If you've ever stared at a blank Canva file wondering how other business owners post consistently... this podcast is for you.

I get into one of the most underrated tools for business owners who want to show up on social media without losing their minds: templates. Not boring, cookie-cutter templates. Actually strategic ones, built around the kind of content you post, the assets you have, and the audience you're trying to reach.

I also tackle the moment you start to get sick of your own brand, and why that's actually the signal that it's working.

Free Canva Masterclass: Design Tools to $100k 👉 https://www.whitedeer.com.au/designmasterclass

Have your branded templates created by us in our studio: https://whitedeer.com.au/studio

What’s covered:

• What most people get wrong about templates
• The 4 things to consider before you build a template so you don't waste time on designs you'll never use
• Why you need to ignore the voice in your head telling you to change everything up
• The mix that works: curated designed posts vs. authentic, selfie-style content, and why you need both
• Your 2 options on how to get branded templates for your business

Timestamps:
Intro 0:00
The elephant in the room 1:40
Consider your posts 5:52
How often are you posting? 10:19
What is in your posts 11:14
PSA 14:55

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ak-ji4qugeI
Read on the Blog: https://whitedeer.com.au/ep281/

WORK WITH JACQUI:
// DIY Design My Biz: The best course for business owners DIYing their own brand and graphics in Canva. Learn more: https://whitedeer.com.au/diy-dmb
// The Co+Creation Design Club: Design WITH the help of a professional designer in this high-touch coaching space: https://whitedeer.com.au/designclub
// Design Studio: If you’re after fully done-for-you design services my studio team can help! https://whitedeer.com.au/designstudio

If you've worked with White Deer in any capacity, you've worked with Vanessa. You just might not have known it.

This week's podcast is a proper introduction to Vanessa, my senior designer and co-coach inside both DIY Design My Biz and The Co+Creation Design Club. She is honestly the person holding a huge part of this business together. I've mentioned her a hundred times without ever sitting down and telling her story properly, so that's what we're fixing today.

We talk about how a one-line text message turned into a 3 year working relationship, what it's actually like inside the studio day to day, and what changes while I'm on maternity leave.

Book a branding/design package with the studio 👉 https://whitedeer.com.au/studio

Sign up for the Co+Creation Design Club 👉 https://www.whitedeer.com.au/club

Take a peek into the DIY Design my Biz course 👉 https://www.diydesignmybiz.com

What’s covered:

• How Vanessa ended up working with my studio
• Why hiring a friend is risky... and why it worked anyway
• Vanessa's design background and how she landed on graphic design as a career
• The client project that changed how Vanessa trusts her own instincts
• What's changing in the studio while I’m on maternity leave

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oxUdyc_mzHg
Read on the Blog: https://whitedeer.com.au/ep280/

WORK WITH JACQUI:
// DIY Design My Biz: The best course for business owners DIYing their own brand and graphics in Canva. Learn more: https://whitedeer.com.au/diy-dmb
// The Co+Creation Design Club: Design WITH the help of a professional designer in this high-touch coaching space: https://whitedeer.com.au/designclub
// Design Studio: If you’re after fully done-for-you design services my studio team can help! https://whitedeer.com.au/designstudio

Are you using ChatGPT to create graphics for your business? I get it, it feels like the dream. You tip in your details, out pops a flyer, and you get to move on with your day. But in this podcast, I'm sharing something that might make you rethink that workflow... because what AI is spitting out for you might actually be quietly pushing your clients away.

I've been doing some anecdotal research on this: running Reels, reading comments, talking to people... and what came back genuinely surprised me. Everyday people, not just designers, can spot an AI graphic. And when they can? They're less likely to trust the business, engage with the content, or even show up to the event being promoted. That's a big deal.

This isn't about going anti-AI. I use AI too (mostly for writing, because that's not my strongest suit). But I do want to share why using it for your graphics specifically comes with some real costs, and what I'd actually love for you to do instead.

Free Canva Masterclass: Design Tools to $100k 👉 https://www.whitedeer.com.au/designmasterclass

Reel on AI: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZtwYV8IuCG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==&igsi=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

P.S. This video was recorded before the Instagram update that flags content as “AI” even if only Canva’s AI features like background remover was used.

What’s covered:

• Why people can spot AI graphics more than you'd think, and what they do after
• The "same same" problem: why AI content is blending into the scroll
• What ChatGPT gets wrong about good graphic design
• The 3-step Bot-to-Brand Method for graphic design
• How to use AI for brainstorming designs

Timestamps:
Intro 0:00
The hidden cost of AI graphics 3:36
The research I did for this podcast 3:52
How people are reacting to AI graphics 5:00
Telltale signs of an AI flyer 7:34
Bot 2 Brand Method 9:08
Wrapping up 18:00

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/keXApew9yeQ
Read on the Blog: https://whitedeer.com.au/ep279/

WORK WITH JACQUI:
// DIY Design My Biz: The best course for business owners DIYing their own brand and graphics in Canva. Learn more: https://whitedeer.com.au/diy-dmb
// The Co+Creation Design Club: Design WITH the help of a professional designer in this high-touch coaching space: https://whitedeer.com.au/designclub
// Design Studio: If you’re after fully done-for-you design services my studio team can help! https://whitedeer.com.au/designstudio