top of page
Become a better brand designer in just 5 minutes per week.
Join 41,000+ Strategic Designers receiving weekly tips, strategies, and resources to launch and grow their design business.
What designers are saying...
This newsletter is a life saver, it totally changed my perspective of business! I really appreciate your hard work for us designers.
Syed Ghulam Abbas
Really love this week's newsletter as I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the start of my first projects. Reading that you don't feel stressed when doing your own leisure because you have allotted specific time for work made me feel some sort of eureka moment about my current work process. This helped me realize how I can organize my day more in months to come as an aspiring business owner so thank you very much for this!
Briana Maderazo
I've read your email and it's come at the right time. I was drowning in self doubt whether my work is good and asking myself am I good enough to even do a rebrand for a company even just as a trial, I was feeling not worthy enough and like a fraud until I read your email and felt my spirits lifted. I love your emails, I'm always looking forward to them. Thank you for doing what you do.
Rose Belle Arts
Your content is far by the most inspiring and educational I’ve come across. Your newsletters keep me on my feet each week!
Binky Creative
I get so stoked to receive a newsletter from Abi Connick, the value and what she brings is always on point!
Grove Studio Co
I want to say your mail is a source of inspiration for me as I am trying to branch out from being an in-house designer to starting my studio. Thank you so much, Abi.
Ajayi Timothy
I love your newsletters! I never usually read newsletters but yours I actively look forward to :)
Katherine Radcliffe
Read past issues of the newsletter:
Hard projects aren’t a client problem
Have you ever experienced that moment where you finish a project and think: “Why did that feel so hard… when the work itself wasn’t even that complex?” The client wasn’t difficult. The scope wasn’t massive. The design stage flowed smoothly. And yet, you walk away feeling drained. And if we’re being honest, this is usually the moment designers blame the client. But the truth is, most of the time it’s not the client’s fault the project felt hard. It’s yours. Not because you’re
5 days ago3 min read
The real reason my design business felt overwhelming
About a year into building my design business, I was objectively doing well. I’d: survived the first 6 months of freelancing (often the hardest) built a steady stream of clients started using social media to attract work From the outside, things looked great. But internally, I was stressed. Every day felt overwhelming. There was always too much to do, too many things to hold in my head, and slowly, the work I chose for freedom started to feel heavy. That period turned out to
Feb 175 min read
You might not be stuck. You might just be mid-rep.
If you’ve been feeling bored, frustrated, or quietly wondering whether you should give up on what you’re working towards, you’re currently experiencing something many designers go through. That feeling usually shows up right before progress does, even though it doesn’t feel like it. Now I could give you some generic advice like “keep going” or “don’t give up” or maybe even share this picture with you: But that kind of advice doesn’t actually help. What does help is understand
Feb 102 min read
Why great designers still struggle with business
You know how professional athletes make everything look effortless? That’s you with design work. A client describes their vision, and your creative instincts just… kick in. You can navigate any design challenge intuitively, like creative muscle memory. And from the lens of “passion”, this is great! But when it comes to what Steven Pressfield calls “Turning Pro”, even the most natural talent needs a playbook. You think Serena Williams just walks onto the court and wings it? O
Jan 275 min read
“Designers don’t argue with clients”
I’m experimenting with something new in today’s newsletter. You’ll notice a 2-minute read section at the top. The idea for this is simple: you can get the core message quickly, then decide whether to keep reading or save it for later. If you like this format (or hate it), comment and tell me. I’m genuinely curious! A 2-minute read A post went viral on LinkedIn this week about how designers eventually stop suggesting better ideas when clients don’t value their expertise. Lots
Jan 205 min read
Drowning in design advice? (read this)
In the past two years, the design world has seen a massive shift. Business education is more accessible than ever. You can learn brand strategy on YouTube, master Instagram marketing from a course, hire a coach to help you land clients. We have more resources than any generation of designers before us. Some would say this is the best time ever to build a design business. But then why does it still feel so hard? Why are so many talented designers stuck? I think it’s because tw
Dec 15, 20256 min read
How to win as a Brand Designer?
Why are you in this game? Why have you voluntarily signed up for this tough world when you know very well how uncomfortable it gets? The late nights, the difficult clients, the uncertainty of the next pay check. I believe the answer is the same for all of us. To impress the future version of you. You're doing this for the person you'll become five years down the line. You want them to look back at your struggle right now and feel proud. You want them to see that every hard de
Dec 9, 20257 min read
How I'd create content if I started over
If I had to start creating content all over again, what would I do differently? If you notice my Instagram today, I am speaking to you. My fellow designers. But that’s not how I began my journey, and it’s almost unfair to talk about what I did back then, because it’s not relevant for you TODAY. As you can tell, I have given the above question some real thought. When I look at most designers trying to build their business online, I see the same pattern. They're creating conten
Dec 2, 20256 min read
The AI approach that makes top 1% designers future-proof
AI is something I’ve been meaning to talk about for a while now. But I wanted to do so in a manner where I can actually help you make sense of it all. There are just so many people and so many opinions about this topic, that it can become really hard to separate “signal” from the all “noise”. AI is advancing faster than one can keep up with. There are new tools every week. New capabilities every month. And it is very valid to sometimes go down the spiral and feel paralyzed wi
Nov 18, 20256 min read
Your clients are butchering your work
Do you know that a Harvard professor named Michael Norton, ran a fascinating study on how people “value” things? He had participants assemble IKEA furniture, fold origami, and build LEGO sets. Then he asked them to price their creations. The results led to what students in MBA learn today as the "IKEA Effect." People valued their amateur IKEA furniture almost as highly as expert-built pieces. And apparently they said they'd pay nearly the same for their wonky origami, as they
Nov 4, 20256 min read
Do you think Sales calls are scary?
Do you feel comfortable going into a sales call? Or do you feel these gnawing sensations of: “What if they think I’m not as experienced as I sound?” “What if I can’t answer their questions on the spot?” ”What if they think I’m too expensive?” You know you’re great at what you do. You’re excited to help the prospects unlock a serious transformation through your designs. But going on a sales call is so uncomfortable that you’re secretly staying away from them! Take a moment to
Oct 28, 20256 min read
How to stop feeling like an imposter as a designer
As you probably noticed from the subject line, today we’re talking about one of the most common struggles of all creatives. Actually, I think it shows up in all humans at some point or another. Imposter syndrome. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how imposter syndrome is a “sign of growth” or means you’re “pushing yourself.” But that doesn’t necessarily help you stop feeling it, does it? It’s mostly just helping us feel better for a few seconds before we’re back to the exa
Sep 16, 20254 min read
How to set boundaries with clients (without losing them)
Most of you reading this are probably here because you signed up for the free course: Working With Clients, or found me via Instagram or YouTube. So, chances are you know I am very passionate about helping designers understand the ins and outs of successfully managing client projects. And when I got this question from one of you: “How do I set boundaries with clients without them dropping the project?”… … I knew I hadn’t completely gotten through to you all just yet. Which i
Sep 8, 20255 min read
Strategic Switch: Mastering the habits that'll help you become a Strategic Brand Designer
There’s one lesson I’ve learned over and over in business: You don’t hit your goals with ambition or talent. You hit them by “becoming the person” who is capable of hitting those goals. Want to land better clients? Become the person who researches industries deeply, asks strategic questions, and presents solutions (not just pretty designs) Want to charge more for branding projects? Become the person who leads discovery calls confidently, delivers in-depth strategy, and posi
Aug 11, 20256 min read
Strategic Switch: 4 systems that help designers build profitable businesses fast
Welcome to Strategic Switch! Throughout my freelancing journey, I’ve managed to connect and become friends with a bunch of designers, and I’ve found that pretty much all of them started freelancing for the same reasons. They wanted to: take back control of their time, increase their earning potential, and ultimately unlock creative freedom! But the sad reality is very few have actually achieved this. And this isn’t just in my friend group. So many designers (who are amazing a
Jul 15, 20257 min read
Strategic Switch: 5 steps to find premium leads consistently
Today we’re diving into the topic that determines whether your design business thrives or barely survives: Lead Generation . And when it comes to lead generation, there’s one thing that’s never quite made sense to me. Why is it that some of the most talented designers out there are constantly stressed about where their next client will come from - even though they’re only charging $500 for a logo? Meanwhile, the brand designers charging $5k–$15k per project seem to have clie
Jul 7, 20256 min read
I let the client take the lead… and it showed 😬
I’ve been reminiscing a lot lately. Thinking about where I once was in comparison to where I am. There’s been a lot of growth (backed by a lot of struggles) but, I’m glad I’m here 🥳 When I first started, beyond my basic design skills, strategy knowledge, and business acumen, there was something else that completely overshadowed my design projects… Allowing clients to lead the projects. Of course a project should be a collaboration so their input is needed, but I used to let
Jun 8, 20254 min read
Why some freelance designers fail
Why do some designers 'make it' in the freelance world and others don't? Sometimes it can be so confusion when you see a super talented designer struggle to get their design business up and going. All while other designers, who may not be as technically skilled, achieve success because they just do the things that need to be done. So, the question is… what do successful designers have or do that the others don't? Well, it's not about technical design skills. And, it's not ab
May 25, 20252 min read
Why your clients don’t “get” your designs (and how to fix it)
They say some things can’t be taught and can only be learned. And for me, one of those things was learning that clients can’t read your mind. During the first couple of years of working for myself, one thing that would always trigger an emotional response was when clients asked for revisions or didn’t understand my design choices. I’d get emotional because clients don’t see the countless hours you spent: Researching their industry Analyzing their competitors Crafting the perf
May 18, 20253 min read
When your client goes rogue on Canva...
Now, I know that just reading that subject line probably made your palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy… And that’s understandable because as a designer, there might not be a worse feeling than spending weeks putting together a brand that hits the spot, only to see it ruined by a client’s heavy-handed Canva clicks! (No shade to Canva - it’s just typically the go-to for businesses that like to DIY.) When this situation happens, we designers can be quick to get frustrated with
May 12, 20253 min read
bottom of page