know I am here for you.

I wanted to share this story as it’s REAL and I hope it helps to hear it! Although I know is it’s tough to read it.

Respect my friends.

The key to personal growth.
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It’s been a whirlwind week at Adobe MAX where I got to spend time with some brilliant people… and it made me realise how true this diagram is!
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I was taught many years ago to surround myself with three types of people.
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Someone you can teach.
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Someone on your level.
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Someone you can learn from.
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If you do this you will always be developing as an individual.
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I was lucky enough to be surrounded by all three this week and I feel energised (but slightly jet lagged 😂)
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I only take advice from people who are doing the things I want to do! And I was lucky enough to work closely with one of my “someone to learn from” this week… Chris Do
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I was extremely honoured that Chris invited me to run a couple of live whiteboard sessions at TheFutur booth this year and what an experience… definitely pushed out of my comfort zone but loved every second.
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I hope this little diagram ignites some ideas and thoughts for you and if you are as lucky as me… maybe your hero’s can also become your friends.
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Have a great week.
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#personalbrand #graphicdesign #branddesigner #branding #design #adobemax

Trust = your work + your character + your experience
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You are more than the work your create.
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If you want to get clients to trust you then you need to show them more than your portfolio.
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#logodesigners #logomaker #logoprocess #branding #brandidentity #brandidentitydesign #brandidentitydesigner #visualidentitydesign #graphicdesigner #graphicdesigners

Remember this one thing…

We are all going to die one day.

Make sure you have fun while you’re here.

Love ya.

Have a great weekend

#design #designer #artist #creative

Stop reading fucking design books.

You’re becoming boring, predictable, and starting to think like everyone else.

A good buddy of mine, Thad Cox, shared a killer quote from Stevie Jobsy (aka Steve Jobs) with me that i'd love for you to read.

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it—they just saw something.

That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesise new things. And the reason they were able to do that was because they’ve had more experiences or thought more about their experiences than other people.

Unfortunately, that’s too rare. A lot of people in our industry don’t have diverse experiences. They don’t have enough dots to connect, so they create linear, predictable solutions. The broader your understanding of human experience, the better your design will be.”

If you’re reading the same things, following the same people, and listening to the same podcasts as everyone else...

You’re collecting the same dots as everyone else.

Spend five minutes on Instagram, and it’s obvious...designers recycling the same trends, mimicking each other’s style, and getting stuck on the algorithm treadmill...it has distracted me too in the past.

We can all spot the sea of sameness a mile away... And for us that have been there... it feels easy, comfortable and takes minimal effort to stay there.

BUT... If you want to stand out you,

you need to get better at curating your taste.

Stop copying dots from others.

Start collecting your own.

Draw from different experiences, perspectives, and influences. Actively follow people you DON’T agree with (it will help you challenge your thinking)

Explore the weird, the uncomfortable, and the unknown.

Because your creativity is only as good as the dots you collect.

Shape a voice that’s truly yours and you'll start to become the destination your clients are looking for.

Now go gobble up those dots... and have a cracking weekend.

#design #designer #graphicdesign #creativity

You’ll never make any money doing art.

You’ll never get a job covered in tattoos.

You’ll have to get a proper job one day.

In all honesty I started to believe these words when they were drilled into me as a kid at school… but as an almost 40 year old human, I’m glad i didn’t listen.

Today I get to travel the world with my wife and Rocco and speak infront of my design industry friends, share stories, knowledge and laughs.

The people around you will always offer you an opinion… even when they are not asked!

But the only opinion that really matters is the one you have about yourself.

Get the world to fit to you!

This pic is of me this morning In the PNW at the Into The Woods Conference 🇺🇸

#logodesigners #graphicdesigner #graphicdesign #designindustry #creativeagency #creativeindustry #designconference #creativecontent

You are a designer.
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Not a stock library.
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Share your best brain and don’t jump straight into the obvious.
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#logodesigner #designer #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #design #logodesign #brandidentity #logo #logomaker