Have You Ever Tipped a Designer?
Tipping a designer is something almost no client ever considers — and that silence is worth examining. We’ve delivered work that changed how companies present themselves to the world, and the conversation about money always ends at the invoice. Tipping a designer feels foreign, even absurd, until you ask yourself why.
We tip for almost everything—meals, cab rides, drinks… It’s a small but meaningful gesture that says, “I see your effort. I value your time.” But in the world of design, tips or extra appreciation are rare things.
Recently, for the first time, a client offered to pay me more than what we agreed upon. Not because I asked. Not because there was a contract clause. But simply because they believed the work was worth more. That moment caught me off guard—there is first time fo everything.
As designers, we’re often expected to do more for less. We’re told the budget is tight. We compromise. We reduce our rates. But deep down, we still give our best. Why? Because we care. Because we believe in the brands we work with. Because we want to see things done right.
And “right” isn’t always in the brief. It’s in the hours spent adjusting tiny details no one else might notice. It’s in the late nights, the countless revisions, and the extra mile we go because it matters to us.
So if you’ve ever worked with a designer who went above and beyond—tell them. Tip them, even if it’s just with your words. Because behind every great brand, product, or experience, there’s a designer who gave more than they had to.
And sometimes, being appreciated makes all the difference.
Note:
This goes to every job out there…
Why Tipping a Designer Never Comes Up — Even When It Should
See how we approach branding projectsDon’t miss the next essay. Signup for our newsletter
⸻ Newsletter signup
First You Learn Than You Earn
Designer learning process isn't a phase — it's the foundation everything else is built on. We spent years in Ljubljana studios understanding materials, systems, and failure before a single award or client brief justified the time. The designer learning process, done honestly, is what separates work that holds from work that merely sells.
What is a good design
Good design principles are easier to list than to apply — and most lists get it wrong. We've spent twenty years testing what actually holds under pressure: across 81 logos, 128 projects, and judging rooms where good design either survives scrutiny or quietly doesn't. What makes design work isn't a checklist. It's a set of decisions that age well, communicate without effort, and resist the urge to explain themselves.
Is it sexy?
Is it sexy design? That's the question we ask before anything else leaves the studio. Not as provocation — as a filter. We've built 80+ awarded projects around this single, uncomfortable standard: if you can't feel it, it isn't finished.
How Much Does Branding Cost?
Branding cost is the question every client asks first, and it's almost always the wrong place to start. We've worked through 128 projects since 2004, and the budget conversation only makes sense after we understand what the brand actually needs to do. Branding cost without that context is just a number with nothing holding it up.
Ljubljana to do
Ljubljana to-do lists are usually the same – the castle, the market, Plečnik. We have been designing in this city since 2004 and we see it differently: through the facades, the typography on the windows, the details that the tourist guide doesn't mention. This guide is Ljubljana to-do for those who observe.
The Why
Brand why statement is the first question we ask — before color, form, or name. Not because it's fashionable to talk about purpose, but because a brand built without a clear why collapses under its own aesthetic eventually. We've seen it. Defining your brand why statement early is the structural decision that holds everything else together.
Black and white
Black and white design is where we start every project — not as a stylistic preference, but as a structural test. If a mark, layout, or identity doesn't hold in two tones, it won't survive color, scale, or time. Black and white design is the first filter, and for us, it's often the only one that matters.
To all the misfits who jumped to freelancing
Freelance designer struggles don't announce themselves. One month you're euphoric about escaping the agency; six months later you're chasing an invoice at midnight and questioning every career decision you've ever made. We've seen this arc enough times — from our studio in Ljubljana, across two decades of watching good designers disappear into bad freelance situations — to say something honest about it.