AI FOMO is real. Every week there's a new tool, a new model, a new "you're behind if you're not using this." So designers end up: → Chasing every shiny tool → Burning out trying to keep up → Paying for subscriptions they don't use → Forgetting why they even got in the game

I like to ask my founder friends: “Would you back yourself?” Not your idea. Not your startup. Not your market. You. “Would you invest in you?”

Designers, can’t find clients? Read this ↓ I hear this from freelancers: "I can’t find any clients" "Who do I reach out to?" "How do I get more leads?" I said that too, until I actually counted my contacts:

Building a $1B company is not worth it (hear me out) I see the founders who: → Missed dinners for years → Took investor calls during vacations → Worked weekends while their kids grew up I see the CEO whose out of shape, sitting at his desk for 16 hours.

I almost killed my company by being "busy” My calendar, full. My emails, flooded. My product, untouched. My team, needs approval. My Slack notifications, on fire. I was jumping from one thing to another. Months of that…

The right font, it says a whole lot…

"Apple copied Braun" Every time I hear that… I kinda just think: “Yeh, that’s how the creative industry works”

My income as a designer: Year 1: $24k Year 2: $54k Year 3: $72k Year 4: $105k Total: $255k Then I started UX Playbook + rectangles Year 1: $58k Year 2: $160k Year 3: $205k Year 4: $250k (est.) Total: $673k The difference is $418,000.

2 types of design freelancers: 1. One’s with commodity offers → Sell time → Sell deliverables → Compete on price "I do research, I design interfaces, I build experiences…” Honestly, most designers. 2. One’s with Grand Slam offers → Sell guaranteed outcomes → Compete on value → Category of one

2 types of design freelancers: 1. One’s with commodity offers → Sell time → Sell deliverables → Compete on price "I do research, I design interfaces, I build experiences…” Honestly, most designers. 2. One’s with Grand Slam offers → Sell guaranteed outcomes → Compete on value → Category of one

10 things designers should try: (or die trying)

These 15 designers are the real deal. Must follow for freelancers ↓

Meet rectangles Over 5 weeks with more than 150 iterations The new website went live this week during my stream. Stoked to have worked with Ashwin on this. He absolutely killed it. From the visuals, to the build, my go-to for future Framer builds. A small 1st step to build design's group chat ↓

I'm building design's group chat (and I need your help)

Design studios cap their income at the number of hours they can bill. Selling time means: → Revenue stops when you stop working → Time off equals lost income → No leverage to compound → A new pitch every Monday If you’re solo, then that’s a burnout waiting to happen. It happened to me.

rectangles, design's group chat. 🎥 Official launch party (BYOB): www.linkedin.com/events/74566...

AI in Design Report 2026 just dropped (what you need to know ↓)

Every freelance designer has one of these clients. Here’s how to handle each one:

Designer: “how do you handle the ups and downs as a freelancer?” Short answer: You don't handle it. You plan for it. When I first went solo, I thought income volatility was just part of the game. May: $4K June: $0 July: $11K August: $2

small details on the website launching this live next week…

I’m working on my new website. 3 distinct directions that I really like:

Clients hire me because I challenge them. And I know why it comes natural to me… I grew up as a third culture kid. At home: Asian values Outside: UK values Two different belief systems. Two different parenting styles.

In 1999, Jason Fried did something… Quiet, stubborn, and by the standards of the dot-com boom, completely wrong. He said NO. No to the mandate of hyper-growth. No to the investors knocking at the door. No to the "hockey stick" graph as Silicon Valley’s entry fee.

Visuals pulls from a designer's workspace: intentionally messy, tactile, textures, materials, ink bleeds, print glyphs, layers stacked for depth. Editorial, old school, 2000s throwback, indie skate mag energy. It’s still a work in progress. How would you describe the rectangles brand?

Cold outreach doesn’t work for UX. Unless the freelance designer has a system. Because one day, our referrals hits a ceiling. At some point, we run out of people who know us. And because I didn’t figure out cold outreach… My pipeline died with it.

I have a new logo. Does my rationale make sense? rectangles® live’ logo, like the name, had to feel timeless and give a nod to designers.

As a kid, I just felt ‘different’ I realized I’d never be British enough for the UK, or Vietnamese or Chinese enough for my grandparents. I was born in the UK. Mum is Chinese. Dad is Vietnamese. They lived in Vietnam and met in Europe.

4 ways to bring home the bacon, consistently: (for freelancers + founders) 1. Attraction offers — turn strangers into customers 2. Upsell offers — get people to spend more 3. Downsell offers — turn "no" into "yes" 4. Continuity offers — keep people buying (how to’s + examples ↓)

I named my brand rectangles® (LOL) It’s a joke, but on point. Hear me out…

Every designer has an idea. Most never ship it. → Stuck in tutorial limbo → Waiting for the "perfect" idea → Polishing forever, launching never That's why I'm bringing on Nima Tahami on the livestream. He’s launched 16+ apps (solo-launched 5 last year).

15 truths for freelancers: (that will break your brain)

I’ve been working on this for months (thinking about it for years) I’m finally ready to share this… Introducing rectangles® It’s my new chapter It’s designed to be tactical It’s problems we care about It’s solutions that worked for us It’s conversations worth having Why?

I stopped convincing clients to hire me. And most designers should too. You might think saying "yes" = more money But saying "yes" to the wrong clients: — Less focus — Less energy — Less actual delivery Less everything.

2 models of freelancing as UX designers: (which one should you pick?) 1. Project-based 2. Retainer-based

Some visual tweaks to my newsletter → tactile paper texture → header + footer banner → different email types colours → stamps for partners → micrographics for dividers → brand lockup and more coming… What ya think? Tiny details makes me tingle (in a good way)

Canva got roasted by the design community. Here’s the tea (and receipts) ↓

Movie studios called opening credits trash. This designer made them iconic… Saul Bass (1920-1996). Graphic designer. Filmmaker. Legend. He made your feel something before the movie began. He did it for 40 years with Hollywood's best directors.

Design seniority isn’t years of experience. 3 years = mid-level 5 years = senior 10 years = leader I don’t buy it.

I built a lifestyle business And people said I was stupid.

It took me years to learn this: “Pushback is where good ideas get tested” (framework incoming ↓)

6 levels to building a sustainable design business: (the roadmap I wish I had)

Designers do great work. But great work doesn’t pay the bills. Customers, clients, projects do.

How to find the right clients: (for freelancers + UX designers)

So you want to be a freelancer? Here's the fine print ↓

Most senior designers hit a wall. They're great at their craft. They're solid mentors. But they're craving for more impact. And they wonder if the only move is management. It’s not.

A simple Design Thinking trick I use all the time: Replace the noun with a verb. The formula: “I need + noun” → “I need TO + verb”

Freelance designer expectations vs. reality

I burned out, A LOT, as a UX manager. The emotional tax (that no one tells you):

UX Portfolio Do’s & Don’ts

A few semi-controversial things I believe ↓