Dan Mall
Dan Mall

The business

The

business

Of Design

Of Design

Most designers are great at design and terrible at the business of design. Pricing, proposals, client relationships, positioning, profit—the stuff nobody taught you in school. Charge more, work with better clients, and build something worth owning.

Videos about

Videos about

The Business of Design

Podcasts about

Podcasts about

The Business of Design

featuring Dan Mall

featuring Dan Mall

Choose Courage

Playing it Safe is the Riskiest Move

Getting real about the messy, uncertain and transformative journey of entrepreneurship.

1:00:43

Choose Courage

Playing it Safe is the Riskiest Move

Getting real about the messy, uncertain and transformative journey of entrepreneurship.

1:00:43

Technically Speaking

Creativity, Building SuperFriendly, and Building Systems

What design agencies and Hollywood movies have in common and why intentionality is the key to building one that lasts.

46:19

Technically Speaking

Creativity, Building SuperFriendly, and Building Systems

What design agencies and Hollywood movies have in common and why intentionality is the key to building one that lasts.

46:19

The Futur

How to Start Your Own Design Agency

How I built an agency with no employees, why having the right people in the room is how you win, and the ethics of how you price your work.

1:11:00

The Futur

How to Start Your Own Design Agency

How I built an agency with no employees, why having the right people in the room is how you win, and the ethics of how you price your work.

1:11:00

Ditching Hourly

Pricing Design

How to price 7-figure design projects.

1:16:26

Ditching Hourly

Pricing Design

How to price 7-figure design projects.

1:16:26

Presentable

How to Price Design Services

We tackle one of the hardest parts of being a designer: asking for money.

45:00

Presentable

How to Price Design Services

We tackle one of the hardest parts of being a designer: asking for money.

45:00

Non Breaking Space Show

What Is Your Hourly Rate?

Why you should try talking clients out of hiring you, how to graduate from hourly to value pricing, and what to do when imposter syndrome kicks in even after success.

45:02

Non Breaking Space Show

What Is Your Hourly Rate?

Why you should try talking clients out of hiring you, how to graduate from hourly to value pricing, and what to do when imposter syndrome kicks in even after success.

45:02

The O’Reilly Design Podcast

Designing With Friends

My collaborative studio model, why designers should learn diverse skills, and how design pricing should focus on client outcomes.

33:09

The O’Reilly Design Podcast

Designing With Friends

My collaborative studio model, why designers should learn diverse skills, and how design pricing should focus on client outcomes.

33:09

Ask a Freelancer

Next Stop: Freelance

Value-based pricing for small budgets, staying creatively relevant, and freelancing vs full-time.

17:17

Ask a Freelancer

Next Stop: Freelance

Value-based pricing for small budgets, staying creatively relevant, and freelancing vs full-time.

17:17

Let‘s Make Mistakes

The Price of Doing Business

How much time should you put into proposals? How detailed should they be? Shouldn’t we be getting paid for that time?

50:20

Let‘s Make Mistakes

The Price of Doing Business

How much time should you put into proposals? How detailed should they be? Shouldn’t we be getting paid for that time?

50:20

It takes time and effort to find out what someone wants. It takes time and effort to craft a compelling ask. And that’s exactly why most people don’t do it. Which is exactly why you should.

Wanna know one of the best ways to help someone? Identify some of their risks and remove it.

Excerpted from

Some people treat pitching like zero sum: if one party gains, the other has to lose. This is nonsense.

It takes time and effort to find out what someone wants. It takes time and effort to craft a compelling ask. And that’s exactly why most people don’t do it. Which is exactly why you should.

Wanna know one of the best ways to help someone? Identify some of their risks and remove it.

Excerpted from

Some people treat pitching like zero sum: if one party gains, the other has to lose. This is nonsense.

It takes time and effort to find out what someone wants. It takes time and effort to craft a compelling ask. And that’s exactly why most people don’t do it. Which is exactly why you should.

Wanna know one of the best ways to help someone? Identify some of their risks and remove it.

Excerpted from

Some people treat pitching like zero sum: if one party gains, the other has to lose. This is nonsense.

All articles about

The Business of Design

Books about

Books about

The Business of Design

I recommend

I recommend

All links are affiliate links.

All links are affiliate links.

All links are affiliate links.

One hour with Dan was more valuable than months of expensive business coaching.

Gabby Merite

,

Founder

,

Figures & Figures

Dan’s articles often help me out of ruts that I have experienced, whether with a client or just day-to-day in the life of working as a consultant.

Steven Neamonitakis

,

Design Director

,

Thoughtbot

Dan was the biggest impact in my design career while I was at my last agency.

Shubh Singhi

,

CEO

,

Distilled Strategy

Dan Mall

One hour with Dan was more valuable than months of expensive business coaching.

Gabby Merite

,

Founder

,

Figures & Figures

Dan’s articles often help me out of ruts that I have experienced, whether with a client or just day-to-day in the life of working as a consultant.

Steven Neamonitakis

,

Design Director

,

Thoughtbot

Dan was the biggest impact in my design career while I was at my last agency.

Shubh Singhi

,

CEO

,

Distilled Strategy

Dan Mall

One hour with Dan was more valuable than months of expensive business coaching.

Gabby Merite

,

Founder

,

Figures & Figures

Dan’s articles often help me out of ruts that I have experienced, whether with a client or just day-to-day in the life of working as a consultant.

Steven Neamonitakis

,

Design Director

,

Thoughtbot

Dan was the biggest impact in my design career while I was at my last agency.

Shubh Singhi

,

CEO

,

Distilled Strategy

Dan Mall

Helping designers get their flowers.

45,601 followers

15,979 connections

45,100 followers

6,458 subscribers

79 videos

6,296 followers

221 posts

This site is typeset in Bueno by Rajesh Rajput, Thermal by Reset Type Studio, Mark by Hannes von Döhren and Christoph Koeberlin, Manteca by Emyself Design, and Inter by Rasmus Andersson.


This is version 6.0.2 of my personal website. Older versions: v5, v4, v3, v2 (no longer online), v1 (no longer online).


Black lives matter.

© Dan Mall Teaches 2005–2026. All rights reserved.

Made proudly in Philly. Thou shalt not steal—but feel free to remix.

Privacy policy.

Dan Mall

Helping designers get their flowers.

45,601 followers

15,979 connections

45,100 followers

6,458 subscribers

79 videos

6,296 followers

221 posts

This site is typeset in Bueno by Rajesh Rajput, Thermal by Reset Type Studio, Mark by Hannes von Döhren and Christoph Koeberlin, Manteca by Emyself Design, and Inter by Rasmus Andersson.


This is version 6.0.2 of my personal website. Older versions: v5, v4, v3, v2 (no longer online), v1 (no longer online).


Black lives matter.

© Dan Mall Teaches 2005–2026. All rights reserved.

Made proudly in Philly. Thou shalt not steal—but feel free to remix.

Privacy policy.

Dan Mall

Helping designers get their flowers.

45,601 followers

15,979 connections

45,100 followers

6,458 subscribers

79 videos

6,296 followers

221 posts

This site is typeset in Bueno by Rajesh Rajput, Thermal by Reset Type Studio, Mark by Hannes von Döhren and Christoph Koeberlin, Manteca by Emyself Design, and Inter by Rasmus Andersson.


This is version 6.0.2 of my personal website. Older versions: v5, v4, v3, v2 (no longer online), v1 (no longer online).


Black lives matter.

© Dan Mall Teaches 2005–2026. All rights reserved.

Made proudly in Philly. Thou shalt not steal—but feel free to remix.

Privacy policy.

Dan Mall