👋🏼 Hi, this is Aayush with the first publication of the Joy Of Creation newsletter, where I will piece together my way of stumbling at success in the design industry. Subscribe to this newsletter if you have a deep appreciation for design and the desire to make a living in this space.

In this first issue, we cover:

• Who is a successful designer?

• “As long as I don’t lose this job…”

• A Christmas freebie

Who is a successful designer?

If you were a designer in the 1960s, you’d know this man.

Milton Glaser. 

Go look him up.

His designs include the I ❤️ New York logo, a 1966 poster for Bob Dylan, and the logos for DC Comics, Stony Brook University, and Brooklyn Brewery.

Milton Glaser in his time had also changed the paperback cover industry so impactfully that books began to appeal to those who didn’t even read. 

His design work became instantly identifiable. 

No art director’s work was more influential than that of Milton Glaser.

Imagine the social capital he must have built in the industry - the idea that if an author wants to publish his book, Glaser would be his go-to designer (if he could afford him). 

He became “socially wealthy”. Everyone in his industry knew him. And that is why he was a successful designer.

The empire of design isn’t new, and the influence of it isn’t unknown. But it takes great work, a rich network, and a vision to be a man like him.

Give a shit about it

When the novelty of having a new job fades off, we happily settle for mediocrity.

I want to be at the top turns into I want to not lose this job. We do the bare minimum.

But caring about stuff can be powerful.

At Infosys, an accidental hunch to design a presentation changed the complete course of my life. 

I worked as a business analyst. 12 years fast forward, I run a company that only designs presentations, and generates $5Mn USD worth of business for its clients.

I was able to notice the frustration CXOs had while making presentations, while I thoroughly enjoyed that design process. 

If I would have chosen not to solve their frustrations (despite having the ability to), I would have been responsible for my mediocrity.

A Christmas freebie

As the new year approaches and agencies start working on their seasonal trimming of festival creatives, designers need to go through hefty revision rounds.

Templates, the good ones, can be a solution here. 

I started Discover Template to templatize repeatable designs, and this one is a 13-slide Christmas deck template, with widescreen 16:9 size ratio, Lobster and Poppins fonts, and fully editable designs.

Download this template for free:

• PowerPoint

• Google Slides

• Keynote

^{Enjoyed this issue?}

If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider subscribing to it. I cover practical tips on adding real value to your design work, early choices you make, your growth path, and a successful transition into design entrepreneurship.

Follow my journey running INK PPT, INKLUSIVE*, and Discover Template all alongside, on my Twitter.

See you soon,

Have a great weekend ahead