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PODCAST

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty

Cj Cawley / Jack Chitty

Sticky Notes is the podcast hosted by CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty. Two brand designers sit down each week and unpack the reality of running a creative business. No fluff, no gatekeeping, no pretending they"ve got it all figured out. We talk about the wins, the failures, and everything in between. From niching (or not), finding clients, pricing your work, and building a brand… to creative blocks, self-doubt, and the messy side of freelancing that no one really shows.

arts design

All Episodes

00:59:02

Designing a brand with zero personality

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/09/30

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 the handwritten signature logo Mike had created himself.The challenge was to take something incredibly

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00:44:07

Would you rather lose half your clients to AI or…

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/09/29

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.

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01:03:55

Are design influencers ruining the industry?

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/09/16

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.

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01:05:59

Design client red flags

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/09/09

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 project is going to be brilliant… or an absolute nightmare.

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01:00:42

Being a good brand designer isn't enough anymore

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/09/02

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 studios👉 Why sometimes you have to put the pencil down and think like a business owner👉 How your ego can

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00:34:59

Designing A Retro-Futurist Brand

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/08/26

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 direction for Verdex👉 How Jack developed a logo around slopes, freshly mown grass and the letter V👉

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00:43:42

I Deliberately Designed a Boring Logo

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/08/26

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 with an extremely long name👉 Why the logo was deliberately designed to feel boring at first👉 How the

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01:04:04

A$AP Rocky vs Allan Peters

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/08/13

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 about our own relationship with social media, why millions of views don’t necessarily equal better

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01:09:49

The BEST Logo I Ever Designed

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/08/12

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.We get into:👉 Why even your best design work might never make it into the world👉 How too many

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01:06:47

This One Mistake Cost Me £4,000…

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/08/05

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 £4,000, and the systems and boundaries we now use to protect our time, money and creative energy.We get

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01:05:05

A "Design" Company Stole My Work To Train Their AI

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/08/03

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 his work, what happened when he publicly challenged the company responsible, and the conversations that

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01:14:06

What Is It REALLY Like To Run A Global Design Studio?

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/07/22

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 sometimes you have to burn down what got you here to build what comes next.We get into:👉 Why comparing yourself

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01:03:37

How Much Should I Charge for Creative Work?

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/07/16

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, the pricing mistakes we've made along the way, and the mindset shifts that helped us build more

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00:58:04

Every Creative's Worst Nightmare

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/07/16

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 whether you have "the thing" or not.We get into:👉 Why creativity, talent and taste might be

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01:01:59

Why Clients Keep Rejecting Your Work

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/07/13

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

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00:54:27

How to Find Graphic Design Clients | EP 005

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/06/03

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 noticed.We get into:👉 How we both found our very first freelance clients👉 Why most cold emails and DMs

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01:02:14

I Quit My 9-5… Now I Can’t Stop Working

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/05/27

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 carry into freelance life👉 How overworking quietly becomes normalised when you work for yourself👉

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01:00:03

How do Freelance Graphic Designers find Motivation? |...

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/05/20

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 for this” thinking👉 Why nobody celebrates your wins for you when you work for yourself👉 How to

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00:52:11

The Skill Gap Is Destroying My Confidence | EP002

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/05/13

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 DESIGNERS 🤙✏️CJ's ToolsJack's ToolsWHERE TO FIND US 👇CJ's InstagramJack's Instagram

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01:05:56

The Dark Side of Social Media | EP001

Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty ·

2026/05/06

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 content, personality, and creative style, and the emotional whiplash that comes with becoming the target

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