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
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Passion
Passion in design gets misquoted constantly — treated as fuel when it's closer to weather. We've spent twenty years watching it ignite projects and abandon them halfway through. What keeps work honest isn't feeling, it's the decision to continue when passion has already left the room. That gap between passion in design and actual commitment is where studios either build something or quietly repeat themselves.
12 Proverbs
Design wisdom proverbs don't come from books. They come from the gap between what a client asked for and what they actually needed — a gap we've been navigating since 2004. These twelve distillations aren't motivational. They're diagnostic, drawn from real projects where design wisdom proverbs were the only honest way to say what went wrong, or right.
The Why
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Dear Client
Dear client design isn't a letter we wrote lightly. We've been doing this since 2004 — 128 projects, 80+ awards, and more than a few relationships that taught us exactly where the work breaks down. Dear client design starts with a conversation most studios avoid having out loud.
Should designers code?
Should designers code? We've been asking ourselves that question since 2004 — across identities, interfaces, and campaigns where design met production head-on. The answer depends entirely on what kind of designer you want to be, and what kind of work you want to make. Should designers code is the wrong binary; the real question is how much of the medium should you understand before you hand it off.
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You thought it would hold.
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