PODCAST · business
Design Life
by Charli Prangley, Femke Van Schoonhoven
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 when we were studying, and we want to chat to you about the joys and the frustrations of working in the tech industry by day, and on our passion projects in the rest of our waking hours. We hope that by doing so, Design Life will give you a dose of motivation or inspiration when you need it.
Episodes
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325: Goals and creative aspirations for 2026
Femke and Charli outline their goals for 2026 and the strategies they plan to implement to achieve them. Femke shares an update about her upcoming baby and how she plans to balance it with her business, while Charli discusses her approach to the book writing process. Timestamps: 01:11 Episode...
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324: Collaborating with other design creators on a side project
Femke and Charli discuss how to collaborate effectively with other design creators on side projects. Femke shares her experience working with five other designers on the Design Creator's Bundle, including how the collaboration went, how they divided the revenue, and how audience size influenced...
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323: How to land a promotion
Charli and Femke discuss the common challenges people face when pursuing promotions, share strategies to prepare for performance reviews, and explore options for those who perform well but are unable to get promoted. Timestamps: 0:57 Episode start 01:50 Catch up 07:25 What are the main challenged...
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322: Our approach to side projects in 2026
Charli and Femke discuss their evolving perspectives on side projects, preferred platforms and content formats, and how these have changed throughout their careers, while also sharing their current goals—Charli opening up about her book writing journey and Femke explaining how her approach to her...
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321: Knowledge-sharing in a design team (the wins and the failures)
Femke and Charli discuss how to foster a culture of knowledge sharing at a workplace. They explore how to structure language-sharing sessions, whether these should focus on work-related topics or personal expertise, how to encourage team members to participate, and what roles leaders and team...
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320: The struggle with staying up-to-date with new design tools
Femke and Charli discuss the challenges of staying up-to-date with AI tools, the importance of developing horizontal skills rather than just tool-specific knowledge, integrating AI into your workflow, the financial and environmental impacts of AI and strategies for keeping up with rapid...
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319: Balancing speed and quality in design work
Femke and Charli discuss how to balance product quality with commitments, deadlines, and the pressure to ship quickly. They explore the best approaches to building MVPs and new features, and consider whether AI is influencing the expected pace of work in design. Timestamps: 01:14 Episode start...
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318: Revealing our performance reviews as design leaders
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke Charli and Femke talk about the challenges of discussing performance reviews and share the actual feedback they received. They discuss how performance...
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317: What it's like to take part in a hackathon
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke Femke and Charli discuss various aspects of hackathons, including team organization and timelines, the motivations behind creating dedicated create…
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316: The art of giving useful feedback
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke Femke and Charli discuss their perspectives on giving feedback, how their approaches have evolved, the importance of mindful communication, and…
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315: How to hire (and get hired) in a brand design role
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke Femke and Charli discuss Gusto's new Creative Director role, including why the company hired for it and what they’re looking for. They talk about whether...
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314: Coaching ICs as a design manager
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke Femke and Charli explore their coaching experiences, the importance of active listening, and navigating coaching challenges from both coach and coachee...
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313: Building relationships with PM's & Product Marketers
Thank you to our sponsor, Framer. Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Start free today at framer.link/femke Femke and Charli delve into the relationship between a designer and a product manager, exploring perspectives on role responsibilities, skill overlaps,...
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312: Design vision work and how to have a strategic impact
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 discuss the nature of...
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311: Hot takes on Config 2025 and new Figma features
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...
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310: Going back to work after an extended break
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...
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309: Become a design manager or stay an IC? How to make the choice.
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...
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308: Making the jump from mid to senior
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…
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307: Will AI take your design job? (Hot takes from later adopters)
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...
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306: Building a team for your side projects
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...
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305: If we started our side projects all over again...
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…
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304: Setting our goals and intentions for 2025
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...
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303: Changes in the design industry (specialists vs generalists?)
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...
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302: Design maturity and culture in a company (and how to influence it)
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...
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301: Learning management skills as a design manager
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...
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300: Live Q&A - Answering Your Top Design Questions on Air
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...
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299: How to get better at collaborating with cross-functional partners
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...
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298: Behind the scenes of launching ConvertKit's rebrand to Kit
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...
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297: What it's really like to go on parental leave as a designer
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...
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296: How to land a promotion
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…
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295: The perks and pitfalls of working with a freelancer
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...
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294: Behind the scenes of a company rebrand
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...
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293: Why you need to understand the impact of your work
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....
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292: Config 2024 Figma release reactions
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...
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291: When a side project totally fails
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...
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290: Landing a new design job in 2024
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...
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289: How to know when it's time to move on from a job
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...
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288: Making the most of team retreats and offsites
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...
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287: Why your personal brand matters
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...
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286: Should you take deadlines seriously?
Charli and Femke give an elaborate reply to one of the listener's requests: whether deadlines should be taken seriously. The hosts share real stories of how they approached deadlines in different projects, how unrealistic deadlines should be handled, what to do in situations when a deadline…
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285: The truth about burnout (and recovery)
Charli shares her personal experience of how she got burned out from her side projects. She talks about the subtle signs and symptoms that indicate burnout and how to confront them. Charli decided to drop her side projects and restructured her life to recover from burnout. Charli and Femke touch...
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284: Our Career and Personal Goals for 2024
Welcome back, design enthusiasts! We're kicking off 2024 by bring you up to speed on our latest adventures and aspirations. 🌟 Life Updates: Tune in as we share the latest updates from our lives – from career milestones to more personal things, we're laying it all on the table. 💼 Career and Side...
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283: Our copywriting process
In this episode of the Design Life podcast we chat about all things copywriting!
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282: Reliving our Config experience
Thank you Config for a fantastic conference! In this episode we recap our highlights and chat all about our meetup.
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281: How to make the most of a design conference
Are you attending a design conference this summer? In this episode we share our favourite tips for making the most of the conference experience to maximise learning, connection and most importantly - fun!
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280: Preparing for a feature launch as a designer
Preparing for a feature launch as a designer is such an exciting time! To see your work come to fruition brings with it a fantastic feeling, but it's not always plain sailing. In this episode we discuss the highs and lows of working on feature launches as a designer.
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279: Validating design solutions
Today on the Design Life podcast we are answering a listener question from an engineer, who is looking for advice on how to validate a design and communicate this with the relevant stakeholders.
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278: Are you on the right path in your design career?
Wondering if you are on the right path in your design career? Fear not, we have a very reassuring conversation this week on the podcast! Hear all about how we've used the design career checkpoint to help reflect on our careers and set new goals.
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277: Learning throughout different stages of your design career
This week on Design Life we’re chatting about learning throughout different stages of our design careers, and how our approach to learning has changed over time.
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276: Managing in different directions
Find yourself in a new role and managing in different directions? Us too! In this episode we're talking how to make the most of managing in different directions.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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 when we were studying, and we want to chat to you about the joys and the frustrations of working in the tech industry by day, and on our passion projects in the rest of our waking hours. We hope that by doing so, Design Life will give you a dose of motivation or inspiration when you need it.
HOSTED BY
Charli Prangley, Femke Van Schoonhoven
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Design Life have?
Design Life currently has 325 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Design Life about?
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...
How often does Design Life release new episodes?
Design Life publishes regularly with 325 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Design Life?
You can listen to Design Life on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Design Life?
Design Life is created and hosted by Charli Prangley, Femke Van Schoonhoven.
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