BEYOND Design: The Business & Mindset Podcast for Designers & Creatives
BEYOND Design is a podcast for designers, freelancers, and creatives who want honest conversations about the creative process, mindset shifts, self-doubt, burnout, pricing, confidence, and building a creative business that feels good to run. Hosted by Nelett Loubser, it shares real stories and lessons from the design industry, covering the business and emotional side of creative work. The podcast emphasizes that design is only one part of it — the rest is mindset, boundaries, growth, and learning how to build a creative career and life that works for you.
Episodes
How to Price Freelance Design Work — Without Undercharging
Send us Fan MailIf the money conversation makes your stomach drop, this one's for you. After 25 years as a designer, I'm sharing exactly how I price my work — not by the hour, but by the value it creates — and the brave questions to ask before you ever say a number.Here's what we get into:Why you're not bad at money — you're just scared of the conversationThe phone call th
Designer Burnout: I Didn't Leave Design, I Left What It Cost Me
Send us Fan MailI've been in design for more than twenty years, and for most of them I genuinely believed the chaos was just the job. The 4pm "can you quickly change this," the laptop that came on holiday "just in case," the edits I once did on the side of a road while my family waited in the car. It felt normal. Until Covid stopped the world and my body finally exhaled —
Freelance Designer Loneliness: Why Community Beats Another Course
Send us Fan MailNobody talks about the real loneliness of freelancing. Not the Pinterest version — laptop, coffee, living the dream. The real version. Where you read the same client email five times and wonder if you're being difficult, or if you should just drop your price because shame, you need the work.In this episode, I want to talk about something most designers carry quietly: the weigh
Will AI Replace Graphic Designers? Here's the Truth After 25 Years in the Industry
Send us Fan MailAI is everywhere right now — in design, branding, content, websites, logos and almost every creative conversation.And here is my honest take: I love AI.It helps me think, organise, clean up admin and move faster where faster helps.But AI is not my replacement.In this episode of BEYOND Design, I talk about AI in graphic design, human-centric creativity, and why designers still matte
How to Set Up Your Freelance Design Business
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of BEYOND Design, I’m talking about the part of freelancing we often avoid in the beginning — setting up the basic foundation of your freelance design business.Not the fancy website.Not the perfect brand.Not seventeen apps and a dramatic business plan.Just the simple things that make you feel more legit, more organised, and less all over the place when a client fina
Business Side of Design: Talent Gets You Hired — This Keeps You Booked.
Send us Fan MailThe 80/20 Truth: Design talent might get you hired once… but it’s the other 80% that keeps you booked.In this episode we talk about the part of freelancing nobody posts about: boundaries, client communication, systems, confidence — and even that thing I call “email apnea” (when your inbox makes you hold your breath like it’s about to ruin your day).You’ll leave with one practical t
How I Started Kunshuis (And I’d Do It All Again Today)
Send us Fan MailThis is the most requested episode I get: how I started Kunshuis.I’m taking you back to 2009/2010 — the spare-bedroom days, after-hours work, the awkward phone calls, the “Eish… I hope this works” moments… and the simple things I did that still matter today.In this episode, I share what I did first to get clients, why I didn’t niche (and why I don’t regret it), the small habits tha
Working From Home Without Losing Your Mind
Send us Fan MailWorking from home sounds like the dream… until it’s week two and you’re sitting in the same spot again, feeling flat, distracted, and a bit alone.In this episode, I share the real story of how KunsHuis started (dining-room desk, pay-as-you-go internet, all of it) — and what actually helped me climb out of that early working-from-home slump. We’re talking dedicated space, routine, b
How to Get More Design Clients Without Social Media (Start With Your Inbox)
Send us Fan MailSomewhere between the school bags, the “quick” client emails that are never quick, and making supper… a lot of creatives are quietly waiting for work to just… arrive.And babe, I get it. I’ve done it too.In this episode, I’m sharing a very unglamorous but very effective truth:Before you go looking for new clients… check your inbox.Because the clients you’re praying for aren’t always
Time Management for Freelance Designers: How to Structure Your Week Without Burning Out
Send us Fan MailSomewhere between the school bags, the client emails, the dog walk, and making supper… a lot of creatives are quietly burning out.In this episode, I’m sharing the simple rhythm that’s helping me hold client work and build what’s next — without losing myself halfway through the week.We’ll talk about why the problem usually isn’t time… it’s transitions.How to protect your mornings li
How to Stay creative in the holiday season
Send us Fan MailIf you're in that weird space between wanting to rest and still wanting to feel inspired — this one's for you.In this episode, we’re talking about how to stay creative during the holidays without forcing it. Because let’s be honest — your brain might be fried, your to-do list is a bit of a joke, and inspiration doesn’t exactly strike between school concerts and shopping l
Why Slowing Down Is the Most Strategic Thing a Designer Can Do
Send us Fan MailIf December is the only time you finally breathe, this episode is for you.I’m talking about the moment I realised the life I was designing — the one I thought looked “successful” — was actually exhausting me by the end of every year.This one’s not about productivity hacks or how to squeeze more into your day. It’s about learning to pause on purpose. Daily. Not just during the holid
The System Behind My Creative Life
Send us Fan MailLet’s be honest — running a freelance design business can feel like a mess. And no, it’s usually not the design work that’s the problem… it’s everything around it. The emails, the timelines, the feedback loops, the invoices, the “wait, where did I save that thing?” moments.In this episode, I’m walking you through the real reason I created the Designers’ Playbook Desk — not as anoth
Educating Our Clients — The Unsung Responsibility of Graphic Designers
Send us Fan MailClients don’t come with a manual — and neither do we.So when a project goes sideways, it’s usually not about the design… it’s about the gap between what we know and what our clients think happens behind the scenes.In this episode, we dive into one of the most overlooked parts of our job as designers: educating our clients.Not blaming them. Not rolling our eyes behind the scenes.But
What Makes a Top-Rated Creative (It's Not Just Talent)
Send us Fan MailLet’s be honest — being a “top-rated” creative isn’t just about having talent or pretty work on your feed. It’s about how you run your freelance business. How you communicate. How you lead a project. How you carry yourself when no one’s watching.In this first episode of the Playbook Series, I’m sharing what actually makes a designer truly trusted — the stuff that turns one-off clie
Creatively Tired, Still Inspired: A Soft Reset for Designers
Send us Fan MailFeeling creatively drained… but also kinda excited for what next year could be?In this episode, I’m talking about that strange end-of-year feeling we creatives know too well — tired, worn out, low on ideas… but still catching little sparks of inspiration for the year ahead.From what I wrote in VISI Magazine to the real-talk reset I’m doing in my own studio, this is a soft, honest c
When Clients Ghost You (And You Start Doubting Everything)
Send us Fan MailEver been ghosted by a client?You send the concept, the quote, the carefully worded email… and then—nothing. No reply. No feedback. Just silence.In this episode, I’m sharing what to do when a client disappears—without disappearing into yourself. We’ll talk about why ghosting happens, how to gently follow up (with copy-paste scripts!), and how to protect your peace, your pricing, an
Ask, Don’t Guess — Why Great Designers Ask Better Questions
Send us Fan MailHave you ever been told to “just do what the client wants”? 🙃Yeah... same.In this episode of BEYOND Design, I’m sharing why asking smart, strategic questions isn’t “too much” — it’s exactly what makes you a powerful, professional designer.We’re diving into:• What questions actually build trust (and better results)• The difference between a designer and a button pusher• Why “make it
Are You a Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda or Samantha… in Business?
Send us Fan MailWhat do your business habits say about you?In this light-hearted (but sneakily powerful) episode, I’m blending two of my great loves—Sex and the City and helping creatives build businesses that actually fit them.Whether you’re a Carrie chasing ideas, a Miranda with airtight boundaries, a Charlotte with a big heart, or a Samantha running the show—you’ll love this playful take on cre
Episode 8: Mental Health in the Shadows of Design
Send us Fan MailBehind every design file is a thinking, feeling, human—and sometimes, our biggest creative battles happen in the quiet spaces no one sees.In honour of World Mental Health Day (10 October), this episode goes beyond the deadlines and deep into the heart of what we carry as creatives.From prayer and the Bible App to tapping, the Emotion Code, Dr. Caroline Leaf’s thought rewiring, and
Graphic Designer Burnout: Why You've Stopped Creating (And How to Get Back to It)
Send us Fan Mail🎧 A quiet crisis in the creative world... let’s talk about it.Are you actually creating… or just managing chaos?This episode goes straight into the heart of something many of us are silently dealing with: graphic designer burnout.Not the dramatic kind. The kind that sneaks in through late-night emails, endless admin, and blurred boundaries.We’re unpacking the real reason behind cre
Face it, Your Clients are Running Your Freelance Business—Not You.
Send us Fan MailEver feel like your clients are secretly running your business?Like your inbox has become your boss and “quick edits” turn into all-nighters?You’re not alone. In this episode of BEYOND Design, I share the raw truth of what happens when we let clients set the pace—and how to flip the script so you become the Creative Director of your own freelance life.We’ll talk boundaries, client
What 20 Years of Deadlines Made Me Realise—And 7 Tips to Change It
Send us Fan MailTwenty years of deadlines taught me something no design degree ever could: you can’t create your best work when your body, mind, and spirit are running on empty.In this episode of BEYOND Design, I’m opening up about how deadlines shaped my life—and how I finally learned to reclaim peace, set boundaries, and design without burning out. I’ll share seven simple but powerful shifts tha
Mastering the Art of Pricing for Graphic Designers
Send us Fan MailBecause your price isn’t just a number—it’s a mirror of your confidence.Let’s talk about the part of freelancing no one prepped us for: pricing.If you’ve ever stared at a quote, second-guessing yourself… wondering if you’re asking too much—or way too little—you’re not alone.In this episode, I’m getting real about how I went from R300 logos to building a pricing system that feels al
How to Get Respect as a Graphic Designer: Stop Saying "I'm Just" and Start Leading
Send us Fan MailEver whispered “I’m just a graphic designer” and felt that pang in your chest?In this episode, I’m talking straight from the heart—about why so many of us shrink when asked what we do, and how the only way the world will ever truly respect design… is if we start first.From awkward dinner-party moments to the real power of design that lives in everything from your coffee cup to your
Business for Creatives - These 5 Things Keep You Booked
Send us Fan MailThis one’s for the creatives who feel like business is the part they’re “not good at.”In this episode, I’m sharing what finally clicked for me after years of thinking I had to be more “corporate” to be taken seriously. Spoiler: I was wrong. Business isn’t about becoming someone else—it’s about learning how to stay you, consistently.From boundaries and money rhythms to better client
Hello to Beyond Design
Send us Fan MailThis podcast has lived in my heart (and notebooks) for years. BEYOND Design is finally here—and in this first episode, I’m taking you back to where it all began. From the agency days in Cape Town to flipping through a phone book in Windhoek looking for my first freelance clients… this is the story behind the story.We talk about why design is only 20% of what we do—and how the other
TRAILOR
Send us Fan MailThis is not your average design podcast.This is the part after the brief. The part behind the beautiful logo.This is the real, raw, voice-note-style space for creatives, freelancers, and especially women in design who are building a life—not just a portfolio.Hosted by Nelett—graphic designer turned creative life mentor with over 25 years in the industry—BEYOND Design gently peels b
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