In June 2021, Bayzil, our small design studio turns 7 🥳.

Sharing our 17 key learnings from the past 7 years.

We hope these will help someone out there. Don't make the same mistakes we made. Take the risks worth taking.

You don't need a 20+ team of designers to pull any project. During the 60+ projects (product, app, and website designs) that we delivered, there was never a moment when we felt a lack of (wo)manpower.
Clients value your time more when you value it more.
Build connections with people, not companies.
Keep your time currency 'days' instead of weeks/months. Work with people who think in weeks, not months/years 📆.
Charge for the value you provide instead of the hours you put in.
Ask your client the tough questions (about the product, customer, timeline, costs, etc.) in the beginning. Set the expectations right.
It's ok to tell them their logo sucks! Use better words though 😉.
It's ok to tell them if you see something terribly wrong with their product/design. Smart people appreciate that. Again, use better words.
It's on product designers to nail the right problem even when the client doesn't expect you to.
Learn to write concisely. Think concise. Both feed into each other.
Think product first, UI later. Pixel creators are common in the industry. Designers who 'get the big picture' are few. Define the product first.
Use the latest tools and technologies like Figma, Sketch, Framer instead of old-school tools like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Recommend better tools, technologies, and partnerships to your clients even though that's not part of your job.
Don't be married to your designs. Stay married to the product.
The smaller the project cost, the bigger the expectations. Go for high-value work instead.
Adopt agency thinking (Belief that you can figure it out all by yourself).
Take testimonials soon after a project is over.

Less is more.