Order Meets Chaos - Blueprints & Breakpoints ![rw-book-cover](https://wsrv.nl/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2Fpodcast_uploaded_nologo%2F7693828%2F7693828-1716905948563-ba9f2c359868b.jpg&w=512&h=512) ## Metadata - Author: [[The Deeply Graphic Designcast - DGDC]] - Full Title: Order Meets Chaos - Blueprints & Breakpoints - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/b459f540-fcc3-4e46-8b73-56b02c181ede ## Document Notes ## Highlights - **Creativity Between Control And Chaos** - Creativity lives between control and chaos, not at either extreme. - Structure enables spontaneous creativity by providing a confident foundation. Transcript: Nick Longo And one of them was this idea of like, what happens when you mix structure with spontaneity. And this year, I went into Max so prepared because I had more responsibilities than I've ever had. And as long as you're in any kind of situation where it might be a talk, it might be a pitch, it might be onboarding with a new client or whatever it is, maybe even building that brand to go And present, all of those things are where you rehearse and get your timing and your cadence and your sequence and everything else locked in. I found that I went in super, super confident. I had spent months putting together all of this stuff. Thankfully, the team there, when I got the call to do this, it was around, I want to say June. Yeah, it was June when I was invited to come. And from that point on, we put together a ton of different options as what this talk would be. And then from that point on, there were almost weekly check-ins with the team to make sure you were putting the outline together. You were talking about the objective. What were your hopes with this conversation and this talk and all of those things? And I really got as locked in as I could. I think there was no way around it, right? You're more rehearsed. You're locking in all of your slides, you're making sure everything's great. But then I realized, fast forward to last week, and halfway through day one, I found that all that planning met something totally interesting that I completely forgot about. And that was just reality. Used to think that the best part of all of this stuff, speaking in front of a bunch of people, doing a presentation, building a brand for your client. I used to think that the best part of those things was like the unpredictability, the rush of winging it. And I've had my fair share of winging it throughout school, throughout many times. I'm like, last minute long ago, I'll do things at the very last minute if I'm not held accountable. But this time I took the opposite approach. I built a blueprint and I rehearsed it. I refined it. I made sure that every detail had its place. I wanted to make sure I knew this inside and out. And what I discovered is something I didn't expect, that real magic happens between structure and the chaos of the actual event or when it's time to perform. So in this episode, I want to talk a little bit about that balance, what I call designing between the lines. Because creativity, whether you're presenting on stage or pitching to a client or just building your brand for a client, whatever it might be, we're all there, right? You're putting all your ducks in a row. It isn't about total control or total chaos. There's a unique balance kind of in between. ([Time 0:02:51](https://share.snipd.com/snip/298b02aa-58e3-43d5-abf2-02e69f3d1eb7)) - **Prep Deep, Perform Loose** - Build a detailed blueprint before presenting or designing to anchor your confidence. - Use that preparation to perform from instinct, not adrenaline. Transcript: Nick Longo Here's the thing, every creative, you have that moment and it starts with a plan. And that's not a bad thing. You know, structure has a bad rap in creativity and the circles around it. You talk about the spontaneity and the idea of brainstorming and all that stuff and how it shouldn't be structured. But the truth is, I think it's where it gives you the stability the best way possible. I know I need that. That's something I need to have that master plan or this blueprint first before I try anything. I think it's my preferred way of doing anything. I'm not on the fly in any way, shape, or form unless I have that blueprint. And it's what lets you show up very calm, collective, and ready to perform. I was thinking about it the day before the first talk and I wasn't the least bit nervous. I was anxious. I was like ready and I wanted this thing to start. And I really was excited about that, you know, first second. And, and, and I'm almost like even at a point where I'm thinking, Ooh, what's this going to be like? You know, you're just, you're just curious. It's, it's, you're here at that moment. So for me, that blueprint is everything that happens before you get in front of an audience or behind your screen or in front of a client. All of those things are what makes the creative chaos part actually manageable. ([Time 0:05:52](https://share.snipd.com/snip/804ecd04-f8dc-4fbf-9b21-974d1645b7d1)) - **Pivoting Mid Talk At Adobe Max** - At Adobe Max, Nick rehearsed obsessively but noticed an 8am session's energy go flat. - He paused, spoke off-script about recent Adobe news, and the room immediately re-engaged. Transcript: Nick Longo I walked in grounded. I was super calm. I was ready. My structure had my back. And, and I think that's how I looked at it. It's like, usually, you know, maybe you're with people that, you know, and that can help calm you down, or you're just nervous before meeting that client for the first time. So you do something unique to kind of calm yourself down. I found I didn't even have to do that. It was pretty cool to see that the feeling again was not like stress, but it was anxiousness. I was just ready to go. But here's the twist. Even the cleanest blueprint can get smudged once you're in the thick of it. Because the second you walk on that stage, you realize that no matter how airtight your plan is, reality always adds its own layer. And it sure did on that first few minutes because I had no idea what any of the surroundings or the environment was going to look like. You think about it when you're planning for it. But I had no idea. So of course you get there and then it might be even just the office space that you are presenting at it might be you going off to a client and you've never met it's all those unknowns that's Where the things start to get really interesting because that's where the breakpoints could truly come in and I want to talk a little bit more about now what the breakpoint moments are Because these are this is the fun zone this is the area that comes next if you've got the blueprint down this area uh is is just your your playground this is where you get to explore so the Other side of this coin the breakpoints those moments are when the structure starts to crack and the unexpected could truly creep in here And because no matter how dialed in your plan Is, reality doesn't care. There is a technology hiccup. There's maybe there's just what I found. I called it the energy shift. It's like it could be really invigorating and positive and something could shift in the energy of the room very quickly. And that's, that's a unique little twist, a little curve ball. People can surprise you. And if you can't read the room and pivot, you're, you're stuck performing for a plan that's already dead. And like, if, again, if you can't make that pivot, and you got to stay only on the track that you've practiced. Yeah, that's your you're dead in the water. So for me, the moment came early at max, it was the second or third session, I can't remember which one it was. And it was an 8am session right after the big party. And, know, I had some coffee, I was kind of considerate of like what I ate that morning, I was just trying to make sure I was well awake before that. So I was probably awake at about 5am and had a cup of coffee, tried to use the gym in the hotel. Of course, it was horrible. So that didn't help. But the in the room was, let's just say, a little bit different than the last two, because the last two were like in the middle of the day, people had come from maybe another session. And again, like you can't guarantee what that energy, even in a room, even on a Zoom call, is going to be with someone that you're presenting to. So at that point, I had this like perfectly rehearsed into ready to go smooth transitions. I had visuals that were timed well. I had a few lines I was really proud of in the, in the, in the talk. And when those came around, those little moments gave me that kind of confidence to make sure I can kind of pivot and find something in there. And about three minutes in, I could tell it wasn't landing. So I was kind of going like, ooh, these little extra things I had, these things were not really working and panicked just a little bit. And then you could feel it when it happens because it's like if you tell a joke or you're saying something funny and it doesn't hit, the rhythm of the room just kind of can go flat. And you could see the glazed eyes, the folded arms, and maybe the phones light it up in the back row. And I'm just standing there thinking, okay, Nick, your blueprints are not saving you. You might have to pivot here. So I paused and I took a breath, closed the slide deck for a second, and then started talking like I would to my class out over in CSUN, just being honest and off the cuff. And I think it was perfect because I went to something that had happened the night prior, and it was good news. It was stuff that we were talking about, specific details that Adobe had released that other day. And it was a great way to kind of get them talking. And two or three of them instantly kind of, you know, joined the conversation. And within minutes, the room shifted, the power shifted, the energy really felt great. And people leaned in, they started nodding and a few laughed and not just because of the slides, but because of the realness that had happened at that moment. And that's when it clicked for me that the blueprint had built the confidence to show up, but the break point built the connection. ([Time 0:11:01](https://share.snipd.com/snip/e4a97f8a-4a9a-4558-a6db-2ed788da3a87)) - **Breakpoints Create Connection** - Breakpoints are moments when structure cracks and reality demands a pivot. - Recognizing them turns preparation into connection rather than a dead script. Transcript: Nick Longo There is a technology hiccup. There's maybe there's just what I found. I called it the energy shift. It's like it could be really invigorating and positive and something could shift in the energy of the room very quickly. And that's, that's a unique little twist, a little curve ball. People can surprise you. And if you can't read the room and pivot, you're, you're stuck performing for a plan that's already dead. And like, if, again, if you can't make that pivot, and you got to stay only on the track that you've practiced. Yeah, that's your you're dead in the water. So for me, the moment came early at max, it was the second or third session, I can't remember which one it was. And it was an 8am session right after the big party. And, know, I had some coffee, I was kind of considerate of like what I ate that morning, I was just trying to make sure I was well awake before that. So I was probably awake at about 5am and had a cup of coffee, tried to use the gym in the hotel. Of course, it was horrible. So that didn't help. But the in the room was, let's just say, a little bit different than the last two, because the last two were like in the middle of the day, people had come from maybe another session. And again, like you can't guarantee what that energy, even in a room, even on a Zoom call, is going to be with someone that you're presenting to. So at that point, I had this like perfectly rehearsed into ready to go smooth transitions. I had visuals that were timed well. I had a few lines I was really proud of in the, in the, in the talk. And when those came around, those little moments gave me that kind of confidence to make sure I can kind of pivot and find something in there. And about three minutes in, I could tell it wasn't landing. So I was kind of going like, ooh, these little extra things I had, these things were not really working and panicked just a little bit. And then you could feel it when it happens because it's like if you tell a joke or you're saying something funny and it doesn't hit, the rhythm of the room just kind of can go flat. And you could see the glazed eyes, the folded arms, and maybe the phones light it up in the back row. And I'm just standing there thinking, okay, Nick, your blueprints are not saving you. You might have to pivot here. So I paused and I took a breath, closed the slide deck for a second, and then started talking like I would to my class out over in CSUN, just being honest and off the cuff. And I think it was perfect because I went to something that had happened the night prior, and it was good news. It was stuff that we were talking about, specific details that Adobe had released that other day. And it was a great way to kind of get them talking. And two or three of them instantly kind of, you know, joined the conversation. And within minutes, the room shifted, the power shifted, the energy really felt great. And people leaned in, they started nodding and a few laughed and not just because of the slides, but because of the realness that had happened at that moment. And that's when it clicked for me that the blueprint had built the confidence to show up, but the break point built the connection. Because if I didn't do that, I think it could have been just a flat line all the way through. That's the paradox of preparation. You plan everything only to realize that the most powerful moments are the ones that you cannot plan. And again, you can't pivot that way unless you know this information and you know what you're going in there. And I think that's the lesson for any creative is whether you're teaching or you're pitching or you're designing, at some point your structure has to give way to instinct. ([Time 0:12:51](https://share.snipd.com/snip/51152204-df26-4ea2-9acc-cf98aafa7ab4)) - **Sketching Sparked A Brand Shift** - While designing Little Billies, Nick scrapped a week's digital layouts to sketch on paper. - That return to sketching produced the mascot and became the brand's heart. Transcript: Nick Longo This one's from design, not the stage. During the early developments of Little Billies, I had a pretty clear system mapped out. The mood boards, the logo, the direction, the color systems, all everything polished, all aligned. And then halfway through, something felt a little bit wrong. Everything looked too clean, too intentional, and I didn't have that spark. So I scrapped a week's worth of some layouts that I had, sat down, and I just started sketching on paper again and the results were the whole look really shifted towards something more Mischievous a little bit more nostalgic maybe I was being a little bit afraid to do that and I was so far in the mix and here I was you know eyes to screen digital digital pixel pixel and not Feeling like it was going well. My way was to stop, pivot, go back and sketch. And it ended up becoming the heart of the brand. And it was the mascot. It was once the mascot kind of came into play and the right one hit, everything just, the synergy was so cool. And that was my breakpoint moment. It was the same thing. It was like being a little bit off and seeing that something was wrong. How do I, how do I fix this? I had to abandon what I really considered was my safe route. That was the way that I was structured. I made plans and trust what my gut was telling me was this doesn't look like Little Billies yet. ([Time 0:19:33](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b605becf-5c83-4c81-ad00-277fe7282f11)) - **Turn Presentations Into Discussions** - Turn presentations into discussions to reduce fear and increase connection. - Read the room's visual cues to know when to push, pause, or switch lanes. Transcript: Nick Longo When you're teaching or presenting or pitching or having that onboarding call with someone, even collaborating with your client or a coworker, the ability to feel that energy in the Room is everything. That's how you know when to push, when to pause, and when to switch lanes entirely. And I think, again, you get that confidence from knowing the work, but also identifying that moment. That awareness doesn't come from a manual or a book or even this conversation. It comes from showing up over and over again and learning to trust your gut. It took me so long to get to that point of trusting my gut. Because anytime you're in a situation where that happens, I think years prior, I would think my gut's not experienced enough to know that this is the right moment. And I would just dismiss it. But I think later and later, through different opportunities, different experiences, I start to realize that that gut is telling you 100% exactly the right thing. At max, after that early morning session where I had to pivot, I started noticing all these subtle signals I normally miss when I'm locked into a presentation mode. Someone smiling at the slide or nodding their head when I brought up a new feature that will save you time and get you to your final destination of a project much faster. I noticed that, those quiet moments that you could feel the attention sharpen and then, of course, you could feel when it drifted. And I always want to make sure you're aware of both and you can identify the difference. It's like watching waves. If you think about it, the energy moves. And if you're tuned in, you could surf it instead of getting knocked over by it. It's the same idea. Like, how are you flowing with the energy around you? And honestly, this applies far beyond just public speaking. It's the same skill and it shows up when you're leading a design project. If you're too focused on your screen or your mood boards or other items that you've prepped, you miss the signals that your team or a client is sending you. Their tone, their hesitations, the stuff that they don't say. And that's what I realized is like, no one was saying anything, giving me these cues. It was all visual. It was all being able to observe and look. And that's where reading the room becomes one of the most powerful skills I think you could develop. Because when you can sense that energy, whether it's from one person or the whole group, you stop designing in isolation. You start creating in real time. And that's how it worked. ([Time 0:24:05](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d262e9e3-32a1-4e01-9b32-c9cd663c3581)) - **Earn Instinct Through Repetition** - Earn instinct by showing up repeatedly and adjusting mid-flight when things go wrong. - Each successful pivot sharpens pattern recognition and builds confidence. Transcript: Nick Longo At max, after that early morning session where I had to pivot, I started noticing all these subtle signals I normally miss when I'm locked into a presentation mode. Someone smiling at the slide or nodding their head when I brought up a new feature that will save you time and get you to your final destination of a project much faster. I noticed that, those quiet moments that you could feel the attention sharpen and then, of course, you could feel when it drifted. And I always want to make sure you're aware of both and you can identify the difference. It's like watching waves. If you think about it, the energy moves. And if you're tuned in, you could surf it instead of getting knocked over by it. It's the same idea. Like, how are you flowing with the energy around you? And honestly, this applies far beyond just public speaking. It's the same skill and it shows up when you're leading a design project. If you're too focused on your screen or your mood boards or other items that you've prepped, you miss the signals that your team or a client is sending you. Their tone, their hesitations, the stuff that they don't say. And that's what I realized is like, no one was saying anything, giving me these cues. It was all visual. It was all being able to observe and look. And that's where reading the room becomes one of the most powerful skills I think you could develop. Because when you can sense that energy, whether it's from one person or the whole group, you stop designing in isolation. You start creating in real time. And that's how it worked. It felt like a different flow of no longer just isolation, but it was this idea of like co-creating. What are we going to do from getting the signs that you gave? How am I going to switch? And that's in real time. And how that works is pretty cool. I've often been asked, like, how do you get better at that? And how do you learn to trust your instinct? And here's my answer to be super honest. I think you have to earn it. It doesn't come naturally. Every time you put yourself out there and it's something fearful or something that you're afraid to take that step walking into that room or to that meeting, whatever it is, if something Doesn't go as planned, every time you adjust mid-flight and you survive it, your instincts will sharpen. And that internal memory of patterns when people shift is there is like really what works. I've gotten far too technical here or my students eyes didn't light up when I thought they would. I know that's a moment worth digging into and seeing like make the shift do something right now to make the energy change. ([Time 0:25:08](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b93e4df3-c89f-4d0b-973a-4a0bcf6affe0)) - **Emotional Range Beats Tools** - What separates good creatives from great ones is emotional range and responsiveness. - Managing momentum and room energy matters more than talent or tools alone. Transcript: Nick Longo What separates good creatives from great ones isn't talent or tools. It's emotional range. It's the ability to see, sense, and respond without overthinking. You're not just managing a project. You're managing the momentum and that speed and the velocity of what's happening right in front of you. That's what reading the room really is. It's tuning awareness into action. Here's a mini takeaway. Builds trust. Spontaneity builds connection. You need both to lead creativity for sure. This balance between structure and spontaneity isn't luck. It's a skill and you can practice it. ([Time 0:31:17](https://share.snipd.com/snip/5ce4c28f-5501-462d-aa66-31f8be31c68f)) - **Earn Freedom Through Preparation** - Prepare deeply so you can relax into spontaneous, human moments during performance. - Earn freedom through preparation to make room for organic connection. Transcript: Nick Longo And I know when I teach and I have my students and maybe it's even just a client, or maybe it's just peers. Prep deep, perform loose. Love that. This is where you earn your freedom through preparation. So when you've done the work, and you can walk into any room with that confidence, because your foundation is pretty solid. The deeper your preparation is, the looser your performance can feel. ([Time 0:32:01](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d61d410d-bdf9-44f0-80bf-362cbd074b16)) - **Build Flexible Frameworks** - Design flexible frameworks with built-in pivot points you can use during sessions or projects. - Keep structure strong but able to swing in any direction as needed. Transcript: Nick Longo Whether you're presenting or designing, building systems that blend, not break. So when I'm mapping out a case study or a workshop or anything that I'm doing, I design a few pivot points. Places where I can adjust based on freedom, feedback, or that energy in the room that we talked about. The structure is still strong, but it can swing open in any direction when it needs to. ([Time 0:32:42](https://share.snipd.com/snip/63eb0d41-19a4-47fa-8526-bbb8ea86c840)) - **Read, Respond, Rebuild** - When something shifts mid-project, stop and read the situation before reacting. - Respond with intention, then reflect and rebuild what follows. Transcript: Nick Longo When something shifts mid-project, mid-presentation, don't react. Just read. Ask yourselves what's really happening. And if you just ask that quickly in your mind, that'll give you a bit of a roadmap to know how to respond, but not just to how to respond, but how to respond with intention. Because I want to make sure it's a smart move. I don't want to make sure just because I've identified a pause or a moment to switch, I'm choosing the wrong way. I might as well have just stayed on that path. But you want to know how to do it with that intention because afterwards, you can rebuild it and you can kind of bring it back to where it needs to be. Reflect on what has worked already, what didn't, and why. ([Time 0:33:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/5a365339-b681-44f0-bc13-3d632231537e)) - **Reflect After The Storm** - After each big talk or project, answer three questions: where you stayed on script, where you went off script, and what felt alive. - Use that reflection to sharpen future instincts and pivots. Transcript: Nick Longo So after every big talk, every big project, any presentation I have with the client, I always ask myself three things. Number one, where did I stay on script and did it work? Number two, where did I go off script and why? Three, what felt alive in the room? That reflection is where all of your mastery will start. ([Time 0:34:14](https://share.snipd.com/snip/2190e1de-eb57-404f-af9d-10c3bff7bd0c)) - **Choosing Presence Over Documentation** - At Max Nick planned to record and interview heavily but realized he had no time to capture everything. - He stopped recording and chose to absorb the event in real time instead. Transcript: Nick Longo Well, that creativity doesn't live in perfection. This also goes for the entire event. I went in thinking I brought three cameras, I was going to film and record, I was going to capture things, I was going to interview people, I did interview some people, they'll be showing Up on the podcast in an episode soon. But I went in with so much. And where I pivoted was, I just didn't have the time. And I wanted to absorb it all for real. I didn't record much, I didn't take a lot of pictures. I felt terrible that I didn't get a chance to hang with a few people that I really did want to kind of spend time with. So, you know, the reality of it is sometimes you just kind of have to go with that. There was no pivot in those situations for me. So I learned that as well. ([Time 0:34:55](https://share.snipd.com/snip/62623931-deac-45f9-b379-e31582971577))