The Dangerous Shortcuts Designers Are Taking with Scott Fuller

Graphic Designers have more tools, more shortcuts, and more access than ever before. So why are so many designers struggling to stand out?

Somewhere along the way, graphic designers stopped doing the hard things and started looking for faster tools, easier answers, and shortcuts to results.

This week on The Angry Designer Podcast, we sit down with legendary brand designer Scott Fuller, founder of Studio Temporary and one of the most respected creative voices in the industry, to talk about the dangerous shortcuts quietly holding designers back.

From AI and creative craft to communication, mentorship, business development, and building brands that last for decades, Scott shares the lessons he's learned creating work that stands the test of time.

You'll learn:

• Why tools don't make great designers
 • The skill that's becoming more valuable as AI grows
 • Why talent alone isn't enough anymore
 • How Scott consistently attracts high-quality clients
 • The biggest mistake young designers are making today
 • Why great design still requires doing the hard things

Whether you're a freelancer, agency designer, creative director, or design student, this episode is packed with hard-earned wisdom from someone who's built a career by refusing to take shortcuts.

Stay Angry our Friends
–––––––––––
Join Anger Management for Designers Newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/mr4bb4j3
Want to see more? 
See uncut episodes on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/theangrydesigner
Read our blog posts on our website TheAngryDesigner.com
Join in the conversation on our Instagram Instagram.com/TheAngryDesignerPodcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I think that's the big thing, you know. You have some of these folks that come in, whether it's like on Twitter or whatnot, and it's like, I build a hundred thousand dollars every month, and here's how you can do it. It's like, we'll show your work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:12

Let's see it.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

Please state your name, please.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

For the record.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

For the record. Please state your name.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Uh my social security number. No. My name's Scott Fuller. Run the studio temporary in Atlanta, Georgia. Yes, sir. Yes, you do.

SPEAKER_02 0:32

Scott's like second second year here. Okay. So on our podcast, anyway. On the podcast, yeah. Um, okay, so I'm gonna first off, you know, start this conversation a very serious note. Very seriously.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

What's the deal with you getting us the waffle house? You realize this is what I was talking about. We could have had some amazing. I know. Okay, okay, okay, okay, all right. So here's so here's what's going on. So these two wusses drive in town and they drive past a waffle house at like 11:30 at night. And the first thing they think is, we're not safe. And I'm like, you are two old bearded white guys, you're literally half of their clientele. And I keep telling you you're fine, right? And then they realize, oh, wait a second. If Scott can go in there, then we'll be fine. You didn't get murdered last night. No, okay. No. Hey, hey, Ethan and I didn't see anything, though. No.

SPEAKER_03 1:30

It wasn't any crazy shit.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

It was wonderful, it was wonderfully delicious food. In good conversation.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

For the record, okay. What was gonna murder me was gonna be the waffles.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Because again, I am so anti-carbs right now. I know, but you got it this is one thing, though, and then you come here and you gotta you walk it all off in like a day, you know. That's a good point. Yeah, you're absolutely right.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

A lot of kilometers, a lot of kilometers. Lot of kilometers. So uh kilometers, not miles. So I see your table that you've you've got some new fun stuff this year.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

I do, I do. I've got some I've got some cool things. I got my iconic stuff as well. I've got some studio temporary merch, I got some zipper pouches and new posters and prints and you know, books and whatever.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

But your stuff is like, and I mean again, it's it you're you're carrying an underlying theme, of course. It still looks very you. But I mean, where do you get the ideas for like I mean the hard pencil thing? Like how beautiful was that?

SPEAKER_00 2:20

You know? Oh, the run like the run with pencil. Yes, yeah. Like, I mean, this is great. I mean, you we were always told as a kid, right? You don't run with pencils, you don't run with scissors, you don't run the third stuff. And I'm like, I've cut myself with enough X Acto knives and you know this and that, and stabbed myself with pencils not on purpose, you know. And I have to put that in there for for legal reasons. So you know, so you've done that. So I actually made that design for my five-year anniversary of the studio. So it's like five years of running with pencils, right? Yeah, yeah. And everyone loved it so much, I just kept it around, and then finally I just I just leaned into it. I'm like, yeah, let's run with pencils, let's just go, you know, go nuts. That'd be a great name for a studio.

SPEAKER_02 2:55

Running with pencils. Yeah. So okay, so what's changed this year, Scott?

SPEAKER_00 2:58

I went out of the country for the first time, went to Japan for a couple of weeks with the family. It was amazing. Two of the best weeks of my life. Uh my daughter turned two.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Yo, yo.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Things were a little crazy at the beginning of the year, and now it's like just the the work's coming in like crazy, and it's um I'm having an absolute blast.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

So, okay, we're coming in. So you're blessed with that, of course. A lot of people are struggling to get work. What are you doing different that some people aren't getting then?

SPEAKER_00 3:23

So I think what happened over the years, um, you know, there's this idea of kind of like staying hungry, right? So it's not just my my one of the things my dad used to say, it's like it's always easier to find work when you got work. Yeah. So when you don't have work and then you don't yeah, so the idea is you have to constantly keep doing that. Well, I kind of took my pedal, you know, kind of took my foot off the pedal from some of that stuff just because I mean I didn't have to at the time. Yeah, and then things got a little nuts, and I'm like, all right, everybody's kind of going through it, but I don't have to be doing everything the same way. So I brought my wife on as she's now a partner at the studio, she's hell um working with business development and outreach. We're kind of doing that together, and um, you know, it took a it took a couple of months to kind of build it back up, but now it's just like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

So, what's what's different about work looking for work while you have work versus when you're not?

SPEAKER_00 4:17

I think it's two things. You know, one um you know, you might take some things that you generally wouldn't take, and that'll end up hurting you. And I think at times it can, depending on how you do it, sometimes it can come across as a little desperate at times. It's like I need this. It's like when I can start tomorrow. I can do this, you know. And you can kind of you can kind of start to hear that in there. So I try to not do that, obviously, but it's uh, you know, there's nothing wrong with a waiting list, you know.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Well, no, none at all, actually. I think James Bernard loved that whole concept, right? And he's people and like right, it's kind of really cool. And it does make customers feel like that they've got something special.

SPEAKER_03 4:54

Yeah. You know, they're on the right track. I'm gonna I'm hiring this guy, he knows what he's doing because there's a cue, right?

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Yeah, because there's a cue, really, though.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

It's like a really fancy line, right?

SPEAKER_03 5:03

Yeah, yeah, it's a British line, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Where unfortunately, when you know you're hungry for work and you don't have any, you're right. Like, I mean, all of a sudden your decisions waiver, you know, the types of clients you take, you know, you start to bread. Like it's it's hard. You start going down this niche road, you start going down a type of customer that you attract, but when you're hungry, if you're hungry because you've got no work in there, you're willing to take anything at that point. Yeah, that's that that does have long-term effects. Yeah, because people live there, they they they run their careers this way.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

And I think I think too, what happens is like you start with that and then all of a sudden some of the other typical clients come back, and it's like now you're bogged down with this, and you gotta wait on this, and it's like you know. So it's it but it's different for everybody. Yeah, you know, I can't, I I think that's a big thing, you know. You have some of these folks that come in, whether it's like on Twitter or whatnot, and it's like, I build $100,000 every month, and here's how you can do it. And it's like, well, show your work.

SPEAKER_03 5:56

Yeah, let's see it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

Like, you know, it's just it's a scam, scam, scam, there's so much, yeah. It's insane. But you know, you you go and you learn, you know, what was it? Insanity is defined as like doing the same thing over and over and over again, hoping for a different result. Yeah. So I think I think there's that, you know, we can sometimes we get so focused in on the work, get so focused in on that, it's like, oh shoot, I have to do this, I have to make this for social media, I need to make sure I reach out to here and do that. And it doesn't take as long as people think for some of this stuff. So and I and I have folks helping me out now too, which is great.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Are you uh okay, primarily just brands? Um Or are you actually doing rollout material? Are you building a stack where you're doing brands and then corporate IDs and then setting them up with templates and packages that they can or you do you get into like marketing or anything deeper like that?

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Uh not really. Honestly.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

Websites, pages.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

I have a guy who does websites. Yeah, you know, and then I started offering uh I have a friend of mine who does uh animation now. So I I started offer offering that as part of the website.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

Well, and that's part that goes hand in hand with the brand, which is nice, right? So and again, and it it's a logical sell in my opinion, right? Oh, yeah. Building out your stack and all your skills that really just emphasize because I mean, let's face it, that's a brand you rock. Like your stuff is killer.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

I appreciate you know, but yeah, I mean, then I get into packaging, illustration, you know, iconography, building out systems, environmental stuff. I mean, like 90% of my stuff is gonna be a physical product at some point.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

Yeah, it's still and it's still all under the whole brand of a company. What about like do you ever get in ads or anything like that? Do you get into ads or anything like that? No. No, eh? So really your stack is just built out as just you know, full brand development. I love that though, right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

From start from start to finish. Yeah. From start to finish, or you know, even if it's even if it's been around for a long time. I think I just finished a I just finished a project for a client. They've been around for 145 years. Jeez, dude. Oh, that's awesome. So that's a lot of heritage and a lot of craziness, you know, dealing with. Like it's nuts. But but I love the challenge.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

And now, a word from our sponsor. Designers, let's be honest. Web design should be a graphic designer's job. It's bold, it's creative, it's experimental, and at its core, it is design layout just brought to life online. But somewhere along the way, graphic designers lost it. Developers took over, tools got complicated, and creativity took a back seat to coach. Thing is, clients still expect us to bring their brand to life everywhere. And if we're not offering web design today, you're leaving money and potential opportunities on the table. That's where Wix Studio comes in. It's the web platform built for designers. With a drag-and-drop interface that feels like a designer's tool, plus no-code animations and AI-powered tools, you can create fully custom websites that match your vision, every pixel, every layout, every detail. So whether it's a simple branded brochure site or an online portfolio or even a full-blown e-commerce experience, Wix Studio makes it all possible for graphic designers with tools that think like a designer, not like a developer. The web doesn't need more templates, it needs you and your creativity unleashed. And Wix Studio is gonna give you that opportunity. So stop giving your creativity away and take back the web for design. Visit Wixstudio.com and design the web the way it was meant to be. Do you think that clients are valuing design more today or less?

SPEAKER_00 9:38

I just feel like it's always been like a 50-50 down the middle. You know, you're gonna have folks that are like, oh, we love it, and we'll you know, we'll take care of you and do whatever, and then you have others that are just look at it as a commodity. It's like, we need water, we need this, we need a little design, you know, find find a cheap price, good deal, you know, not too expensive, and doesn't take that long.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

How are you separating between them though? Like how are you how are you defining who's who is that commodity one tire kicker versus somebody who actually wants to work with, other than the ones that come directly to you and be like, oh, I want to work with Scott.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

So like you know, that initial like five-minute call, you know. Yeah, I'll I'll have that five minute call with them before I before I start working on them, before we, you know, to to get into the project and whatnot, and that's when that's when I learn. I can learn more about anybody in five minutes than anybody else could with 20 emails.

SPEAKER_02 10:25

Yeah. So what a huge and we literally just had a we had a whole episode on just that. That it's like, don't be scared to pick up the frickin' phone and talk to somebody.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

We were talking about this last night too, but this idea of it's like they started talking about conversation as an art form, and I'm like, it's just a conversation. It's just grant, but here's the thing. Here's the thing. Like other people, yes, are better at conversation than others, but it's so different for everybody. Like I talk to you one way, I talk to him another way. Yeah, you know, right? I mean, it's it's crazy. I don't I mean, is that an art or that's just being human? Yeah, it's just being human, right? You know you read the room, you do that type of stuff. You know, like I don't come in here with like a you know, one way of doing everything. It's like I come in, I read the room, I'm me, and then if somebody, if the energy is down a little bit or the volume's down a little bit, then I'll kind of match it and kind of bring it up to like bring it into the middle, you know? Yeah, like they'll bring I'll come down a little bit, they'll come up a little bit, and we just kind of meet in the middle.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Isn't it funny? That's an art form. I mean, I just read the room. I like that concept. But I mean, we were uh maybe we came from a different time, right? Like we've been at this for like 20 years, 25 years. Yes, we're old, okay? I'm trying to say that. No, okay, okay, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Sean, y'all are old. Y'all are old. I'm experienced. Yeah, you're I'm experienced, y'all are old.

SPEAKER_02 11:42

Experience, experience, and then all of a sudden you just jump off the cliff. Oh shit, that's amazing. All right, okay, okay, okay. So, big topic of discussion, okay? State of design. What is your impression right now on the state of design?

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Oh man, I mean the the level of talent out there is ridiculous. I mean, there's there's literally no other way of saying it. The the level of talent is amazing. I think that where people separate themselves is the ability to communicate that that that level of talent. You know, I've seen people with amazing work that either can't sell it or, you know, maybe it's different for everybody. I think there's a lot of, you know, I think it's maybe there's even some people I feel like they're gonna take shortcuts. It's like I want to get to this thing and I just want to get to it quick.

SPEAKER_03 12:30

The $10,000 a m uh a month, and I'm gonna tell you how, right? That you want that quick fix, right?

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Like, yeah, but like, or or even, you know, this idea. I mean, we used to think it's like, what do you do to get good at something? You gotta put in like 10,000 hours. 10,000 hours. Yeah. So I think that's kind of been I think that's something that some people realize, and then some people that, and then AI comes along, and like that's being pushed sometimes in schools and whatnot, and then it's like, oh, I can do this quick. I can you know get this back and forth. And there are and there are ways to do this. I think I said it on here before. It's like I look at AI as neither good nor bad. There are things I use it for, but there's things that other folks use it for. It's all different. Yeah, but I think there's a craft to this that you know at times have been lost, and I think it's starting to come back a little bit more. Um, I think people are a little bit more aware of it. I think we talked, we were talking about this um the other day, and was you flood the market with something, and all of a sudden it just becomes oversaturated, and then you start to realize, wait a second, yeah, there's this, is a and then there's more almost more of an appreciation for it, and then it just kind of comes back. It's like this little you know roller coaster kind of effect. But I think there's so many people doing so many amazing things out there, and it just keeps getting better and better.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Um, but I want to- Well, here's the challenge though, now that everybody has more access to tools, yes, okay. People, we've known we know some very talented people here who do everything by hand. Yes. There's gonna be other people that maybe won't have the same um what do you want to say, uh, eye to hand dexterity and create. Which is fine. My sketches are horrible. But the tools now are allowing people with, you know, far less experience, you know, be just as competitive as people, you know, like you and Brooks and all these other guys who are creating stuff, you know, that is so deep and awesome.

SPEAKER_00 14:17

I think there's a thing, like uh you can you can teach anybody how to use a tool.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Right? Can you teach them how to think through why they're using it? Why the yeah, yeah. That's where that's where the difference comes in. Yeah. That's where the difference comes in.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Yeah. Actually, that's a really important point. Do you think that people just neglect that part of the design in general?

SPEAKER_00 14:36

I think sometimes. I mean, you look at it as like, you know, I I can make beautiful things all day. Yes. That means that means nothing to me. Yeah. But if I don't make, if I'm not making it to solve the problem that I've hired for, then it's worthless. Right. Right. So there is that. You know, I make my own things for myself, you know, just in and and I'm really hard on myself with that and how I want to make it happen. But in the end, I think that you need to be you still need to be able to sell it, you still need to be able to talk to the process, and you need to make it personal, you know. There's three tenants of what I do, uniquely personal, is the first one. Every project that I've ever worked on, no matter how big, no matter how small, from Coca-Cola all the way down to, you know, um Harry got dusted, you know. Um, you know. Hank.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

Hank got dusted.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

See, we need to fix that. So, but there's a deeply personal aspect to all that, and that's how I'm able to make things. I'm able to relate to people, you know, and that's how I'm able to make my work, each project unique, you know, because each one of us are unique. No one's made the same.

SPEAKER_02 15:40

So then is design evolving to a place where then, you know, you don't necessarily have to have that hand skill, more so the mind skill.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

I feel like this is a trick question. So I'm going to really not. I'm gonna no, no, no. Um, I mean, I'd love to see some of both, you know, honestly. I I think, you know, get them back there with an X-acto knife and spray glue and whatnot and have them start creating, you know, mock-ups and whatnot like that, the real stuff, you know, or um get a couple of nicks on the fingers, you know, or get the sketchbook and everything like that, because I feel like I feel like that's where you that's where the the real stuff is built, you know. And I know everybody has a different process, but I feel like if you're giving yourself the opportunity to mess up and look and make something that looks bad, I think that's good. Because if you I can make you can get on the computer, you can get on the laptop, you can get on to iPad or Procreate or whatever, you can make something look finished before it's actually done.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

True. Even if it's not the right thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

So I think the focus in, you know, in that way, I think is always gonna be a big a big big help.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Do you think that just the crazy amount of tools that has has has been evolving the past 20 years has kind of made people skip all that part and just kind of go, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Yeah, absolutely. I mean you have all these all these different things. It's like all I have to do is click on this and it does it. Yeah. And that and it does it. And it's like you're you're crafting, it's like you're making something on the screen, but it's like, is it is it the right thing? Is it this that? You know, and I'm like, I'm not the person necessarily to say it, but it's like I'm spending all this time on this one little thing, and it's like, is it what it needs to be? Yeah, you know, and I feel like that's where the the pen and paper and everything comes in.

SPEAKER_02 17:21

So how do people learn that part, what it needs to be?

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Um, I think there's a couple of different ways. You know, one I think is find a mentor. I mean, here's the thing you look at designers, you look at designers like like myself, you look at uh I mean, you could I could pick out you know 50 people here, though you know, here here at Creative South. We're not gatekeepers. Yeah, no, you know, you ask us a question, we're happy to help.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

If you want to learn, we are happy to do that. If we see somebody who's hungry and willing to learn, I'm happy to do that. I'm mentoring um there's a there's a girl in um in Atlanta, um, she's uh she's a uh what is it? She's like fifth quarter student at um at Portfolio Center. You know, I'm mentoring her right now. I I liked what I saw, I liked her her mindset and everything like that. Questions upon questions upon questions, yes, you know, digging into the details, digging into meaning, digging into form and and function and everything. And I'm like, yeah, okay, I can, yeah, this is good. Yeah, this is good. Yeah, my hope is that you know, when she graduates, I can offer her a job.

SPEAKER_03 18:24

Yeah, yeah. So it's kind of long-term grooming here going on. I like this. Yeah. But the fundamentals are there. Like you were saying, yes. The questions asked. Like, it's not just you give her something and she'll do it, no questions asked, kind of. It's like, yes, I would. And most of the time she don't even have to ask her to do it. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, really. You know, teach somebody that though. Like, I mean, because I agree with you.

SPEAKER_02 18:47

That is so and I have a couple employees like this, and I hold on to them hard. Yeah, you know, you don't want them to ever leave, and you're trying to help them, but there's so many others that just lack this. There's just, you know, I think that's I think there's a talent.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

You can see the underlying talent. You know, I I think you can see the underlying talent, even if this is the most polished. I think uh what was it? I think it was Christian Helms said something the um last year. It was like, oh, hired like the second best portfolio. Because I can teach somebody to be a good designer, but I can't teach them to be a good person. Right.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 19:18

And there, and there's that correlation. And then for me, I think my version of that was your work gets you in the door, but your character keeps you there. Yeah, I agree 100%. So I think I think there's that. I think part of that's you know communication and personal skills and whatnot as well, and the ability to, it's like I want to learn, and I'm willing to learn, I'm willing to take it on the chin, I'm willing to have critiques, I'm willing to to sit back and listen, but I'm also willing to question things. You know, there's it all kind of works together.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

Cool. So what's the future look like, Scotty?

SPEAKER_00 19:48

I don't know. I mean, I I think that uh, you know, uh I'm in no way am I gonna try to predict the future. I know for me it's gonna, you know, I'm looking to expand, I'm looking to do some fun things, uh, I'm looking to, you know, I'm always trying to up my game. Yeah, you know, and bring the right people in to help me out. Because my goal, man, I I want to do the work.

unknown 20:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

I want to do the work, you know, but that's what I need somebody to run the studio, I need somebody to keep me in line, I need somebody to, you know, I've got a CPA, I've got like all this bunch of stuff. Like, I don't wanna I don't want to deal with any of that.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

You know, I just want to do the work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:26

Interesting. So how besides hiring your wife now, I'm assuming she's not a designer. She's not. Yeah. So she's taking care of the back end, the business, so you can focus on this part. So as a as design is evolving like mad, what are you gonna be doing to evolve with it? Are you keeping relevant?

SPEAKER_00 20:44

I mean, for me, I still, you know, I'm still learning more of the business stuff. I'm still delving into that because I need to know.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:50

I mean, the way clients are the way clients are working, the way, you know, um nowadays, I mean, it's constantly changing. Yeah. You know, how do you get in touch with them? How do you uh how do you kind of pull them in? How do you do that? I mean, there's all these different ways, you know. Um, you know, when I was coming up, it was all networking events and business cards, and now it's like I haven't carried a business card in nine years, you know. It's like it's like all that type of stuff. But now it's where do you find them? Before it was on dribble, and now that's absolutely a no. And then it's so true. Now like LinkedIn is like the place to go. Somewhere here, I know. It's it seems to be like Instagram as well. I mean, has always been has always stayed really consistent for me. Instagram was always, always, it's been like my number one. But um, you know, how do you put yourself out there? How do you, you know, for me, I'm always looking for the next personal touch that I can that I can add to to what I do, you know.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

What are you doing different on LinkedIn or on Instagram that's getting you leads that nobody else's?

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Um, I think it's a couple of things. Uh one, I like I'll reach out, I'll do like cold emails, I'll just reach out in the DM. On LinkedIn or on Instagram too? Oh. I still do cold calls from time to time. Yeah. Yeah, cold calls. I've been doing I've been doing cold calls since I was like, I mean, since I got out of college.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

And what's the success rate of that? Like, is this a nine times out of ten thing that doesn't work?

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Or it's it actually has a pretty good success rate because it I think I think the the biggest thing is if you're gonna go out, you're gonna do the cold call and stuff like that. It's not just, hey, this sucks and I can do better. It's like, hey, my name's you know this, uh, I I love what you're doing. You almost come to them like a fan and you say, like, I would love to do this for you. Be specific. Right? You know that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

Because people seriously, right? Now all of a sudden it's like you're paying attention. You're you recognize you're getting me come in and do something. Yeah, not just can I can do whatever work for you. Oh, good job. Yeah, yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Once again, the personal touch, it all comes back to that. Always always comes back to that. Yeah, you know true, right?

SPEAKER_02 22:57

And people are just like they're thinking of blankets, they're looking for blanket solutions. Okay, and blanket solutions get blanket results. Yeah, zero. Yeah, seriously, you need to you can't be scared to research a little bit, go in there and be, you know, targeted, like you just said, because again, it really does make up an impact. Huge difference. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

You know, it's so funny too, because like I build I build brands that are gonna last, you know, for the next 50, 60 years. Yeah. It's so funny. I have a I have a new poster over there that has 80 of my logos on there. And it's from it spans like a full decade worth of worth of work. Very cool. And uh I put one logo on there that I did back in 2013. And I don't give any hints or whatever, and I say, if you can find the you get one guess, if you can tell me which logo is the oldest, is like the one I designed the longest ago, I'll give you ten dollars off the poster. Yeah, no one can guess. I said because they all look like they could have been designed yesterday or 30 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

Yeah, very cool, very cool.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Nice. And they're like, Yeah, I can't tell. They're like, maybe this one, like all these years ago. No, I designed that like two months ago. That's awesome. Yeah, so sneaky. Yeah, I'm a sneaky guy. That's good. That's a good test. I like messing around with people.

SPEAKER_02 24:13

So I want I want to bring this back though to that whole personalizing thing. So I understand 100% how that works when you're picking up the phone. Yes. You said though you're doing cold outreach on Instagram and LinkedIn. How does it work on that? How does it work when you not how does it work on those platforms? How do you not blend into a C of every other DM saying, hey, Angry Designer Podcast, Graphic Designer Podcast for designers, I've watched all your episodes. I'm like, dude, you didn't even get our name right. You did not. This is just like a bot going through.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

I do my dude, I do my research. I hate that. You know, I kind of look into it a little bit. Sometimes it's folks that I've followed. Uh another thing that I do is uh anytime a follower comes on, either myself or Julie will send them an automatically send him a direct message, hey, thanks for following along. Thanks for doing this, you know. And we wait a little bit of time afterwards, so it's not a bot, you know. I've even had one guy, I even had one guy was like, what type of bot are you using for this? This is unbelievable. I love how that and I'm like, I typed this in, dude. Like, this is Scott. How's it going? You know? So I think there's that. I mean, I think knowing I think knowing your audience, it's like, hey man, you know, I think this is great. I want to order a bunch of shirts, and I'm like, I don't screen print, I'm not that. You obviously, you know, you didn't, you know, I've I've been in so many places where it's like, man, I don't understand like this or whatnot, and it's like, and what do you even do, you know, and whatnot. And I'm like, okay. And then like they hand me the business card, and it's like, yeah, if you ever need anything, just kind of whatever, and then just like walk away. And I'm just sitting there going, I will pick my teeth with this later. Yeah. You know, like tonight at dinner, I will be picking my teeth with your business card, right? But I remember I was at uh I was speaking at a college uh last year, and they were like, oh man, we're gonna take, we're gonna get so many stickers and so many business cards, and we're just gonna lay business cards on like all these amazing designers. And I said, Yeah. No, that's not how it works. It's like, how do you know that you're right for them? How do you know that they would that you that you would drive with them? How do you know that you know that it's gonna that it's gonna be a fun thing, or that they even you know want to do anything like that? It's like they just want everybody wants to jump to that, yeah, as opposed to like taking the time, getting to know somebody. It's like that initial call is, I mean, it's the ultimate first date. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, right. You know, you want to find out, you know, how how are they doing, you know, how's their credit report? You know, how's their how many kids do they want? Like it's you know, like how big is your mom's basement? Like, it's just you you want to know. So I don't know. It's uh but it's all worth it. It just takes that little extra effort, and I think that's where that's where you set yourself apart. You know, you can tell you've took that little bit of extra effort to take the time to understand what they're doing, to understand them, to get to know them as a person. I look at each brand as a person.

SPEAKER_02 27:03

Yeah, nice, very cool.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

And that's how I can keep my and that's how I can keep my stuff unique, once again, since nobody is created the same.

SPEAKER_02 27:12

Interesting. Yeah, I love that. I love that. Okay, without naming any names, yes, what was the coolest experience, customer, or brand opportunity that you had without naming any names?

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Oh, I'll name a name. I worked out to work with uh with Killer Mike and TI on uh doing a uh work uh brand for a 50-year-old uh uh seafood shop out in uh in Atlanta, like OG folks, man, amazing people.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

And what made that the coolest?

SPEAKER_00 27:43

I think I mean you get to do a 30-foot-long food truck. I mean, that's gonna be pretty amazing in and of itself, yeah. But I think just the dynamic of the people, I think the dynamic of the people who hired me, I think 50 years worth of not just the restaurant itself, that's 50 years of Atlanta culture. This is this was the epitome of like I'm doing this for the culture. Right. Like, this is like I cannot get this wrong. Yeah, but I had so much fun doing it, you know. The folks were great to work with, you know, the folks that helped make the the truck come together and the brand come together. You know, I got to taste, you know, we're tasting food and we're doing all type of stuff, you know. It was great. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 28:26

Yeah, how are people gonna get a hold of you, my friend?

SPEAKER_00 28:29

Um, you're gonna go to the studio temporary.com, follow me online at studio temporary as well. And uh, you know, if you're ever through coming through Atlanta, you know, call first. Yep, yeah. Um, but uh but look me up, hit me up, we'll grab a bite, you know, we'll uh grab some breakfast, check check out a Braves, we'll go to a Braves games. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_02 28:50

Don't forget to check out Scott's socials, check out his merch, check out his work. The dude is legendary and is is not as funny on his social as he is in person, but that's why you just might have to listen to this a second time. All right, buddy. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 29:05

Oh my name's Matsimo. And my name's John. You are Scott. Stay creative and stay angry.