Welcome to Design Bigger, the podcast for designers and studios ready to think bigger, design bigger brands, and land bigger projects. I’m Nika Worlund, an ex-Big Agency Brand Strategy Director who took her Bluechip client expertise to built a freelance career helping independent agencies around the globe.
This is the podcast where I share the tricks of the trade for lean design thinking to set you up as a world-class creative talent. As a translator between business and creatives, I’ll show you how to speak client, hack top agency frameworks, and think like the best studios out there.
If you’re ready to design bigger, hit subscribe and let’s get started.
All content for Design Bigger is the property of Nika Worlund and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Welcome to Design Bigger, the podcast for designers and studios ready to think bigger, design bigger brands, and land bigger projects. I’m Nika Worlund, an ex-Big Agency Brand Strategy Director who took her Bluechip client expertise to built a freelance career helping independent agencies around the globe.
This is the podcast where I share the tricks of the trade for lean design thinking to set you up as a world-class creative talent. As a translator between business and creatives, I’ll show you how to speak client, hack top agency frameworks, and think like the best studios out there.
If you’re ready to design bigger, hit subscribe and let’s get started.
11: 6 Mistakes That Tell Clients You’re Not a Strategic Designer (Yet)
Design Bigger
13 minutes
5 months ago
11: 6 Mistakes That Tell Clients You’re Not a Strategic Designer (Yet)
In this episode, I cover six mistakes I see all the time—in independent studios, freelancers, even junior strategists inside agencies. They’re subtle. But they scream to clients: “This person’s not thinking strategically.”
These are small things—like skipping intro slides or over-describing your design—but they quietly undermine your authority. Luckily, they’re easy to fix.
You’ll learn:
Why skipping “intro slides” is the biggest red flag there is
The difference between design executions and brand ideas
How to stop oversharing like a design school grad
How to frame concepts so clients don’t ask for 10 more
And why emailing your work is a surefire way to sabotage your pitch
If you’ve ever walked out of a client meeting thinking, “Why didn’t they get it?”—this one’s for you.
Want more strategic design tips?
👉 Join the email list: nikaworlund.com
👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikaworlund
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nika-worlund/
👉 Book a 30-minute Q&A: https://www.nikaworlund.com/1-on-1-coaching
Design Bigger
Welcome to Design Bigger, the podcast for designers and studios ready to think bigger, design bigger brands, and land bigger projects. I’m Nika Worlund, an ex-Big Agency Brand Strategy Director who took her Bluechip client expertise to built a freelance career helping independent agencies around the globe.
This is the podcast where I share the tricks of the trade for lean design thinking to set you up as a world-class creative talent. As a translator between business and creatives, I’ll show you how to speak client, hack top agency frameworks, and think like the best studios out there.
If you’re ready to design bigger, hit subscribe and let’s get started.
