Hi Friends! I’m excited to share this week’s “Designing Near Future” Newsletter with you. If this email landed in your promotions folder, you know what to do. Welcome to the 60+ new members that joined in the last 2 weeks. 👋 

We are now 1500+ strong

I took a break last week and this edition is a bit delayed too, We will be back on track from next week.

Here’s the breakdown of what’s in store today

⭐ 1 Shift: Are Design Subscriptions The New Standard For Design Agencies?

⚡ 1 Tip: The Difference Between Storytelling and Argument

💊 3 Resources: Secret Creative Resources That Pros Use

Reading time: 3 minutes

⭐ Shift

Are Design Subscriptions The New Standard?

I have been in the design space for over 10 years now (Professional + Academic). Over the last 2 years I have come across more design-as-a-subscription service than I can remember. It really seems to be taking off and I want to highlight 3 stories that will paint the picture for you.

1. DesignJoy

DesignJoy offers unlimited design services for a flat monthly fee. This includes unlimited requests and revisions, which means clients can submit as many design requests as they want and ask for as many revisions as needed until they're satisfied. The best part is that it’s run by 1 person. The internet blew up when Brett (The founder and principal designer) shared a tweet about him making upwards of $1M as a solopreneur. DesignJoy currently makes upwards of $110k/month from their design services offering monthly plans ranging between $5k and $8k.

2. Superside

Superside has existed for a while and is backed by Y combinator and Slack Fund. They provide similar but much more elaborate design services offerings to designjoy and have a much larger team. I see this more as a full stack design service (web, UI, UX, graphic, motion, etc) for enterprise customers and their pricing reflects that. Their clients include Reddit, Figma, Epic games, Googles among other big names. I personally also found their animation work super cute!

3. Industrial Design Subscriptions

I am now starting to see Industrial design studios really open up about their pricing. While there are not a lot of examples of subscription models, one studio from India has caught my eye. Bang Design is offering monthly plans in exchange for a certain number of Industrial Design hours. On average their pricing comes down to USD 40 per hour which is on the lower end from my experience as an Industrial Designer. Another design business that’s been open about their pricing is Kelly Custer’s Knack Design Studio. Instead of a subscription, you pay per concept in this case. On an average the studio would deliver design concepts for 750 bucks (if you know what you want) and 3500+ bucks (to generate new concepts)

Where are we headed?

I think design subscriptions are here to stay. Even though some of these agencies have had some backlash (Twitter backlink seems to be deleted now but the gist of it is that one of the clients got ghosted), there are still more studios and entrepreneurs getting inspired offering all sorts of services eg. web development, Copywriting and now Industrial Design. I predicted this in my podcast Often Unexpectedly earlier this year and I am excited to see how this trend unfolds.

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⚡ Tip

The Difference Between Storytelling and Argument

Knowing when to exercise storytelling and when to make an argument is key in design communication. The key difference between the two is as follows:

Story : Emphasizes emotions and personal context

Argument : Emphasizes facts, logic and analysis

In design, a story is your secret weapon when you want your audience to slip into someone else’s shoes. Airbnb for example isn’t just selling room listings - they’re selling the story of local and authentic experiences, transforming spaces into narratives. They often use an emotional hook—the memory that comes with a stay, crafted through the stories of hosts and travelers.

Use story when you're aiming to captivate and create a bond with your audience. It's for those moments when you need to sell a vision, an experience, or an identity.

On the flip side, argument is your go-to when you need to justify the design's existence with cold, hard facts. This is where a company like Tesla shines, marrying the dream of a greener planet with the inarguable performance of their electric cars. Their argument? Zero emissions, impressive mileage, and a business model that could save our cities from smog. It's the numbers and the relentless logic that convince the skeptics.

Turn to argument when your design needs to stand up to scrutiny, often in front of stakeholders or technically minded clients. This is where data, usability studies, and return on investment (ROI) come into play.

If I had to sum it up in one sentence: Use stories to pull on emotional strings and arguments to reassure the rational mind.

Happy designing!

💊 Resources

3 links to boost your creativity.

• ShapeType is a lettering game that allows users to learn how letters are constructed using splines

• Collected is a new website inspiration site with a unique shuffle feature that shows you new inspo every time

• How to license your idea and make big money is a solid no bs 15 minute video packed with real value