If you were to order an expensive meal at a nice restaurant, but then asked if they could knock 50% off of the price, how would your waiter respond? Probably not well. Of all the possible replies, the most likely one would be, “I’m sorry, we can’t do that.” Which is not surprising. So then why do people in the creative business bend to such requests from clients? In this fun Clubhouse talk, Chris helps people with their pricing and negotiation troubles by roleplaying scenarios with them. When do...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 57 min•Season 4Ep. 164
Have you ever read a lengthy paragraph from a book and then sort of woken up and asked yourself, “Wait. What did I just read?” You and us both. Reading is a fantastic way to learn, but if you don’t retain that precious information then what is the point? In this Clubhouse discussion Chris shares his approach to reading books. How he reads, his note taking method, and why he suggests you read a book three times. And he is joined by The Futur Pro Group members, Stephanie Owens and Rahul Bhogal. Wh...
Nov 17, 2021•2 hr•Season 4Ep. 163
In the corporate world, climbing the proverbial ladder seems common. To get ahead (and make more money) you must climb through the ranks. But in the creative industry, it feels different. We pursue a career in the arts because we're passionate about things like design, photography, and animation. We enjoy making things ourselves. But is that enough to sustain a long career? Will we be aged-out of our jobs? Should we strive to be more than just the artisan? In this lively discussion, Chris is joi...
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 4Ep. 162
The concept of branding has been around since the dawn of human existence. It is hard-wired into us. Or as Patrick Hanlon refers to it: it’s our primal code. Patrick Hanlon is what many in the creative advertising world call the OG of branding. He is the founder and CEO of primalbranding.co, an acclaimed branding group with an impressive roster of Fortune 100 companies. Patrick also authored a book of the same name (Primal Branding) that has become required reading for the marketing departments ...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 161
Adam J. Kurtz (aka Adam JK) is a designer, artist, and speaker whose illustrative work is rooted in honesty, humor and a little darkness. In this episode, we welcome Adam back to the show to talk about what it’s like writing a book about optimism when it feels like you’re living in an end-of-the-world movie. Adam and Chris also discuss their experience with therapy (and the immense benefit it has on your mental health), how to write like you speak, and why perfection is overrated. Sponsored by S...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 4Ep. 160
This episode comes from a discussion held on Clubhouse. The topic: perfectionism. Where it comes from and why it hinders your growth. Better said (and by Winston Churchhill), “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” In this talk, Chris is joined by The Futur Pro Group members Martha Cristina Garza, Jule Kim, and Lola Bakare. Each of them share their experience with perfection getting the best of them. So, how do you fight that intrinsic need to make something perfect before you share it? According...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 159
This episode comes from a livestream we hosted via YouTube in early 2020. In it, Chris fields questions from a group of design majors visiting from Loyola Marymount University. The Q&A covers topics like the difference between art and design, demonstrating your value to clients, what to charge for your work, and why there is truly nothing new under the sun. Sponsored by Storyblocks - https://www.storyblocks.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn ...
Oct 13, 2021•1 hr 38 min•Season 4Ep. 157
David Schwarz is an award-winning creative leader and one of the founding partners of acclaimed experience design agency, Hush. He’s spent his career designing brand experiences that integrate content, interactivity, architecture and technology. But what is experience design? It depends on where you are and who you ask. From where David stands experience design is about creating an immersive, three-dimensional, sensory experience in the real world. And affecting how you and I feel as we move thr...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 157
Once in a while we come across a story that we believe is worth sharing, even though it might not fit within the topics we generally talk about. Kyle Quilausing’s story is one of those. He’s gone from triumph, to tragedy, and back again. A sequence of events that touches on a recurring theme for our show: resilience. How we each find our way out of a dark place and the belief that it is never too late to become the person you are meant to be. Kyle’s message is simple: you are one decision away f...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 156
What does it take to run your own YouTube channel? According to Charli Marie, putting in the work is a good place to start. We know that’s not the advice you wanted to hear. But that’s the practical truth. You have to do the hard work. By day, Charli is Creative Director at ConvertKit. A creative marketing platform made for creators. And also by day, she is a YouTuber on a mission to help designers improve their worth as professionals. It almost sounds too good to be true, but Charli has built h...
Sep 22, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 155
In the final round, Mo and Chris discuss what success means and how you can reverse engineer someone else’s. If you’re thinking, “but how do I effectively do that?” then you are asking the wrong question. There are no shortcuts. The path is tough and you will struggle. There is no way around it. But the reward you get, is efficiency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 17, 2021•18 min•Season 4Ep. 154
In round 4, Mo and Chris discuss goals and expectations. When it comes to setting goals, you should be uncompromising in them, but flexible in how you achieve them. If the plan is not working, change the plan, not the goal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 16, 2021•14 min•Season 4Ep. 153
Round 3 is all about balance. Mo asks something personal of Chris: how do you balance this uncompromising purpose and your responsibility as a husband and father? It’s a fantastic question and something that many people struggle with. Especially when it comes to making big, scary decisions. As the expression goes, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...
Sep 15, 2021•12 min•Season 4Ep. 152
In round 2, Chris and Mo tackle the concept of ikigai. That is, how to live your life to it’s fullest potential. Theoretically, it makes good sense, but when it comes to taking action so few of us have the courage to do so. We are creatures of habit and comfort. The hard work and failure that leads to fulfillment is not an easy sell. But why is that? And how can you persevere in spite of that discomfort? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your a...
Sep 14, 2021•15 min•Season 4Ep. 151
To celebrate our 150th episode of The Futur podcast we are releasing a new episode every day this week for a total of 5 episodes. We call them 5 Rounds with Mo . In each episode The Futur Pro Group member and friend of the show, Mo Ismail, will ask Chris a tough question and he won’t let him off the hook until he’s happy with the answer. In round one, Mo asks Chris about how he’s able to break big, complex problems down into something that anyone can understand. And how he does it without lettin...
Sep 13, 2021•19 min•Season 4Ep. 150
Henry Kaminski Jr. is a self-taught graphic designer and brand consultant. Over the past decade he’s built a multi-million dollar design business. But the road there was filled with rusty nails. Some of which were ready to force him off the road and into a ditch. In this episode, Henry shares his origin story. From surviving his tumultuous youth to earning his first million. Since he and Chris are close, it feels like you’re listening to old friends having a sincere—and at times difficult—candid...
Sep 08, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 149
Are you familiar with the term “golden handcuffs”? It’s a phrase that refers to financial incentives given to employees to make them stick around. Because when you have everything you need, why would you ever want to leave? In this episode, we talk with illustrator, graphic designer, and Futur Pro Group member, Anthony Banks who—at the time this was recorded in 2018—was considering a big career move. But he is conflicted. His job is stable. It pays well. All of which is good for his family. For ...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 148
Welcome to another special episode format we call Hey Chris . We take listener submitted questions and make Chris answer them on the spot. No reading them ahead of time. No preparation. No time to think. Just a candid conversation between Chris Do and Greg Gunn. In this episode we answer four unique questions about topics like how to apply value based pricing (and when not to), positioning your business, whether to spend your time learning or doing, and and how to find your purpose. Have a quest...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 147
When he would get sent to detention, he’d spend his time there drawing for hours. And despite growing up in a super small town in South Carolina, he had access to an amazing art program. With the help of a nurturing mother, and a lot of talent and hustle, Douglas worked his way into a design career but always wanted more. He had spent a lot of his life creating, but came to a point where he wanted to explore the business side as well, and moved into strategy. In this week's conversation, Chris t...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 25 min
The internet can make people look very one dimensional. When in reality, they are far from. Ognjen Topic is a great example of that. He is a graphic designer and also a three time world champion in the competitive martial art, Muy Thai. You’ll hear about Ognjen’s tumultuous life journey as a Serbian born in Bosnia. Civil war forced his family to flee the country and ultimately immigrate to the United States where he fell in love with graphic design and developed a secret fighting career. You mig...
Aug 11, 2021•55 min•Season 4Ep. 146
This episode comes from a Clubhouse Q&A hosted by Billy and Glenn Lundy of Breakfast with Champions . During this candid chat, they ask Chris a series of questions about mindset and marketing. Things like how and why you should be specific with your goals, what creativity really means (hint: it’s not just for artists and designers), and why our future is in the hands of creative thinkers. Also, there is a great listener Q&A where people put Chris on the spot and he offers real time, pers...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 145
We talk a lot about branding. What it is, what it means, and how it works. But Kirsty Minns lives it. And excels in it at the highest creative level. Kirsty is the executive creative director at Mother Design in London. Mother is a world famous agency and you’ve probably come in contact with one of their incredible campaigns at some point. In this episode, we follow Kirsty through her entire career and hear about the personal and professional choices she made that ultimately lead her to where sh...
Jul 28, 2021•57 min•Season 4Ep. 144
If punk rock were a genre of design agency, then SNASK would be the Sex Pistols. As they state on their website, SNASK is a “creative agency of misfit geniuses conquering the world through fine lookin’ design and real emotions. To worry about what people think of us is a waste of time.” Freddie Ost is the founder of SNASK and we were fortunate enough to have him on the show and really get to know the person behind the eccentric agency. In the spirit of his business, the conversation oscillates b...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 143
Copywriting is hard. Which is why we always appreciate great copy when we see it. It’s usually simple, clear, and tickles your brain if written well. Cole Schafer is a creative writer. By day he runs a small advertising business called Honey Copy . By night, he writes and publishes poetry under the alias, January Black . He’s got a lot to say and he does it without mincing words. But in a way that will make you smirk. In this episode, Cole and Chris talk about the nuance and challenges of langua...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 142
Humans are inherent copy machines. Emulation is how we learn to walk, talk and navigate the world. But when it comes to ideas—especially ones we deem “original”—things are different. We become hyper critical of imitation and resent anything close to a copy of our own. Obsessing over ideological ownership. But what we don’t do, is turn that critical lens on ourself. Copy, transform, and combine. According to Kirby Ferguson, this is the recipe for creativity. Kirby is a filmmaker, speaker, and wri...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Season 4Ep. 141
Picture yourself at the airport. You’ve just returned from a long, arduous flight and you are exhausted. The last thing you want is to get in your car and make the lengthy drive home. So you open a ride sharing app, hail a car, and moments later you are on your way home. And the car is driving itself while you nap in the back seat. Strangely enough, if you live in the metro-Phoenix area, you can do that. All with the help of autonomous ride service, Waymo. Lauren Schwendimann is the interaction ...
Jun 30, 2021•59 min•Season 4Ep. 140
When you think of a design agency you might imagine a large, bustling office, with an open floor plan, teaming with creative people. And most of the time, reality would meet your expectations. But not all of the time. Because that's not what Philadelphia based agency, Superfriendly, is. It’s not even close. Superfriendly is a distributed design collaborative. Which means their team members reside all over the world. Like specialized creative agents, they are tapped to collaborate on projects tha...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 4Ep. 139
What is a brand? What is branding supposed to do? And can you control your own brand? In this Clubhouse Q&A, Chris is joined by Dr. Christine Looser. You might remember her from episode 109. Dr. Looser teaches marketing and branding, and is the head of business, at startup school, The Minerva Project. If you have any kind of interest in branding, then save or bookmark this episode. Because you will want to re-listen to it. The conversation gets brainy and there are plenty of SAT words throug...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Season 4Ep. 138
Mr. Ben Burns is The Futur’s Chief Financial Officer. You might recognize him as the bearded fellow on our YouTube channel. Though officially our CFO, Ben dons several more hats day-to-day. Self-taught designer, web developer, general steward of our company, and father of two. In this episode, we get to know to the man behind the mouse. His origin story, how he met Chris (and got his attention in the first place), and why firing all of his clients was the best move for both his business and care...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 4Ep. 137
This conversation comes from a live Clubhouse discussion. In the event you don’t know what Clubhouse is, it’s an invite-only social media app that fosters group discussion through live audio. In this episode, Chris joins photography rep, agent, and manager—Andrea Stern—in her photo business forum . The topic: what do you do when you’re stuck in your career? Andrea helps photographer get work and develop their careers. She’s done so for over two decades. But times change. And so does the professi...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 46 min•Season 4Ep. 136
