Design Different
For independent thinkers in design and business.
Design Different is a podcast for experienced designers ready to build something of their own, and for founders who understand that design isn’t just decoration: it’s how your business works.
With decades of global experience across agencies, corporates, and independent studios, Jake Burdess breaks down what makes creative work not just look good, but actually work.
Expect thoughtful takes on systems, strategy, and the realities of modern design - all without the hype. Whether you’re building your own practice or your own company, this show will help you think more clearly and design more deliberately.
Clarity. Systems. Design that works.
Episodes
25 episodes
DD0025 - Why Great Design Might Mean Being Temporarily Unpopular
In this episode of Design Different, Jake dives deep into why truly effective design sometimes requires making decisions that aren't immediately popular. He explores why the most valuable insights are often the hardest to deliver, espe...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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7:38
DD0024 - Creative Rut Reset: Two Paths to Reignite Your Work
Hitting that quiet plateau where the work keeps rolling but the spark feels dim? In this episode, Jake dissects why mid-career designers and founders drift into creative inertia, and why the usual prescription of “work harder” only deepens the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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8:48
DD0023 - Design After AI: How to Stay Irreplaceable by 2030
AI is rapidly swallowing up the repetitive parts of design work—wireframes, layout tweaks, content variants. So where does that leave you as a designer?In this solo episode, Jake breaks down what design after AI really looks lik...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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8:36
DD0022 - Design at a Crossroads: Thriving in the 2025 AI Revolution
Design is at a pivotal crossroads in 2025. AI is dramatically reshaping our tools, redefining our roles, and transforming our industry. In this deeply reflective and extensive episode, I'll explore in detail how designers can not only survive, ...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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8:45
DD0021 - Why Great Design Leadership Starts with Systems, Not Just Taste
In this episode, I explore a big shift in how I think about design leadership. It's not just about having great taste or a strong creative vision. Those things matter, but they don't scale. What does? Building systems. Systems that help your te...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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7:08
DD0020 - A Chat with Matt Turnbull from Vocal
In this episode of Design Different, I talk with Matt Turnbull. A thoughtful product designer and former freelance colleague, Matt and I chat about about navigating change in the creative world. We explore the shifting landscape of des...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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1:29:51
DD0019 - Why Your Creative Freedom Depends on Having a System
In this episode, we unravel one of the biggest myths in design: that creativity means total freedom. Drawing on lessons from traditional graphic design, UX strategy, and two decades of real-world practice, we explore why structure, systems, and...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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7:41
DD0018 - Decision Logic: The Missing Layer in Your Design System
In this episode, we dig into a problem no one talks about enough: the lack of decision clarity in modern design teams. It’s not that we don’t collaborate. It’s that no one knows who’s making the final call. From rigid systems to endless feedbac...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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6:05
DD0017 - From Motion to Meaning: Building Momentum in a World Obsessed with Speed
Speed looks productive. It flatters the roadmap. It makes teams feel like they’re moving. But what if all that motion isn’t getting you anywhere?In this episode, Jake unpacks the critical difference between speed and momentum in design. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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4:31
DD0016 - Design ROI: Turning Pixels into Profits
Design can be the strongest growth lever in your business—if you know how to prove it. In this episode Jake breaks down the concrete framework he uses with founders to translate pixels into profit. You will learn the three lenses of design ROI,...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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6:23
DD0015 - Design Systems That Breathe: How to Keep Yours Alive
Most design systems launch in a blaze of excitement, then fade into cluttered folders and copy-pasted code. In this episode of Design Different I explain why that slow decay happens, how to run a design system as a living product, and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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7:53
DD0014 - Start Less. Finish More.
Designers are brilliant at starting things, but finishing? That’s where everything stalls. In this episode, Jake unpacks why so many creative projects die unfinished, and what indie hackers get right about momentum, mindset, and leverage. If yo...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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5:05
DD0013 - Your Work Is Good. Your Message Isn’t Clear.
Why do great designers struggle to sell themselves, and why do polished brands fall apart the moment they go online? In this episode, we explore the deeper systems failure at the heart of both problems. Whether you’re a founder watching your br...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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7:19
DD0012 - From Chaos to Clarity: Why Systems Make Creative Work Better, Not Worse
Creative work often feels chaotic, and design systems often get mistaken for rigid templates. In this episode, we explore what’s really behind the friction, and how the right systems can transform not just your workflow but your entire creative...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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7:37
DD0011 - Design as Leadership: Why Thinking Like a Designer Changes Everything
Design isn’t about visuals, and strategy isn’t a deliverable. In this special episode, we explore how thinking like a designer and making strategy a core leadership practice helps founders, creative leaders, and teams create clarity, alignment,...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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9:18
DD0010 - Clarity and Consequence: What Makes Design Actually Work
Design isn't just about how something looks — it's about what it enables. In this episode, we unpack why clarity is the most undervalued skill in modern design and explore how real design impact is measured in outcomes, not visuals. If you've e...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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7:57
DD0009 - Good Designers Think in Screens. Great Ones Think in Sequences.
Most designers focus on the screen in front of them. Great designers focus on the flow between them. In this episode, we unpack why designing in sequences — not just snapshots — separates real experience design from surface-level work. And I’ll...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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5:59
DD0008 - Why You Don’t Need to Be Original to Be Successful in Design
There’s a persistent myth in the design industry that success depends on being relentlessly original. In this episode, we challenge that belief and explore why the most successful designers are often the most consistent — not the most inventive...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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7:47
DD0007 - Designing for Human Habits (Not Just Usability)
Usability makes something easy to use. But habit is what brings people back. In this episode, we go beyond clicks and clean UI to explore how designers can align with real human behaviour. Learn how to build meaningful, repeatable experiences t...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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7:54
DD0006 - How to Build Your First Design System (Even if You’re Solo)
Design systems aren’t just for big teams. In this episode, we break down how solo designers can build lightweight, practical systems that save time, reduce errors, and bring structure to their work. If you’re tired of reinventing the wheel on e...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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7:25
DD0005 - The Portfolio Isn’t Dead, But It’s Not What Gets You Hired
Most designers think their portfolio is their golden ticket to landing clients or getting hired. But what if that’s not entirely true? In this episode, we discuss why your portfolio alone isn’t enough, what clients and hiring managers really lo...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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6:59
DD0004 - Why Templates Don’t Make You Generic
If you’ve ever hesitated about using templates, worrying they make your work less original or less creative, this episode is for you. We’re diving into why professional designers rely on templates as powerful strategic tools, not creative short...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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7:08
DD0003 - You Don’t Need More Clients. You Need a Clear Offer.
Most designers think they have a client problem. In reality, they often have a clarity problem. In this episode, I talk about why more leads won’t fix a vague offer, how to structure what you do so people actually understand it, and why specifi...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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6:23