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Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty

Cj Cawley / Jack Chitty 9 Episodes Oct 14, 2026

Sticky Notes is a podcast hosted by brand designers CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty. Each week, they discuss the realities of running a creative business, covering topics like finding clients, pricing work, building a brand, and dealing with creative blocks and self-doubt. The show offers an honest look at the ups and downs of freelancing without any fluff or gatekeeping.

Episodes

Design school vs. Self-taught: who goes further? Oct 14, 2026 01:03:26 Do you actually need a degree to become a good designer? Or can you teach yourself everything you need to know? We get into:0:00, Introduction05:42, Do you need a degree to become a designer?14:52, Was university actually worth it?18:23, Can you work at a top agency without a degree?25:29, Can taste actually be taught?32:38, AI, education and the future of learning design42:10, Are designers takin

Is running a branding studio actually worth it? Oct 7, 2026 01:02:22 This week, we’re doing something a little different.No big topic or case study. Just an honest conversation about why running a creative business feels really hard sometimes.We’ve both had a few turbulent weeks recently, so we wanted to go properly behind the curtain and talk about the stuff that doesn’t normally make it onto Instagram: unpaid invoices, difficult client conversations, financial pr

Designing a brand with zero personality Sep 30, 2026 00:59:02 This week, we’re going behind the scenes of one of CJ’s favourite brand identity projects to date: the complete rebrand of Mike Lane.Mike has spent the last 10 years building an incredible business creating highly detailed modifications for scale models inspired by films like Back to the Future, Batman, Jaws, Terminator and Fast & Furious. But after a decade of growth, the brand had outgrown t

Would you rather lose half your clients to AI or… Sep 29, 2026 00:44:07 This week, we’re doing something a little different and playing a game of Would You Rather: graphic design edition. Some of the questions are stupid. Some get surprisingly deep. And a few reveal far more about how we think as designers than either of us probably expected.

Are design influencers ruining the industry? Sep 16, 2026 01:03:55 This week, we're getting into the uncomfortable conversation you have to have with yourself when promoting your business on social media. The line between marketing yourself as a designer and becoming a design influencer.

Design client red flags Sep 9, 2026 01:05:59 This week, we’re talking about the red flags we look for before agreeing to work with a new design client.Finding clients is one thing. Finding the right clients... well that's a whole other story.After years of working freelance, running our own studios and making plenty of mistakes along the way, we’ve both developed a pretty good radar for the little signs that can tell you whether a projec

Being a good brand designer isn't enough anymore Sep 2, 2026 01:00:42 This week, we’re talking about everything it takes to run a successful creative business that has absolutely nothing to do with being good at design.We share the skills, traits and ugly lessons we’ve picked up while building our own independent studios.We get into:👉 Why being a great designer doesn’t automatically mean you’ll run a great design business👉 The sacrifices we’ve made to build our stud

Designing A Retro-Futurist Brand Aug 26, 2026 00:34:59 This week, we’re continuing the case study series with a look behind the scenes of Jack’s latest brand identity project for Verdex - a premium all-wheel-drive robotic mower.Rather than leaning into the same overly technical, futuristic visual language used by much of the industry, Jack took a completely different approach: retrofuturism.We get into:👉 How retrofuturism became the central creative d

I Deliberately Designed a Boring Logo Aug 26, 2026 00:43:42 This week, we’re doing something a little different and taking you properly behind the scenes of a real brand identity project.CJ breaks down the identity he created for Anti-Boring Content Club, a Berlin-based influencer marketing agency built around one very simple belief: most branded content is boring, predictable and completely forgettable.We get into:👉 How CJ approached designing for a brand

A$AP Rocky vs Allan Peters Aug 13, 2026 01:04:04 Using the recent Allan Peters and A$AP Rocky situation as a case study, we're taking a look at social media, self-promotion, and what it actually takes to market yourself as a designer in 2026.We get into the fine line between creating content that gets attention and creating content that actually builds the kind of reputation, audience and client base you want long term.We also talk honestly

The BEST Logo I Ever Designed Aug 12, 2026 01:09:49 This week, we’re talking about the projects that never saw the light of day. We're talking rejected ideas and identities that were maybe signed off but never launched. We share the stories behind some of our biggest creative disappointments, including Jack’s rejected Six Nations identity and the moment CJ decided to walk away from one of the largest and most meaningful projects of his career.W

This One Mistake Cost Me £4,000… Aug 5, 2026 01:06:47 This week, we’re talking about how to protect yourself as a freelance designer.We're talking contracts, payment terms, scope creep, unlimited revisions and difficult clients. We get into the business side of creativity that most designers are never taught.We also share some of the biggest mistakes we made early in our careers, including the project that grew into nearly a year of work for just

A "Design" Company Stole My Work To Train Their AI Aug 3, 2026 01:05:05 This week, we’re finally talking about AI... but not as a hypothetical debate about what might happen to the creative industry one day.We’re talking about something that has already happened.After discovering that his original artwork had been used without permission to promote a generative AI product, CJ takes us through the full story: how he found it, how closely the generated imagery copied hi

What Is It REALLY Like To Run A Global Design Studio? Jul 22, 2026 01:14:06 This week, we're back after a short break, catching up on everything that's happened.Jack opens up about losing confidence in his studio, comparing himself to other designers, and the difficult decision to walk away from the work and content that had made him successful. We also talk about why changing direction isn't failing, why your business should evolve as you do, and why sometime

How Much Should I Charge for Creative Work? Jul 16, 2026 01:03:37 This week, we tackle one of the most uncomfortable conversations in the creative industry: money.How much should you charge for your first logo design project? We talk honestly about the fear of quoting too high, the temptation to undercharge, and why so many freelance designers struggle to separate the value of their work from their own self-worth.We also share stories from our own businesses, th

Every Creative's Worst Nightmare Jul 16, 2026 00:58:04 This week, we get into the thing that separates work with soul from work without it. From copying the designers we admire to chasing critique over praise, we unpack what it actually takes to develop real taste and creative instinct. We also share stories from our own journeys, including a proper dressing-down, the danger of being told you're great too often, and the uncomfortable question of w

Why Clients Keep Rejecting Your Work Jul 13, 2026 01:01:59 This week, CJ and Jack get into the one thing that makes or breaks a creative career — getting your work signed off. From presenting ideas in front of a class for the first time, to spending an entire summer studying sales techniques, they share the hard-won lessons behind building a presentation process that actually works. Plus the uncomfortable truth that great work alone will never be enough

How to Find Graphic Design Clients Jun 3, 2026 00:54:27 This week, CJ and Jack unpack the reality of finding clients as a freelance designer. From saying yes to everything in the early days, to learning how to attract the right opportunities as your career grows. They share stories from their own journeys, including cold emails, awkward client experiences, social media, passion projects, and the uncomfortable truth about what it really takes to get not

I Quit My 9-5… Now I Can’t Stop Working May 27, 2026 01:02:14 We quit our 9-5's to work 5-9. This week, CJ and Jack unpack the guilt that comes with being a freelance creative and finally putting your 'out of office' on.We get into:👉 Why freelancers often feel guilty taking time off👉 The pressure of running a business when everything stops if you stop👉 Why rest can feel like something you have to earn👉 The hidden 9–5 mindset many creatives still

How do Freelance Graphic Designers find Motivation? May 20, 2026 01:00:03 What happens when the wins stop coming? When projects drag on, self-doubt creeps in, confidence drops, and you start questioning whether you even know what you’re doing anymore. We get into:👉 Why freelance creatives become dependent on “wins” to keep going👉 What happens when you stop getting sign-offs, leads, or momentum👉 The dangerous spiral of self-doubt, comparison, and “maybe I’m not cut out f

The Skill Gap Is Destroying My Confidence | EP002 May 13, 2026 00:52:11 You know that feeling where your taste is up here… but your actual ability feels way down there?Well, we unpack the constant battle of knowing what “great” looks like, but struggling to create work that lives up to the vision in your head.EPISODE SPONSORSilverStag Type Foundry | Fonts that feel real, intentional, and full of character. Grab 20% OFF all fonts hereTOOLS FOR BRAND & LOGO DESIGNER

The Dark Side of Social Media | EP001 May 6, 2026 01:05:56 Well... this week’s episode took a completely unexpected turn.What started as a conversation about social media, sharing your work online, and building a personal brand quickly became a very real discussion about criticism, hate, parody videos, and what happens when putting yourself out there publicly suddenly blows back in your face.CJ opens up about waking up to a viral parody video mocking his

Why Should You Watch This Podcast? | EP000 Apr 29, 2026 00:37:27 Welcome to the very first episode of Sticky Notes - the unfiltered podcast for creative professionals, where we ungatekeep the arts of our careers nobody talks about but everyone goes through. In this episode, Jack Chitty and I sit down after a long day of building this podcast from scratch (literally by hand) and talk about why we’re even doing this.We get into:👉 Why running a freelance graphic d

Should Brand Designers Niche Down? | Sticky Notes EP01 Mar 25, 2026 01:04:54 Welcome to the first-ever episode of Sticky Notes. The podcast for graphic designers, logo designers, and brand designers who are figuring out how to build a freelance design studio.In this episode, we’re tackling one of the biggest questions in the design industry: To niche or not to niche? Should you specialise in one style, one industry, one type of client? Or should you stay broad, flexible, a

#03 How to Build a Graphic Design Business From Scratch - Abi Connick's Journey to Success Jun 23, 2025 01:14:46 If you’re a freelance graphic designer who’s ever felt lost, stuck, or unsure where to start, this episode might just be what you needed. I have a raw and honest conversation with Abi Connick, a self-taught graphic designer and creative entrepreneur who went from charging £10 for logos and freelancing from her bedroom, to building a thriving online design business, enormous social media audience,

#02 - The Brutal Truth About Being a Graphic Designer on Social Media - Jack Chitty PART 2 Mar 3, 2025 00:36:24 Being a graphic designer on social media isn’t as easy as it looks…In Part 2 of my conversation with Jack Chitty (@chittco), we dive deep into the brutal reality of building a freelance graphic design career online—the hate comments, the self-doubt, the validation trap, and how social media can either make or break you as a creative.Jack opens up about:🔥 How going viral almost destroyed his confid

#01 - From ZERO Clients to Designing Logos for Global Brands – Jack Chitty’s INSANE Story Feb 24, 2025 01:25:23 If you're a designer struggling to make it, you need to watch this episode of how Jack Chitty (@chittco) went from having no degree, no job, and nearly no hope to landing one of the biggest branding projects of his career – Six Nations Rugby. But the journey wasn’t as smooth as you think.In this raw and honest conversation, we talk about:🔥 How Jack built his design career from scratch (no qual

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty

Episodes

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