Jake Van Ness

Rookie Designer 183 - Moral of the Story

Episode  |  January 21st, 2019  |  39 mins 13 secs

Carl shares a situation that came up with his business and one that he talked with Jake about to get some advice. What to do when an estimate and an invoice from a vendor seem to be way off, even if it's in your favor. We are definitely curious to hear from our listeners on this topic. Just before that we hit on some design news and finish up with our Rookie Recommendations for the week.

Rookie Designer 182 - Goals

Episode  |  December 24th, 2018  |  50 mins 44 secs

Jake and Carl close out 2018 talking about goals. They touch on some of the surprising articles that talk about how you should NOT set goals. While they both kind of disagree with this idea, it's always good to look at a different perspective. Couple of good design news items and of course they finish up with their Rookie Recommendations.Jake and Carl close out 2018 talking about goals. They touch on some of the surprising articles that talk about how you should NOT set goals. While they both kind of disagree with this idea, it's always good to look at a different perspective. Couple of good design news items and of course they finish up with their Rookie Recommendations.

Rookie Designer 181 - Gratitude and Patience

Episode  |  December 11th, 2018  |  46 mins 40 secs

Carl and Jake talk about the importance in gratitude when it comes to running their creative businesses. Being thankful for good clients, great projects, and the strides made are just some of the areas they touch on. They also speak about how important it is to be patient when you are starting out with your creative business. A couple of news items and of course Rookie Recommendations for the week.

Rookie Designer 180 - Tools in a Toolbox

Episode  |  November 12th, 2018  |  41 mins 22 secs

Jake and Carl talk about how it is to be a designer who sometimes is merely a tool for a client. This doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing but it is something a lot of designers struggle to deal with. As creatives we take a lot of pride in the creative work we do and it's important not to let those feeling get in the way of the relationships with clients. However, sometimes a client isn't the best fit and you have to be willing to address that. At the same time, sometimes you just have to be a tool for your client. Throw in a couple of interesting news items and Rookie Recommendations and you have episode 180!

Rookie Designer 179 - Happystance

Episode  |  October 29th, 2018  |  33 mins 25 secs

adobe max, business, design business, freelance, graphic design

Carl and Jake get together this Monday morning to record their latest episode. Carl has some interesting insight about an article stating people are dying sooner due to having less trust and Jake talks about an upcoming Disney documentary. They then jump into Carl's topic Happystance. This is when a big, killer, well paying project almost seems like it fell right in your lap. They both share stories of Happystance just from this past week. Lastly they close out with their Rookie Recommendations for the week.

Rookie Designer 178 - Free Flow

Episode  |  October 17th, 2018  |  48 mins 40 secs

business, design business, freelance, graphic design

Jake and Carl head into episode 178 without much of a topic on deck and decide to see what come up in conversations. They start off with some interested design news from Weight Watchers and a pretty crazy story about some Banksy artwork. Then it's on to see where things take them. Jake shares an interesting story about a video project he has been working on and it leads to a discussion about when things changes mid-project. Lastly they cover their Rookie Recommendations for the week.

Rookie Designer 177 - Don't Panic

Episode  |  October 2nd, 2018  |  35 mins 36 secs

What is one of the most popular phrases from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? Don't Panic! Jake and Carl talk this week in episode 177 about how this simple phrase relates to business. They share a couple of stories related to not panicking while running their design businesses. It's important to look at the big picture and to keep a level head no matter what happens. Carl has some interesting news about the Dunkin' Donuts brand and Jake shares news about an upcoming Adobe conference. Lastly they share their Rookie Recommendations for the week.

Rookie Designer 176 - Moving On

Episode  |  September 24th, 2018  |  44 mins 59 secs

Carl and Jake are back this week with episode 176. They discuss how to deal with and move on from clients and contracts that aren't fitting your business anymore. Sometimes it's a tough situation and they discuss some ways to help make the transition easier for everyone. Sprinkle in a little design news and stay until the end for the Rookie Recommendations. Remember Everyone's a Rookie Before They Are An AllStar.

Rookie Designer 175 - Combat Boredom

Episode  |  September 17th, 2018  |  47 mins 41 secs

Jake and Carl bring you episode 175 this week when they talk about ways to combat boredom. Routines can sometimes cause things to be less than exciting, so it's important to change things up a bit. They share an article talking about how to do so at work but inject their own tips related to working on their own. There are a couple of interesting design news items and lastly they have a bit of a twisted added for the Rookie Recommendations.

Rookie Designer 174 - Distilling a Logo

Episode  |  September 3rd, 2018  |  44 mins 32 secs

Carl is back to cohost with Jake for episode 174. They start off catching up on how Carl's wedding and honeymoon to Scotland went. Then they jump into their main topic which ties back to what Carl learned about distilling Scotch. He uses the process as an analogy related to creating an effective logo. It's a very interesting analogy. Then to close out the show they give their Rookie Recommendations of the week.

Rookie Designer 173 - Pinterest For Designers

Episode  |  August 27th, 2018  |  52 mins 11 secs

Jake welcomes guest co-host Tauhgnee to the episode to sit in while Carl is off in Scotland enjoying his honeymoon. They cover a few design news items and then jump into the main topic. Taughnee has figured out how to use Pinterest to promote her business very effectively. They discuss how she uses the platform and what suggestions she has for someone just starting out using Pinterest. Lastly they both give their Rookie Recommendations for the week.

Rookie Designer 172 - Job Security is an Illusion

Episode  |  August 14th, 2018  |  26 mins 32 secs

This week Jake tackles the topic of job security. He talks about how the job market drastically changed around 2000 and explains why. While many feel safer working for someone else it may not always be the case. Jake relates working for an employer to owning your own business and how it's important to think about diversifying your income. It's not about discouraging you from working for someone else and feeling secure, it's about thinking about how to protect yourself in todays business market. He covers a couple of design news items from Adobe and finishes up with his Rookie Recommendation for the week.

Rookie Designer 171 - Saying No

Episode  |  August 6th, 2018  |  40 mins

This week Jake and Carl discuss how important it is to say no as a creative and business owner. It can be a difficult thing to do but sometimes projects and clients aren't a good fit. They discuss some of the situations where they have had to say no and explain what helped them make that decision. Throw in a couple design news items and this weeks Rookie Recommendations and you got yourself episode 171.

Rookie Designer 170 - School or Hard Knocks

Episode  |  July 30th, 2018  |  48 mins 10 secs

This week Carl and Jake discuss how they each learned to become graphic designers. One going to school and the other learning from hands on experience. This has been a hot button issue for ever among the creative community. They discuss the pro and cons of both situations. They also discuss alternative education methods that are becoming more and more popular. Jake has a bit of a crazy news item to share and they end with their Rookie Recommendations for the week.

Rookie Designer 169 - Taughnee Golubović Interview

Episode  |  July 23rd, 2018  |  49 mins 35 secs

business, design book, design business, freelance, graphic design, interview

This week Carl and Jake are really excited to bring on Taughnee Golubović from Endeavor Creative for an interview. We have been really good friends and fellow creatives for many, many years. Taughnee shares a bit of her journey to get to where she is as a creative and also how she went from living in Alaska to living in Croatia. She also talks about how that effected her business and what she had to do to really change things up with her business to get it growing again. Her business adventures are what have inspired her new book Client Attraction Mindset. Be sure to listen all the way through as we have some exciting news!

Rookie Designer 168 - Ostrich Eggs and Chicken Eggs

Episode  |  July 16th, 2018  |  36 mins 32 secs

This week Jake and Carl talk about why it is important not to rely on a single large client and why it's important to have a variety of clients. They talk about their own client diversification from small to large, from long term contracts to single small projects. Jake brings some interesting news from software company Serif about their Affinity programs. Lastly they both bring their weekly Rookie Recommendations.